Countdown: 2 Weeks to eLearning 3.0 Conference

Keynote: The Future of Learning Platforms by Phil Hill

The eLearning 3.0 Conference is an annual event showcasing technology to enhance teaching and learning in higher education. This is an opportunity to share best practices and creative approaches for learning enrichment and student engagement in an e-learning 3.0 environment. Join colleagues from across the region to learn how to utilize emerging technologies to augment face-to-face classes, teach hybrid Web-enhanced classes, or facilitate completely online, Web-delivered classes.

Highlights:

Learn all about the Future of Learning Platforms from:

• Phil Hill, our Keynote Speaker
• A Panel moderated by Phil Hill with participants from 3 LMS companies
• 31 concurrent presentations covering
  • Assessment Strategies
  • Institutional Strategies
  • Student Engagement
  • Teaching and Learning Effectiveness
  • Tools and Technologies
• Visit booths of our 15 Industry Sponsors
• Win Raffle prizes (more to come)
• Eat well:
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Craft Beer Social Hour sponsored by our USciences Brewing Science Certificate Program 

Have all of this for the $90 registration fee and bring guests for only $50!

VISIT THE CONFERENCE SITE FOR DETAILS AND REGISTRATION

USciences eLearning 3.0 Conference - Last Chance to Register!

USciences and the Northeast E-Learning Consortium invite you to present at our Annual Conference on May 14, 2019

Call for Presenters - Deadline 3/15

Early Bird Registration is Open - Deadline 3/31!

Conference Theme & Keynote: The Future of Learning Platforms by Phil Hill

The eLearning 3.0 Conference is an annual event showcasing technology to enhance teaching and learning in higher education. This is an opportunity to share best practices and creative approaches for learning enrichment and student engagement in an e-learning 3.0 environment. Join colleagues from across the region to learn how to utilize emerging technologies to augment face-to-face classes, teach hybrid Web-enhanced classes, or facilitate completely online, Web-delivered classes.

Highlights:

• Keynote Speaker: Phil Hill of Mindwires and e-Literate
• 25 Concurrent sessions by colleagues from 16 area institutions
• Door Prize Raffle including a Chromebook Laptop
• Breakfast, Lunch and a Social Hour with Craft Beer tasting and appetizers sponsored by USciences Brewing Science Certificate Program

VISIT THE CONFERENCE SITE FOR DETAILS AND REGISTRATION

USciences eLearning 3.0 Conference - Call for Presenters!

Please mark your calendar to attend the USciences eLearning 3.0 Conference! It will take place at the University of the Sciences on Wednesday, March 7, 2018!

Help Invent the Future of Education!

Early Bird Registration (10% Discount) is Available until February 11, 2018!

This eLearning 3.0 Conference is in it's 16th year and showcases the use of technology to enhance teaching and learning in higher education. This is an opportunity for you to share best practices and creative approaches for learning enrichment and student engagement in an e-learning 3.0 environment.

Our Keynote Speaker will be Dr. Bryan Alexander, internationally known education futurist. 

VISIT THE CONFERENCE SITE FOR DETAILS AND REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Northeast eLearning Consortium Conference

Gwynedd Mercy University is pleased to host the 2015 Northeast eLearning Consortium Conference on:

Tuesday, October 20th from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm.

The consortium’s annual conference allows faculty, academic technologists, information technology professionals, and other relevant staff to learn more about the ways in which technology and related administrative processes can enhance the online learning experience.

It also provides participants with the opportunity to network and share best practices with peers that use the same LMS.  Time will be allotted for User Group Meetings for the various LMS, such as, Blackboard, Canvas, D2L, WebStudy, etc.

REGISTER NOW!

Save the Date (12/16/13) for our first Northeast E-Learning Consortium Un-Conference

Click Graphic to Register

Please save the date of Monday, December 16, 2013 for our first Northeast E-Learning Consortium Un-Conference. The event will be hosted by the University of the Sciences, Philadelphia, PA. The event will also include the first Philadelphia stop on Blackboard's "Never Stop Learning Tour". 

In a departure from a conventionally structured program of events, the Consortium has decided on a modified unconference format, a loosely structured conference emphasizing the informal exchange of information and ideas between participants.

VIEW PROGRAM SCHEDULE

While there will be some traditional presentations from our sponsors, and other select topics, the bulk of the agenda elearning topics are created by the attendees when they register for the meeting. Attendees with a high level of expertise or knowledge in the topic who want to initiate a discussion on a topic can claim a session slot to lead. 

