Blackboard Corporate Keynote
BbWorld ‘09
7/14/2009 1:45 PM – 3:00 PM
Maryland Ballroom A-D

Speakers

Michael L. Chasen, President and Chief Executive Officer, Blackboard
Ray Henderson, President, Blackboard Learn, Blackboard

BbWorld’09 – Seth Godin Keynote

BbWorld’09 Conference Web Site
Gaylord National Hotel & Convention Center

Keynote Speaker: Sir Ken Robinson, Noted Author and Recognized Leader in the Development of Creativity and Innovative Education UPDATE:  Seth Godin was asked to fill in for Sir Ken Robinson since he was unable to attend the event.

7/14/2009 8:30 AM – 9:45 AM
Maryland Ballroom A-D

My notes from the session:

Sir Ken Robinson was unable to be at this event and Seth Godin delivered the keynote instead.

Michael Chasen – Opening

• President and CEO of Blackboard
• Welcome ANGEL clients to the Bb community.
• Strongest program yet on how we can implement strategies to better support teachers and learners at all levels. Along the way we will be listening as well.
• Opening Seth Godin keynote. Author.
  • People is this room are transforming the institution of education.
  • How does change spread?
  • Joel Spolski – Filecreek – Building and leading a “tribe”, building community through blogging, leading.
  • Acumen Fund – 80 Million dollars, helping build businesses geared to helping the poorest.
  • Where to? What’s Next for Education?
    • 1920’s Henry Ford – Developed a system to take a worker and have them follow “orders”.
    • Public education was “invented” to work in a factory, and to buy a lot of stuff.
    • NBC to sell to consumers.
    • Mass advertising and mass marketing this followed into schools.
    • More and more and more information in school and finally they will get it.
    • It’s been around for so long… we thing it is the only way.
    • There is an opportunity to change the world. The marketplace is demanding that institutions step up because we need something different now.
    • Compliance doesn’t work to create value.
    • The giant shift is to look at what you do really differently.
    • Tribal behavior is the leverage tool or weapon to transform the teachers, administrators, and students.
    • Groups of people aligned by a common culture.
    • Religious tribe, work tribe, and community tribe… and academy or school tribe.
    • NOW… We have all sort of tribes… red hat ladies, etc.
    • There is power in tribes… audience claps without being told how to clap… we are wired for pulse and rhythm – like being in sync.
    • People look around all the time to see what other members of the tribe are doing. Once you understand what people are doing you can use that for transformation. People are looking for leaders, for models, for something to follow.
    • Outdoor competitive, extreme ironing… ?
    • Roller derby… bringing back – because of the sense of connection because of community.
    • The world of sports… why exactly to people go out of their way for sports… reason is very simple, basic human need is to be part of something. It’s who they are, it connects to their heritage, to who they are.
    • Pirates – Key part… insiders or outsiders. Your job to get adoption is not to assemble a crowd, it’s about how do I create insiders, and assemble a group of people that want to make change.
    • “Tribes Matter = Bigger than word of mouth”.
    • Join the group of 100… people wanted to be in the group.
    • Assemble people so that they can do something bigger than you.
    • Leverage happens with the tribe… are you in? or out?
    • Pianoworld… 1 millionth post… you are either in or out.
    • Mitch Matthews – VP at Microsoft. 6,000 people came to the conference… the people at the conference where all the same, they talked the same, dressed the same even though they never met.
    • Gary Vanerchuk – Selling wine – “Decide to lead” is the big idea.
    • Dynamics – Understanding Tribes
    • Factories are dead… the model is falling apart.
    • What works is the network, authority, movement, connecting with people.
    • Garr Reynolds – Author of Presentation Zen. How do to better Powerpoints… one of 25 best selling books. How did he do that. One person at a time through a blog.
    • Become an insider… if there is movement.
    • Who you decide to let into the tribe… people want to follow people they have chosen.
    • One solution is to make your tribe tighter… more exclusive.
    • Another is to make your tribe bigger… “Oprah”
    • You have to think hard as you create the change… you can’t order people to follow you… who is going to choose you?
    • “What you do for a living is make change.”
    • Making change is now called Tribal Leadership.
    • Your job is to make change so that education can catch up and that real learning can occur.
    • Create a movement of a connection of people.
    • You don’t need everyone… you need the right people and the committed and then you grow.
    • How what are the tactics… I don’t have one.
    • Low tech or high tech… doesn’t matter if you have charisma. Gates / Jobs… they run computer tribes.
    • We are the first generation of positive deviants – people who figure out how to do something better – your job is to fine each other.
    • Amplify people that are doing the right thing or doing something better!!! Who are the people that are doing it right… give them a platform, elevate them, give them an audience.
    • You’ve been brainwashed to think you need to convert everyone… you don’t you just need a few people that care so much that they will spread the word.
    • Kindle, the 300 replacement for a 13 dollar paperback book. It’s missing social tools… which could have been a way to make it easier for others to buy one, creating a way to connect people with each other.
    • We need to connect people and not isolate them… so that people can help each other.
    • None of this happens without critics.
    • People are waiting for joining in on something.
    • Create a new tribe that wouldn’t have happened at all.
    • You don’t have to invent… just show up to lead.
    • Opportunity you have – we are waiting for you to show up and lead us.
    • No one wants mediocre… you can pick and select your tribe or open it up.
    • No one follows a boring tribe.
    • Every successful tribe has been run by a heretic… push against the rules of the day. I’m not a sheep and follow… I’m someone stands up against all odds. Go to the edges. Chose to not compromise.
    • Robin Waters – Transformed Target from Kmart want to be to Target’. She had to persevere.
    • The risk is you try something but don’t stay committed. What every institution needs is a unicorn – it’s not about following every since rule.. Your job is not to find 100 reasons to say NO. Your job is to find the big YES, yes we can do that, yes we can try that, yes we can move that way.
    • What you have to sell is something to believe in, not a technical solution.
    • Opportunity to dramatically transform that most valuable industry we got – education.
    • You don’t have to be famous… change the world one kid at a time. Take people to a new place.
    • Leadership = Marketing… You can lead.
    • Marketing by memo, by flyers, by tv ad, by radio… is fundamentally broken. Where marketing is today is leadership… look at consumer brands that have grown… have grown by leading.
    1. Challenge the status quo
    2. Create a culture that stands for something. Connection.. am I inside or out.
    3. Create curiosity what works – what doesn’t – why that person can’t get it – understanding.
    4. Charisma you need, leading makes charisma.. charisma doesn’t make you a leader. Chose to lead.\
    5. Leaders Communicate
    6. Connect people need to connect, commit, feel part of something, not left out, we all want to matter. What we do is not about us, but about the people and giving people the tools they need to make a difference. You have to connect them, create meaning for them, create a difference for them in their lives, they need to feel noticed, they need to matter, they need to feel missed.
    • You don’t need more tools, you need to decide… you need to be inspired to be inspiring and to find something for people to follow you.
    • “4v2″ – are we doing this FOR the people you win if you do it TO the people you lose.
    • The obligation – it’s up to you. If it’s worth doing, it’s worth leading. You need to create a movement, you need to lead us!
  • Michael Chasen
    • Great take aways.. thanks for the powerful presentation.
    • Exhibit hall is next!

• Twitter Updates via #bbworld09
• BbWorld ‘09 Discussion Group via Connections
• Ask Dr C Podcasts via Connections
• Bb’s Blog via blackboard.com
• Bb Connections via Connections
• Flickr via #bbworld09

This year’s conference will be near Blackboard’s headquarters in Washington, DC.

See you there? Here are some early conference resources that were recently emailed out by Blackboard:

Blackboard Connections

The conversations have already started at Blackboard Connections^TM, your central hub for virtual BbWorld communication. Check out our BbWorld ‘09 Discussion Group; then login to join the conversation:

• Give us your thoughts on Birds of a Feather topics
• Find like-minded colleagues and arrange to meet at the conference during our “Meet-Up Time”
• Get first-time attendee tips
• Post your own tips for attendees

Check it out now!  If you have a Behind the Blackboard^® or EduGarage^TM username, use it to login. If you don’t have a login, just sign up for a Blackboard Passport account and get started.

Twitter

Stay connected in real-time before and during the event! We encourage you to tweet and follow other attendees by using the #BbWorld09 hash tag.

