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Greetings from Phoenix, Arizona, on day three of BbWorld Commerce ’08!

On Saturday afternoon I boarded a flight from BWI airport and headed here to Phoenix for the annual Blackboard users conference, which officially opened on Sunday afternoon.  I wanted to arrive in time to attend Pre-Conference workshops held before the opening keynote, as well as get out of the rainy, 29-degree weather that we’d been having in the Washington, D.C. area.  In Phoenix the weather has been beautiful: there’s nothing but sun here, and the temperature each day has been in the low `80s.

When I arrived at the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort on Saturday evening, I settled into my room and discovered I had an amazing view from my balcony: a placid blue pool to one side and, to the other side, a range of desert hills full of running trails . . . Looks like a challenge to me.

Saturday evening I ate an excellent dinner (a dish called "Angry Chicken Salad") with several Blackboard users who are attending the conference and some Blackboard colleagues.  We dined at one of the several restaurants here at the resort, called a Pointe in Tyme.  Of course, we didn’t pass on dessert, a wonderful chocolate volcano.  If you like chocolate, you’d have been jealous.

Sunday morning I woke early (my body’s still on East Coast time!) and headed into the nearby hills for a short trail run.  I completed 3+ miles before succumbing to the terrain and altitude.  I think if I could run the trails here daily, I’d eventually become an Ironman.  However, after the conference ends tomorrow, I have to head back to D.C.  Until then, I am loving the desert views in every direction from this resort; the dry, warm weather here; and the interesting people I’ve met each morning on the running trails.

After Pre-Conference sessions and lunch on Sunday, I attended the main conference’s opening session, in which Blackboard Commerce President Russ Carlson welcomed everyone.  Russ discussed the new Blackboard Commerce line of products that will be available this summer, and officially unveiled the innovative new offerings that will be available in the coming weeks, like Blackboard Video Surveillance.

The audience seemed excited — fired up! — to hear the details of these forthcoming products and how they can benefit their home campuses.  Several Blackboard users have asked me to ensure they receive e-mail updates about these new products.

Following Russ’s opening keynote address on Sunday afternoon, the Exhibit Hall opened, and we all moved there for an Opening Reception, with a catered buffet dinner, and had the opportunity to view offerings and product demonstrations from Blackboard’s partners.

The excitement amongst conference attendees to learn more about these new opportunities and network with peers throughout the Campus Card community, sharing best practices, continued through Monday.  Yesterday morning, the main keynote address was delivered by Dr. Mark Milliron, president and CEO of Catalyze Learning International, then client-led sessions began and partner demonstrations continued through the afternoon.  Last night everyone at the conference met for another beautifully designed buffet dinner at the Different Pointe of View Restaurant, located on the highest point of the Tapatio Cliffs Resort, with nearly 360-degree stunning views of the twinkling lights of Phoenix.

The conference continues today.  Activities began early with a three-mile fun run at 6:30 AM, then a keynote address by Dr. Adrian Sannier, the CIO of Arizona State University, and now more client-led sessions.  This evening, of course, is the Client Appreciation Party.

I’m enjoying the activities here immensely and hope everyone attending is, as well.  If you weren’t able to join us this year, BlackboardTV is here and crew members have been recording events.  In the coming weeks we’ll be sharing the highlights, the desert views, some of the keynotes, and advice and best practices from Blackboard users over at the BlackboardTV Channel on YouTube.

I am always looking for new ways to approach things in life because doing something the same way each time does not always work or it can be boring.  I like to get different perspectives.  I seek unique ideas.  I want the New, New Thing – per Michael Lewis.  For instance, I don’t always follow the routine or the standard.  I mix it up – sometimes by design, sometimes by convenience and, of course, sometimes because the first chance was missed.

For instance, my fiancée and I took a different approach to the nationally celebrated Valentine’s Day.  Rather than adhere to the rules that Hallmark has bestowed upon the country that there’s only one true day for love and it should cost you an arm and leg just to celebrate it, we decided to wait a week and splurge at our leisure.  We ended up spending an amazing evening at a very nice restaurant here in DC.  In my mind, it is now one of the restaurants that I associate as a “must-go-back” place.

As I say these words “must go,” it makes me think: If this restaurant was that amazing, what are some other “must-go-back” venues?  What are the places I need to go back to more than just once in a lifetime?  And the answer hits me!

In less than a week, I know that I will be at another “must-go-back” place: Next Monday, March 10, I’ll be at BbWorld Commerce ’08, and I will be dining at A Different Pointe of View restaurant, sitting atop the North Mountain in Phoenix with some of the most stunning views available in the country.