Our unconference sessions will feature open discussions rather than having a single speaker at the front of the room giving a talk. Alternately, session attendees will be given a few minutes to present in a “panel” format.

PLEASE REGISTER ONLINE NOW! 

Blackboard's "Never Stop Learning" Tour in Philly will be an "Un-Conference"

Blackboard World 2012: Closing Keynote by Salman Khan of Khan Academy

This inspirational closing keynote was by Salman Khan, founder of Khan Academy, another of Time's Top 100 most influential people. With over three million users per month, Khan Academy is transforming learning. He provided insight into its evolution, and how we can rethink education.

Khan first made a name for himself by recording Youtube videos on mathematics for his cousin, which quickly went viral. As he says "No tutor would sit there and repeat the same thing 20 or 30 times but the videos let me do that without judgement."


Khan has produced over 3300 videos covering a wide spectrum of academic subjects, mainly with a focus on mathematics and the sciences. He has attracted more than 355,000 subscribers.


In the period of a few short months, he went from making videos in his closet to getting $2M from the Gates Foundation and $2M from Google. Khan videos are now available in multiple languages, even Mongolian - voice overs being produced by an army of dedicated volunteers.

Sketch notes by Gerren Lamson

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Bb Client Appreciation Party

Another informative, inspirational and fun Blackboard World has come to an end - almost. Michael Chasen and friends know how to put on a great "client appreciation" party. Here's a teaser video from the party at Mardi Gras World:

Blackboard World 2012: Blackboard Corporate Keynote

Inspirational keynotes are great, but this was the one I anticipated the most. The Blackboard corporate keynote is typically the venue for announcing new cool educational technology. I was not disappointed.

Blackboard CEO, Michael Chasen, opened the corporate keynote with an entertaining animation on the active learner (see first 2 minutes). The complete (1 hr 15 min) keynote was just made available:






The real news, the highlight of the keynote, in my opinion, was the Chasen's announcement of a new ground breaking product... 

Michael Chasen announces xpLor

Project XP: xpLor

XP stands for "cross-platform" and Lor stands for "learning object repository". Yes, finally a way for faculty content experts to share and consume modular learning objects - no matter what learning management system they use! Easily shareable cross-platform learning content has been the holy grail of learning technology for at least the 20+ years I've been in this business. I hope they succeed.

Chasen introduced David Mills (founder of ANGEL Learning) who has been quietly working on Project XP in his new role as the Chief Technology Officer at MoodleRooms (recently acquired by Blackboard).

Though the web app is still in alpha, David did a live demo of xpLor showing how faculty can search and instantly embed free learning objects from other sources (e.g, MIT, Stanford, Khan Academy) into his or her learning management system (Blackboard Learn, Sakai or Moodle). The system takes advantage of the IMS Common Cartridge and IMS Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) standards to make it truly cross-platform. Of course, faculty can generate their own xpLor modules complete with tests that feed back to the host LMS gradebook. Will this make native LMS learning modules obsolete?

Chasen then introduced three of his division leaders, Ray Henderson, Katie Blot, and Kayvon Beykour who drummed even more excitement about Blackboard’s future.

Blackboard Learn Fundamentals

Ray Henderson, Chief Technology Officer and President of Academic Platforms, discussed recent advances and the future roadmap for Learn, Blackboard’s keystone education platform. Here are some of his announcements with links to more information:

• New 2-Way SMS Platform (ConnectTxt is used by more than half of all colleges and universities in the UK)
• McGraw-Hill, Pearson, Wiley, and Cengage learning content now fully integrated with Bb Learn
• Improved support, cohort programs, new openness (LTI, Scorm, Oscelot, LIS, CAS, Common Cartridge), and transparency
• Bb Learn innovations: improved global navigation, assessment insight, and item analysis in SP8; enterprise surveys (free), text messaging in SP10
• Bb Analytics for Learn: new dashboards for improved decision making
• Bb Collaborate v12 will improve integration, including grade book, and support mobile delivery
• Bb Social: social learning coming in the fall for FREE with Community module! Stream status, Spaces (clubs etc) very cool. 

Sketch notes by Gerren Lamson 

Bb New Professional Services

Katie Blot, President of Global Services Division, presented on new professional services aimed at expanding program and course development, marketing, and student lifecycle support services.

Bb Mobile Showcase

Kayvon Beykpour, General Manager of Blackboard Mobile and founder of Terribly Clever Design, showcased some great new capabilities in the Blackboard Mobile Learn and Mobile Central offerings:

• Mobile Central enhancements to maps include augmented reality
• Mobile Learn enhancements include mobile assessments 
• Usage and analytics are now available via reporting tools in Mobile
• Push notifications were also recently released to provide more timely notifications
• Bb announces an End User License option for students to purchase a $1.99 1 year license or an unlimited license at $5.99

Sketch notes by Gerren Lamson

Exciting news all around for Blackboard users and even users of open-source LMS's such as Moodle and Sakai. Stay tuned for a lot more on xpLor!

