On July 9^th and 10^th DevCon 2012 will descend onto New Orleans and give its attendees over 30 sessions devoted to topics like system administration and integration, security and performance, Blackboard Building Blocks development, and openness. This year we will also have sessions devoted to Blackboard mobile development, so those of you that are curious about how to develop using Blackboard Mobile’s SDK (software development kit) can satisfy that curiosity.

We’ll also have the Ask the Experts lounge area that will allow you to sit down, one-on-one, with Blackboard technical experts and ask them questions. One recent attendee noted that this time was, “like free consulting.” The Ask the Experts lounge will be staffed with Blackboard tier 3 support staff, database experts, expert developers and product managers all equipped with the knowledge to tackle your most difficult technical questions.

Our sessions this year run the gambit from highly technical to moderately technical. Here’s a snapshot of just two of the over 30 sessions:

One of Blackboard’s newest members, Charles Severance will be presenting on the future of the Basic LTI standard and best practices with how to integrate Basic LTI tools into your courses.
Patricia Goldweic of Northwestern University will provide insight into Blackboard Building Blocks development best practices and will be demoing her Bboogle Building Block.

This year’s DevCon promises to be the premier professional development event for Blackboard system administrators and developers. Make sure not to miss out this year, and don’t forget those beignets!

Here’s a short video about the DevCon highlights.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xa-q2KFw_y0

Register here.

Originally posted to the new CourseSites Blog on April 16, 2012:

As a free resource for individual educators, CourseSites has removed a common barrier of access to teaching and learning technology. While a significant milestone in itself, we understand further barriers exist for many individuals, particularly impeding access to education and information. CourseSites seeks to eliminate these barriers, and we are very excited to announce two ways we are doing so.

First, all CourseSites instructors can now choose to make courses available for open enrollment. We believe this will open up a new realm of Open Education possibilities and opportunities. Second, we are proud to launch our Open Course Series: Empowering Learning through Community with our first open course on “Instructional Ideas and Technology Tools for Online Success” led by Dr. Curtis Bonk and the CourseSites team. We invite you to try this new feature and join us for our first open course.

About Dr. Curtis Bonk:
Curt Bonk is Professor of Instructional Systems Technology at Indiana University and President of CourseShare,LLC. Drawing on his background as a corporate controller, CPA, educational psychologist, and instructional technologist, Bonk offers unique insights into the intersection of business, education, psychology, and technology. A well-known authority on emerging technologies for learning, Bonk reflects on his speaking experiences around the world in his popular blog, TravelinEdMan. He has coauthored several widely used technology books, including The World is Open, Empowering Online Learning, The Handbook of Blended Learning, and Electronic Collaborators.

We rolled out the theme “Social Learning” last week and now we are proud to announce the Feature Theme Session Keynote Speaker for Digital Content – Tom Caswell! An Open Education Policy Associate at Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, Tom handles special projects that directly impact the power of Digital Content such as running the Open Course Library, piloting a community college Open Learning Initiative (OLI) in Washington State, and supporting the OPEN initiative for Department of Labor C3T grantees. As a Policy Associate, Tom also raises awareness about the use of Digital Content and sets policies for sharing content.

Digital Content has been getting a lot of attention lately as the Internet provides a wonderful distribution channel and allows anyone to share digital content at little or no cost. Blackboard has also recently partnerships with commercial Publishers such as Wiley to integrate content into the online platform.

Tom will be sharing more about his initiatives to break down the boundaries of sharing content at BbWorld in his Feature Theme Session on Digital Content: This Changes Everything.

Check out this sneak peak from Tom and follow him on Twitter @tom4cam:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcF8u0AyevU

The following is a guest post from Mark Radcliffe, Director of Learning Management Technologies at blendedschools.net

Mark Radcliffe is the Director of Learning Management Technologies for the not-for-profit company blendedschools.net. Mark has worked in various K-20 education positions for the last 10 years including working directly with students and teachers on technology integration projects. At blendedschools.net Mark manages the instructional technology program, communicates directly with Blackboard on a daily basis and handles many aspects of the company’s professional development program. Mark is currently located in Norfolk, Virginia, USA but is originally from Manchester UK. He enjoys the city and loves music and the visual arts.

