In the spirit of collaboration and wanting to take full advantage of the opportunity at BbWorld to share with others, I submitted a couple of presentation proposals, hoping that one would be accepted. To my surprise, they were both accepted and I was invited to speak on two other panels as well as share NIU’s use of Blackboard products in another session…so, I’m a part of five presentations. Here’s a list of the presentations I’ll either be giving or be a part of at BbWorld and Bb Collaborate Connections Summit…

Have your cake and eat it too! Podcasting online faculty development programs using Blackboard Collaborate MP4 archives

This session will share Northern Illinois University’s journey offering live online faculty development workshops using Blackboard Collaborate as well as making online workshop archives available for on-demand viewing either online, in iTunes, or on a mobile device. Emphasis will be placed on NIU’s step-by-step workflow for using Publish! in conjunction with Blackboard Collaborate to create MP4 versions of archives suitable for viewing online as well as on mobile devices to deliver archived online faculty development programs in podcast form. The presentation will include considerations for hosting archives outside Blackboard Collaborate as well as the steps necessary to create a podcast RSS feed, submit to the iTunes store, and update the necessary files when a new MP4 archive from Blackboard Collaborate is generated.

Date/Time/Location: Wed, 7/11/12, 10:20AM-10:45AM, Room TBA
Presenter: Jason Rhode

Rock on, SLATE! An Up Close Look at How a Blackboard User Group Has Impacted Teaching, Learning and Support of Technology in the Midwest

Working in a vacuum can be daunting. Who do you turn to for best practices in teaching and learning, for advice when a challenge arises, or to assist you in managing change? More than 1500 of your peers turn to a Blackboard User Group! Whether you’ve been thinking about joining or leading a group, you won’t want to miss this opportunity to learn firsthand from the members of SLATE (Supporting Learning & Technology in Education) about the professional and personal benefits received from participating in a Blackboard User Group. You’ll also hear how group leader, Ken Sadowski- winner of a 2011 Catalyst Award winner for Community Collaboration- has nurtured this 10-year old Midwest User Group from its humble beginnings to over 80 member institutions.

Date/Time/Location: Wed, 7/11/12, 10:55AM-11:50AM, Room 392
Presenter(s): Cheryl Boncuore, Jason Rhode, Ken Sadowski, Heath Tuttle

Blackboard Collaborate Upgrade Panel

Unsure about how to upgrade from Wimba or Elluminate Live to Blackboard Collaborate 11 or 12? Listen to our panel of experts as they share their experiences about their upgrade processes.

Date/Time/Location: Wed, 7/11/12, 2:55PM-3:50PM, Room TBA
Presenter(s): Sarah Crawley, Dan Lim, Jason Rhode, Robin Smith, David Tao

Northern Illinois University: Success with Blackboard Collaborate, Blackboard Learn, Blackboard Mobile, and More

Though Northern Illinois University heavily relies on Blackboard Collaborate for its online classes and world-class professional development trainings, it relies on many other Blackboard platforms as well. This presentation will discuss how NIU has harnessed the power of multiple Blackboard platforms to create a smooth-yet-powerful online program that has truly become world class.

Date/Time/Location: Wed, 7/11/12, 4:10PM-5:05PM, Room 261
Presenter(s): Jason Rhode, Valerie Schreiner

LMS Upgrade: Roadmap for Successful Implementation

The upgrade to Blackboard Learn, Release 9.1 at Northern Illinois University from Release 8.0 has proven to be very successful and has been receiving a lot of positive feedback from faculty and teaching staff. This session will share the strategies and practices that made the upgrade a success and can be applied to any upcoming LMS upgrade. Bring your questions as well as suggestions to join in the conversation!

Date/Time/Location: Thu, 7/12/12, 8:45AM-9:15AM, Digital Content and Upgrade Center – Theater
Presenter: Jason Rhode

It will be a busy week, but one in which I am looking forward to! Let the presentation preparation begin.

If you’ll be at BbWorld and/or Collaborate Connections Summit, look me up! I’ll be tweeting @jrhode and will share my presentation slides and other resources here on my blog. I will try to also blog my experiences at BbWorld, but it all depends on if I can find some extra time in my schedule to do so

In March 2012, US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan expressed his conviction that “technology is a game-changer in the field of education.” One year ago President Obama put out a call for “investments in educational technology that will help create digital tutors that are as effective as personal tutors, educational software as compelling as the best video game.”

What are the sorts of promising innovations living up to this challenge? How are they accelerating the quality of and access to education? Is gaming an effective tool? What are the challenges in adapting these technologies in everyday practice? And how can we trust that they will deliver on the promises? Are there compelling opportunities for entrepreneurs? The Churchill Club assembled a diverse set of thought leaders to offer unique perspectives on these questions and explore big changes looming over the horizon.

