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A Letter from the President

Blackboard: An Educational Partner for Everyday School Strategy
By Jessie Woolley-Wilson
President Blackboard K-12

Exciting things are happening in K-12 education this spring.  Educators across the U.S. are expanding learning opportunities in their schools and districts, despite being challenged with limited resources. Partnering with these educators, Blackboard continues to invest in new ways to educate our youth and engage them in 21st century learning experiences.

One example of this investment is our recent merger with ANGEL® Learning.  In May 2009, Blackboard proudly welcomed ANGEL Learning into our growing e-Learning family.  ANGEL is known in both K-12 and Higher Education for innovation and leadership in areas such as product development and client care, with particular distinction in its development of effective teaching and learning tools and course-based assessments.  ANGEL’s solutions have helped shape e-Learning and we are looking forward to the opportunity to serve even more students, teachers and parents with flexible and engaging educational experiences that inspire life-long learning.

Continuous, Seamless Learning: Moving from K-12 to K-20 

Integration with ANGEL Learning enhances our ability to help schools fundamentally shift the way students learn. Our K-12 solutions for online learning give your schools the technology needed to prepare your students for success in school, careers and life.  Across the U.S., we work with districts, regional service centers, and virtual schools to offer credit recovery alternatives, advanced courses, blended and virtual classes and more to thousands of K-12 students.  We help districts cultivate vibrant, connected and engaging learning communities for students and teachers. In addition, we facilitate affordable and effective professional development communities that foster deep collaboration among teachers. With an anytime, anywhere set of solutions, your educators, students, parents, and administrators actively engage in a more personalized and connected learning experience. As we continue to build our relationship with you and other district leaders, we are able to drive education together – beyond the K-12 years to a K-20 model where students progress on the path of lifelong learning.

An Innovative Learning Vision in New Mexico
 
As Blackboard drives toward this vision of a student-centered learning environment, we are recognizing clients that have successfully implemented bold and innovative visions in learning.  In 2008, Blackboard partnered with the state of New Mexico to implement IDEAL (Innovative Digital Education and Learning) New Mexico, a statewide K-20+ initiative that involves 89 K-12 districts, 27 colleges and universities, and more than 30 state agencies. The result is the creation of a state-wide, scalable and transformational learning infrastructure that supports education at all levels.

IDEAL New Mexico represents the first of its kind for a state-wide e-Learning implementation that supports K-20 collaboration and has increased educational opportunities for historically underserved communities, high school students who seek college coursework, and professionals in government agencies who desire expanded workforce development opportunities.  Education leaders in New Mexico articulated several objectives supporting their K-20 learning initiative which deliver: equity and access, a statewide learning portal and K-12 cyber academy, shared learning infrastructure and educational resources, and state-wide coordination and collaboration.

The visionaries in New Mexico understood the connection between academic success, economic development, and global competitiveness, so they’re taking bold and coordinated steps to prepare students for success in the 21st Century. Through this program, educators are now building their own individual and collective capabilities by increasing their technology skills daily, delivering e-Learning more cost effectively, expanding educational opportunities, and facilitating collaboration amongst learners of all ages.

Blackboard applauds the vision, commitment and tenacity that have built the foundation for IDEAL New Mexico.  We will continue to work with other states that are pursuing their own statewide learning initiatives as part of their e-Learning strategy.
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Join us for Blackboard K-12 Events

The 30th annual ISTE National Education Computing Conference (NECC) is quickly approaching. Visit the Blackboard/ANGEL booth, attend our joint breakfast with Project Tomorrow and join us for a reception at Blackboard in Washington, D.C. during the week of the conference, June 28th through July 1st.

A Night at Blackboard: Please join Jessie Woolley-Wilson, President, Blackboard Learn K-12 and the Blackboard team for a reception at our corporate offices on Tuesday June 30th. RSVP here.

Blackboard and Project Tomorrow Breakfast: Blackboard and Project Tomorrow announce the latest edition of “Learning in the 21st Century, A Trends Update” report. We are hosting a breakfast on Tuesday June 30th from 7AM-830 AM at the Renaissance Washington D.C. hotel. RSVP here.
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Blackboard K-12 Announces 2009 Excellence Awards

It is our privilege at Blackboard to honor three remarkable clients for their initiative and distinction in three categories of the 2009 Excellence Awards: 

• Excellence in Professional Development – JeffCo Public Schools
• Excellence in Virtual Learning – Blendedschools.net
• Excellence in Blended Learning – Calcasieu Parish Public Schools

Connect with educators and administrators from these schools and many others at BbWorld®, our annual user’s conference, July 14-16th at the Gaylord Resort at the National Harbor in Maryland. Learn more about our K-12 featured sessions here.Back to Top

 

Wimba Announces the Latest Version of Collaborative Online Tools

Wimba, a trusted partner of Blackboard for online collaborative tools, continues to enable schools and districts to extend time and productivity in the classroom and beyond. In April 2009, Wimba announced the release of the Wimba Collaboration Suite 6.0. This release includes the latest version of Wimba Voice™ which offers voice assessments linked to the Blackboard grade book. Additionally, MP4 capabilities have been added to Wimba Classroom™, while whiteboards with learning objects and background templates are now included with Wimba Pronto™ instant messaging tools.  Visit Wimba at BbWorld 2009 to learn more.
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Credit Recovery: Online Learning Answers a National Priority

The definition of credit recovery in today’s schools varies widely across districts. Learn how several Blackboard K-12 schools are leveraging online learning tools to increase achievement options for their students by downloading the latest Blackboard K-12 perspectives whitepaper series, eduviews here.Back to Top

 

Jump Start Your K-12 Initiatives with Quick Starts for Professional Development and Virtual Schools

Blackboard Quick Start solutions for Professional Development and Virtual Schools in K-12 are now available! Quick Starts were developed to help schools get started with online learning programs quickly and achieve early success by providing the resources necessary for rapid deployment. The Blackboard Professional Development Quick Start solution allows districts to deliver online workshops immediately, learn best practices, and enroll staff in a Blackboard teaching and learning certification series. Listen to this webinar introducing the PD Quick Start from Blackboard. Information about the Virtual School Quick Start will be available soon. Please contact your client manager or regional sales representative for more information.Back to Top