Flickr^®

Check out photos from last year (#BbWorld) and post your own at Flickr by tagging them with #BbWorld09.

These are just a few of the ways you can connect before, during and after BbWorld.  More virtual conference elements are being planned – from session materials and speaker insights to webinars and captured sessions.

BbWorld’08 – Blackboard Users Conference

Las Vegas, NV
July 14-17, 2008
The Palazzo Tower at the Venetian
Conference Website

NEW! Conference Presentations and also the Developers Conference

Monday is the start of the Blackboard DevCon (Developers Conference), which is focused on Blackboard developers, vendors, and institutions that customize and create external applications that integrate through Blackboard’s open APIs. Monday also includes preconference sessions on a wide array of topics. I wasn’t able to attend the keynote of at this conference as I was prepping for my preconference session with Kevin Reeve from Utah State University. Luckily the Mike Wesch’s keynote was captured on video. (It was captured using the Echo360 technology.) Here is another version of the keynote that was delivered at the University of Manitoba “A Portal to Media Literacy“.

Monday also included a collection of BbWorld preconference sessions.

Preconference Session: Podcasting – From the Desktop to the Enterprise

Kevin Reeve, Utah State University
Eric Kunnen, Grand Rapids Community College

In this interactive “show and tell” session, we will explore podcasting with a focus on providing a look at desktop and enterprise solutions for the creation, management, hosting and delivery of podcasting. Portable Audio Recorders, Microphones, and USB audio devices will be used to demonstrate how several software programs can be used to create podcasts.

Enterprise systems that integrate with Blackboard products will also be shown. We will explore Enterprise Podcasting and Course Casting Solutions like Podcast LX, TechSmith Camtasia Relay and Wimba. Participants will learn the format for creating the RSS (Syndication) feed using XML and will leave with a 30+ page resource guide for podcasting.

Notes:

• Kevin and I created an online resource (podcastinfo.org) that we referred to during the session.
• We also provided a 45 page booklet to the participants that covered many of the live demonstrations and products that we discussed in the session.
• I noticed a participant blogged about the session on her Blackboard World Tour blog… I hope it was valuable!
• Here is our opening Powerpoint slideshow we used for the session:

Tuesday is the second day of the Blackboard DevCon conference. Preconference sessions continued on Tuesday. The main BbWorld conference began in the evening with a keynote speaker and opening reception in the vendor hall. The reception also included a display of conference poster sessions. Bill Vilberg from the University of Miami recorded some of the poster session presenters, among other conference highlights in his LMSPodcast.

Innovations in the Greenhouse Grant Program – Panel Session

Project ASTRO

Project ASTRO, Advanced System Tracking and Reporting
Eric Kunnen, Grand Rapids Community College

Notes:

• Goal – To build an open source community based advanced reporting tool and Blackboard Building Block that will empower institutions to become more accountable and able to use data-driven decision making to enhance, optimize, and advance Blackboard Academic Suite usage in teaching and learning.
• Purpose – To collect system activity information and provide reports on how Blackboard is being used by faculty, staff, and students which will inform stakeholders and provide data to improve the engagement of end users, increase adoption, and encourage deeper use of the Blackboard Academic Suite by faculty, staff, and students.
• Key Functions
  • Track – Automatic tracking (via Blackboard Building Block) of system activity including courses, organizations, users, and tools.
  • Report – Easy point and click access to advanced reports.
  • Discover – Ability to measure trends and analyze usage.
  • Share – Capability to embed data, share reports, and inform key stakeholders.
  • Act – Features to identify, target, and engage users via email notifications.

Integrating Social Software into Windows Vista

Naomi Augar, Deakin University

Notes:

• Goal is to pilot and evaluate social software for teaching and learning.
• Integrate appropriate tools into Blackboard Vista using PowerLinks.
• Awarded 2007, pilot already underway.
• Focus of grant was to code develop and implementation of MediaWiki and Drupal-SMF integration.
• Developed a script to work with Stephen Vickers’ Login2 WebCT PowerLink.
• MediaWiki and Drupal-SMF integration went live on July 2.
• Review of integration scheduled for December 2008.
• Production support for Gallery2.
• Development server for future research.
• Demo: MediaWiki, DSMF

Blackboard Greenhouse Grant for Virtual Worlds

John Fillwalk, Ball State University

Notes:

• SecondLife for virtualization.
• The aesthetic camera is the unit/curriculum that would be the focus for leveraging a virtual environment.
• Design and produce a virtual filmmaking technology that mirrors functionality in real life.
• Hands-on instructional equipment.
• Streamline student experience in both SL and Bb. SL orientations would take place on university islands, plan to use Bb Adaptive Release, and ensure secure and automate course management and assessment.
• BSU virtual campus in SecondLife had to be built.
• Build all the equipment first and had to program the usage of the equipment.
• Provide both asynchronous and synchronous interchanges.
• Associate Bb and SL authentication information.
• Develop a strategy to eliminate the navigation frame loss in Blackboard upon switching back and forth between Bb and SL.
• Maintain security while passing information handled by a custom Bb Building Block.
• Create a best practice model for instructional design within virtual worlds.
• Generate best practice land management model and community standards.
• Building Block to include class enrollment object (LSL avatar sensor script will collect and associate SL avatar names with actual student names automatically transmitting it to Bb and pairing them within Bb.), and SL class list administration. (Access Avatar name from within Bb, LSL script to query for authentication to confirm and sync SL avatar course enrollment information.)
• Public chat capture and archive. Records public chat typed passes archives file to tagged Bb discussion.

Lunch

BIE Steering Committee Meeting

Notes:

• Covered by NDA and therefore unable to be posted.

Keynote: Steve Wozniak

Venetian Ballroom

Steve Wozniak is a silicon valley icon and philanthropist for the past 3 decades, he helped shape the computing industry with his design of Apple’s first line of products and influenced the popular Macintosh. For his achievements at Apple Computer, Steve as awarded the National Medal of Technology by the President of the United States in 1985, the highest honor bestowed on America’s leading innovators.

In 2000, Mr. Wozniak was inducted into the Inventors Hall of Fame and was awarded the prestigious Heinz Award for “single-handedly designing the first personal computer and for then redirecting his lifelong passion for mathematics and electronics toward lighting the fires of excitement for education in grade school students and their teachers.”

Making significant investments of both his time and resources in education, Mr. Wozniak “adopted” the Los Gatos School District, providing students and teacher with hands-on teaching and donations of state-of-the-art technology equipment. Mr. Wozniak founded the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and was the founding sponsor of the Tech Museum, Silicon Valley Ballet, and Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose. Mr. Wozniak’s autobiography iWoz: from Computer Get to Cult Icon, was published in 2006.

Notes:

