Company

I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself as the new president of Blackboard Engage (formerly Edline). Blackboard Engage is a change in our name but not in our mission. We continue to support thousands of schools using the wide variety of K-12 website and gradebook solutions from Edline including Edline LCMS, SchoolWorld, SchoolFusion, SchoolCenter, GradeQuick, and Easy Grade Pro products. I came to Blackboard Engage after serving as General Manager of Blackboard Collaborate and SVP of Corporate Development, and have been a part of the Blackboard family for 8 years now. I’m excited to be a part of this transition, and I wanted to share our visions for Blackboard Engage.

Thousands of faculty, instructional designers and system administrators demonstrate their Blackboard Learn expertise every day, but only one can be named the winner of BbWorld 2012 Jeopardy (Blackboard Learn edition). Say What?? That’s right! This year, we’re hosting a live version of Jeopardy at BbWorld (think lots of Blackboard Learn questions and answers sans Alex Trebek…although we may have a pretty decent look-a-like) on Tuesday, July 10^th from 6:30 – 6:40PM, and we’re looking for 3 contestants to compete in it and show off their Blackboard Learn expertise. The first place winner of Jeopardy will walk away with a brand new spankin’ iPad! Here’s How You Become a BbWorld 2012 Jeopardy Contestant

1. The first step is easy! Simply submit this form and enter to become a BbWorld 2012 Jeopardy contestant.
2. Next, decide whether you want to record and upload a video to YouTube and tell us in 1 minute or less “Why You’re a Blackboard Learn Expert” OR upload an image that visually depicts “Why You’re a Blackboard Learn Expert” to your Facebook page.
3. Then you’ll want to tweet about the contest and why you believe you’re a Blackboard Learn expert to @Blackboard using the BbWorld 2012 hash tag- #BbW12. Email community@blackboard.com to confirm your entry was received.

School’s out for summer – which means more time to catch up on that foot-tall stack of books on your nightstand!  Or better yet, that long list of downloads on your favorite reading device! Just in case you’ve been too busy to begin a summer reading list of your own, we’ve gone ahead and gotten you started with a few book & blog suggestions to kick your summer off right. Social Media for Educators – Tanya Joosten Understandably, the majority of the conversation on the functionality and utility of social media in education has been online. If you haven’t read what author Tanya Joosten has to say about online learning – definitely check out her blog and you’ll instantly recognize why this book is a must-read examination of the best strategies for integrating social media and technology into your lesson plans. This detailed, thorough, yet totally approachable book will get you excited to strategize for next fall. The Muses Go To School – Herbert Kohl and Tom Oppenheim Encouraging creative approaches to conveying information is a huge part of tailoring your classroom to active learners, but without that inspirational artistic spark many students will remain unengaged. In The Muses Go To School, Herbert Kohl and Tom Oppenheim have curated an elegant mixture of interviews with artists and commentary by educational scholars that examines the merits of placing a dynamic arts based philosophy at the center of your curriculum. This energetic read is sure to get you thinking about innovative ways to incorporate the arts into a social learning atmosphere in your classroom.

Are you dreaming about going to the EdTech event of the year? Well, with the help of your peers, you can bring back the BbWorld 2012 Early Bird Rate! If 100 people fill out the interest form by Thursday, June 21^st, participants will see BbWorld prices drop for the last time. Indicate your interest below and once we reach 100, you will receive a promo code via email. Rally up, make sure to send this to your colleagues, and go to BbWorld for 20% off the regular rate! Price is not eligible for current registrants. Participating does not require you to register for the event. http://events.blackboard.com/peprally

There’s no doubt that the growth of digital learning content is accelerating.  Multiple resources indicate that a higher ed world of blended and online learning is rapidly approaching, some resources even cite the “flip to digital” occurring in the next 5 years.  Textbooks aren’t going away any time soon but their use in the classroom is declining steadily.  And, expectations are that instructors will graduate from eTexts to the more sophisticated integrated learning systems being developed by publishers.

What does this mean for you?

Blackboard can be a channel for all this content and tools, helping faculty make sense of the numerous digital content options available to them.  Blackboard offers a broad choice of content to choose from right within the Blackboard Learn course.  I would like to take a moment to look at one of our newest providers of digital content: Cengage Learning.