Blackboard World 2012: Opening Keynote by Dr. Freeman Hrabowski

It was hot and steamy in New Orleans, but the gigantic mile long, Ernest N. Morial Convention Center was freezing. I was immersed in both at this years Bb World, the fiery historic city and the cool technology expose. Maybe that's why I came home with a miserable summer cold.

As one of the official Bb World Bloggers invited to cover the largest Blackboard World yet, I tweeted and took notes during the three keynote sessions. I'll cover each keynote in a separate post. (My main focus will be on the Blackboard Corporate Keynote.)

The opening keynote was given by Dr. Freeman Hrabowski, President of University of Maryland, Baltimore County. This man has an incredible life story and numerous honors. He was on President Obama's short list for Secretary of Education in 2008. Time Magazine rated him as one of the Top 10 College Presidents and as one of the 100 most influential people in the world this year.


As expected, he gave a rousing keynote. He tells stories rather than talking about concepts. One story reminded us about the days when student orientation began with “look to the left, now look to the right, one of you will NOT graduate.” He challenged us all to innovate and as an example showed a video of one of UM Baltimore's impressive "flipped" science classrooms. He implored us to talk about success rather than just access to education and say “look to the left, now look to the right, our goal is that all three of you will graduate.”


Here are some wonderful info-graphics that sum up the keynote...

Sketch notes by Gerren Lamson

Why I want to be a VIP BbWorld blogger

Why do I want to be a VIP BbWorld blogger? Let me count the ways:

1. I could really use another Bb logo shirt to add to my private collection (running out of clean t-shirts)
2. I could use the money I'll save on BbWorld registration to fund my pet project to save the endangered Markhor (will buy first class airfare)
3. I can proudly show the Bb Blogger badge on my blog (spiff-up my dull blog layout)
4. I can arrive fashionably late to the keynotes and take my reserved seat up front with an aire of entitlement that says "I'm a corporate VIP who's in negotiations to be purchased by Bb" (will cash out and move to Tahiti)

        NOT!

For those of you in higher ed who are not using Blackboard yet - are there any left - I want to be the first to break the news to the academic blogosphere about all the new wonderfully clever features and functionality that are being announced at Bb World 2012. As a user of Blackboard (CourseInfo) as far back as 1998, I have been following the ups (and downs) of this industry leading company and the surrounding e-learning ecosystem. Look for my tweets (@rodspods) and blog entries here AND even a podcast or two as I prowl the exhibition hall (www.rodspulsepodcast.com).

USciences Mobile App Launches!

The NEW USciences Mobile App makes accessing the latest news and information about University of the Sciences easier than ever from your iOS (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch), Android or Blackberry mobile device.

• Read the current campus news 
• Check out the most up-to-date sports events on campus 
• Know where you need to go with campus maps 
• See available courses 
• Watch videos and view photos from USciences 
• Find and dial emergency numbers

Download your FREE copy here.

New Blackboard Learn Interface Announced

Blackboard just announced their Service Pack 8, which significantly changes the look and feel and adds some new functionality. The latest release will improve the experience for students, instructors, and administrators. View the following video playlist to learn about:

1. Task Based Navigation
2. A Modern Experience
3. Easy Edit with Blackboard Drive
4. Automated Regrading
5. Introducing Blackboard Learn SP8
6. New Authentication Framework
7. SIS Integration Made Simple

This is a Youtube Video Playlist - click Arrow to start and Next to move to the next video.

Blackboard Collaborate is Coming!

		See Blackboard Collaborate 11 in action ...  Register for a webinar today!   Dear USciences Faculty, By combining the best of Elluminate and Wimba technology, Blackboard Collaborate™ 11 delivers a next-generation collaboration platform designed for education that includes a new user-driven interface design, web conferencing and enterprise instant messaging integration, voice authoring, and much more. See for yourself. Check out one of our upcoming webinars, "Blackboard Collaborate 11: Better Together." July 19 at 9am and 3pm EDT (GMT-4) July 21 at 10am and 6pm EDT (GMT-4) July 25 at 11am EDT (GMT -4)  What's New New collaboration solutions that provide a wide spectrum of collaboration Customer-driven development that improves the user experience Education platform built for the academic enterprise Learn how you can build a better education experience with Blackboard Collaborate.  Register now. Sincerely, Your Blackboard Collaborate Team

Learn about Blackboard from the President

Because USciences is moving from Angel to Blackboard, I thought our faculty and staff might like to hear my interview with the President of Blackboard Learn...