• Michael Chasen opened the conference.
• The goal is to improve education by leveraging technology in teaching and learning.
• There are 1800+ in attendance with over 208 attendees at the Blackboard Developers Conference.
• Steve road in on a segway.
• Raw power isn’t the most important thing. Human intellect is.
• He would build a computer and rebuild a computer trying to use fewer parts, make it better, make it faster. Need to make the most out for the least in.
• He would read every computer book or magazine he could.
• Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation… Just enjoyed investigating computers.
• Did some work in Fortran.
• He built a television jammer out of a transistor purchased from Radio Shack. He used it in his dorm as a practical joke.
• A friend of his had a key to the lab and used to run programs in the middle of night.
• He did everything he could to work with computers. Also tried to do more.
• Worked for a year and programmed a computer. He would go in at night and run programs.
• He kept getting put down exploring and developing his own capabilities. One day he told an executive that he designed computers in high school but could never afford to build them. Then he meet Steve Jobs. Steve Jobs talked about making clay action movies in high school, he always envisioned himself doing something that makes a difference.
• HP35 scientific calculator, the first one that replicated the slide rule. And every engineer needed one. Something like $3,000 in today’s money.
• Steve then started working on designing calculators at HP. He was involved in dreaming up products. Bottom up driven not marketing driven.
• When he came home from work he would work on his own projects. He started a dial a joke service in the bay area.
• Bowling alley he went to and he say a game called Pong. And he went home and made his own game.
• Steve Jobs didn’t go to any of the pre-reqs at college. He went do to some work at Atari. Atari wanted to by Pong from Steve. He designed a game called Breakout. He stayed up 4 days and nights and they developed the popular Breakout game.
• Steve Jobs and him went to visit a friend to work with a teletype system of a guy that was playing chess on a computer across the country. This was ARPAnet. Steve went home and designed a system to place letters on the TV screen, he built a modem and ended up selling his teletype like system because it was smaller and cheaper than existing teletypes.
• He used his knowledge of the calculator programming to create the interaction of the keyboard with a processor… all other computers at the time had switches that had to be set for 1’s and 0’s.
• He gave the plans to the club. Steve Jobs came along and noticed his schematics. Then he said these people don’t have the time to use blueprints to create this… so Jobs said let’s build a board with all needed parts. Then Steve went to HP and they said they weren’t interested.
• Newton under the Apple tree.
• HP turned his design down 5 times.
• First computer where you typed on a computer and you saw your words on a TV screen.
• Apple 2 was more than anyone expected. Nobody expected graphics. Nobody expected sounds, colors.
• They talked to Commodore and Atari turned them down.
• He wanted to stay at HP and finally he decided to leave and they started Apple.
• Later that year they went to the Las Vegas consumer electronic show. He worked everyday to create a floppy disk because a cassette tape was too slow.
• Ted Wraskin was a humanist that you can design a computer to make it easy to use. The human is more important than the technology… so you don’t force the human to change their behavior.
• Eventually he had a family and did some work with schools and computer labs… give yourself and your time to something you believe in. Main class goal… didn’t want to teach about how to build computers… but to how to apply and solve it with a computer.
• A student should have a computer they can use at school and at home.
• Networking was also an interest. See a server. AOL was around and the kids would start talking to others around the world.
• Bring fun in with the work… you will appreciate the work that much more.
• Photos and videos in the class.
• Teachers didn’t learn quickly like the kids. The teachers were a little bit slower… he wishes he would have taught teachers more.
• If students didn’t get a concept he would reteach it.
• In a large class he was disappointed because he could reach 19 well but not 30. What if students could teach…
• The more a computer seems like a human the more attracting it is to kids… it’s a friend.
• Early Internet came… he wanted to create a Blackboard like software, he is glad to be a part of it.
• Steve always felt the 1 to 1 is the right way to go.
• It’s not as important WHAT you teach but that you MOTIVATE them to learn… so if using the computer is moving to a student. Motivation is more important than content.
• Testing methodology… ask a question and the right answer is only 1 thing. It because like intelligence is agreement less than individual thinking to solve a problem.
• Why don’t we give a problem and then asking why is this answer wrong… instead of what is right.
• Schools have a big problem with money… too little money… Propostion 13… more taxing for better schools.

Welcome Reception and Poster Sessions
Exhibit Hall

Project ASTRO

Eric Kunnen, Grand Rapids Community College
Santo Nucifora, Seneca College

Wednesday was the first full day of the BbWorld conference with an opening keynote, following by an entire day of breakout sessions.

Take the Mystery out of Digital Content Management

Content Sharing, Communities

Embarking on a digital content management at your institution with the Bb Content System? Working on maximizing its adoption at your institution? Take away the mystery of how to leverage a content management solutions and learn how your colleagues have paved the way for success. Join us for a lively and informational discussion about the Bb Content System and how it can benefit faculty, students, and staff. You will leave with lots of good ideas to put into action.

Rob Bobeldyk, Calvin College
Erik Dearholt, Tulane University
Wayne Twitchell, Grinnell College

Notes:

Challenges and Needs

• Education department and the need for accreditation and eportfolios
• Faculty using learning objects in multiple courses.
• Downloading and modifying files in content areas.
• ePortfolios needed to be tied to the learning system.
• Versioning is a needed tool.
• Access to content without email attachments.
• Network storage and access to resources remotely and web-based.
• Reusable and shareable content.
• Workflows are needed.
• Permissions can be managed by end users.
• Mapped network drives enabled quick content updates in courses.
• Calvin is using the ePortfolio for transcript, teacher evaluations, recommendations etc. sharing with external potential employers.
• Collaborative learning and teaching. Enabling the ability for faculty to easily share files and content with each other.
• Ability for faculty to upload once and update once by linking to a single instance of content.
• WebDav – Xythos Drive is what Grinnell is using. – WebDrive is what Calvin is using.
• Institutional content includes a folder for each department. User directories. Department/Division/Program folder. Roles can be used also for permissions from an SIS.
• Student web space and public urls, My Website Building Block
• Student services for special needs. Staff can place files and share them.
• Reduce load on IT department.
• Florida State – is using the system administratively a lot.
• University of Cincinnati is using the BbCS ePortfolios for faculty tenure, promotion, and performance review. In addition for composition classes to assess student work in developmental writing programs.
• Can access campus files remotely. Using the web as the network.
• *** Tulane has a Flash Video on benefits of the Content System.
• Archives? Library? Learning Objects? Training/Adoption for Students?

The Power of Web 2.0 Used within Blackboard Software

Innovative tools for learners, student engagement.

Stacey Campo, Poway Unified School District

Join us to explore free interactive internet tools, which are used to empower and engage learning beyond the classroom walls. Using the resources of Web 2.0 technology, the ISTE National educational Technology Standards for Student (NETS) and good teaching practices, participants will embark upon a learning journey that weaves standards, technology and the love of learning together to expand the learning process beyond the bell. You will receive a list of Web 2.0 tools that are compatible with your Bb system, as well as curriculum ideas for implementation.

Notes:

• ISTE – Web 2.0: New Tools, New Schools Book
• What is Web 2.0 – Web-based tools, interactive, social, rich navigation, unique apps, creating, connecting, potential and profound impact on Education.
• Use Bubbl.us (concept map) in class to capture ideas quickly, brainstorming, etc… immediately place in Bb.
• Received a Web 2.0 Youtube clip while in the session via Twitter from @gbrand: http://tinyurl.com/6xegrj
• Steve Hargadon (http://www.stevehargadon.com): 1) New Publishing Revolution, 2) A tidal wave of information, 3) Everything is becoming participative, 4) The New Pro-sumers, 5) The age of the Collaborator, 6) Explosion of Innovation, 7) flatter world, Social World, 9) Long Tail, and 10) Social Networking.
• What should you do? Learn IT, Lurk in IT, Participate in IT, Digest IT, Teach IT, Talk about IT, Help Build the New Playbook.
• Communication, Collaboration, Create
• Here are the presenters resources: http://www.tinyurl.com/6s5do6 (No handouts… on purpose!)
• PageFlakes – Public collections of feeds and widgets
• Google Pages – Easy create web site
• Toondoo.com – Cartoons
• Student Communication – Blogs via wordpress.com/blogger.com/easyjournal.com
• Student Collaboration – Bubbl.us, www.graphic.org, www.teachertube.com, zoho.com.
• A lot of K12 schools use messages feature in Bb because of email liability with under age kids.
• Microsoft Photostory – Still images and music in a video clip.
• Audacity – Audio recording tool.
• TeacherTube – California Gold Rush was created with Photostory and it was a composition of stills and had student voice overs.
• picnik.com – Graphic tool for creating banners and graphics for Bb.
• cooltext.com – Good banner creation tool for Bb.
• Adobe Photoshop Express – editing photos.
• Jeopardy game in PPT, “Tech Fortress Teacher Technology Blog”
• “Web 2.0 for the Classroom Teacher”

The New Wimba Pronto – Eric Kunnen, Grand Rapids Community College

Exhibit Hall

• Discussed how Pronto can meet the needs of educational institutions by better connecting faculty, students and staff.
• Challenges:
  • 15,000+ students that all commute, study, have jobs , and in many cases families.
  • Tutorial lab hours are limited.
  • Scheduling conflicts occur for out of class experiences and student group activities and assignments.
  • Students cannot regularly attend face to face faculty office hours.
  • Effective and timely library support and other campus student services for students is difficult with a geographically disperse campus.
  • Student engagement and retention are top institutional concerns.
• Opportunities:
  • Blackboard and Wimba Pronto is an effective way for faculty and students to remain in contact, collaborate, and to build online community.
  • Online tools can provide: motivation, flexible scheduling, repetition, confidence through practice, an increase on time on task outside of the classroom, individualized active learning experiences, more effective use of class time, saves time, and new capabilities such guest speakers from around the world.
• For Faculty and Students
  • Video Conferencing
  • Application Sharing
  • Queued Chat for Tutoring and Office Hours
• For the Campus
  • School Tab with Help Desk Functionality
  • Institutional Notifications
  • Reporting
• Fall 2008 Rollout Planned

M-Learning: The Use of Podcasting to Enhance Online Academic Instruction

Texas Tech University
Health Sciences, School of Nursing

Innovative tools for learners, student engagement

Mobile learning through podcast technology enhances student learning experiences and shortens the miles in distance education. With the help of this innovative technology, academics bring the classroom to the student. M-learning assists educators to promote direct lines of communication through streamed audio and video-casts. Methods of podcasting, benefits, barriers, and hints of enhancing deliver across the generation gap will be shared with participants.

