Learning & Teaching with Blogs and Journals
Introduction to Campus Pack
Welcome to Campus Pack within Blackboard. Campus Pack is a tool integrated with
Blackboard that enables staff and students to collaborate within a Blackboard module
using wikis, blogs and podcasts. These new tools are available in all modules on
Blackboard and as a tutor you can create and guide your students to actively participate
and collaborate online within the module. This encapsulates the University‟s philosophy
on technology enhanced learning, encouraging and enabling students to become active in
the virtual learning environment using podcasts, wikis and blogs.
What is a Blog?
A Blog is short for a web log and functions as an interactive private journal. A blog is an
excellent tool for recording reflections, personal experiences, opinions, reports,
commentary on events, as well as providing news or help information. Blog entries are
displayed in reverse order with recent entries showing first. There are over 66 million blogs
on the internet (Technorati, 2007) and some of the most popular blogs are created using
Blogger, Wordpress and Elgg. Journal LX is the Campus Pack blogging tool available
within your Blackboard modules for use for students and staff. Feel free to write as much
and as often as you wish within your own Blog, or leave comments within your colleague‟s
blog, but remember blog etiquette, here are some reminders:
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Remember blogs are public knowledge (within your Blackboard module)
Blogs are ideal for expressing your own thoughts, so speak with your own voice
Remember to check the spelling and grammar before saving
Remember to be thoughtful and respect others privacy
There are many tools you can use in your blog such as text, tables, hyperlinks,
images, videos, search tools etc but always remember to reference other peoples
information if you use this in your own blog.
Why use Blogs in Blackboard?
There are many excellent uses for Blogs in Blackboard, here are just some approaches:
With a blog staff members can:
o Report, comment and inform on staff research activities (building up and
contributing to a research community)
o Provide student feedback or guidance (e.g. as a response to individual
student blog postings in an academic study or PDP context)
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o Assess the learning process element of a project or assignment (again, in a
shared student-tutor blog)
With a blog students can engage in:
o Personal reflection as in a learning journal (e.g. in project-based activity, field
trip assignments or work placements, etc)
o The creation of a subject-specific blog (the student author and commentators
can develop ideas and link out to other blogs on a similar theme, thus
creating or contributing to a community of learners)
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Receiving tutor and peer feedback
How to use blogs in Blackboard
Take a look at the Campus Pack tutorial video on journal LX (tip: allow the video to fully
load before viewing)
Logging on to Blackboard
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Choose the Blackboard icon on „Inform‟ Or Open Internet Explorer and type:
http://blackboard.glam.ac.uk
Students accessing these tools can log into Blackboard via Glamlife
www.glamlife.glam.ac.uk
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Enter your Username and Password
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Choose the module you are teaching from „My Courses‟.
Setting up a Blog in your Blackboard Module
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Select the module for your Blog.
Choose where in the module you wish to place the Blog; for this example, we will
place the Blog within the Learning Materials content area.
Click on the Learning Materials button in the navigation panel on the left side of
your screen (or alternatively, go to the Control Panel and select Learning Materials
in the Content Areas section).
Now click on Edit View at the top right of the screen.
Choose the Select drop down arrow beside Learning Unit on the far right.
Choose Blog near the end of the list
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Click the Go button (to the right of the drop down box)
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Enter a name for the Blog and a description
Ensure the Blog is available
Decide whether the Blog is a group one (accessible by all members and tutor(s), or
a private journal to be accessed by your personal tutor(s) only.
