Find Your Way Around

The content presentation area, media space, or main stage, in Collaborate is where the content of the session is displayed. The size of this space is maximized to create an inherent full-screen experience at any screen size.

Select the picture-in-picture window to switch your focus. Your main screen becomes the picture-in-picture and the picture-in-picture becomes the main screen.

If there is no shared content, you’ll see attendee profiles and video in a grid view. You can switch between a grid view and a view that follows the speaker.

With the follow-the-speaker view, the focus moves to the current speaker as the discussion unfolds.

The Ultra experience switches to follow-the-speaker view automatically when there are more than five attendees.

Grid view

Follow the speaker view

Content presentation tools

Tools that appear in the content presentation area relate directly to what is happening in the session at that moment. Tools also depend on the permissions moderators set.

Tool	Description
Audio	Turn your audio on. Lines through the microphone icon means that it is turned off. Select Share Audio to turn it on. With your keyboard, press Alt + M to turn your microphone on and off.
Video	Turn your video on. Lines through the camera icon means that it is turned off. Select Share Video to turn it on. With your keyboard, press Alt + C to turn your camera on and off.
Hand raise	Raise your hand to answer a question or get another moderator's attention. Select Raise Hand. With your keyboard, press Alt + H.
Collaborate panel	Open the Collaborate panel.
Session menu	Open the Session menu.
Follow the speaker view	Switch to the follow-the-speaker view.
Grid view	Switch to the grid view.
Picture-in-picture	Change the focus of your screen. If shared content is on your main screen, switch to watching the speaker. Select the picture-in-picture to bring that content to your main screen.
Status	Show your status as away. Point to the green checkmark by your avatar image and select Set as Away. Select I'm back! when you return. You can also update your status to give feedback during the session.

Session menu

The Session menu opens a collection of high level session actions and information. Open it using the Session menu button at the top left of the screen.

Session menu tools

Tools and features you use only once or twice during a session are conveniently grouped here.

Tool	Description
Start a recording	Moderators can start recording the session from the Session menu.
Use your phone	Get a dial-in number and unique PIN to use your phone for audio during a session.
Report an issue	Report an issue with the session.
Help	Go to Blackboard Collaborate help on help.blackboard.com.
Learn how to use Collaborate	Open tutorials on how to use Collaborate.
Leave session	Exit the session and complete a quick survey to tell us about your experience.
Close	Close the Session menu.

Collaborate panel

The Collaborate panel takes your session experience to the next level. You now have a single space to go to engage other attendees with all the great collaborate tools

Collaborate panel tools

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