Notes:

• Podcasting definition – rss enabled access to digital files, on the go technology
• 2000 Adam Curry pioneered podcasting.
• 2003 Broadcasting
• 2004 Podcast domain registered
• 2005 iPod video, oxford dictionary, podcasting books
• 2005+ growing and exploding
• Legal implications and intellectual property, fair use, etc.
• Microphones – built-in, 1/8 inch, USB, dynamic, condenser. (Samsung USB mic)
• Garage Band
• Articulate Presenter
• Positive Elements of Podcasting: future integration – use audio/video resources again, flexibility for students and faculty, time friendly, green friendly, repeat information, enhancement, transformation, discovery learning, distant students
• Need to consider how long a podcast runs…chunking content.
• Visitor lectures…

Lunch

Notes:

• Sat next to Michael Chasen’s father and had some good conversations of the impact of elearning in higher ed, synchronous tools, teaching, etc.
• Discussed various projects with Szymon Machajewski around new Building Blocks that we would like to develop. From trend data and whos online like functionality via the activity accumulator as well as strategies to link Peoplesoft and Bb Gradebooks.

Keynote: Blackboard’s Next Generation

See: http://www.blackboard.com/projectng/ for a series of videos covering the direction of the next generation of learning via Blackboard.

Michael Chasen, Chief Executive Officer, Blackboard
Russ Carlson, President, North America Higher Education, Blackboard

Join Blackboard co-founder and CEO Michael Chasen and Russ Carlson, President North American Higher Education for an update on all the news from Blackboard, headlined by a live preview of Project NG, our multi-release effort to build the next generation of Bb’s teaching and learning platform. With its emphasis on an improved, Web 2.0-sinpired user experience, expanded openness, the best of Blackboard and WebCT and more student-centered tools, Project NG promises to deliver Bb’s most powerful, yet intuitive and easy to use, solution to date.

Notes:

• Approximately 1,800 clients and 400 Blackboard staff in attendance at the conference.
• Opening video like a mac… the old Bb and Project NG.
• [Michael Chasen]
• Michael Chasen is on Twitter. http://twitter.com/michaelchasen – he will twitter while delivering the keynote.
• Today’s Discussion
• 1. Evolving Together
  • 2200+ attendees – 28 countries – K12/HigherEd/Corporate/Professional Education
  • How to bring a traditional course… fast forward… support the entire ed experience with technology.
  • eLearning (Academic Suite), Commerce (Commerce Suite), Communication/Connection (Bb Connect)
  • Blackboard Learn | Blackboard Transact | Blackboard Connect
  • New Mexico selected Bb to support K12 statewide
  • University of North Carolina and the NC Community College system announce statewide selection of the academic suite.
• 2. The Client Experience
  • [Russ Carlson]
  • Advancing e-education initiatives and strategy.
  • Dr. Joel Hartman at UCF – 10 years of assessment data and the impact of student success, satisfaction, faculty and student… need less classroom.
  • Dr. Jon Mott at BYU – Mature deployment, large courses and faculty using Bb, assessment engine used for realtime comprehension and maximize classroom time.
  • Chris Folkerson at ELON – Online courses throughout the summer at-a-distance for student retention, success, less housing needed.
  • SENA – Government of Columbia – Workforce training is delivered through more than 1,000 municipalities with learning labs with satellite.
  • Better Support – Tire 1 support, well trained, tenured support staff, Southerland Global Services. Tire 2 team
  • Expanded Hosting Infrastructure
  • Proactive Client Success Services – AP2 Upgrade Team, Back to School Program, BIE
  • More Community Engagement – CommunityLINK 3,500 global institutions to help clients find each other through profiles.
• 3. Project NG
  • Another neat apple type video… with the OLD vs new Bb. See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yR_PDOZOFB0
  • [Michael Chasen]
  • Web 2.0 – Engaging User Experience,
  • Best of Both WebCT and Bb
  • Open Platform
  • Multiyear, multirelease effort. Release 8 Grade Center, SafeAssign, Bb Scholar
  • Release 9 will be the first combined codebase.
  • Blackboard X
  • NG
  • Institutional portal page, prospective students, drag and drop modules, alumni, fully customizable.
  • Bb Themes, Bb classic, Bb Vista, etc.
  • Add modules and tools or even external modules like facebook, other rss feeds.
  • Courses Tab – Dashboard view of all courses, tasks, announcements, calendar, what’s new, aggregated view, subtabs (courses homepage, instructor dashboard, student dashboard).
  • Opened up APIs for Sakai, Moodle so you don’t have to have separate username passwords or whatever backend system that powers their courses… the APIs allow a central access point.
  • Instructor Dashboard – What’s New (discussions, announcements, etc.), Needs Attention (ungraded assignments), Alerts (past due, late homework) – email or sms alerts.
  • Student Dashboard – What’s New, To Do.
  • Course – Welcome to your Course (first time welcome message wizard, tools, buttons, links, textbook content (pre-filled content)
  • Course Homepage – Announcements, course updates, course menu, discussion activity, instructor area = control panel, my groups/student study groups, folders, items, lesson plan, materials, self and peer assessment, video, “edit mode/read mode”, Build/Assess/Communicate/Mashup (YouTube, Digg, Kadoo, TeacherTube, Flickr) and Discover Content(resusable objects via Content System).
  • Items have dropdowns… for quick editing, rubrics, adaptive release, standards can be linked to (Bb will ship with all the state standards and/or add your own standards, teachers can add their own standards and get reports from the system)
  • Quick change of content and course themes (Bb classic, NG, brushed metal, K12, and custom)
  • Drag and drop menu and content items. But the application is still accessible for Section 508.
  • Blogs – Project NG create course level, groups can have blogs, and users can have personal blogs, subscribe to blogs.
  • Journals – One to one dialog and reflection, can exist outside of the course. These tools could be run in Sakai, Moodle.
  • Groups – Dedicated spaces for students, which include group project workflows.
  • Instructor area / control panel – drag and drop reorder, 20 question types, insert visual elements (section breaks, etc.). Evaluation section includes the new Grade Center, “Switch Grade Center” button.
  • Built-in plagiarism detection.
  • K12 lesson plans include standards, lesson time, activities (pre-populated content according to the lesson), assessment procedures, resources and they can be shared between teachers or across the institution.
  • 15 languages are built-in, with a Language Pack Editor
  • Community – social learning spaces (students can create their own groups), Facebook, Merlot.
  • Content – share files, collaborate, virtual hard drive, versions, comments, workflow, institution content area, library rules or policies to manage copyright, double down arrow for quick actions.
  • Portfolio – best of both portfolios, comments, artifacts, reflections, sharing, link to assignments.
  • Outcomes – institutional level assessment, plan/measure/improve at all levels of the institution, survey is deployed from the course but it is viewable by system wide.
  • Scholar – faculty and student connect over resources.
  • Bb Connect – outreach, survey, emergency messaging, target messaging via map or other parameters. [This was sent live to all participants.]
  • Transact – student ID card, students can within a single login, commerce online, balance.
  • Admin – drag and drop modules, eduGarage direct links, behind the blackboard.
  • My Places – quick link to courses.
  • Sync – allowing students to access notifications, alerts, and updates in Facebook. Keeping students informed and engaged.
  • Bb for iPhone – Under development a custom view of Bb courses.
  • Bb for Cell Phones – SMS and other technologies for cell phones will include crisis messaging
  • Bb for MyYahoo – updates inside of Yahoo.
  • Bb for iGoogle – updates inside of Google.
  • Another video…old and new Bb and Sakai and Moodle “friends”.
• 4. Final Thoughts

Camtasia vs Captivate Smackdown

Patrick Crispen, California State Unversity Long Beach.

