How to Put an Image in a Discussion Post

To insert picture in your posts so that classmates can see them, you either need to use pictures you’ve uploaded to Blackboard’s content system or link to graphics that are already live on the Web.

This document explains both methods. It might seem like a lot of work to include a picture, but once you do it a couple of times, you’ll get the hang of it, and I think you’ll enjoy being able to include pictures in your posts.

Note: The instructions in this document are for Windows PCs with Internet Explorer.

Insert Images from the Blackboard Content System

Pictures you insert or copy into posts from your local disk are not visible to your classmates. To make an image visible in a post, you first need to upload it to Blackboard and then insert it in your post.

Uploading an image to Blackboard:

  1. In Blackboard, click the My Online Storage tab (along the top of the page).
  2. Click the button.
  3. On the Add Item page, click the Browse button.
  1. In the Choose file window, click the image you want to upload, and then click Open.

  1. Back on the Add Item page, click the Submit button at the bottom of the page.

Making your image a shared file:

The icon in the Permission column of your content page indicates that a file is private. To make the file visible in a post, you need to share the file with your classmates.

  1. Click the icon for the file you want to share.
  2. On the Manage Permissions page, make sure that Course User List is selected and then click Go.
  1. In the course list, check EDUI 6703.

  1. In the Choose Roles list, check All Course Users, and then click the Submit button at the bottom of the page.
  1. Click OK.

To put an image in a post:

You’re finally ready to insert you image into a post.

  1. On the Discussion Board Message Editor toolbar, click the Attach Image button.
  1. In the Insert Image window, click the Browse button.

  1. In the Select File or Folder window, select the file you want to insert, and then click Submit.

  1. If you know the dimensions of your image, enter them in the Image Options fields (if you don’t know them, you can resize the image after you insert it), and enter your Alt text.

  1. Click Submit, and then in the Image Added window, click Submit again.

The image should appear in your message editing window. If the image is distorted, click the image and resize it.

Inserting an Image from a URL on the Web

You can also insert an image from a Web site, either you own or an image on any site.

Some Webmasters consider it unethical to link to their graphics because it increases hits on the Web server, possibly adding to the cost of running the server. For our limited use in class, I think it’s probably okay to link to third-party images.

First, you need to know the URL for the picture you want to link to. The following is an example — you can do this with any image:

  1. In your Web browser, go to You will see pictures of two beautiful flower arrangements.
  2. Right click on one of the arrangements.
  3. In the context menu, click Properties.
  1. In the Properties window, highlight the long URL that appears in the Address (URL) field, and then to copy it to the Windows clipboard.

The long URL will look something like this:

  1. On the Discussion Board Message Editor toolbar, click the Attach Image button.
  1. In the Insert Image window, paste the URL for the picture into the Specify URL field, and then click Submit.
  1. If the following message appears, click Yes.
  1. In the Image Added window, click Submit.

The image should appear in your post.

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