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Narrating PowerPoint for Blackboard Using Articulate

Publishing PowerPoint Files

Once you’ve finished creating a PowerPoint presentation, you’re ready to publish to the Web. Articulate software allows you to do a number of post-production functions, including adding narration and inserting media or attachments. This tutorial will show you how to add narration to your presentation and publish it on Blackboard. If you have already recorded narration in PowerPoint, please skip to Adjusting Settings for the Web.

NOTE: You must purchase Articulate and install it on the computer you are using to create your PowerPoint presentation in order for it to show up in the PowerPoint menu.

Articulate is installed in the DMR (room 292) in the Granada Center on the Lakeshore campus. You can reserve the room for recording and also request assistance with narrating Powerpoint by sending an email to Training@luc.edu. 

 

   First Steps
  • If necessary, connect the microphone to the PC with the USB cable.
  • Double-click on the Speaker icon on the taskbar and make sure there is not check in the "Mute" box in the Volume Control and Microphone columns and that the volume level is appropriate.  If you do not see a Microphone column, click on Options, then Properties, click to put a checkmark in the box beside Microphone, and click OK.
  • If you have not already clicked on Options, then Properties, do that now.
    • Click the radio button next to “Recording.”
    • Under “Mixer Device” at the top of the Properties window, drop down the list and select Samson C01U. (Please Note: Microphone name may vary if not in the DMR.)
    • Make sure “Capture" box is checked.
    • Click OK in the Properties window and close the Volume Control window.
  • Do a short test before you record your whole project to make sure your settings are as you want them.
  • Create a folder for your Powerpoint and move it to this folder; this will be the folder for your source files, both Powerpoint and audio, and it's the one to save in case you need to rerecord slides at some future date. This folder should be on a local drive since, due to network permissions, you may not be able to publish a project that is located on a network drive.
  • Create a folder on the same local drive to receive your published presentation; name it "Publish Location for..." and add the title of your Powerpoint, e.g. Publish Location for LVK Powerpoint. This is important since, if you publish to the same folder that has your Powerpoint file and its project folder, you could lose your narration.
    •  

   Recording Narration

1. Open your PowerPoint Presentation.

2. Click the Add-Ins tab.

3. Click Articulate in the Menu Commands area under the tabs at the top of the screen.

4. Select Record Narration... Your presentation will open in a new window with an Articulate navigator.

    

5. To record for one slide or locate the place where you would like to begin to record, click the Slide dropdown menu and select the appropriate slide.

6. Click the Record button to begin recording.

7. When you are finished recording the current slide, click the "Next Slide" button.

  

8. As you record, buttons in the Narration window will help you navigate through your presentation.  Often, you will see the message “Saving audio to disk – please wait.”

9. To pause or stop recording, click the Pause button or Stop button.

10. You can playback any of your slides by clicking Stop to stop recording, choosing the slide to playback from the dropdown list, and clicking the Play button in the Record Narration box.  You will have the opportunity to play the whole presentation after you close the Record Narration box.

11. Click Close in the Record Narration box.

NOTE: The process of recording has not changed your PowerPoint file in any way.  When you publish the Articulate file to your computer, it will create a separate .zip file.

12.  You can re-record at any time:

a. Open the original PowerPoint file.

b. Click the Add-Ins tab.

c. Click on Articulate > Record Narration.

d. Choose the slide to re-record from the dropdown list.

e. Click Record.

f. Publish the updated file to your computer (see Publishing to your Computer).

 

   Playing Back Narration

Before you upload to Blackboard, you can play back the entire narrated presentation from inside PowerPoint by clicking Articulate > View Presentation.

 

   Adjusting Settings for the Web

1. Open your PowerPoint presentation.

2. Click Articulate > Slide Properties Manager.

3. Click in field under Move To Next Slide.

4. Select whether you wish slides to move automatically from one slide to the next whether you wish the student to control the pace. Do this for all the slides individually. 

NOTE: If you leave it set at Automatic, the presentation will move to the next slide when the narration for the current slide is complete; but students can always use the Pause and Stop buttons, select a slide from the index on the left, or drag the moving arrow back as the slide is playing.

5. If you wish to change the title for how your slides will display, use the mouse to click in the box under Display In Navigation As and type in the new title.

6. Click Save.

 

   Publishing to your Computer

1. Click Articulate > Publish.

2. Select the LMS tab.



3. Under Publish Location, click the “…” button and select the "Publish Location" folder you created to save your file. 

4. Adjust properties as you desire.

5. Click the Reporting and Tracking… button, make any changes and click OK. You must click on this button, even if you have no changes to make in Reporting and Tracking.

6. Make sure Zip box is checked.

7. Click Publish

NOTE: If you are recording in the DMR or on a shared computer, once you have finished recording and publishing your project, please remove your folders from the local drive and save them to a personal portable hard drive or flash drive. This will ensure your project is not erased, as shared computers are routinely cleared of extraneous files as part of routine maintenance.


   Uploading to Blackboard

1. After you’ve logged in to Blackboard, select the course you’d like to add your presentation to.

2. On the Control Panel, click on the chevron next to Files. 

3. Create a Folder with the same name as your Articulate file.

4. Open the folder by clicking on it.

5. Click Upload and select Upload Package.

6. On the Upload Package page, click on Browse... to locate the file you want to attach; it will be the .zip file in the Publish Location folder you made, then in the folder with the name of your Powerpoint file > Data> SCORM.

7. Click Submit.

 

Adding the Articulate file to a Content Area

1. Go to the content area where you want to add your Articulate file.

2. Under Build Content, select Item.

 

3. Give the Articulate presentation a name.

4. Click Browse Course to locate the folder you created for your Articulate presentation.

5. Click on the folder you created for your Articulate presentation to open the folder. 

6. Select "player.html."

7. Leave the default selection for "Give users Read access to all files and folders in the folder." 

8. Click Submit.

 

   Playing the Narrated Presentation from Blackboard

Students will click on the link to "player.html" to play the presentation. 

They can control the presentation by:

  • Using the Pause and Stop buttons.
  • Clicking the Thumbnails tab and selecting a slide from the index on the left.
  • Dragging the moving arrow back and forth as the slide is playing.

   Copying Articulate Files in Blackboard

Due to the complexity of Articulate files, you cannot simply "Copy" them from the chevron menu within Blackboard. Please visit our separate tutorial on Copying Articulate Files in Blackboard to learn how to properly copy your Articulate presentation from one course to another.

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