• Bb LS, CS, Community – 9,700 courses per semester, 37,000 users.
• Presentation available at: netsquirrel.com

Thursday was the last day of the conference with an entire day of breakout sessions, followed by a closing client appreciation party.

Keynote: Donna Shalala, President of the University of Miami

Notes:

• We are all fellow revolutionaries, everyone that is working with Bb is on the cutting edge, we are shaping the university of the future, we are not sure how the journey will turn out
• Now and in the future we (technologists) have a lot to do with the quality of the education
• Lead and transform institutions that are not rationale
• Universities are very complex to lead since there are not as hierarchical
• Higher ed leadership is not for control freaks
• Tug boat captains… pulling the huge institution along
• Harvard dean quoted – changing the curriculum is like moving a cemetary…
• U of Miami, Bb have been partners since 2000.
• Donna uses Blackboard as a faculty member. She is using chat rooms, podcastings, discussions, and blogs.
• Donna uses Bb to transform the class into a “living” document and resource. She doesn’t give student hard copies of course information, syllabi, etc. The students realize that the syllabus may change and it is dynamic.
• The course is interactive… they are not required to come to class but they never miss a class.
• Students can be up-to-date easily.
• Bb allows us to improve the student centered learning goal. Bb allows colleges to be student-centered.
• Donna has students ask questions online through discussions create a more rich and collaborative face to face sessions.
• Assessment is a big challenge in higher ed.
• In higher ed, what we are doing is critical to the country… we need to be creative and willing to change.
• We need to be on the cutting edge in shaping our institutions, we are challenged to prepare students for their 3rd job, not their first job. Ensuring students can learn to change, adapt, and learn.
• The test of a great education is whether or not they are prepared for their 3rd job, ability read/write well, adapt, change, work with technology.
• We are 3 to 5 years away from massive technology adoption.
• Integration of social networking into educational products.
• What the students do with each other through blog assignments by correcting each other and make fine tuned adjustments… sort of like a coach. A coach doesn’t worry about the semester, they each day, make small adjustments.
• The student experience is going to be increasingly team based.
• Donna’s students send me emails in the middle of the night, I send them back in the middle of the night and the students are shocked.
• Donna’s central interest in the classroom, and that will be improved with social networking.
• Institutions will shape the views of themselves using YouTube, MySpace, Facebook. Yale University is an example. This is where students are. Blackboard is integral in helping us get there… to a student centered campus.
• We are all content producers and publishers.
• We need more leaders and administrators at institutions IN the classroom, teaching.
• Hybrid looks likely as the classroom of the future, with the transformation being online resources and connection through Blackboard along with effective face to face professors, lectures, and interactions.
• Donna says K12 needs to prepare kids for higher ed by using more technology in teaching, interaction, and learning.
• Using Bb is more than just throwing up your syllabus… as opposed to seeing it as an opportunity to create and interactive and collaborative course.
• www.kaiseredu.org
• Donna has an iPhone… and is interested in all new technologies. A president’s got to have the gadgets, tools, and technologies that provide modeling, extend leaderrship, connect with students, etc.

iTunes U and Blackboard

University of South Carolina

The team at USC is implementing iTunes U authentication with an established implementation of the Bb LS. This session will showcase integration and offer several possible scenarios that include internal coding solutions and vendor-based or collaborative Building Blocks. Public viewing and private login concerns also will be addressed.

Notes:

• USC Podcasting past included a series of web sites without categories.
• iTunes could offload content and bandwidth from campus.
• Private and public views of content.
• Mac use has doubled on campus.
• Usage reports from iTunes U
• Access requires iTunes client, however, an iPod is not required.
• Building Block from Vanderbilt is being used by USC. http://www.vanderbilt.edu/itunesu
• Credentials – Admin and Instructor (details in PPT)

Exhibit Hall

Client Appreciation Party

With BbWorld’07  completed, planning begins already for BbWorld’08.  Next year’s conference will be held in Las Vegas from July 15-18 at the Venetian Resort Hotel. 

Click here to visit the BbWorld’08 Conference Website.

It was a great conference this year.  I’m happy to see that the materials are now posted, since I wasn’t able to attend all the sessions that I wanted to.

Here are the presentations from the conference.

Turns out I’m not the only one blogging about my experiences from the conference. A couple of professors from GRCC have posted their notes.

• Garry Brand
• Bill Faber

Also, here are just a few links from several of the folks that I met at the conference:

1. E@T News
   My friends from across the pond Kate and Paul from the University of Teeside in the UK
2. Santo Nucifora’s Blog at Seneca College in Toronto
   Santo is a good friend and colleague. Probably the most knowledgeable Bb’er I know, well respected in the community as well.
3. Bill Vilberg’s Podcast and Blog
   Bill I had an opportunity to meet, finally, face to face. He produces a podcast interview concept which is a very unique and excellent resource.
4. John Martin’s Blog
   A twitter friend that I finally met F2F in Boston. He writes some great posts and twitters more than anyone I know!
5. Paul Ericson
   A great friend, and easy to spot at the conferences! He was the first contact I think I made at the first Bb conference I attended in DC.
6. Bb’s Educate Innovate
   Of course… can’t forget the official Bb Inc. blog!

And a few more that were compiled on the Facebook Group that Santo Nucifora set up:

1. John Arkansawyer’s Blog
2. Patrick Klaassen
   Kate Boardman posted this excellent collection by Patrick on Facebook.

BbWorld’07 – Boston, MA – Hynes Convention Center
July 10 – 12, 2007

Highlights:

1. Garry Brand and Eric Kunnen presented with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Georgetown University, and Dallas Baptist University on the topic: “From Information Literacy to Scholarly Identity: Effective Pedagogical Strategies for Social Bookmarking”.

2. Eric Kunnen presented with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Virtual High School Global Consortium, and Utah State University on the topic: “From Customer to Partner, Building a Successful Partnership with Blackboard”. Also with Blackboard Inc. and other clients on the topic: “Partners in Innovation: How clients shape Blackboard Products”. Finally, a presentation entitled “Seeding Innovation: The Greenhouse Grant” with Seton Hall University, Amarillo Independent School District, Deakin University, and Seneca College.

3. Eric Kunnen served on the Program Committee.

4. This was the first combined WebCT and Blackboard client conference in North America.

5. GRCC is a member of the Blackboard Idea Exchange, has been involved in Product Development Partnership Programs, and a recipient of the Greenhouse Grant.

GRCC staff in attendance:

• Bill Faber, Physical Science Professor

• Garry Brand, Business Law Professor

• Erich Flynn, Network Analyst

• Eric Kunnen, Coordinator of Instructional Technologies

• Fred Zomer, Counselor/Advisor

Monday, July 9

1. Pre-conference Workshop: Blackboard Factory Tour
Time: Monday, July 9, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Location: Sheraton Boston – Fairfax A

Description:
Join members of Blackboard’s product development team to gain a deeper understanding of Blackboard’s software development process. The workshop will include a review of end-to-end quality processes including: the tools and processes we use to build software; what we test and how; performance testing; Blackboard Building Blocks and Blackboard PowerLinks; product development partnerships; the Beta program; linguistic reviews; Service Packs and Hot Fixes.

Intended Audience: Anyone who wants a deeper understanding of Blackboard’s software development process.
Format: Non-Technical Seminar
Delivered by: Blackboard Product Development Team Members

Notes:
Erich Flynn, from Grand Rapids Community College attended this session. From what Erich tells me it was a great session with information about how hotfixes, service packs, and application packs are created, tested, and how they are different. Many internal Blackboard folks presented. Erich said that John Fontaine did an excellent job.

2. BIE Steering Committee Meeting
Time: Monday, July 9, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Location: Conference Center

Notes:
This meeting covered discussions around topics such as 7.3, 7.4, and the Next Generation System. There were many great discussions around new interface design ideas, social networking, and new features and functionality.

3. Client Leaders Reception
Time: Monday, July 9, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Location: Conference Center

Notes:
This reception was an excellent opportunity to connect with other clients and Bb product management, product development, and others.

