web-based content in Blackboard
using content from media sharing websites
Blended Learning Advisor
Academic Development Unit

what?

publicly available
audio/visual/interactive
(media-rich)
web content

content displays
directly in the browser
[ avoiding the need to download files to view materials ]

media is ‘retrieved’
from an external
website
[ no files are copied - a link is made to the original source ]

video
providers/services

audio
providers/services

imagery
providers/services

document
providers/services

why?

make use of existing
resources
[ why re-invent the wheel?! ]

expose students to
a larger frame of
reference
[ promote potential lifelong learning activity ]

material is immediate:
directly accessible in
the browser
[ content is presented in its own ‘media player’ ]

saves storage space
on Blackboard!
[ as content is stored (publicly) elsewhere ]

the content provider
is responsible for
copyright
[ but be aware that some ‘authors’ infringe copyright! ]

how?

Blackboard acts as a
‘window’ to material
stored on an
external website
[ content ‘links’ to the original source file ]

content on media
sharing sites have an
‘embed’ code
[ this is ‘copied and pasted’ in Blackboard to display it ]

the (HTML*) code
references where the
original file is stored,
and how to display it
[ *HyperText Markup Language ]

(aributes: size etc)
(location: source of ‘file’)
<object width=\"400\"
height=\"300\"><param name=\"movie\"
value=\"http://www.website.com/
filename\"></param><param
name=\"wmode\" value=\"transparent\"></
param><embed src=\"http://
www.website.com/filename\"
type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\"
wmode=\"transparent\" width=\"400\"
height=\"300\"></embed></object>
[ example: simulated code ]

displaying content
centres around the
HTML tool in the
Visual Text Editor...
[ Mac Users must use the Firefox browser! ]

go to the webpage
where the content is
normally displayed
1
p
e
t
s [ i.e. YouTube, Photobucket etc ]

locate an ‘Embed’
button or area on
the page
2
p
e
t
s
[ customization (size/display) may also be possible ]

copy the code
3
p
e
t
s[ e.g. highlight the text and choose Edit>Copy ]

go to the area in
Blackboard where the
content should be
4
displayed
p
e
t
s

click ‘Edit View’
5
p
e
t
s

click on the ‘Item’
button
6
p
e
t
s

give the item a Name
7
p
e
t
s

click the ‘<>’ button
8
p
e
t
s [ in the Visual Text Editor area ]

paste the code in the
‘Text’ area
9
p
e
t
s [ Edit > Paste ]

click the ‘<>’
button again
0
1
p
e
t
s

configure any further
settings
1
1
p
e
t
s [ i.e. tracking, date restrictions etc ]

click ‘Submit’
2
1
p
e
t
s

click ‘OK’
3
1
p
e
t
s
[ you should now see the content in the Blackboard page ]

Disclaimer
All software screenshots are copyright of their parent
companies – they are used for the sole purposes of
education.
All other content appears under the Creative Commons
Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported
License