Embed Zoho files in Blackboard

For this semester, I let myself be convinced to use Blackboard for more things.

Wait. I don't already use Bb for all its bells and whistles? No. I use Bb when I must, but have issues with both uptime and usability. I generally use PBwiki.com for wikis, YouTube for videos, Blogger for blogging and my own Web space for public content. Did I mention Gmail? Outsourced services rock on uptime. However, I can see the argument for bringing my students into the same technology environment that other professors are using. Mostly. ;-)

So, let's make Bb easier to use, by bringing a few modern, easy-to-use tools to the table.

Today, we'll take just a moment to chat about Zoho. Zoho is a collection of online applications, along the lines of Gmail, Google Documents, etc., but the applications I'll recommend work much better than those from Google. Today, I'm recommending Zoho Writer.

Zoho Writer is a free online replacement for Microsoft Word. Much like the word processor in Google Documents, it's free, but it runs more like an offline application. And it's free.

Did I mention that it's free? It is.

If you'd like to collaborate on a document (perhaps a shared syllabus for a common course), it has a first-rate multiple-author sharing system.

My favorite feature, for now, is its ability to embed public documents in Blackboard.

Imagine, if you will, a whole series of course documents (Ah, you don't need to imagine. You have them somewhere. We all do.), with occasional errors or inconsistencies or even just bits that need updating. Under the current system, you'll find the original documents -- somewhere on your PC -- make changes, log in to Bb, choose the course, go into administrative tools... and eventually upload the corrected document.

Or, you could just go to your Zoho account, make the corrections and log out. That's it. The links in Bb will point to your newly updated online document(s).

This is so much easier. Really.

So, how do we get these mysterious "links" from Zoho into our Bb spaces? First, go find Zoho.com, set up an account and learn the system. When you're ready to "share" an online file, choose "share" from the menu, make the document public (a bad idea for private files) and copy the <script> line that Zoho provides. Put it in Bb, as HTML, in the text field of wherever you want it to go in your Bb site. The document will automagically appear (fully updated) whenever someone browses to that part of the Bb site.

Can I get a "Woo hoo!"?