Tuesday, July 10

1. Wimba Breakfast
Time: Tuesday, July 10, 7:15 AM – 8:00 AM
Location: Sheraton

Notes:

• Welcome

• Horizon Wimba is now called just “Wimba”

• Slogan is “people teach people”

• Highlights for 2007 include:

  • Wimba Connect ‘08 Conference in Orlando, FL from March 2-5, 2008

  • Live Classroom version 5 released (included video and new and improved breakout rooms)

  • Pronto! 250 colleges and universities downloaded pronto, with 11,000 user accounts

• Annie Chechitelli – Director Marketing

• Visualization and Vocalizations

  • Voice (tone and reflection)

  • Emoticons

  • Avatars

  • Body Language

  • Facial Expressions

• Wimba Live Classroom 5

  • Video can be a distraction

  • Logistical negotiations of the camera can get in the way of natural flow

  • “It is simplicity that is difficult to make”

  • Follow the Speaker Video

  • “Think outside of the text”.

• Pronto

  • Instant Messaging

  • Group Chats

  • Voice over IP

  • Classmates automatically populated

  • Profiles

• Steve Kahn – Chief Engineer

• Kiwi Platform – Applications (Pronto, Pronto Plus, Voice Tools, Live Classrooms, Course Genie, Diploma) – Components (VoIP, Chat, Presence, Apps, Video, App Share), Content (Recordings, Assessments, Archive), Users (Courses, Roles, Users)

2. Keynote Speaker: Steven D. Levitt
Time: Tuesday, July 10, 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM
Location: Hynes Convention Center – Ballroom A/B/C

Description:
Steven D. Levitt co-authored, with Stephen J. Dubner, the New York Times bestseller Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything. In this informed and fascinating work, Dr. Levitt and Mr. Dubner use forceful storytelling and wry insight to present an unusual look at the economics underlying real-life issues, such as the inner workings of a crack gang, the truth about real-estate agents and the myths of campaign finance, even the telltale marks of a cheating schoolteacher.

Dr. Levitt’s enormous curiosity drives him to examine the incongruities he sees in everyday life. He sifts through data to locate stories no one else has found and devises ways to measure effects that other economists have declared unmeasurable.

Dr. Levitt is a full professor of economics at the University of Chicago, where he is also director of The Becker Center on Chicago Price Theory. In 2004, he was awarded the prestigious John Bates Clark Medal, which recognizes the most influential economist in the United States under the age of 40. In 2006, he was named one of Time magazine’s “100 People Who Shape Our World.” Dr. Levitt is a fellow in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and received his B.A. from Harvard University and his Ph.D. from M.I.T. He has taught at Chicago since 1997 (receiving tenure after only two years).

Notes:

• Welcome by CTO of Farmington College.

• Micheal Chasen introducing Dr. Levitt

  • Over 2000 attendees from 26 countries here for this conference.

• Story about a tax auditor with an idea in 1984 to add the requirement of social security number to the tax forms. This in 1989 ended up removing 10% of “claimed” children on tax submissions. This saved the government some 30 billion dollars. The tax auditor only got $25,000 bonus for that idea.

• Incentives matter.

• Sometimes the basic and simplest ideas are the best ideas.

• Doing things they way you were told and not really thinking differently or originally can be difficult.

• Ultimate goal is to harness this in students… thinking differently.

• The great news for all of us is that education pays off. All the economic research says that every year of education increases your over all wages increase about 8% return in wages.

• Education is tremendously valuable.

• It’s not just in wages, but also in life expectancy. The more education you have the longer you live.

• American prosperity is critically related to educating our children.

• 3 reasons for high wages: 1) good legal system/markets, 2) got a lot of capital and machines, and3) when you have skills.

• Education is the only way America will remain on the top.

• Classrooms today haven’t really changed for 40 years.

• Labor is expensive and this is why education is expensive. We haven’t changed or increased efficiency. We are ripe for a change and can dramatically change. Compare the ball point pen which used to cost $10 about 40 years ago. Now they are 5 cents a piece. Because more efficiency through automation and machines improved efficiency.

• Education needs to be incentive driven.

• Push for high stakes testing lately, no child left behind. The dark side is anything worth wining is worth cheating for. Teaching to the test.

• Measurement is critical, but we are not just trying to measure 2+2, but also values and how to think. This is why some measurement is not valuable.

• Tenure is crazy. Makes no sense. No incentive to do anything after tenure. It’s not a good system because of lack of incentives.

• 1700’s teachers where paid based on the performance of their students, but this has potential also for cheating.

• Think creatively about incentives.

• Use technology to measure things better, or monitor better, and teach teachers how to do things better.

• Teaching people “how to think” is the priority and the goal.

• Feedback is very important, and students are often the recipients of tests, surveys, etc. However, we don’t often give ourselves feedback. How can I teach better?

3. From Customer to Partner – Building a Successful Partnership with Blackboard
Time: Tuesday, July 10, 10:45 AM – 11:35 AM
Location: Hynes Convention Center – 309

Speakers:
Eric Kunnen, Coordinator of Instructional Technologies Learning Academy, Grand Rapids Community College
Kevin Reeve, Instructional Designer, Utah State University
Ira J. Strauss, Senior Systems Analyst, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Becky Vasquez, Director, Student & Technology Services, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Storie Walsh, Technical Projects Manager, Virtual High School

Description:
This panel will outline strategies, tips and suggestions for institutions interested in turning client/vendor relationships into partnerships. Panelists will share what partnership means to them, and how they have transformed their relationships by working with Blackboard. From participation with the Blackboard Idea Exchange, WebCT Institutes, beta partnership opportunities and user group participation, panelists will share how these activities have benefited their institutions.

Blackboard Community System, Blackboard Content System, Blackboard Learning System – CE Enterprise License (Formerly WebCT Campus Edition – Institution), Blackboard Learning System – Enterprise License, Blackboard Learning System – Vista Enterprise License (Formerly WebCT Vista), Session Applicable to Users of All Products

Topics
Professional Development

4. Seeding Innovation: The Greenhouse Grant
Time: Tuesday, July 10, 11:45 AM – 12:35 PM
Location: Hynes Convention Center – 207

Speakers:
Paul Fisher, Director, TLT Center, Seton Hall University
Dirk Funk, Technology Facilitator, Amarillo Independent School District
Eric Kunnen, Coordinator of Instructional Technologies Learning Academy, Grand Rapids Community College
Santo Nucifora, Seneca College
Ian Smissen, Head Teaching Support and Learning Technologies, Deakin University

Description:
This year’s winners and judges will take part in a panel discussion to describe their innovative Greenhouse Grant proposals and how these projects help address the key challenges of 21st century institutions including: enhancing the student experience, improving accountability, responding to globalization and increasing revenue and resources.

5. Greenhouse Grant – Award Luncheon
Time: Tuesday, July 10, 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM
Location: Sheraton – Back Bay Ballrooms C and D

Notes:
This luncheon highlighted and presented the award winners for the Greenhouse Grant 2007. First, the Exemplary Course award winners were presented with a glass award. Then, the two $25,000 grant award recipients were announced. Eric Kunnen, Grand Rapids Community College, and Santo Nucifora, Seneca College were awarded with a “check”!

6. The Road Ahead – 2007 Blackboard Keynote
Time: Tuesday, July 10, 2:00 PM – 3:15 PM
Location: Hynes Convention Center – Ballroom A/B/C

Speakers:
Michael L. Chasen, Chief Executive Officer, Blackboard
Matthew Pittinsky, Researcher, Columbia University Teachers College and Chairman, Blackboard
Peter Segal, Blackboard

Description:
Join Blackboard founders Matthew Pittinsky and Michael Chasen for an update on how Blackboard and its products are evolving to best support your needs, including the latest on what’s new and different. What are some of the powerful new product developments on the horizon? How are the best of WebCT and Blackboard coming together? What’s happening in the client community to advance best practices you can use? Learn more about these and other ways in which Blackboard and clients are collaborating to elevate e-Learning for students, faculty and administrators.