I know very few places that give you this type of atmosphere – that combined with the food and service that all high-end restaurants are renowned for.  Plus, it’ll be dining with 300 friends and colleagues.  What’s even better is, this dinner is on us.  You don’t open your wallets for this meal.  Now, that alone would make this place a “must-go-back” place.

I am looking for people to join me at my table on the patio for what will be fantastic evening event.  Most events have great activities for their attendees to attend, yet very few have places that you must go back to . . . BbWorld Commerce does.

See you next weekend at the conference.

Wow!  That’s all I can say.  Wow!  The last time I posted to EducateInnovate.com, I asked for volunteers to join the BbWorld ’08 program committee.  And you guys didn’t fool around.

Over 50 clients have offered to participate in the BbWorld program development!  So what does that mean for you?  It means this year will be our most client-focused program ever.  Each session proposed will be reviewed by a crack team of clients like you.  They’ll be on the front lines, helping us craft a quality program built with subject matter that is important to you and the work you do.

Our first meeting is next week.  I can’t wait to meet this great group of people who are so excited about their annual user’s conference, BbWorld ’08 (scheduled for July 15 – 17 in Las Vegas, Nevada). 

So how can you get involved?

Well, it’s not too late to submit a presentation proposal for BbWorld ’08 or the Blackboard Developers Conference.  To submit just click here.  It doesn’t take long, and it’s a great opportunity for you to share your ideas with the Blackboard community.

By the way, I’m also involved in BbWorld Europe this year (in Manchester, U.K., May 12-14).  I’m excited to report that both registration and the hotel site are open.  We’ve just completed our review with the Program Committee and hope to post the program very soon.  BbWorld Europe should be a great show – hope to see you there!

Did you watch this year’s Super Bowl?  The New York Giants vs. the undefeated New England Patriots in Arizona: what a game and what an amazing ending — a dramatic come from behind victory in the final minute of the biggest game (and sporting event) of the year.  What more could you ask for?  It was truly one of the most riveting spectacles I have witnessed in the past 30 years.

You have to love big events like that.  They bring people together from all across the country and even across the world.  And that one game is a special opportunity to share “water cooler” conversation with people you may not get to talk with very often around the office, campus, school . . . “Hey, did you see that game last night!  Wow!”

Well, the Super Bowl got me thinking . . . What other big events are there this year that will garner as much attention – sure, there’s the NASCAR championship series, maybe March Madness, the World Series . . . Ah, but before all of those events, there is another big event in Arizona, in just two weeks, that’s sure to receive a huge amount of attention from the hundreds of people in attendance and, when those participants return to their respective campuses across the country, will influence millions of people in schools, colleges and universities nationwide: yep, BbWorld Commerce ’08!

Manchester, England is not only famous for Manchester United and Manchester City soc–, er, football.  This ancient city is also well known for its Roman fort at Castlefield, as a center of the Industrial Revolution, as the home of Granada Studios and, most recently across the river, the development of the Salford Media City, future home to the BBC and a number of other media businesses.  Manchester once again seems poised to create a new type of urban environment.

Blackboard’s European clients continue to set a high bar for our global practice as we look at the ways in which institutions continue to evolve the use of online technologies to engage their students and assess institutional progress.  Within the UK, we have seen terrific examples of a leadership and innovation in online teaching and learning, in particular the community of practice, as evidenced by the Durham University-led Users Group, and also the development of new tools such as Dundee’s peer- and self-assessment tool, which has now been incorporated as a core part of the Blackboard Learning System.

Aside from a number of other good reasons, these were driving factors in our choice of Manchester as location for this year’s BbWorld Europe – taking place in a few short months: May 12-14.  We expect we’ll see many of you there – last year more than 300 clients attended this event when it was held in Nice, France.

The event will begin with a welcome keynote by Professor Colin Stirling, associate vice president of University of Manchester, on Monday evening.  U of M, the Sunday Times University of the Year (2006), will also be hosting a number of training courses on Blackboard products and online pedagogy the week of the conference.

We are also very enthused to report that Michael Chasen, Blackboard’s CEO, will be attending and expects to demonstrate some of the things we are working on in product development during his Tuesday morning session.  Since the merger of WebCT and Blackboard, we’ve worked with hundreds of clients from around the world to incorporate the increasingly sophisticated uses to which the Blackboard Academic Suite is being applied, taking advantage of new Web 2.0 capabilities, and updating our user interface to appeal to a new generation of students.