Get an insider’s look….

This year at BbWorld I’ll be presenting “Wimba Classroom to Blackboard Collaborate – Make the Switch,” which is probably one of my simpler session titles in a while. I usually try and cram as many buzz words into my titles as possible. My hope is that it will attract people who look for buzz words and also attract people that get the irony of session titles with buzz words. In the end I went with a simple title this year because I wanted to illustrate that the process of switching from Wimba to Collaborate should not be complicated.

I have been working with K-12 educators for over 10 years now, helping them integrate technology into their classrooms. For the past five years I have been working with blendedschools.net, which has the most active K-12 online learning community in the country. It’s a challenging job as we only have eight people supporting over 75,000 users in four different states.

Working “to the masses” like this gets you familiar with new tools pretty quickly because you have 1,000s of teachers just waiting to tell you what they hate about something new. The challenge is getting them to like it before the hate switch kicks in.

In my session at BbWorld 2012, I am going to detail how we went about switching from Wimba Classroom to Blackboard Collaborate.  We spent a lot of time crafting a very detailed list of differences between the two products and getting solid feedback on what items were showstoppers for teachers. I also spent a lot of time saying, “Really that’s a show stopper? You couldn’t just click that button instead?”

My hope for this session, and for BbWorld 2012 in general, is that we take “misery loves company” and make it “happiness loves company.”

Let’s not pretend that change is easy; at blendedschools.net we still have plenty of teachers that have not switched, but I hope to communicate that embracing change can be much more fun and fulfilling than trying to make the new conform to the old. My first thought when I see anything new is “what is it about this tool that is awesome?” not “What can’t it do?”.

If you are reading this blog before my session, please feel free to throw out your questions and experiences and I’ll be happy to include answers to them through the blog or in the session itself. It wouldn’t be web 2.0 if I couldn’t use someone else’s ideas and pass them off as my own.

Also follow me on the various social media:

@bsnhomeroom
Blendedschools Facebook
http://share.blendedschools.net

Stay tuned for more coming attractions from Client Presenters and visit the BbWorld program for more information.

Eric, affectionately known to many as @NMHS_Principal, is a K-12 administrator who has adopted social media and web 2.0 technologies to engage students, improve communications with stakeholders, and help educators grow professionally. He is passionate about establishing and fostering learning environments that are student-centered, collaborative, flexible, and prepare all learners to succeed in the 21^st Century. We are thrilled that Eric is able to join us this summer; check out this video message he shared about his upcoming presentation.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWhHoXxsi8E

You can read more from Eric on his personal blog, A Principal’s Reflection, and in his frequent contributions on Huffington Post.

In the coming weeks, we’ll be highlighting other pieces of the BbWorld program that are relevant to the social learning conversation. In the meantime, if you have questions or comments, please share them below or tweet us, @Blackboard, and remember to include the #BbW12 hashtag.

We know that many of you have booked your flights and are already thinking about how you’ll capture the sights and sounds of this year’s BbWorld. So this year, if you’re planning to blog, we want to make it a little bit more enticing: register here to be an official BbWorld Blogger and let us reward all your hard work!

As an official BbWorld Blogger, your peers will recognize you as a thought-leader, sharing a personal perspective and reflecting on all aspects of the event. You’ll get reserved seating in all keynote presentations, a blogger badge that you can add to your personal blog TODAY, and a BbWorld Blogger t-shirt (rock your t-shirt at the Client Appreciation Party). We’ll also feature some of the posts on Blackboard Blogs during the week of the show, July 9-13. More details will be shared in June; keep an eye on your email.

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE…

For three exceptional bloggers, we’re giving away three FREE passes to BbWorld. Starting today through Friday, May 4, you can enter to be a BbWorld VIP Blogger. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Write and post to your personal blog an entry titled, “Why I want to be a VIP BbWorld blogger.” Tell us who you are and why you want to go to BbWorld – we’ll be judging on originality of submission and enthusiasm.
2. Tweet your post to @Blackboard using the #BbW12 hashtag. And email andrea.meier@blackboard.com to guarantee entry.
3. Complete the BbWorld Blog form and make sure you select ‘Yes’ to enter the contest.

