Sharing Files

This guide will demonstrate how to share files to other users to present information. Users can share .ppt, .pptx., .pdf., and .jpg files.

Accessing the Collaborate Panel

Image of the Blackboard Collaborate interface with an arrow pointing to the Collaborate Panel button.

To share files, you will need to open the Collaborate Panel. To open the Collaborate Panel, click on the purple button in the bottom right corner.

Sharing Content Using the Whiteboard

Sharing Content Using the Whiteboard
  1. In the Collaborate Panel, click on the Share Content tab.
  2. Select Share Files.

Uploading Files for Sharing

Image of the Share Files screen with an arrow pointing to the Add Files Here box

To upload a file to share, click on the box that says Add Files Here and select the desired file, or drag and drop the desired file into the box.

File Processing

File Processing

Once your selected file has been uploaded, it needs to be "processed." During the processing, the file or presentation is converted to a Whiteboard that can then be shared and marked up (annotated) if desired. Each image file, each slide in a PowerPoint file, or each page in a PDF is converted to a separate Whiteboard. This means that for PowerPoint files, all slides containing animations or slide builds are converted to static images when placed in a Whiteboard (see tip below).

Please note: Even after the file has uploaded, it may take a few seconds to several minutes or more for Collaborate Ultra to process your file--during this "processing" time, you will see a rotating ring next to the file name as shown below.

Tip: If your slide presentation has builds or animations, you might want to choose Share Application rather than Share Files. Choose Entire Screen or make sure your presentation is in Present mode before sharing it as an application.

Deleting or Renaming a Shared File

Deleting a Shared File

If you cneed to delete or rename one of the shared files, click on the ··· icon just to the right of the file name.

Share Now

Share Now

Once files that you've added have been uploaded and processed, they will be listed in the area just below the Add Files Here box. You are now ready to start sharing the selected files with your participants. To make the files available during a session:

  1. First select the file you wish to share (the selected file will be highlighted).
  2. Then click the Share Now button at the bottom of the Share Files window.

Sharing a PowerPoint Presentation

Sharing a PowerPoint Presentation

After clicking the Share Now button, you are taken back to your Collaborate Ultra session and the file you have chosen to share (in this case a PowerPoint presentation) is displayed in a page/slide navigation pane on the left side. You can now select a particular slide that you want to share--if you wish to show the entire PowerPoint presentation from the beginning, you would simply select the first slide and it would be displayed in your session as shown below.

Presenting Your Slides

Presenting Your Slides

Your PowerPoint presentation now appears on a Whiteboard along with all the Whiteboard Tools so that you can mark up the slides as you are giving your presentation if you wish. To advance the slide presentation or to go back to a previous slide, just click the "<" or ">"  slide controls. You can also re-open or close the slide navigator panel by clicking on the PowerPoint Presentation name. When you are finished sharing, click the Stop Sharing button in the upper right hand corner of the screen.

Note: For a full description of the Whiteboard Tools, see the Share Whiteboard guide.

Tip: With your keyboard, press Alt + Page Up/Down to move forward or backward through you slides. On a Mac, press Alt + Fn + Up/Down Arrow.

Tip: You can decide if you want to give your participants the ability to use these same Whiteboard Tools during the presentation in the Session Settings.