Choose the reference value for users in the Blog; the default is Person Name
Text direction by default is left to right
Under Member Settings, choose All course Members or Specific Groups and
course members if you wish to use groups or selected individuals
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If you wish to allow students to delete blog pages (not recommended) tick the
box; if not leave it empty
Tick the Allow members to export the blog box if you wish to use the blog in
another Blackboard module
You can choose View Comments and or Write Comments if you wish to allow
members these options
Select the check box and set the dates if you wish to set date and time
restrictions for editing the wiki
There is also a non-member option settings to enable or disable non-members to
view the wiki, date and time options and allowance for viewing or writing comments
The final option (see illustration below) on this setup screen allows a Grade Book
(now called Grade Center) entry to be setup by ticking the check box and filling in
the Entry name, Category and Possible Points. There is also the option to display
grades to students
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New Tools within Blogs
On the right hand side of the blog, there are the following options:
Actions – to add a new entry and to print the blog with or without comments
Filters – enables you to choose how many entries you wish to view at a time
The calendar tool – shows the last time an entry was created
Archives – enables you to view past history within the blog
Recent Posts – shows the dates of recent posts
Statistics – shows views and entries
Toolbox – enables you to export the blog content into a zip file
Privacy – states who can see the blog entries
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To Add a New Entry – choose the new entry link on the right or to Edit an
existing blog entry, choose Edit blog at the top of the blog
The following toolbars will appear:
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There are many familiar icons on the blog editing toolbar. The first toolbar icons
contain the formatting tools, font, size, alignment, colour etc
The second toolbar contains editing tools such as cut, copy, paste, indentation
and bullets and numbering
The third toolbar may have some tools that may be unfamiliar, beneath is a list of
the tools and their usage within blogs
Insert link – allows a hyperlink to be created within the wiki
Unlink – allows a hyperlink to be broken
Upload file – allows a file to be uploaded into the wiki
Insert image – allows an image to be added to the wiki
Insert/edit anchor – allows a bookmark to be created within the wiki, enabling the users
to move easily to different sections of the wiki
Insert/edit embedded media – allows video clips or other media objects to be added to
the wiki
The next three icons allow the use of tables; the first one inserts a new table, followed by
the table row properties and table cell properties
The next six icons focus on inserting rows and columns into a table within the wiki, insert
row before, insert row after, delete row, insert column before, insert column after, remove
column
Split table cells and merge table cells continue the options for tables within the wiki
This icon inserts a horizontal ruler that can separate the wiki page
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Inserts custom characters as below:
Inserts character emotions into the wiki as below:
Note: Blog entries are displayed in reverse order with recent entries first!
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Acknowledgements
Special thanks to the team at the Learning and Teaching Development Unit (LTDU) at
UWIC, Cardiff for granting permission to use elements of their guidance documentation for
Campus Pack.
Queries about this „How-to‟ guide and requests for advice and training on the use of
Campus Pack tools in Blackboard should be directed to:
Catherine Naamani
Senior Lecturer in Technology Enhanced Learning
CELT
Email: cnaamani@glam.ac.uk
Tel: 01443 654185
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Copyright and wikis, blogs, podcasts and other user-generated content in Blackboard and online
Content posted in wikis, blogs and podcasts might contain 3rd party copyright material, which may be illegal. For example, uploading,
storing or archiving legal video files from YouTube on Blackboard, the University of Glamorgan's VLE (Virtual Learning Environment), for
teaching and learning purposes is not itself illegal. However, if you are unsure of whether the video file on YouTube is legal or not, do
not use it. To check the legal status of each video file on YouTube check its Terms and Conditions of Use (usually found at the bottom
of each YouTube webpage) and Copyright Status. If you need any guidance please contact the Rights Officer.
Third party copyright should of course be respected. For guidance see the updated 'How to Get Started with Blended Learning and
Copyright' here, and the Copyright frequently asked questions here.
What issues are there to consider if we record lectures and make them available online in Blackboard modules?
Members of staff should check the Terms & Conditions of their Contract of Employment, but it‟s highly likely that since they are
employed by the University, the University will own the copyright in the content of the lecture. However, the Lecturer will own the
copyright in their actual performance of the lecture. Furthermore, if the University agrees to film lectures, and makes all the necessary
arrangements via Media Services in the LRC, then the actual recording will most likely to belong to the University too.
So, members of staff should give the University permission to record their lectures (implicit agreement by arranging the recordings is
probably sufficient), but equally if staff wish to do anything else with the recordings (i.e. use other than for their Glamorgan students, or
at a different institution) then the University‟s permission for this further use must be sought.
Another thing to consider is the role of students in the recording. A lecturer with tens of students watching their performance, with no
individual student identifiable in the recording is one thing, but if a seminar involving several students who are clearly identifiable is
recorded, then an assignment of their performance rights from them must also be obtained.
Notice and Take Down Policy
Every effort has been made to ensure that nothing in the University of Glamorgan‟s Virtual Learning Environment GlamLearn
(“Blackboard”) infringes UK law.
If the University of Glamorgan is notified of a potential breach of copyright, or receives a complaint indicating a breach of copyright, the
electronic material involved will be removed from Blackboard as quickly as possible pending further investigation.
Where the grounds for notification or complaint are considered plausible, the electronic item will be withdrawn from Blackboard until
further notice, so that efforts can be made to resolve the matter.
If you are a rights owner and are concerned that material which you own has been reproduced on Blackboard without your permission,
please contact us by email at rights@glam.ac.uk.
See the following link to Copyright and Performance Rights for further information: http://lcss.glam.ac.uk/ig/ip/
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