ANSWER:

Discussions: Blog Topic: Read, Create Comment, Create Message

The Discussions tool provides asynchronous communication between Instructors, Teaching Assistants, and Students. With a Blog discussion, you can post chronological series of entries on a particular topic. Participants can then add comments to any blog entry

Note: You may not have access to all of the settings discussed below.  If you do not see a button, link, or option that you believe you should have, please contact your instructor or teaching assistant.

Step 1: On the Course Menu, select Discussions.

Step 2: Select the topic in which you want to interact.

Step 3: In working with existing messages:

• To navigate pages, click the Next Page or Previous Page icon.

  Because the default number of messages per page is 10, when there are more than 10 messages, you will need to go to the next page view.  Or you can set your paging preferences for this tool to a higher number of messages to display on a page.  To navigate pages, use the paging controls in the lower right of the screen:

  To change paging preferences, click the icon.

• The entire text of each message is shown.

• To read comments on a message, click Comments.

• To make your own comment, enter your text in the Create Comment box. When you are ready to send your comment, click on the Post Comment button. It is a good idea to:
  • Preview your message before you post it to the whole class to read.
  • Save as Draft if you wish to review it and post it later
     
• If peer review is enabled, click View All Reviews.
   

Step 4: To create a new message:

• Click on the Create Message button, which is located above the message list on the left
   
• Enter the subject of your message.
   
• Enter the message:
  • To enter a message in Plain Text format, enter it in the Message text box. The message will appear exactly as you have typed it.
     
  • To format your message, you can use the HTML Creator or hand code the HTML:
     
    • To use the HTML Creator, click Enable HTML Creator.

      NOTE: Depending on administrator settings, the HTML Creator may not be available.

      
       
    • To hand code the HTML, select Use HTML. In the Message text box, enter the HTML code.
       
  • If you want to insert an equation into your message, see the Equation Editor folder in this knowlege base.
     
• If you want to attach files to your message, click Add Attachments. The Content Browser pop-up window appears. Locate and select the file.
   
• To look at your message before posting it, click Preview.
   
• Do one of the following:
   
  • If you are not ready to post the message but want to save it, click Save as Draft.

    TIP: This is insurance if you are typing a very long message and don’t want to lose everything in case your computer or Internet crashes. Drafts can be viewed and posted via the View Drafts button, which is located above the message list on the right.

    
     
  • To post the message, click Post.

If you have any further questions, please contact us for support. Thank you.

- WebCampus Support