About Blackboard

Our Changing Times: Blackboard to Moodle

During recent years, Blackboard has been the course management system for GTU member schools, including Starr King School for the Ministry. Some of the information below may soon be obsolete. Moodle will be replacing Blackboard as of the fall 2008 semester. Like Blackboard, Moodle supports class web sites (including online web sites), where week-to-week units, news, assignments, web links, chats, discussion forums and wikis (and more!) can be organized and made available to our students.

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Blackboard

Blackboard is a course management system for classes taught at the Starr King School for the Ministry. The Blackboard system is shared among GTU member schools. Blackboard allows the creation of a class web site, which may include announcements, assignments, web links, and discussion boards.

Requirements for Using Blackboard

Ensuring you have the proper hardware and software is vital to your success in an online learning environment. Please make sure that the following technical requirements are met.

Operating Systems & Browser Versions

Windows 98, 2000, XP / Mac OS X ver. 10.3 or higher with properly configured web browser
A minimum of 128 MB of RAM memory, 256 MB or higher recommended  with at least 50 MB of free disk space
Screen resolution at 800 x 600 or above
 

*Operating System &

Internet Explorer
Netscape
Safari
Browser Configurations
5.2

5.5
6.0
4.78
7.1
1.0
1.1
Windows 2000
              
Windows XP
              
Mac OS X ver. 10.2
              
Mac OS X ver. 10.3
              

*Some courses may have additional requirements

Audio /  CD
16 bit or better sound card and speakers (if your course contains audio content).
A CD or DVD player (if your course makes use of CD content).

Internet Connection
56.6 KBPS modem, cable modem, DSL, or intranet (T-1)
Note: Corporate or academic security firewalls may block some course content, such as chat or streaming media. Accommodations for access can usually be arranged if you contact your network administrator, though local security policies ultimately dictate what is allowed.

Email Address
Email is a vital communication medium in online learning. It is important that you have a working email address to receive communications. You are responsible for keeping your email address and other personal information up to date with Starr King.

Virus & Intruder Protection
It is strongly recommended that you protect your computer from viruses and intruders. It is vital that you keep your antivirus software up to date with the latest virus updates. Check with your ISP, network help desk, or search the Internet for more information and product resources. A free solution for home users is Grisoft's AVG Free Antivirus.

Spyware & Adware Protection
Spyware and Adware are fast-growing threats that represent a major security and privacy risk. Spyware is a program that is installed, with or without the user's permission, and can monitor computer activity while broadcasting the information back to an outside party that controls the program. Adware displays unwanted advertising to your computer, can track your Web surfing habits and report it back to a central advertising server. It can slow your PC to a crawl by bombarding it with unwanted ads. Two free tools are Lavasoft Adaware and Spybot Search & Destroy.  Read the documentation before use.

Skills needed to navigate a course website
Familiarity with computers and an online environment are obvious skills needed to successfully use online course management tools. We recommend you have the following basic skills to be comfortable with navigating your course Web site, Browsing the Web, Entering URL's, Locating and opening files on your computer, Using drop down lists, and Entering text into Web based forms.

Some basic configuration of your web browser or other software may be required. Also some content or features may require additional software installation. When you download a file from Blackboard, you must have a compatible application to view the file. For example, if you download a course reading in PDF format, you must have the Adobe Acrobat or the free Acrobat PowerPoint or the free Adobe Reader installed on your computer to view it.