First, Log into Blackboard at bb.usu.edu...

*Note: Your Blackboard password is the same as your banner password. This can be changed/updated at password.usu.edu.

Next, access the course you want to chat through...

On the Left side of the screen, under COURSE TOOLS, click CHAT...

Select the chat room you want to enter. The room will open in a new window...

You can also look at the log of who has been in the room recently by clicking the dropdown menu and selecting VIEW LOG...

While the chatroom is loading, you will see a loading screen...

The chatroom is attached to the whiteboard. There are a number of different options here. Let's start with Whiteboard...

Zoom

1: Click to hide the Whiteboard from the chat window at anytime.
2: The Whiteboard drawing area.
3:Your whiteboard toolbox.
4: Click to change colors.
5. Click to selct line width.
6: Click to change type options.
7: Click to upload images and save or print your current whiteboard session.

The whiteboard toolbox has a number of tools standard to most graphics programs such as Paint or Photoshop...

1: Click to return to your normal cursor at anytime.
2: A standard drawing "brush".
3+10: Used to create prefect ovals/circles and rectangles/squares.
4: Reshape tool.
5+12: Zoom in/out of viewable whiteboard space.
6: Click on Whiteboard to type on image.
7: Undo.
8: Move tool.
9: Used to draw straight lines.
11: Used to duplicate images.
13: Used to delete selected image.
14: Used to erase ENTIRE whiteboard. Cannot be undone.

To upload an image to the whiteboard, click LOAD FILE. A new window will appear...

Click MY COMPUTER to upload files from you computer or external drive...

*NOTE: You need JAVA to run this application.

Browse the files on your computer and select what you would like to upload...

A smaller version of the image will open in the whiteboard...

Now, let's hide the Whiteboard. The Chat feature is much like a normal IM screen...

1: Where response/ chat sent will appear.
2: Handraise mode.
3: Any people in the chatroom are listed here.
4: Enables a chime sound when a reply is sent.

The last thing is HANDRAISE MODE. It is disabled in this example. You would just click to raise you hand, and again to put your hand down.

NOTE: It is only accessable if the instructor enables it. It is used as a substitute for raising your hand in real life, and alerts the instructor that you have a question/comment. This is especially helpful if there are many students, to keep order and avoid spam on the chat window or to keep from losing responses.