UNF recently purchased a new journaling tool for use in Blackboard, Journal LX.
http://www.learningobjects.com/journal.jsp

This provides instructors with a variety of ways to incorporate journaling (blogging) into a course with minimal administrative burden and a high-level of control. The journals can be used simultaneously on a course, group, and individual level:

• Course Blog -- Each student in a course creates a journal, either closed for private dialog or open for peer review.
• Course Assignment Blogs -- Groups of students collaborate in creating topic-specific posts, which other classmates can comment on.

Find out how Journal LX is used in the School of Nursing to facilitate the integration of experiential learning and guided reflection: click here

Course Blog

Assignment Blog

Using the Blog Tool

Recycle Blogs

User Documentation

Course Blog

In order to use the Course Blog, you need to Configure Blog Tool before you Access Blog Tool:

Configure Blog

1. Click on Configure Blog Tool in the Control Panel.
   
2. Select the appropriate Course Blog Tool Options.
   
   Please note: there are two options for selecting dates. The first set of dates are for allowing edits to the blog and the second set of dates are for viewing the blog.
3. Click OK to update the blog options.
   

Access Course Blog

To access the Course Blog, click on Course Tools, then click Blog Tool.

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Assignment Blog

In order to use an Assignment Blog, you will first need to Add an Assignment Blog, then you can Access an Assignment Blog.

Add an Assignment Blog

1. From a content area in a course (Course Documents, Assignments, etc.), click on Blog in the Select Drop down menu. Click Go.
   
2. Select the appropriate Blog Options. Click OK.
   

Access an Assignment Blog

To access an Assignment Blog, select the appropriate content area, then click on the View link below the Blog Icon and Title:

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Using the Blog Tool

Once you enter a blog, use the navigation menu on the right side of the screen to use the tools available in the blog.

actions

Under actions, users can create new entries and print entries (with comments).

filters

Under filters, users can filter blog entries by number or by author.

calendar

The calendar is clickable and allows users to easily view all blog entries created on a given date.

archives

The archives allow users to review all blog entries from a given month.

recent posts

Recent posts displays the most recent posts in the blog.

stats

The stats area displays the number of views and the number of entries in a blog.

toolbox

The toolbox provides users with an option to export a blog. The resulting file is a compressed folder of HTML pages that may be viewed outside of Blackboard.

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Recycle Blogs

The Recycle Blogs link in the Control Panel of a Blackboard course gives instructors a way of removing user-created content while maintaining the settings for an assignment or course blog so that blogs can be reused when copied between courses.

To recycle a blog, click Recycle Blogs in the Control Panel of a course.

Check the box next to a blog site to clear the contents. Click Submit.

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User Documentation

The User Documentation for the Blog Tool is available within the tool by clicking on the "?" icon. There is also User Documentation available on the Learning Objects website: http://support.learningobjects.com/help/campus_pack/2.8.17/journal/journal.htm

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