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Education Technology Company blackboard says it will support the publishing, sharing, and consumption of educational resources across its platforms.

Thank you for posting - this is fascinating. This is not only a threat to Blackboard, but also the MOOC companies (Coursera, Udacity, etc.). If the tool continues to be developed in terms of functionality and ease of use, AND third party developers build out applications that plug into this platform, then colleges and universities will start to build their own online courses, and not farm out their content to the Coursera's of the world... This reminds of the dot com era (circa 2000) when companies large and small hired "web development" firms to create websites for them. Now companies largely do this themselves...

Thanks for sharing Mohit. It's great that it's open source and allows teachers all over the world to build their own courses. I wonder what this would do to the larger online course companies...

In light of our recent Blackboard Collaborate class during Sandy, I got curious as to what other good online delivery platforms are out there. I am preparing to teach the MIT App Inventor curriculum to some high school girls on the other side of the world and am wondering if maybe there's a better alternative to Skype. I came across Piazza, which is free and seems to be gaining traction in higher ed. I also once took an online course with Kaplan and really liked their interface, but don't remember what it was and now it seems they are moving toward a platform called "KapX." If anyone can recommend additional platforms, please let me know.

a new online resource by NBC and Blackboard.com : nbclearn.com is a online video library highlighting educational technologies.

Heavy hitters (one entirely outside education; one an industry vendor) making a big time play to steer the ship. Is this what it takes?

It will be interesting to see how they cull the information, experts and stories they produce . . .

What makes good instructional design in the real world? These are the 2011 winners of the Blackboard Exemplary Course Program. Anyone interested in entering the instructional design field would probably be interested in watching some of these videos.

Interesting follow up to a previous post about open-source learning management systems (LMSs), the most popular of which is Moodle. Hawaii's Virtual Learning Network has decided to scrap Moodle and go with Blackboard, a commercial LMS. Moodle's really losing its lustre...

Moodle 2.0 has just come out. For those of you who don't know, Moodle is an open-source course management system that has been popular for teachers and schools by virtue of being free, but it has lost some steam to more expensive and more refined LMSs like Blackboard in recent years. It will be interesting to see if this new release will be more user friendly and therefore popular

This virtual conference is running round-the-clock. All sessions are recorded. Have a look at the extensive list of offerings. "Our free, online conference started Monday, November 12 and runs around the clock for five days. All sessions take place in Blackboard Collaborate webinar rooms linked from our web site. No registration is required but we do encourage you to join this network for email updates and to connect with presenters and participants."

Seems like a cool and useful product for teachers: aggregating the data gathered by the many apps and ed tech tools teachers use in the classroom in a single platform, with data visualization support

A few people posted about using Skype in the classroom. Thought I would add to that especially since this article reminded me of the virtual session we had on Monday when HGSE had cancelled classes due to weather conditions.

A teacher's perspective on the issue: http://gazette.teachers.net/gazette/wordpress/steve-sherman/innovation-10-reasons-google-skype-should-be-used-in-the-classroom-a-teachers-view/

This looks promising. If Skype/Google Hangout add a few more features to their interface, it could render obsolete Blackboard and other paid software for video conferencing and online classes. I think the engineers at Google and Microsoft have the skills to put together a better product than what's currently out there. It's just a matter of whether they seize the opportunity.

Related to section on how iPads are currently being used in a California school. making short videos to taking photos of complex formulas displayed on a blackboard for later review. Language students record themselves reciting lessons, and then upload the files to their teachers' drop boxes for critique. And math teachers use iPads to videotape students working through problems, explaining how they arrived at the solution and thereby demonstrating mastery of a lesson.

Here's the blog from the school's iLab http://hillbrookilab.com/

I am wondering if the current financial state of most schools can support where this technology is going. Are we doing learning a DISSERVICE by expecting them to upgrade their technology infrastructure at the pace that technology changes?

I agree wholeheartedly with you. I think there is this notion that somehow technology is the answer to solving our fundamental problems with education. I love technology as much as anyone else but I despair at schools falling over each other to give their students iPads. Quote from the article - "Think of four or five students struggling with the same math problem. The teacher can pull out her iPad on the fly and sketch a diagram for everyone in the room to see". Does the teacher need an iPad to do that? What is wrong with the blackboard? On the other hand, if you tell me that another student who has found a novel way to solve the problem can project her solution for others to see and learn, I can see some value.

wikis as classroom and professional development tools

In order to get around the clunkiness of the LMS my school uses I am always looking for tools like this one. The problem with doing this is that sometimes they cost money, they usually expose students to advertising (which I think is an ethical issue when you're dealing with a captured audience), and they all require a time commitment to familiarize myself and my students. I'm not sure what it is about systems like Blackboard (which charges incredible amounts of money) that hamper its visual appeal and design for intuitive use.

"Resilient mobile classroom incorporating laptops, video camera and electronic blackboard will work in areas without electricity"