Notes:

• Welcome to the 2,400+ in attendance at this 10th Anniversary Conference

• Blackboard was created at Cornell back in 1997 and also WebCT at the University of British Columbia

• The customer spaces are broad, from Corporate clients to K-12 (Baltimore City Public), to International clients (Nanyang Technology University), to state wide deployments (University of Georgia System), to community colleges (Mississippi State Board for Community and Junior Colleges) who is beginning to use the Blackboard Outcomes System.

• 2006 Educause Catalyst Award for Course Management Systems

• Blackboard has been active writing white papers such as Building the 21st Century Campus and the Higher Ed Executive Issues Study

• In the Higher Ed Executive Issues Study, the key areas of focus are:

  • Student Engagement

  • Revenue

  • Accountability

  • Globalization

• With a client base of: 3,400+ learning system, 600+ community system, and 400+ content system.

• The #1 Priority is Stability and Scalability

• Application Pack 2 for Vista 4 adn CE6 solves 1,800+ issues, with 25 beta clients, and 12,500 hours of QA testing.

• Now available with WebCT CE4, 6, and Vista 4 is the entire AS Suite (Community System, Content System, Outcomes System)

• 7.3 just announced. This has a significant enhancements in the discussion board area.

• Just around the corner is 7.4 with a brand new Grade Center (new gradebook) and a new Self/Peer Assessment capability from the University of Dundee.

• There are 300+ open source and free products that extend Bb.

• There are 1,900+ developers and 25,000 download from the Building Block catalog.

• Announcing Safe Assign, this is a built-in plagiarism detection tool that is included free with Blackboard! (Cheers from the audience.)

• On the topic of SafeAssign, here is an interesting article on SafeAssign from Inside Higher Ed:Jobs, News and Views for All of Higher Education – Inside Higher Ed Competing to Catch Plagiarizers http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/07/10/plagiarism

• Content System enhancements include copyright and tasks and workflow.

• Project NG, will be teh best of WebCT and Bb and be built in Web 2.0, Learning 2.0, and Bb 2.0 concepts. (DHTML, AJAX, Social Networking, Software as a Service).

• In NG, there will be new drag and drop user interfaces, learning spaces for groups (wikis), instructor and student dashboards/start pages (alerts, needs review, whos online), and .com into U/.edu tools such as Youtube, Facebook, RSS, What’s New.

7. Dr. BBill: An Informative Daytime Talk Show Parody
Time: Tuesday, July 10, 4:30 PM – 5:20 PM
Location: Hynes Convention Center – 210

Speakers:
Srinivas Eriki, Academic Applications Specialist, The George Washington University
Howie Southworth, Faculty Development Specialist, The George Washington University
Yianna Vovides, Director, Instructional Design, The George Washington University

Description:
On today’s special episode of “Dr. BBill”: Faculty Gone Wild: Have your instructors gone too far? Also: One Admin’s Story: An insider’s look at the lighter side of Blackboard. And finally: My iTunes Ate My Homework, an investigation into Excuse 2.0. Come for fabulous door prizes, stay for Blackboard lessons learned. Become part of our (fake) studio audience today! Disclaimer: Dr. BBill is a fictional character created exclusively for your professional development (and general conference enjoyment!).

Notes:
I was looking foward to this session, however, to me it unfortunately wasn’t a very good session. Overall this session was of light-hearted fare, however, the faculty members I was with didn’t feel welcome when some instructor help desk questions and behaviors were shared by some of the participants. This talk track lead the session down a path that wasn’t necessarily productive.

8. Welcome Reception and Poster Sessions
Time: Tuesday, July 10, 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
Location: Hynes Convention Center – Exhibit Hall

Notes:
I spent some time at the Ask Dr. C booth and met with several folks, including Jill Jemison from the University of Vermont. I didn’t make it to the Poster sessions, but Bill Vilberg has some excellent podcast interviews here: http://bbfs.blogspot.com

Wednesday, July 11

1. Keynote Speaker: Guy Kawasaki
Time: Wednesday, July 11, 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM
Location: Hynes Convention Center – Ballroom A/B/C

Description:
Guy Kawasaki is a managing director of Garage Technology Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm, and a columnist for Forbes.com. Previously, he was an Apple Fellow at Apple Computer, Inc. where he was one of the individuals responsible for the success of the Macintosh computer. In his business columns and the eight books he has authored, Mr. Kawasaki shares an in-depth knowledge of the high-tech industry and insightful advice from the lessons he has learned during years of management experience. In The Art of the Start: The Time-Tested Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything, he draws parallels between entrepreneurs starting new companies and employees in established companies who are trying to create a new product or service.Mr. Kawasaki’s previous books include Rules for Revolutionaries, How to Drive Your Competition Crazy, Selling the Dream and The Macintosh Way. He received his B.A. from Stanford University and his M.B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles, as well as an honorary doctorate from Babson College.

Notes:

• Talk about Innovation – The ART of INNOVATION

• 1983-87 Apple Software Evangelist

• Venture Capitalist Now

• Trumors site he runs now.

• Top 10 Rules of Innovation

• 1. Make meaning.2. Make a mantra.3. Jump on the next curve.4. Role the DICEE (Depth, Intelligence, Completeness, Elegance, Emotion).5. Don’t worry be crappy.6. Polarize people.7. Let a hundred flowers blossom.8. Churn, baby churn!9. Niche thyself.10. Follow the 10/20/30 rule.

• 1. Make meaning

  • change the world

  • end bad things

  • enable people to do things they couldn’t do before

  • enhance good things

  • enlightenment

• 2. Make mantra

  • why does your product exist

  • 3 word mantra is the key

  • Authentic athlete performance – Nike

  • Peace of Mind – FedEx

  • Healthy fast food – Wendy’s

  • Democratize commerce – eBay

  • Dilbert Mission Statement

• 3. Jump to the next curve

  • creating the next curve – can’t stay on same curve, urge to not stay and do same better, but go next

  • ex. curve 1: ice harvesting, curve 2: ice factory, curve 3: refrigerator

  • jump curves

• 4. Roll the DICEE

  • what is greatness 2 days from now?

  • Deep: Fanning (Reef) Sandal – bottle opener

  • Lots of power lots of features, anticipates what you need

  • Intelligent: BF-104 Flashlight (Panasonic) – flashlight has multi battery capability

  • Complete: Lexus – buying support also

  • Elegant: Nano (Apple) – simple breakthrough wheel

  • Emotive: Harley Davidson – Love or Hate the Product… strong emotion.

• 5. Don’t worry, be crappy

  • If you are on the next curve it’s ok to have elements of crap

• 6. Polarize people

  • not be afraid to piss people off, worst thing is that the innovation is ignored

  • if you are in the middle, no one cares

  • Scion box

• 7. Let a hundred flowers blossom

  • sometimes the wrong people buy your product – that is ok

  • using it ways you didn’t intend

  • people may want to use your product

• 8. Churn, baby, churn

  • ok to start crappy, but continue to improve

  • lots of people will say it can’t be done, you have to be in denial when you do something revolutionary, people will not understand or support

• 9. Niche thyself

  • Ability to provide a unique product or service vs. value to customer

  • Great value to customer but not unique you always have to think about price – price

  • Provide something of no value and you own that market – stupid

  • No value to customer and not unique – Dotcom ex. dog food online

  • Have high value and unique – Fandango ex. movie tickets online, print at home, Breitling Emergency watch sends emergency signal to coast guard, Smart Car, Trek Lime – auto trans bike, LG Kimchi refrigerator (spice). Customization and unique products. Only that you can provide that is unique.

• 10. Follow the 10/20/30 rule

  • pitch is important

  • articulate

  • patent-pending

  • partnering

  • 10 – Max Slides

  • 20 – Minutes Max

  • 30 – 30 Point Font – Minimal Font

• 11. Don’t let the bozos grind you down

  • can’t be done, shouldn’t be done, isn’t necessary

• blog.guykawasaki.com

• guy@truemores.com

• istockphoto.com

• Start with changing the world, jump curves, depth, intelligence, emotion, dicee, do it 10 times better, church baby churn, rev it.