What do the VIP Bloggers receive?

-        FREE registration to BbWorld 2012 (Does not include T&E)

-        Access to your peers from around the globe for unbelievable networking and collaboration opportunities.

-        Before BbWorld, we’ll profile you on the Blackboard Blog

-        Backstage access to keynote speakers and Bb leaders

-        Plus a few other surprise we’ve got in the works.

-        Click to download official contest rules.

Did we mention it’s in New Orleans?

This year, we’ve expanded the program and are so excited to bring together outside leaders from across the global Higher Ed, K-12 and Professional Education community to share their perspective on key education topics, directions and trends.  The 2012 program is centered on a few key themes, which were introduced during the CFP process; here they are again:

Social Learning

• Learning from interaction and collaboration with peers through both formal and informal educational spheres

Digital Content

• How advancements in digital content are changing the way students and faculty engage with and share educational information and activities.

Analytics in Action

• The power of data-driven decision making across the institution.

Technology Adoption

• Best practices for improving user success to maximize the value of your technology investment.

Mobility

• How to meet the growing expectation that student have for access and engagement through mobile devices.

We regularly find ourselves in conversations with you and fellow experts exploring social learning approaches, digital content resources, best practices for technology, and the speed at which mobile is being adopted on campus to create a new student experience. We feel certain that these themes will resonate.

So we’re bringing the conversation from the edu-sphere to NOLA, in client-led sessions, Blackboard-led sessions, keynotes and more. Most importantly, as part of these themes, we are excited to announce a new addition to the program called “Feature Theme Sessions.” These sessions will be presented by an impressive list of thought leaders from around the education community. Beginning on Tuesday, April 10, we’ll announce the first Feature Theme Session presenter and even share a special video message from him. Make sure to check back and hope you can join us in the Big Easy!

The below is a guest post by Julie Evans , CEO of Project Tomorrow

We all know online learning and teaching methods are gaining in popularity. Idaho recently joined Alabama, Florida and Michigan in passing legislation that requires students take a certain number of online classes in order to graduate. In Project Excellence’s 2011 Trends Update, students, parents and teachers are demanding more online coursework with more than 40 percent of students now designating online classes as an “essential” component of their learning experience.

Juxtapose these trends with the fact that districts all over the country are struggling with shrinking budgets, increasing enrollments and an increase in non-traditional students. With the initial investment in online technologies seemingly cost prohibitive, administrators find themselves wrestling with competing priorities as they ask: “What needs to be cut?” and “Where should I invest?” This paradigm is forcing a new way of thinking for district administrators: like CFOs.

Simply following a growing trend is not enough: districts often need to show a financial return on investment (ROI) for new programs or ventures; however, formulating an answer to “Should my school invest in online learning technologies?” takes more than just a spreadsheet. It should include questions that also consider the value of investment (VOI), such as “What are the specific needs of our students, teachers, parents and administrators?”

For example, when the rising number of non-traditional students, students seeking college-level courses and dual enrollment is taken into account, it becomes easier to justify an online communication investment. Or perhaps thinking about the time saved on travel, expenses and instructor fees when using online faculty training programs will justify the initial program investment.

These questions lead to a “New Math for Justifying Online Learning” that focuses on a comprehensive evaluation process that not only leverages ROI and VOI, but also sparks valuable conversation. The New Math offers essential questions administrators should ask to either help justify the cost investments associated with deploying online teaching and learning initiatives or identify that online learning is not something to invest in at this time. While it’s important to be able to justify the investment, it’s just as important to recognize if your school district is not ready for online learning.

We have worked with several administrators across the country, helping them examine their budget with this new strategic approach that not only justifies online learning projects, but also uncovers new opportunities that can increase a district’s value. Take Jefferson County Public Schools, the largest school district in Colorado. Jill Montoya, Jeffco’s online professional development coordinator, was challenged with growing her program as more and more teachers and administrators looked for ways to advance their careers. Unfortunately, as course waiting lists grew, her budget shrank. Using the New Math, Montoya illustrated to the district the increased savings a larger online program could offer, including a reduction in printing costs and teacher fees.  She also outlined a unique opportunity to sell non-required courses to teachers and full training programs to surrounding districts. The result: a self-sustaining program that allows Jeffco to maintain high quality online courses amid budget reductions.

