Guest Post by Jim Wolfgang, University System of Georgia I am Jim Wolfgang, Director of the Digital Innovation Group. The DI Group is a collaborative effort of the University System of Georgia’s Faculty Development Office and Georgia College. The focus is to “Enhance the Learning Experience” through the innovative uses of technology. Note that this is not the “academic experience.” We take a comprehensive look at what the opportunities are in the full spectrum of campus activities. Although primarily focused on higher education in the USG, we also work with private institutions, K-12, corporate partners, communities and anyone else with an idea.

Dr. Malcolm Murray is the Learning Technologies Team Leader at Durham University. Please join him for his session “Letting the Lunatics Run the Asylum: Students Developing Code for the Production Environment,” on Tuesday, July 12, 2011, 8:30-9:15AM, Titian 2303. Dr. Murray will also be presenting at BbWorld. To learn more about that session, read his earlier blog post, “Rethinking Student Feedback.” Last summer I got the opportunity to try something that I’d been wanting to do for the last five years – get some students working on building blocks! What began as an apparently simple task soon revealed itself to be far more complicated – perhaps the term “lunatic” I have used in the title of the presentation applies more to me than the students! That said, ultimately this was one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done.

Julie Evans is the CEO of Project Tomorrow. Please join Julie for her session on Thursday, July 14 at 10:15-11:10AM in Titian 2201A. Yes, you can!  Let’s admit it – our school and district budgets are still struggling and so, now more than ever, we all need to be able to build a solid financial case as well as a compelling value proposition for the adoption or expansion of our online learning initiatives.  You know all about the benefits of online professional development for our teachers and expanded course offerings for our students.  But how do you get started building your online learning “return on investment” business case?  Don’t panic – just follow these three easy steps.

Almost 2,000 of you are registered for BbWorld and now that it’s just 30 days away, it’s time to plan your trip! The MyBbWorld feature is available via BbWorld.com to help you build your itinerary and create a schedule that meets your personal interests throughout the week. But with more than 150 sessions on the program, you might not know where to begin. Some of your favorite Bb employees and well-known clients have provided their list of “must-see sessions.” There’s definitely something for everyone, whether you’re a director of technology, system administrator, instructional technologist, or a professional development coordinator. Take a look here as you plot out your trip:

Stephen P. Vickers is the Technology Enhanced Learning Manager at The University of Edinburgh. Please join him, along with Simon Booth from the University of Stirling, during their presentation, “A Plug and Play Learning Application Integration – Seamlessly Connect to Learning” on Thursday, July 14, 2011 from 10:15AM-11:10AM in Titian 2205. Many go to Vegas in the hopes of a big win.  Well come to Vegas next month and I can guarantee you a win-win-win.  The IMS Basic Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) specification truly delivers a win-win-win.  It is a win for teachers and learners.  It is a win for Blackboard system administrators.  And, it is a win for developers of elearning applications. One of the great things about the second week of July is that thousands of people with a common goal all come together in a single place.  The common goal is enhancing the student learning experience.  This year promises to be even more exciting.  Not only do we have OSCELOT Open Source Day 6, DevCon and BbWorld, but also the Blackboard Collaborate Connections Summit. This breadth of activity is perfectly mirrored in the impact of Basic LTI on the eLearning community.