RPP #91: Interview: Ray Henderson on Blackboard Learn - Part 1

Ray Henderson

• Interview: Ray Henderson, President of Blackboard's teaching and learning division, Blackboard Learn
• Hear about the key differences for faculty between Angel and Blackboard 9.1
• Hear about Blackboard's future direction, including
• How the purchase of iStrategy relates to Blackboard Outcomes

RPP #92: Interview: Ray Henderson on Blackboard Learn - Part 2

• Interview: Ray Henderson, President of Blackboard Learn
• Learn about Blackboard's ePortfolios offerings, and
• Open Database Inititative
• Open-source competition

• Blackboard Resources
• Blackboard Learn
• Blackboard Learn: On Demand Learning Center
• Ray Henderson's Bb Blog
• Rod's Annotated Bookmarks on Blackboard

You can subscribe (free) to Rod's Pulse Podcast or listen at Inside Higher Ed.

Webinar: The Next Big Thing: Blackboard / McGraw-Hill Partnership

This webinar is hosted by the Chronicle of Higher Education. We encourage you to register - see below...

The evolution of mobile and digital technologies has reached its next milestone within education — interactive, digital learning content. Join us as Blackboard’s Katie Blot, Senior Vice President of Consulting, and McGraw-Hill’s Doug Hughes, Director of Digital Partnerships, lead the conversation on technology changes within education and how digitally delivered content is leading educators to the next frontier of how they use technology in the classrooms. Plus, take a look inside Blackboard and McGraw-Hill’s new, integrated solution. The Next Big Thing in Digital Education: the Blackboard and McGraw-Hill Higher Education Partnership February 17, 2011 • 2pm EST / 11am PST Gain valuable insight into how digital technology can promote: Student success Educator efficiency Thriving institutions Don’t miss this exciting webinar event, register now. Please feel free to forward this invitation to anyone you believe may be interested in attending this informative Webinar. This free Webinar is presented by Blackboard and hosted by The Chronicle of Higher Education. All content presented during the event is provided by Blackboard.

Blackboard Collaborate Distinguished Lecture Series

Blackboard Collaborate is the name of the new online classroom system to be based on Elluminate and its former competition, Wimba, which were both bought by Blackboard earlier this year.

"Formed by the union of industry leaders Wimba and Elluminate, Blackboard Collaborate delivers open, education-focused collaboration solutions that enhance learning, reduce costs, and improve outcomes by enabling anywhere, anytime, instruction, meetings, and help."

Here are links to archives of excellent presentations that are of interest to faculty who would like to learn more about teaching online.

The 10 Biggest Myths About Synchronous Online Teaching 
by Ted Bongiovanni and Roseanna DeMaria
New York University, School of Continuing and Professional Studies

Building Campus Community and Conducting Staff Training Instantly with Pronto 
by Eric Kunnen of Grand Rapids Community College and
Jenny Jones of Holmes Community College

Increasing Enrollment Using Wimba Classroom
by Rick Bebout, West Virginia University

Blackboard Collaborate is scheduled to debut this summer. Though the above webinars were recorded with Wimba Classroom, the new Blackboard product will be based on the Elluminate infrastructure. Sign up for a trial of Elluminate Live.

Webinar: The Future of ANGEL

At these webinar sessions, Blackboard will provide an update on the promises that were made at Angel Users Conference in May ‘09 and will provide some additional detail about organizational influences the ANGEL and Blackboard teams have had on one another. Then, they will focus on the road ahead for ANGEL clients such as USP. They will share how they have been listening to client concerns and what their current plans are for ANGEL 8.0 and beyond.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010, 11:00 am EST - Register Now!

Thursday, February 11, 2010, 2:00 pm EST - Register Now!

Thursday, February 18, 2010, 1:00 pm EST - Register Now!

You will receive email confirmation with all information needed to participate.

Educause 2009 News: Future of Angel and More!

In observance of National Distance Learning Week, I'll be reporting on my experience attending Educause 200 in Denver last week. Attend this webinar and learn about the future of Angel now that Blackboard is in control. I'll also touch on other news of interest including Blackboard's new mobile solution, e-portfolios, Moodle, Google Wave and more.

Tune into the next episode in our Academic Technology Webinar Series on Friday, November 13, at Noon. University students, faculty and staff can register on our Campus Portal or Angel Learning System.