Military Training and Technology (MT2) magazine has named Blackboard one of its Top Training & Simulation Companies for 2011.  This is the second year in a row that Blackboard has received such distinction, and follows from MT2’s recognition of Blackboard as a quickly rising and up-and-coming organization in 2010. According to MT2, the Top Training & Simulation Companies is a listing of organizations that have made a “significant impact on the military training industry across the spectrum of technologies and services.”

A recent video produced by the United States Army features soldiers taking Arabic lessons on smart phones, fixing a truck with information on a tablet PC, and engaging in peer-to-peer learning via video conference.  These aren’t dreams of a distant future for military learning: the Army plans to integrate these new technologies into its educational regimen in just a few short years. The US Army’s Learning Concept for 2015, the official plan for these new innovations, details the Army’s need to leverage new technologies in its training and continuous learning plans.

There are many reasons why the Army believes mobile and digital learning technologies will be vital in the future, including:

This October 24 through 26, join senior-level Government and Military officials, industry partners, and academic communities in the 4th Annual Social Media for Defense Summit. The event – put on by the Institute for Defense and Government Advancement (IDGA) – will be held in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. With an agenda chock full of influential speakers and educational information, attendees are sure to learn just how the world of government and military can benefit from social and collaborative technologies, while still addressing privacy and security concerns. Click here to download the PDF brochure for program details.

This excerpt from the event website explains why the Summit is so important for the DoD community: “With the introduction and adaptation of social media as a vital tool of communication in the Department of Defense, there is a constant struggle to maintain Operational Security and manage and mitigate the risks that come with it. Social media has been widely used in the military and government departments for recruitment purposes, counter media, psychological and special operations and warfare, information gathering and counter intelligence. The military, especially, has adapted an industrial approach to deal with social media, but with more resources and more needs, the military has learned to proactively leverage this new “environment” to achieve organizational goals.” Click here to register for the 4th Annual Social Media for Defense Summit!

More than 70 people joined our recent webinar to hear from Colonel Jeff Waechter, the Director of the Joint Continuing Distance Education School at National Defense University, on how he is using blended learning to further military education. One of several schools to participate in Blackboard’s Military programming for distance learning, Joint Forces Staff College (JFSC) has designed a 40-week blended course for its students, who also serve in the military Reserves.

Next Level Learning recently sat down with Blackboard’s Vice President of Managed Hosting, Harry Choi, to discuss the benefits of managed hosting and why more and more customers are choosing to deliver Blackboard Learn ™ in this manner.  More often, clients view Blackboard Learn ™ as “mission-critical” to their organization.  Today’s students and faculty require an always on, always available educational environment.  Many institutions are unable to provide this type of access on their own.