Blackboard - New Content Editor Quick Tips

See below for information about recent changes in the new Blackboard Content Editor.

 There are lots of great reasons to like the updated Content Editor in Blackboard Learn!

Adding content has been simplified, and it works better on both hand-held devices and larger screens. There are several improvements for accessibility and some new features, too. Besides some updated tool icons, there are also some changes in behavior to learn about.
 

Updated Content Editor Toolbar Icons

New Content Editor Toolbar Icons
 

Other Content Editor Changes

add content icon - plus symbol in a circleThe Power of Plus
There's now one easy menu for adding content from your computer, cloud storage, or integrated tool. The Content Editor will automatically recognize the kinds of files you add.
 
Preview icon - open eyeballBetter for All Devices
The editor is better suited for all devices -- small screen or big. Pop-ups are gone for a better mobile experience.
 
Accessibility Checker Icon - accessibility symbolImproved Accessibility
The editor is more accessible, and a new accessibility checker helps authors make content more accessible.
 
Copy/Paste icon - pieces of paper on a clipboardBetter Copy and Paste
Pasting content from Word, Excel, and websites is even better. You can choose to remove extra HTML code but retain basic formatting.
 
Link icon - chain link imageSimple Embed
When pasting links to websites such as YouTube, Vimeo, and Dailymotion, the videos are automatically embedded for inline playback. Other sites including The New York Times, WordPress, SlideShare, and Facebook will embed summary previews.
 
Code Icon - semi-colon inside curly bracesDisplay Computer Code
Authors can now share formatted computer code snippets, super handy for computer science classes and coding clubs.
 
Multiple Files Icon - piece of paper with folded down cornerAdd Multiple Files of Different Types
Adding content used to be a two-step process. You had to choose the right tool for the type of content you were adding and then choose the source. The first step is gone. Pick one or multiple files at once from your computer or the Content Collection. And of course, you can still access files from your favorite cloud storage services.
 
Emoticons icon - smiley face imageExpanded Emoticon Library
The options for emoticons are expanded, grouped into categories, and searchable.
 
Special Characters Icon - greek symbolFind Special Characters More Easily
A larger library of special characters is organized into categories and searchable.
 
Expand/Collapse Icon - square image with arrows in each cornerExpands Automatically
When authoring with many tools such as creating an Item or a Discussion Thread, the authoring area will automatically expand for you. To edit a large amount of content and pin the toolbar to the top, use the full-screen mode.

Tables icon - table image with rows and columnsNew Table Options
Creating a table has been simplified with a grid selector instead of a pop-up. When adding tables, column widths default to use percentages rather than fixed widths for greater responsiveness across devices.

External Link Tool - chain link imageLink Tool is for External Sites
To add links to files in the Content Collection, go the Add Content Add Content icon - plus symbolmenu. The link tool Link Icon - chain link imageis now only for external links.

Record Feedback Icon - video camera imageRecording Feedback
The option to record audio/video feedback from your device has moved from the main toolbar to the Add Content Add Content Iconmenu.

Mashups - Old tool iconMashups Moved
Third-party tools (“Mashups”- i.e. YuJa Media Chooser, etc.) have moved from the main toolbar to the Add Content  menu.

Spell Checker Icon - ABC with checkmarkSpellchecker Updates
The Spellchecker Tool more smartly picks the default language based on course selection and user choice when available. Dictionaries have been updated and expanded. Click the tool to run spellcheck.

HTML Icon - less than and greater than symbolsEasier HTML Editing
When authoring or editing HTML, it’ll be easier to find what you’re looking for with line numbers and tag colors.

Formatting Icon - bullet points imageText Formatting, Bullets, List
Options for formatting text, bullets, and lists are now presented in recognizable ways rather than just as text. For example, font choices will appear as those fonts and bullet options will display visually as those bullet types.

Expand/Collapse Icon - 3 ellipses charactersToolbar Wrapping
The toolbar will show as many tools as it can for the size of your screen before wrapping to the next line. Show and collapse the additional tools with the ellipsis icon.

Full Editor IconAccess Full Editor in More Places
When authoring a very complex test question with lots of question and answer options, a limited editor is presented so the page loads faster. You can now expand those into a full editor as needed.

Search Icon - magnifying glass symbolSearch Only Selected Content
When using find and replace, you can now limit your search just to content that’s been selected.

 

 

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