Black Sabbath did it. The Black Crowes have done it. The Black-Eyed Peas, too.

And now Blackboard is doing it.

We’re going on tour. The Blackboard Never Stop Learning Tour.

You may be thinking, “You’re not a band. Why go on tour?”

For the same reason bands do: to interact with people who greatly matter to us.

You can voice your opinion to us and we will share great teaching stories with you. Plus you’ll get to network and exchange best practices with your peers.

This inaugural spring tour will include eight stops:

April 5 Los Angeles

April 12 Philadelphia/New Jersey

April 16 Miami

April 19 Ann Arbor

April 26 New York

May 3 Toronto

May 23 Chicago

May 31 Tuscaloosa

Who’s going? The people who design and build the Blackboard tools you use daily. And they can’t wait to meet you, because you’re the reason they do this. They not only want your feedback—they rely on it.

Who’s presenting? The multi-track agenda features peer-led presentations and panels. That’s right, stories from the trenches, everyday users have been hand-selected to present their best practices.

Who should attend?  Administrators, instructional designers, faculty, etc. there’s something on the agenda for everyone.

We’re also bringing publishers; check the individual tour stops to see which publishers are coming to an event near you.

Looking forward to seeing you on the road. It’ll be rocking even without rock music. Register now for a tour date near you and join the conversation: #BbOnTour

Earlier this year I bought a Groupon deal for an indoor skydiving session.  I’m not sure why I bought this particular deal, especially since I’m deathly afraid of heights and this just didn’t seem like something I would willingly do. Nevertheless, I suited up this weekend and took on the challenge! Even though it was not real skydiving, it was just as frightening as I would imagine it to be, it felt so real and with the video and fan blowing, the instructors had very seamlessly simulated reality.  I even had that crazy sinking feeling in my stomach the whole time!

This got me thinking about Jacksonville State University‘s ability to simulate the experience of actually being in class…when in fact one third of their student body is taking their classes online. JSU is successfully creating an online version of the traditional classroom because they understand that to really connect and communicate with their students, they need to “reach the students where they are,” and incorporate a synchronous component to their online classes.  Not only are the students able to attend the class lectures online, but they are able to connect with faculty using education technology for office hours, questions on assignments  – all in real-time, all online.  So that scary sinking feeling that you’ll be called on when you haven’t completed your assignments/reading for the week?  Yup, it is just the same.  Just as real – only your peers might not be able to see you actually turn red.