Speakers:
Linda Burch, Chief Education & Strategy Officer, Common Sense Media
Ben Chun, Educator, Galileo Academy of Science & Technology
Anthony Salcito, Vice President of Worldwide Education, Microsoft
Lucien Vattel, Owner, Chizuru Games & Executive Director, GameDesk
Noah Wardrip-Fruin, Associate Professor of Computer Science, UC Santa Cruz & Co-director, Expressive Intelligence Studio
Moderator: Tony Wan, Associate Editor, EdSurge

Since 2009, the Wimba Classroom collaboration tool has been integrated into Blackboard and has been used by NIU faculty and staff for online web conferencing activities ranging from online lectures, office hours, to group activities. NIU is currently testing Blackboard Collaborate, the next generation version of Wimba Classroom that includes an easier-to-use interface that simplifies many of the tasks presenters typically perform. Join us for this online preview of Blackboard Collaborate I offered 4/27/2012 to see the new interface and features first-hand and learn more about NIU’s options for moving forward with upgrading to Blackboard Collaborate. | view online archive | view podcast in iTunes | view mp4

For details on upcoming FREE online workshops offered by NIU Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center, visit www.niu.edu/facdev/programs/online

I was honored to have been nominated for, and having received, the 2012 NIU Supportive Professional Staff Presidential Award for Excellence in recognition of “excellent performance and significant contributions to Northern Illinois University.” Only four such awards are given each year to NIU staff and the award can only be received once…so it was quite a humbling experience to have been honored in this way.

The best part of receiving the award was that my family was able to be a part of the awards ceremony, even though I think my two little girls had the most fun climbing up and down the stage before the ceremony

I look forward to many more years of serving the faculty and staff of NIU…forward, together forward!

The Blackboard Grade Center not only provides an easy-to-use interface for posting grades and feedback for students but also numerous advanced features including smart views, grading periods, and calculated columns for more easily accessing, entering, sorting, and managing grades in Blackboard. During this online workshop offered 3/30/2012 I shared proven tips and best practices for configuring the Blackboard Grade Center that will save you time and make it easier than ever before to post grades and provide feedback to students. Handout accompanying this session is available at niu.edu/blackboard/assess/gradecenter/tips.shtml | view podcast in iTunes | view mp4

For details on upcoming FREE online workshops offered by NIU Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center, visit www.niu.edu/facdev/programs/online

For more details or to register, visit http://sloanconsortium.org/institute/workshops/text-messaging-teaching-tips-and-techniques-trenches

The built-in groups tools available in Blackboard make it possible for students to engage easily in online discussion, share files, chat, and email. However, simply placing students in groups in Blackboard and enabling these available tools is no guarantee that students will engage in meaningful group collaborations. What are the most efficient and effective uses of the Blackboard group tools? During this online discussion I led on 3/23/2012 we sought to answer this question and shared tips and best practices for creating and sustaining group activities using Blackboard. | view podcast in iTunes | view mp4

For details on upcoming FREE online workshops offered by NIU Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center, visit www.niu.edu/facdev/programs/online

The Interactive Rubric tool in Blackboard makes it possible for rubrics with click-and-score simplicity to be built into the grading workflow, increasing efficiency while also supporting consistent and high quality feedback. During this online session offered 2/29/2012 we explored the Interactive Rubrics tool in Blackboard and sample interactive rubrics applied to various types of Blackboard assessments. We highlighted the steps for creating an Interactive Rubric and applying it to an assignment for grading. We also covered how to reuse a rubric within a Blackboard course or share with other faculty. | view podcast in iTunes | view mp4

For details on upcoming FREE online workshops offered by NIU Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center, visit www.niu.edu/facdev/programs/online

The online assessment tools of Blackboard can be utilized to facilitate meaningful and memorable learning activities for students. These online assessment tools include: surveys, test, quizzes, and electronic submission of assignments. What are the most efficient and effective uses of the Blackboard assessment tools? What recommendations exist for reinforcing academic integrity and providing meaningful feedback? During this online discussion I led on 2/23/2012 we sought to answer these questions and share tips and best practices for assessing student learning using Blackboard. | view podcast in iTunes | view mp4

For details on upcoming FREE online workshops offered by NIU Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center, visit www.niu.edu/facdev/programs/online

The announcement, discussion, and email features in Blackboard are just a few of the many tools available for faculty to communicate with students and foster collaboration during the course. What are the most efficient and effective uses of the Blackboard communication tools? During this online discussion I led on 1/26/2012 we sought to answer this question and share tips and best practices for communicating with students using Blackboard. | view podcast in iTunes | view mp4

For details on upcoming online workshops offered by NIU Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center and available for FREE, visit www.niu.edu/facdev/programs/online