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Blackboard Collaborate

Posted by: Anahid

Blackboard has plans to purchase two rival education-software companies for a total of $116 million.


When Binghamton students returned to China and weren't able to access their email, due to China's battle with Google, the college had to come up with a quick solution. Nowadays colleges tend to do most of their business through e-mail; whether it's sending newsletters, important messages, etc.


A Professor at the University of Michigan, Perry Samson, has designed a software that changes the way students interact in a classroom. The software, Lecture Tools, allows for students to ask & answer questions anonymously, as well as mark up lecture slides all through the use of  their laptops.


Bridgepoint Education provides postsecondary education services. Yesterday they announced the launch of Constellation, "an innovative suite of interactive educational materials that will increase both the educational quality and affordability of an education for online students at its Ashford University." 


When I was in college, I read through the writings of Francis Schaeffer.  One of the things that struck me was his contention that ideas (particularly those concerning truth) move through the world in stages.  In The God Who Is There, Schaeffer presents a staircase (below his famous line of despair) and notes that the shift in truth affects philosophy first, then art, then music, then into the general culture, and finally into theology.  I’ve heard it put more broadly concerning cultural trends – first they hit the academy, then a decade later they permeate popular culture, then about ten years after that the church finally embraces the trend.


One of the benefits of assembling the ACCESS Conference was being able to bring in presenters who were new to the group.  One of these guests was Dr. Don Finn , who presented about the use of universal design in online education and training. 


Another of the presentations at last week's ACCESS/Next Step Networked Christian Learning Conference was one by Victoria Walker on the use of 3D Multiuser Virtual Learning Environments.  Victoria is a web developer and instructional designer who has been active in the use of virtual worlds in education, particularly the use of Second Life in counselor education and training.


Ubiquitous Learning

Posted by: Jason

I was talking with a colleague yesterday about the future of education, particularly in light of President Obama's speech on education policy and reform, and I mused about the idea of ubiquitous learning as a framework for considering how online learning and educational techn0logy tie in with education in general. 


Last week was the ACCESS/Next Step joint conference and there were a number of excellent conference presentations that warrant some comments.  Just as a quick background point, ACCESS is the Association of Christian Distance Education and The Next Step is the North American Partnership in Missions Training.  The two groups came together at the Founders Inn on the campus of Regent University for a joint conference with a theme of Networked Christian Learning.  As a way of ramping up my blogging, I thought I'd highlight a few of the excellent presentations, beginning with Podcasting to Enrich the Teaching/Learning Process by Randy Meredith, Director of Academic Technology at Spring Arbor University.


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