Both Steven Johnson and Sir Ken Robinson conducted engaging, entertaining and thoughtful opening and closing BbWorld keynotes that were incredibly well-received by attendees. They inspired us all to think creatively about the impact each of us can make on the educational experience. If you made it to BbWorld, or not, these presentations are well-worth the time it takes to view them. Check them out on BbWorld.com here. Steven Johnson successfully kicked off the week with a great discussion on “Where Good Ideas Come From” – a relevant theme to the work that was done in Vegas. His passion for fostering creativity through unlikely environments and situations challenged us all to reassess the work we do on a daily basis and how we engage with others. Sir Ken Robinson brought the house down with his candor and humor in discussing the “Learning Revolution.” It seemed as if every head in the room was nodding when he said, “tools are only really capable of great creative work if there are creative minds using them.” His emphasis on more personalized learning environments showcased how education can support – not stifle – creativity in everyone.

This year’s BbWorld^® keynote address from Michael Chasen, Ray Henderson and Kayvon Beykpour offered a great overview of updates we have made over the past year as well as product plans, roadmaps and company strategies. Ray provided his annual Report Card for Blackboard Learn that assessed our successes this year and where we will continue to improve.  Our major partnership announcements with Pearson, Cengage, Macmillan, and Wiley and the introduction of Service Pack 6 for Blackboard Learn 9.1, Blackboard Collaborate^™ 11 and Blackboard Connect^™ 5.0 were also discussed. Kayvon was on hand to explain updates to the Blackboard Mobile^™ platform, including the new Building Blocks for Mobile Pilot Program. Check out the full video of the corporate keynote presentations here (complete with a guest appearance from a feathered friend): More BbWorld recaps will be posted later this week, so stay tuned!

At Blackboard, we pride ourselves in being a company that improves the educational experience for learners all over the world. So we were humbled and honored this month when we were notified that the company had won the prestigious Presidential “E” Award for exports. Presented to companies for their outstanding contributions to growing U.S. exports, strengthening the economy and creating American jobs, the “E” Award is the highest U.S. government honor given for increasing exports.