Blackboard Blogs

Happy Halloween!

At Blackboard we enjoy celebrating Halloween and each year we have a party and invite employees to bring in their kids to trick or treat.  This year we had more than 50 kids dressed up in all sorts of costumes enjoying a magician, face painting, arts and crafts and more. Here are some photos of our recent Halloween party.  Enjoy!

The Buzz on Beyond

Like Jan said, I too have always found the fun of Educause to be in catching up with old friends and colleagues.  And of course this year was no exception on that front.  But what made this year’s conference special for me was that I was finally able to start talking with folks about our plans for the first property coming out of the Beyond Initiative.  While we were at the show we unveiled our plans for a social bookmarking service, customized for education, and integrated with all of Blackboard Learning System products.  It’s an exciting new way for students, faculty, and staff to find educationally valuable resources on the web.

Blackboard rolled into the Big D Monday for the start of the Educause 2006 conference.  One of my favorite aspects of  Educause is seeing so many of our clients, especially the folks I've gotten to know over the past 7 years.  It is especially  nice when after months or even years of emailing with someone I finally get to meet them in person.  With 7000+  attendees and more than 240 exhibitors, there are lots of clients and partners to see. 

This year visitors to the Blackboard booth might notice a few new things.  Our booth has a new look.  We've updated our  booth and given it a fresh coat of paint.  You might also spot the fact that the Bb-ers are wearing bright shades of orange  and blue in our booth - a nice change from the white and black shirts from years past.  For those folks looking to sit down  and chat with us we've brought some comfy seats and created lounges in the booth to make it easier to sit and stay  awhile.

In the booth we're focusing on the successes of our clients - how they're changing the teaching and learning experience  using Blackboard.  We've asked folks to stop by the booth and tell us about their experiences and the outcomes they've  achieved.  Everyone who stops by and tells us their story is eligible to win a video iPod.

If you're at Educause please stop on by the booth and say Hi!