Online Rooms - Using Chat

Using Chat Quick Reference Guide

Text-based communication is available in Blackboard Collaborate 11 Web Conferencing using the Chat tool. Use the Chat to send a text messages to everyone, to selected participants, or to a single Participant or Moderator in the session. Depending on your session configuration, the moderator may be able to monitor all messages sent between participants, including private messages. This is called a Supervised session and the word “Supervised” will appear in the Chat window..

Understanding the Chat Messages

Chat Permissions

By default all Participants have permission to use the Chat. However the Moderator can take away the permission from one or all of the participants. If the permission has been removed visual indicator will appear to the right of the participants name in the Participants panel .

Participants can always send a private text message to the Moderator even if they do not have the Chat permission.

The moderator can grant and remove the Chat permission by clicking the button in the Participants panel and selecting Chat.

Sending a Chat Message

To send message:

1. Type in the message field
2. Hit ENTER; on your keyboard.

Note the Moderator by default has two tabs – Room and Moderators. Room is public chat sent to everyone in the room and Moderators is reserved for private messages between session Moderators.

Sending a Private Chat Message

Moderator and Participants can send private chat messages. If the session is “Supervised”, the Moderators will be able to read all private messages exchanged between Participants. The word “Supervised” appears next to CHAT in the Chat window. To send a private message:

1. Select the Participant to whom you would like to send the message.

2. Right-click or from the Participant Options menu select Send a Private Chat.

3. A new tab will appear with the Participant’s name. Type your message and hit ENTER;

Remember:

• The Moderators can see all private messages. For the Moderator the private messages will appear in light gray, indented and italicized. See the image below as an example of a private conversation between Dominic and Emma both session participants.

• A new tab will open for each conversation. To close the tab, hover over the blue icon the left of the Participant’s name the icon will turn into an X . Click to close.

Chat Options Menu

From the Chat Options menu:

• Messages can be sent as announcements.


• The font size can be increased and decreased.


• The Moderator can choose to turn off the “Supervised” chat.

Saving Chat Messages to a File

1. Public and private chat messages can be saved. Click on the tab to select the messages you wish to save.

2. From the File menu, select Save; Chat

Sending Chat Messages as a Participant in Online Rooms

With Chat, you can send the following types of messages:

• public messages to everyone in your current room (main room or breakout room). For details, see Sending Messages to Everyone in a Room or Existing Group Conversation
• private messages to one or more selected individuals. This will initiate a new conversation in its own tab. For details, see Sending Messages to Selected Individuals

For more information see: http://library.blackboard.com/ref/8fb6da4a-0569-4d9e-89f3-c32ec8370cd9/content/source_files_-_moderators_and_participants_guides/chat/chat_panel.htm

Chat Activity and Permission Indicators

You can monitor the state of Chat activity and permissions through indicators displayed in the Participants list of the Participants panel.

For more information, click here.

Viewing Chat Messages

New Chat messages appear at the bottom of the conversation pane of the Chat panel. You can scroll back and forth to read messages in the conversation pane.

For more information, click here.

Conversation Tabs

When chatting in Blackboard Collaborate Web Conferencing, you can participate in more than one conversation at a time. These conversations take place under conversation tabs. When a session begins, there are no conversation tabs.

For more information, click here.

Adding Emoticons to your Chat Message

You can add emoticons to your Chat messages by selecting them from the Chat Emoticon menu or by entering text strings in the Chat message text field. The text string equivalent of the emoticon selected in the Emoticon menu is displayed in the bottom left corner of the menu.

For more information, click here.

Adding External Links to your Chat Message

You can include HTTP links in your Chat messages either by typing them in directly, copying and pasting them or dragging and dropping them from a browser or email message. Recipients of your messages will be able to click on the links to open web sites in their default browsers.

For more information, click here.