Blackboard Launches EduGarage, New Central Web Site for Educational Developers to Collaborate

One-Stop Resource for Blackboard Building Blocks and Blackboard PowerLinks DevelopersSEATTLE, WA, Oct 23, 2007 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX News Network) -- EDUCAUSE 2007 Annual Conference - Blackboard Inc. (NASDAQ: BBBB) a leading provider of enterprise education software and services announced today the launch of EduGarage(TM) (www.edugarage.com). EduGarage is a wiki-based Web site for all Blackboard Building Blocks(R) and Blackboard PowerLinks(TM) developers to collaborate, share expertise and access the same tools and resources. EduGarage, is the new home of the Blackboard Developers Network(TM) (BbDN), one of the largest developer communities dedicated to e-Learning applications, services and tools. The launch of this site demonstrates Blackboard's ongoing efforts to facilitate enhanced collaboration among the Blackboard and WebCT communities. Previously these groups accessed separate sites for development tools and resources.

More than 2,000 developers, spanning more than 1,000 academic institutions and 200 companies around the world create these applications to extend and customize the Blackboard(R) e-Learning platform. These applications and extensions to Blackboard software are known as Blackboard Building Blocks and Blackboard PowerLinks.

EduGarage is designed to facilitate collaboration, sharing of best practices and source code with the education development community. The site's code repositories, interactive discussion boards and searchable knowledge bases can all be edited by members, a new feature intended to better engage and support the community. In addition, all of the content, discussions and resources are open to the public, providing a powerful resource for the entire education technology developer community.

"I'm really looking forward to using EduGarage.com. It is sure to be a valuable new resource for the development community to share ideas and find collaborators interested in creating new applications together," said Mark O'Neil, Curricular Systems Engineer, Dartmouth College. "The openness of the site makes it easier to access information and therefore a more convenient and helpful tool, which is something I think everyone will be pleased about."

EduGarage includes new features to foster increased interaction across the Blackboard development community, such as:

--  Embedded Forums foster greater interaction, shared expertise and
    software among developers across institutions around the globe;

--  Open Access means user logins are not required so all visitors can
    read, explore and download documents, resources and code. (A login is
    required for discussion board posts and Blackboard software downloads);

--  Content creation through participation enables all BbDN members to
    contribute content, code and best practices producing a more robust and
    valuable site.

"I could not be more excited for our developer community," said Jan Poston Day, Senior Director, Client Engagement, "The community requested a site that accommodates the tools, resources, and space for developers to gather, experiment, and share experiences and code for educational applications. With EduGarage they have a core resource to support their innovations."

Blackboard's open architecture -- Blackboard Building Blocks and Blackboard PowerLinks -- allows clients to enhance and customize the online education experience for their students and faculty. Developers can integrate their solutions and extend each of the products in the Blackboard Academic Suite(TM) to enhance the teaching and learning experience through Blackboard Building Blocks and Blackboard PowerLinks.

EduGarage is a property provided by the Blackboard Beyond Initiative(TM), and is part of a series of Web properties aimed at connecting the Blackboard network of faculty, students and developers across disciplines, institutions and regions. Visit EduGarage at www.edugarage.com.

About Blackboard Inc.

Blackboard Inc. (NASDAQ: BBBB) is a leading provider of enterprise software applications and related services to the education industry. Founded in 1997, Blackboard enables educational innovations everywhere by connecting people and technology. Millions of people use Blackboard everyday at academic institutions around the globe, including colleges, universities, K-12 schools and other education providers, as well as textbook publishers and student-focused merchants that serve education providers and their students. Blackboard is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with offices in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia.

Blackboard

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Any statements in this press release about future expectations, plans and prospects for Blackboard and other statements containing the words "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "will," and similar expressions, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including the factors discussed in the "Risk Factors" section of our Form 10-Q filed on August 7, 2007 with the SEC. In addition, the forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company's views as of October 23, 2007. The Company anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause the Company's views to change. However, while the Company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company's views as of any date subsequent to October 23, 2007.

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Blackboard Inc.
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SOURCE: Blackboard Inc.