Budgets will continue to be strained and administrators will continue to have to answer for spending….and demand for online learning will continue to grow. The New Math outlines a strategic approach to not only justify online projects and programs, but to also uncover new opportunities for increasing value for districts. Today’s economy dictates that administrators think like educators and CFOs.

The full report, “The New Math for Justifying Online Learning,” is available online.

About Julie Evans
Julie Evans has been the CEO of Project Tomorrow since 1999.   Prior to this position, Evans enjoyed a successful 17-year career in sales and marketing management with Unisys and two education technology startups.  Evans is a graduate of Brown University and serves on the Board of Directors of Project Tomorrow, the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), the TechAmerica Foundation and the Childrens’ First Advisory Council.  She has also served on the Advisory Boards for the 2009 Horizon K-12 Report and the 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 Horizon Higher Education Reports. Evans is a frequent speaker, writer and commentator on children, education, science and technology issues.  In April 2008, Evans was named as one of the Top Ten Most Influential People in Education Technology over the past 10 years by eSchool News, a leading national education publication.

First time nominees, like Edline and CourseSites, were recognized as well as newly updated products like Blackboard Learn and Mobile Learn.  The McGraw Hill/Blackboard Building Block also made it to the next round of judging. We are especially excited that educators nominated us after viewing product demonstrations first-hand. Being a finalist in all of the below categories affirms that Blackboard is helping to improve many aspects of education.

Finalist categories include:

Blackboard Learn, Release 9.1, Service Pack 6
• Best Postsecondary Course or Learning Management System
• Best Postsecondary Instructional Solution

Blackboard Mobile Learn
• Best Educational Use of Mobile Device

CourseSites
• Best Cross-Curricular Solution

Edline Learning Community Management System
• Best K-12 Enterprise Solution

McGraw-Hill Blackboard Building Block
• Best Cross Curricular Solution

For a full list of the finalists in the Education Technology categories, vist the SIIA website. If you’re a member of SIIA, don’t forget to vote from now until April 13! Congrats to all the finalists!

Blackboard acquired ANGEL back in 2009 and was planning to End of Life the platform in 2014.  However, as announced yesterday by Ray Henderson, “We recognize that clients continue to be successful with ANGEL, and we want to support that work as part of our larger strategy to support multiple learning platforms.” Blackboard will continue to provide support and maintenance to the ANGEL Community indefinitely.  While ANGEL won’t see the significant enhancements that Release 9.1 and the Moodlerooms platform Joule will see, we plan to provide regular service packs for ANGEL 8.0 along with select enhancements, on which more information will be shared at BbWorld in New Orleans this summer.

Commentary from the media, analyst and client community has been very favorable of this news:

Phil Hill, executive vice president of the Delta Initiative told Inside Higher Ed:

“The new message” encoded in Mondays announcements “is that it doesn’t matter what LMS you want, we’ll support them all,” Hill wrote in an e-mail. “That is the real message, in my opinion, more so than the open source angle. This is a huge change in strategy.”

You can read more his full blog post on e-Literate.

The reaction on Twitter has been positive too:

Lost in the shuffle of BlackBoard’s announcement is news that Angel lives on! Angel has excellent features that Bb never integrated.

— Judy Brophy (@judybrophy) March 27, 2012

So Blackboard is keeping Angel, and now owns Moodlerooms and NetSpot… Big, big news in the LMS market — Kelley Cruse (@kelleycruse) March 27, 2012

Blackboard Extends Support for Angel LMS ‘Indefinitely’ t.co/idGKf7GR #edtech

— T.H.E. Journal (@THE_Journal) March 27, 2012

It’s fun to read the different reactions to #Blackboard‘s announcements from today supporting Open Source and extending ANGEL’s support. — jj johnson (@jjjohnson01) March 26, 2012

For more information about this announcement, we encourage you to read Ray Henderson’s blog post on Ray H Blog and attend the ANGEL Community webinar on April 10.