Blackboard Adds Lecture Capture Technology to Blackboard Learn Platform
Partnership With Echo360 Takes Lectures Beyond the Classroom
WASHINGTON, July 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Blackboard Inc. (Nasdaq:
BBBB), a global leader in education technology, today announced the general
availability of Echo360 lecture capture as an integrated offering within the
Blackboard Learn(TM) platform. With the partnership, instructors at thousands
of institutions working with Blackboard can provide a customized, on-demand
learning experience that complements the traditional classroom setting and
gives students greater control over their education.
The personal capture solution from Echo360 gives instructors simple tools
to record, edit and publish lectures, tutorials, learning modules and course
content directly to the Blackboard Learn platform with a click of the mouse.
Students can then access lectures and other course materials online at any
time, whether they are in a student union, dorm room, on vacation or on the
road.
"Lecture capture has become make or break for our students to access their
education," said Loren Farr, Coordinator of Media and Distance Learning, Tulsa
Community College. "Students would have trouble attaining their degree if not
for the flexibility to review or see streaming lecture materials on their own
time."
Lecture capture technology enables full motion playback of the entire
lecture -- including supporting course visuals and materials -- on a personal
computer or mobile device. Students can learn at their own pace by viewing
lectures from start to finish, pausing at challenging sections or jumping
directly to particular segments within the lecture.
"The classroom experience is no longer limited to the classroom," said
Michael Chasen, President and CEO of Blackboard. "Our clients have told us
that Echo360 lecture capture and the Blackboard Learn platform are highly
synergistic. Together, we are creating new learning opportunities by putting
the core elements of the educational process online."
Colleges and universities working with Blackboard in the United States and
Canada will receive a limited number of licenses for personal lecture capture
at no cost. The service offered through the Blackboard partnership with
Echo360 works with any Webcam-enabled personal computer and does not require
any additional investments in software or hardware infrastructure.
"We're witnessing a fundamental change in the delivery of education -- we
make it possible to extend learning anytime, anywhere at an affordable cost,"
said Fred Singer, Echo360 Chief Executive Officer. "This partnership allows
faculty and students to quickly and easily experience the powerful benefits of
Echo360 lecture capture through the platform most familiar to them:
Blackboard."
Access to the technology is currently available as a Blackboard Building
Block(TM) download from Blackboard's client Web site, Behind the Blackboard.
For more information about lecture capture within Blackboard Learn, please
visit http://www.blackboard.com/echo360.
About Blackboard Inc.
Blackboard Inc. (Nasdaq: BBBB) is a global leader in enterprise technology
and innovative solutions that improve the experience of millions of students
and learners around the world every day. Blackboard's solutions allow
thousands of higher education, K-12, professional, corporate, and government
organizations to extend teaching and learning online, facilitate campus
commerce and security, and communicate more effectively with their
communities. Founded in 1997, Blackboard is headquartered in Washington, D.C.,
with offices in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.
About Echo360
Echo360 envisions an opportunity for every student to be freed from
traditional barriers to learning with an on-demand education experience.
Full-time, part-time, distance, continuing, and online all describe today's
student living in a 24/7 world. On-demand media and education converge at the
newly-formed Echo360, helping colleges and universities engage students on the
students' terms with full and unbounded access to classroom-based content via
multiplatform replay. Developed in partnership with the University of Western
Australia, Echo360 means scalable and affordable lecture capture solutions
that can provide institutions of all sizes with universal availability of
lecture content.
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 May 7, 2009 with the SEC. In addition, the forward-looking
statements included in this press release represent the Company's views as of
July 23, 2009. 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 July 23, 2009.
SOURCE Blackboard Inc.
-0- 07/23/2009
/CONTACT: Matthew Maurer, Blackboard Inc., +1-202-463-4860, ext. 2637,
matthew.maurer@blackboard.com/
/Web Site: http://www.blackboard.com /
(BBBB)
CO: Blackboard Inc.; Echo360
ST: District of Columbia
IN: NET CPR MLM EDU HED
SU: PDT
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