Blackboard Announces Ball State University as Inaugural Recipient of Blackboard Greenhouse Grant for Virtual Worlds(TM)
Chosen for Their Innovative Integration of Virtual Worlds into
Teaching and Learning, Ball State Will Expand Cinema Arts Program
WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 19, 2008--Blackboard Inc.
(NASDAQ: BBBB), a leading provider of enterprise technology for the
education industry, today announced Ball State University (BSU)
Institute for Digital Intermedia Arts and Animation (IDIAA) Cinema
Arts Program as the winner of the company's first $25,000 Blackboard
Greenhouse Grant for Virtual Worlds. By leveraging the interactive
technology of Second Life with the Blackboard course management
system, BSU's program will extend instruction to an e-Learning
community that would otherwise not have access to the expensive
equipment and labs needed for the university's standard course of
study.
The Blackboard Greenhouse Grant for Virtual Worlds was developed
in 2007, to foster and promote the integration of virtual worlds into
everyday teaching and learning.
"We wanted to encourage and support our clients who are constantly
creating innovative learning environments for their students and the
global e-Learning community," said Craig Chanoff, senior vice
president of Blackboard Client Success. "Programs such as BSU's
cutting-edge cinema arts course will offer unique educational
opportunities for student engagement and skill development in
Blackboard's secure learning environment."
BSU's IDIAA Cinema Arts Program will combine Blackboard's course
management tools, particularly the Adaptive Release feature, to
automate and control access to virtual facilities in Second Life. By
combining virtual equipment and lab capacities with access control,
students will have an exploratory learning environment with enough
structure to make the Second Life experience comfortable and
productive.
"Blackboard and Second Life will provide virtual studio and
laboratory based learning environments to a remote distance education
audience and leverage our success in real world new media arts into
virtual worlds," said John Fillwalk, director of IDIAA and associate
professor of electronic art at Ball State University. "While our
students will be the initial benefactors of our Ball State University
cinematography class, the technology that bridges the gap between
Second Life and Blackboard will be available to the Blackboard
community so other schools will be able to create and deliver their
own immersive learning environments."
Through the use of Adaptive Release, BSU instructors will be able
to control, monitor and create assignments according to their evolving
student assessment and criteria. The IDIAA Cinema Arts Program will
use the Second Life platform to teleport pupils to specific spaces and
assignments within the learning environment through the use of the
website's "Holodeck" tool. The virtual equipment available within the
learning space will not only mimic real-world models in detail, but
will also enable students to work individually and collaboratively on
a variety of projects in ways previously impractical. Additionally, a
student union, a large studio and a lounge area in Second Life will
provide arenas for students to discuss course issues with peers and
faculty, and present their artifacts.
The IDIAA Cinema Arts Program was chosen by a panel of academics
currently using virtual worlds to improve online learning, including
William Brinkman, assistant professor of computer science and systems
analysis at Miami University; Bill Moseley, adjunct professor of
computer science at Pepperdine University and Bakersfield College; and
Theodore Ubhaus, information systems manager at Berkeley College.
"The Blackboard committee selected BSU's proposal out of a large
and diverse pool of competing submissions because it demonstrated a
complete understanding of a virtual world environment," said John
Fontaine, senior director of Engineering Services at Blackboard.
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
Educate. Innovate. Everywhere.(TM)
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words "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "will," and
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Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such
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including the factors discussed in the "Risk Factors" section of our
Form 10-Q filed on November 8, 2007 with the SEC. In addition, the
forward-looking statements included in this press release represent
the Company's views as of February 19, 2008. 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
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views as of any date subsequent to February 19, 2008.
CONTACT: Blackboard Inc.
Public Relations at Blackboard
Brian Cooley, 202-463-4860 ext. 2377
SOURCE: Blackboard Inc.