The Wimba Voice Tools

The Wimba Voice Tools are now part of Blackboard Collaborate.  What are the Wimba Voice Tools?  They provide the ability to add your voice, and your students' voices, to your Blackboard courses.  There are five tools:

Tool Function
Voice Announcement Place a voice announcement in the Blackboard Announcements area.
Voice Authoring Make an audio recording in any course content area.
Voice Email Send audio messages via email.
Voice Board Conduct an audio threaded discussion.
Voice Presenter Create an audio-enhaced, web-based slide show.
Wimba Podcaster Distribute your audio files via RSS syndication.

While the voice tools have obvious advantages for ESL and Foreign Language classes, they bring a new dimension to any class.  They can be used to

  • Enhance the instructor’s presence and involvement with course materials
  • Add additional, re-usable explanations of complex concepts
  • Personalize engagement between instructors and students
  • Teach correct pronunciation and provide audible learning cues to students
  • Enhance the instructor’s ability to reach students who learn best by hearing,
  • To better address students with visual and print disabilities,
  • Add energy and interactivity to class discussions
Click here ( 6:54) for an overview screen video that briefly describes each tool and offers some suggestions for their use.  Click here ( 84K) for the related PDF document.

Before beginning to work with the Voice Tools, run the Wimba Setup Wizard to be sure your computer can support them.  It will check for supported operating system, browser, java version, and microphone and speaker capabilities.  Click here ( 120K) for a PDF document that explains the technical requirements for running the Wimba Voice Tools.

We have developed an extensive set of training screencasts and PDF documents on how to use the new Voice Tools, linked from the table below.  Click the icon after the topic for access.  These screencasts are also available within our Blackboard "Academic Technology Training" class, in which all faculty and staff members are pre-enrolled as students.  If you want to work with the tools before deploying them to your own Blackboard classes, you can do so in that training class, where there is a Sample Tool area.  You can also receive PD credit for playing the screencasts below.  We estimate it would take approximately 3 hours to work through them thoroughly.

Topic  Screencast PDF
How to use the Voice Authoring Tool in Blackboard 9 (8:48)  
Voice Email:  How to create a link to send voice email from instructors to students in Blackboard 9. (8:00)  
Voice Email:  How to create a link for students to send voice email to instructors in (5:16)  
How to use a Voice Email archive. (8:47) Use PDF  above
How to create a Voice Board. (14:12) (306K)
How to use a Voice Board. (12:36) Use PDF  above
How to import an audio file to a Voice Board. (7:50) Use PDF  above
How to export audio files from a Voice Board. (7:53) Use PDF  above)
How to publish an audio message from a Voice Board as a stand-alone audio message. (7:04) Use PDF  above
How to use the Voice Presentation tool. (16:22) (249K)
An alternate method for creating an audio slide show with the Voice Presentation tool. (7:46) Use PDF  above
How to use the Wimba Podcaster. (16:18) (208K)
How to subscribe to a podcast created with the Wimba Podcaster. (7:52) Use PDF  above
How to save any individual audio message. (5:13)  

You will also find these screencasts and PDFs, along with some other materials, samples and an "experimentation area" in the Blackboard Academic Technology training course.  To access it, just login to Blackboard and click on "Academic Technology Training" in the My Courses area listed under "Courses in which you are enrolled". 

If you need assistance in setting up or using the Wimba Voice Tools, do not hesitate to request technical support from Academic Technology.  There are three ways to get support:

1) Submit a Help Ticket
2) Email atrc@palomar.edu, or
3) Call (760) 744-1150 ext. 2862

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