Some forums in this workshop are set to send you emails of each posting to keep you connected to what's going on in the course throughout each day (e.g., Announcements).

Other forums are set to "Optional subscription". You can choose to subscribe to the forum if you want to be informed whenever something is posted.

How to subscribe to a forum:

Open the discussion forum and look for the small "wheel" or "gear" icon in the top right hand corner of the forum. Click on the gear and select "Subscribe to this forum".

How to manage the emails from a subscribed forum

Option 1:

1.  Look for the List of Forums in the Quick Links block

You can click on the drop-down arrow and select the option to receive a digest version from each forum.

Option 2:

You can select to "Subscribe" (or "Unsubscribe") from all forums.  You can also look for the Subscribed column and choose "Yes" or "No."

Option 3:

Here's a brief video about how to set your email to manage the incoming emails from the workshop site.

You can add a photo to your profile in two ways: from your Dashboard at the top of the course site or from the Administration block on the left side.

Adding a photo from your Dashboard

1.  Click on your account link visible at the top right side of the screen. Select "Profile."

2.  Select Edit profile from the User details area of the My Account page.

3.  Look for the User picture section, following the General information section. Upload your profile picture by clicking on the icon or dragging and dropping it onto the upload area.  Generally profile pics are resized to be 100x100 pixels - so try to make your image close to that size.

OR watch this great video from a former FLO participant.

Adding a photo from the Administration block

Watch this Powtoon video:

If you have Moderator status in Blackboard Collaborate, you can add your own profile picture and details.

1.  Find a clear picture of yourself - a head and shoulders shot. Resize it to 100 pixels by 100 pixels - if you're unable to do this, Collaborate auto-resizes to the required size.

2.  Launch a Blackboard Collaborate session (from the link provided in your workshop - usually in the Quick Links block)

3.  Click on the Edit menu and select "Preferences"

4.  The Preferences window opens - look down the left for "Profile". Select "My Profile".

5.  Click on Change button and upload your profile picture.

You can contact a FLO Facilitator through the List of Workshop Participants OR by clicking on the Messages link in the Message block on the right side of the Hub page.

Method 1 - List of Workshop Participants

1.  Click on the List Workshop Participants page embedded in the Quick Links block on the Hub page. When the page opens, click on the name of one of the Facilitators.

2.  When the Facilitator profile page opens, look for the Message button to send a message.

Method 2 - Use the Messages block

1.  Click on the Messages link in the Message block located on the right side of the Hub page.

Once you are on the Messages page, you can search by name OR you can select the Group "FLO-Design JAN2017" from the drop-down menu under "Message navigation".

2.  If you select "FLO-Design JAN2017", a list of current participants will appear.

3.  When you click on the name of a participant, a blank message box appears and you can enter your message and press "Send message".

Responses to messages will appear on your screen when you return to the workshop page.

1. Find your name and stock image (sometimes called an "avatar" at the top right of your screen)
2. Click on the small drop-down arrow to the right of the image
   
3. Click on "My profile"
   
4. In the Administration block on the left hand side, click on "Edit profile"
   
5. Modify any of the text boxes that you wish to complete; keep scrolling down the page for more options. (Note: you may have to open up the other areas - e.g. "Preferences" area - by clicking on the little side arrow next to the title of the section.)
6. When you are finished making all your changes, click on "Update profile" at the bottom (it's a blue button)
   

Moodle includes a variety of tools to create spaces for collaboration and communication. Check out this University of Massachusetts Amhert page "Group Communication & Collaboration Spaces in Moodle"

If you're looking for for web-based tools or mobile apps, check out the FLO Harvest Wiki - a Wikispaces site that stores all the free tools tried by FLO workshop participants. You can find the FLO Harvest Wiki from your Quick Links block or go to http://iswharvest.wikispaces.com/

1.  To find out what's happened on the workshop site since you last logged in, find the Report of Recent Activity. The Report of Recent Activity can be accessed from the Quick Links block.

2.  You will see the default view of recent activity for "All participants." If you want to customize your view, select "Show more..."

3.  You can narrow your focus to one participant, by type of activity, groups (if used in your workshop) or by date.

If you've never participated in a Blackboard Collaborate synchronous web conferencing session, you should check that your system is set up to join easily during the scheduled session.

1.  Check that you are using a current version of a web browser. To check whether your version is supported, you can go to the Blackboard Collaborate page:  System requirements for Blackboard Collaborate Web Conferencing

2.  You can test your connection using the Canadian test link that Blackboard Collaborate provides: 

V12.6 Configuration Room (CA-SAS)

When you click on the link, a new page or tab will open in your browser with a Downloading Session notice. At the same time, a pop-up window may open asking if you want to save the file or open it.

If you haven't previously downloaded the Blackboard Collaborate Launcher, the Download Session page will provide a link. Go ahead and download the Launcher (remember to select the Windows or Mac version) . Once it is downloaded you should be able to click on the "meeting.collab" file in your Downloads area and go directly to the Blackboard Collaborate meeting room.

Problems with downloading Launcher or seeing the "meeting.collab" file?  Check your pop-up blocker settings in your web browser.

1.  Click on "List Forums" in the Quick Links block.

2.  Find the forum(s) for which you want to change your subscription. Check whether it says yes or no in the "Subscribed" column in that forum's row. Yes means you are subscribed and will receive emails each time someone posts in that forum; no means you won't.

Note: Be careful to find the "Subscribed" column and not accidentally toggle the "Track" forum buttons. Tracking means that you will or will not be able to have Moodle track your read/unread posts, and most people usually want tracking to stay to "yes" for everything.

Created by Beth Cougler Blom for a previous FLO workshop