• Great value to customer, unique, that only that you can provide

• Presentation link: http://www.zentation.com/artofinnovation

• Guy’s Blog: http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2007/06/art_of_innovati.html

2. Meeting with Kadoo
Time: Wednesday, July 11, 9:40 AM – 10:40 AM
Location: Hynes Convention Center

Speakers:
Dan Cane, Chief Technology Officer, Kadoo
Christopher Etesse, Chief Executive Officer, Kadoo

Notes:
I met with Dan and Christopher to get a sneak peak at Kadoo, which looks to me to be a very powerful collection of Web 2.0 technologies. See: http://www.kadoo.com

3. Panel: Need Help? Have a Question? The Doctors Are In!
Time: 11:30 AM – 12:20 PM
Location: Hynes Convention Center – 310

Speakers:
Eric Kunnen, Coordinator of Instructional Technologies Learning Academy, Grand Rapids Community College
Kevin Reeve, Instructional Designer, Utah State University
…and many other Dr.’s.

Description:
Ask Dr. C is a free question-and-answer service moderated by a friendly, knowledgeable group of WebCT and Blackboard trainers, faculty, instructional designers, administrators, project managers, support specialists and developers. Ask Dr. C is also an engaged community of clients centered on best practices, technical expertise and a passion for e-Learning. Join “the doctors” to hear what Ask Dr. C offers and how you can participate. Bring your most challenging questions for a game of “Stump the Doctors.”

4. Video Interview – BbTV
Time: 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Location: Hynes Convention Center – 307

Notes:
Blackboard set up one of the conference rooms to conduct video interviews. Eric Kunnen was interviewed about how GRCC uses Blackboard for teaching and learning. Also discuss was various programs that GRCC has been involved in, such as: Blackboard Idea Exchange Steering Community, Blackboard Beyond Initiative, BbWorld conferences, and finally how GRCC is meeting the challenges of a 2 year community college commuter campus.

5. From Information Literacy to Scholarly Identity: Effective Pedagogical Strategies for Social Bookmarking
Time: 2:00 PM – 2:50 PM
Location: Hynes Convention Center – 202

Speakers:
Garret Brand, Professor/Faculty Development Coordinator, Grand Rapids Community College
Deborah Everhart, Senior Architect, Requirements, Blackboard
Eric Kunnen, Coordinator of Instructional Technologies Learning Academy, Grand Rapids Community College
Kaye Shelton, Dean, Online Education, Dallas Baptist University

Description:
Collaborative research teaches students critical knowledge management skills, whether they are undergraduates learning the basics of Web research or advanced scholars defining their own knowledge domains. Faculty need practical examples and strategies to initiate social bookmarking activities. Case studies demonstrate how this has been accomplished in undergraduate and graduate courses.

6. Designing Kick-Butt Quality On-line Courses
Time: 4:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Location: Hynes Convention Center – 210

Speakers:
Sandy Durtschi, Instructional Designer, Utah State University
Neal Legler, Instructional Designer, Utah State University
Kevin Reeve, Instructional Designer, Utah State University
Nanette Sorensen, Instructional Designer, Utah State University

Description:
Years of course development experience, current field research, student experience, and Ask Dr. C submissions tell us that sound design plays a key role in the success of online courses. This presentation will demonstrate some key research-based principles you can use to design and build quality online courses. To facilitate effective design, Utah State University has developed several course templates, CSS sheets and sound design strategies to build eye-catching and instructionally sound courses.

Notes:
Unfortunately I didn’t make it to this excellent session. There are some materials available here: http://bb.usu.edu with user/pass of bbworld07.

7. Client Appreciation Party
Time: 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM
Location: Hynes Convention Center – Veteran’s Memorial Auditorium

Notes:
This was an excellent opportunity to connect with friends and meet new ones. I had the opportunity to meet face to face finally with Doug Kaufman the CEO of cleatTXT.

Thursday, July 12

1. Partners in Innovation: How Clients Shape Blackboard Products
Time: 8:30 AM – 9:20 AM
Location: Hynes Convention Center – 309

Speakers:
Dara Millen, Client Programs Coordinator, Blackboard
Ben Wang, Product Manager, Blackboard
Eric Kunnen, Coordinator of Instructional Technologies Learning Academy, Grand Rapids Community College
Kevin Reeve, Instructional Designer, Utah State University
Ira J. Strauss, Senior Systems Analyst, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Description:
Looking to learn more about how you can directly influence the direction of Blackboard features, products and services? Interested in getting early access to Blackboard software and documentation? Want to be a part of a vibrant and collaborative community of like-minded thought leaders in e-Learning? Join us as we share past client partner successes and learn how you can make a difference.

2. Podcast Interview: Bill Vilberg from University of Miami

Notes:
Garry Brand and Eric Kunnen were interviewed by Bill Vilberg for a podcast about how GRCC uses Blackboard. Highlights include a recap of BbWorld, how GRCC is using Pronto (instant messaging), and Blackboard Scholar (social bookmarking) in teaching and learning. See: http://bbfs.blogspot.com

Friday, July 13

Meeting with Gordon Freedman
Time: 10:30 AM – 11:00 AM
Location: Sheraton

Notes:
Gordon Freedman and I talked about our experiences at the conference this year. We discussed some of the differences between last year and this year. Most noteable was the feeling that the sessions focused more on the use and application versus the technology itself.We then talked about Blackboard’s interest in having some dialogue around topics related to technology and education. There was interest expressed by Gordon to speak with Juan Olivarez and other leaders at the college, along with Ferris State University to zero in and focus on K-20 experiences for students. Especially connecting systems together more accurately to bridge and provide seamless interchange between elementary, junior high, high school, community college, and then universities. Blackboard would like to have high level discussions to better understand the issues and to discover how to connect technologies to enhance outcomes and expand the use of technology to promote student success.

More information:

1) Conference PresentationsThe BbWorld 2007 presentations are at http://connections.blackboard.com.
Select the “Share Content” tab
Go to “Institution Content”
Then “BbWorld and !mpact”
Then “BbWorld 2007″

2) Bb Faculty Support Group Podcasts
Poster session interviews along with an interview with Eric Kunnen and Garry Brand of Grand Rapids Community College. See: http://bbfs.blogspot.com/

BbWorld’08 – See you next year in Las Vegas!

http://www.blackboard.com/company/events/bbworld08

Coming soon, this July, to a convention center near you! OK… maybe you will have to drive or fly to Boston, but it will definitely be worth the trip! I can’t wait!

I always look forward to the annual Blackboard conference. It always provides me with the opportunity to learn something new, meet a fellow colleague from another campus (maybe I’ll see you there! ), and speak in a personal way to my Blackboard TSM, sales person, account manager, etc.

I also enjoy the keynotes and product roadmap sessions. It’s an opportunity to see where Blackboard is going, AND a way for me to help shape the direction through feedback and listening sessions that are conducted by Blackboard Inc. I created a web site that provides a historical view of the BbWorld conferences that have been attended by Grand Rapids Community College. You can view that site here.

Here are a few of the highlights of the upcoming conference:

• Keynote by Steven Levitt – reviewing the cause-and-effect view posed in his book Freakonomics as to how this relates to e-Learning and education overall.
• Web 2.0 and Social Networking – there will be sessions on blogs, wikis, social networking, social bookmarking and immersive online environments as they relate to teaching and learning.
• WebCT and Blackboard Users Combine – an opportunity to mix things up by talking with other users that are using WebCT or vice versa.
• New Pre-conference Workshops – hands-on sessions and seminars on everything from system administration to course design to podcasting.
• Informal Conversations and Social Activities – an excellent opportunity to connect with other clients who share similar interests, challenges and experiences in using Blackboard.
• Next Generation – what does the future course managment system look like?
• Developers Conference – the perfect place to learn more about the open source movement and the APIs that allow Building Blocks and PowerLinks to be used to extend the platform.

Visit the official Conference Web Site to register or for more informaion.

Well it’s the last day, as tomorrow morning (Saturday) we have to begin the long day of travel back to the states! This morning, after breakfast we took the City Circle Tram to Carlton Gardens, the Royal Exhibition Building, and the Melbourne Museum. The museum was really nice. We spent some time with the guide and she gave us a complete tour and it was interesting to listen to various aspects of the museum.

After that we went to a few gift shops. We had lunch at a neat salad place and then headed back to the hotel. We separated after the hotel and after checking my email I proceeded out and went to Federation Square where there were some very neat pieces of art right along the river such as the “Tree of Life” in Africa. I think walked by the Victorian Arts Centre. And then onto the various arcades such as The Block. We finished our stay by a nice closing dinner at Club Crown.