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Blackboard Teaching and Learning Conference 2012 Last week, I had the unique opportunity to join a large contingent of Blackboard clients and colleagues at the Blackboard Teaching and Learning Forum in Antwerp, Belgium. I arrived on Sunday morning in Antwerp trying to shake off the jet lag (I live 9 time zones away in Portland, Oregon) and enjoyed the sights, sounds and tastes of Antwerp – a beautiful northern European city known for chocolate, strong beer and diamonds. On Monday I moderated the first ever Blackboard Collaborate Forum and Workshop at this conference. The aim of this session was to provide attendees with a fundamental understanding of the Blackboard Collaborate platform, hear success stories from a couple of clients, have a go at using the software and of course, ask questions of the team. We had a broad range of attendees – representing Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. In the initial overview session we talked about Blackboard Collaborate’s capabilities and use cases, and we spent a good deal of time talking about LMS or VLE integrations. Blackboard Collaborate provides seamless, open integrations across all of our capabilities – web conferencing, enterprise instant messaging and voice authoring to enable greater student engagement and expand access to programs for students who may not otherwise be able to attend class. I felt this message rang true with the audience, as many of our European clients are looking for ways to expand the reach of their academic programs beyond the physical bounds of their classrooms.

We know costs can add up when it comes to attending a conference out of town and you need to justify the expense to your boss. Since we want to make sure you don’t miss out, here are our tips for getting to YES on BbWorld!!

1.)    Plan Ahead – Select which keynotes, panels, and meet-ups speak most directly to your work and professional goals, and then show that specific agenda to your boss. This year BbWorld has five themes that hot topics in Education right now: Digital Content, Mobility, Analytics in Action, Technology Adoption and Social Learning. To go even further, identify some people you’d like to connect with and offer to set up meetings with them while you’re there.  Your boss will see you mean business, and you’ll be ready to go when you arrive.

2.)    Offer to Present What You Learn – Once you attend BbWorld, you will be well informed on the latest and greatest in education technology, but what about your colleagues?  Offer to present session recaps and key takeaways at a future staff meeting so everyone can benefit from your attendance. And of course, don’t forget to share a write up of what you learned at BbWorld for your school or organization’s blog or newsletter!

3.)    Social Media Visibility & Engagement – Not only will you and your boss know you’re getting the most out of BbWorld, but so will the rest of the world.  Tell your boss how you’ll embrace Twitter, Foursquare, YouTube, and other social networks to be a part of the conversation, grow your organization’s social media presence, and make new connections so you can continue the dialogue after the conference.

4.)    Build New Best Practices – Technology moves fast and what’s the latest fad in learning one year can be the must-avoid learning trend the next.  In order to be your best at your job, you need to be among the best.  We’ll make sure you have immediately applicable takeaways, make valuable connections, and make your trip to BbWorld an investment, not an expense! For example, this year BbWorld will have a Digital Content Upgrade Center so that you can talk to experts on the spot on how to incorporate our newest technologies at your institution.

5.)    Be enthusiastic! – Your energy and interest needs to come through in whatever form of communication you use to make the request.  Be yourself, but be the ‘yourself’ that conveys that doing your best at work means getting out of your usual environment sometimes and making that most of that time.

Melissa Stange, LMS System Administrator at Shenandoah University has told us not once, or twice, but NINE times why she wants to be a VIP Blogger at BbWorld! In fact, she said about DevCon 2011, “I was very surprised as to how much I learned and how normal people were. I am not sure if I was expecting for people to be running around with pocket protectors and talking in now understandable language, after all this was Bb’s technical aces…” So, while you might not have time to write nine posts by Friday, we hope you’ll give it a go and enter to be a VIP BbWorld Blogger and join us this summer. We are normal! Submissions will be accepted through Friday, May 4. And check out why Melissa wants to join us in NOLA! I was waiting for something to start off this blog with and as I looked out my imaginary office window Blackboard, Inc. provided it! Blackboard World is right around the corner and it will take place in New Orleans this year in July. This year Blackboard is holding a contest to become a VIP BbWorld Blogger! Who wouldn’t want to be one of Blackboard’s (Bb) VIP Bloggers? They will help promote my blog, which will build my readership and help spread the word on the hot news being shared at the conference. The more readers they send to my blog … the more people who know about my session (7/11, 10:20a, rm. 391) … so I don’t have to present to an empty room. I would get backstage access, which means I not only get first hand comments from keynotes and Bb leaders but get to blog about sessions from a different view. One of the best things they are offering is reserved seating! If you have ever attended a Bb Keynote session you would know finding the perfect seat is difficult due to the number of attendees.

I met Paul Lefavi at BbWorld three years ago, so it’s only fitting that he would share his reasons for attending BbWorld 2012 with me and the rest of the ANGEL community.  Since our first meeting, I have relied on Paul’s perspective many times and appreciate his involvement in the ANGEL community programs.  Thanks, Paul, for contributing your thoughts, and I look forward to seeing you in New Orleans! Guest post by Paul Lefavi, Director of eLearning Technology, Indian River State College As I make plans to attend BbWorld 12 in New Orleans, I have been asked by a couple of colleagues why I make a point of going to this conference each year. Is it the fun and exciting places, Orlando, Las Vegas, and now the Big Easy, where the conference has been held the past few years?  Is it just the allure of getting out of town?  While both reasons would most likely crop up in a bulleted list of motives to attend, BbWorld is so much more than a few days away at a fun destination.

Hopefully by now, you’ve heard that we’re “Calling All Bloggers” to enter to win a free pass to BbWorld and be awarded the coveted title of VIP Blogger. Well, with one week to go in the contest, we’ve gotten some incredible and creative entries and will feature them over the next few days and weeks on the blog. Remember, it’s not too late to enter! Sign up here, write a blog, Tweet it and you could win! We hope you’ll join us in NOLA! Jacob Spradlin, Assistant Director of eCourse Development at Sam Houston State University So if you’re reading this, you may be asking yourself “Why does this guy want to be a VIP BbWorld Blogger?” This could be because you honestly want to know, or you just may be reading the title of my Blog post out loud. Regardless of why you are asking yourself that question (or just reading), I’ll tell you in one word… Community. My name is Jacob Spradlin, I am the Assistant Director of Training and Development for the department that handles Distance Education at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville Texas. I hold a Master’s in Instructional Technology and have over 15 years experience in the field. I have worked with Blackboard in one form or another since 2000. My current job involves online course development as well as training for faculty here at SHSU.