Link to Tools

Creating Links to the Tools

Instructors have a variety of collaboration tools, including a few new tools like blogs, wikis, and journals, to choose from and to make available for students to use in a Blackboard course.

In this version of Blackboard, instructors can now place tools on course page within the context of related course materials and enter a meaningful name for a tool (e.g. instead of using a generic label like "Discussion Board," you can enter a name for the tool that indicates the topic of the discussion). Instructors can also easily link to a collaboration tool (e.g. a wiki) or set of tools from the course menu and again edit the name to provide a meaningful label.

The "Tools" page is still provided, and if you wish to use that as the entry point to the tool set you wish your students to use, instructors will need to make sure that a link to that page is available to students.
 

To Add a Collaboration Tool to a Course Page:

1. From a content area in the course and with "Edit Mode" turned ON, mouse over the "Add Interactive Tool" button located at the top of the page to expand the tool selections.
   
    
2. Select from the dropdown menu, the collaborative tool you want to link to from the content area you are currently working in:
   • Discussion Board Link
   • Blog Link
   • Journals
   • Chat
   • Virtual Classroom Link
   • Groups Link
      
3. Rearrange where the link to the tool is placed on the page.
   Typically when you add something in Blackboard, the item is placed at the bottom of the page or end of the list. You can use the drag-and-drop functionality to position the tool into a desired location on the page.

To Add a Tool to the Course Menu

Click the plus (+) button in the course menu and select "Create Tool Link." Enter a name for the link and choose the tool from the list. Then optionally click the checkbox to make it available to users. Once you make it available, students will have access to the link. If you do not make it available, only users with the role of instructor and TA will have access to the link.
 

The Tools Area

The Tools Area is still available for your use. If you want students to access this area, you will need to make sure you have provided a link to it. Click the (+) sign in the course menu to add a link to the Tools Area from the course menu.