Blackboard & Canvas

Blackboard … or Canvas ?

Starting this fall 2012, Scottsdale Community College is transitioning to a new learning management system (LMS) for use in classes.  Blackboard is being replaced by Instructure Canvas.  Canvas is a next generation LMS that provides many advantages over Blackboard. Some faculty are using Canvas this fall semester; many more will use it next spring.  By June 2013, Canvas will be the only LMS used at SCC and all other Maricopa colleges (except Rio Salado).   

Consequently, your SCC instructor(s) may have chosen to use Canvas this fall semester instead of Blackboard.   If you are enrolled in a regular, face-to-face class, or hybrid class, your instructor should announce on day one which LMS is being used.  For a fully online, the instructor should be communicating to you, via email, if he/she is using Canvas instead of Blackboard.  (We are encouraging instructors to put an announcement in Blackboard, as well.)

Whichever LMS is used, the login procedure is exactly the same: use your MEID and password, just like My Maricopa.

• Click here to log into Blackboard.  When made available by the instructor, the course will appear on the right side of your screen.
• Click here to log into Canvas. When made available by the instructor, the course will appear in the Courses drop-down menu.
  To get started with this new LMS, click here.
   

If your course does not appear in either Blackboard or Canvas, contact your instructor, whose responsibility it is to make the course available to students.  Be aware that the course may not be available until the first day of the class, or even later.

We're excited about this change, and hope you will be too.  If you have questions about Blackboard or Canvas, please contact the SCC Helpdesk at (480) 423-6274.

Plug-ins commonly used with Blackboard and Canvas

(click title to download & install)

ESSENTIAL:

Adobe Acrobat Reader (Mac or PC)
Required to view and print PDF files from the Internet or email attachments. (Version 7.0 or higher recommended.)

Microsoft Windows Media Player (PC)
Standard media player on Windows PCs for playing audio and video files. (Version 10 or higher recommended.)

Adobe Flash Player (Mac or PC)
Strongly recommended for playing flash-based materials on the web. (Version 8 or higher recommended.)

Java (Mac or PC)
Integral to applications, like Blackboard.

OTHER PLAYERS/VIEWERS:

QuickTime (Mac or PC)
Standard media player for the Macintosh, but also useful on the Windows PC to play Mac-formatted videos. (Version 7 recommended.)

iTunes (Mac or PC)
Used to download and organize digital music and videos. Essential to access SCC's iTunes University. (Version 8 recommended.)

Windows Media Player 9 for Mac OS X
Includes plug-in support for Safari, which enables playback of Windows Media files right from the browser.
Don't have Mac OS X? Get the Windows Media Player for Mac 7.1 which runs on the Mac Classic OS.

Compatibility with MS Office 2007 (PC)
If you have Microsoft Office 2003 or XP, you'll need this utility to open Office 2007 (XML) files.

Converter for XML (Office 2007) Files (Mac)
Provides file compatibility for Office 2007 files with Office 2004 for the Macintosh.

PowerPoint Viewer
Allows you to view Microsoft PowerPoint (2007 or earlier) slide presentations without owning the PowerPoint program.

Word Viewer
Allows you to view Microsoft Word (2007 or earlier) documents without owning the Word program.

Excel Viewer
Allows you to view Microsoft Excel (2007 or earlier) documents without owning the Excel program.

Real Player
Used to play music, radio, sports, news, games, videos, etc... Plays every major media format.

Shockwave Player
Allows you to view interactive web content like games, business presentations, entertainment, and advertisements from your web browser.

WEB BROWSERS:

Internet Explorer (PC)
Standard browser for WIndows PC.

Safari (Mac or PC)
Standard browser for the Macintosh, now available on Windows PC.

Mozilla Firefox
Popular, alternative browser to Internet Explorer on the PC or Safari on the Mac. (Version 3 recommended.)

OTHER TOOLS:

WebbIE
Web browser for blind and visually-impaired people, especially those using screen readers. It is based on Microsoft's Internet Explorer to ensure that a maximum of sites work with it. It allows you access to the vast majority of WebPages and tries to present all the information there simply and easily so you can explore and use the web fully.

SanDisk USB Software Removal Tool
Use this tool to remove the U3 software that came with your SanDisk USB (flash) drive.

AVG Anti-Virus (PC)
Free anti-virus software.

Download.com
Web resource for free downloads, plug-ins, drivers, and utilities, etc.

WinZip (PC)
Popular compression utility for Windows.

StuffIt (Mac or PC)
Popular compression utility for Mac or PC.