Bravo! is a new way for members of the Blackboard community to share information, insights and experiences. Bravo! was started with the idea that we can all benefit and have some fun as we learn more about each other and our real-world experiences with Blackboard® software and other learning technologies.

Bravo! is just one of the ways that Blackboard’s Client Experience team – Jan Poston Day, Adrian Alleyne, Angela Johnson, Tricia Sale and Rob Shea – will be reaching out to you.

Because Bravo! is new, it’s going to evolve over time, but to start we’ll have this Web site, where we post information, photos and oddball things, and have tools for you to do the same. We’ll also have an occasional poll or survey where you can tell us what you think about various issues – because, even while we’re having fun, we’re always eager to better understand your needs, perspective and ideas.

We’re excited to see how this experiment will evolve. The main idea is to enjoy a valuable and fun exchange of information.

Social Bookmarking & Networking with the Blackboard Beyond Team

Our next Bravo! theme will focus on two newer "Web 2.0" concepts: Social bookmarking ("online academic resource sharing") and social networking ("online networking and grouping"). Some of you may have already heard of sites such as Facebook or del.icio.us, both of which have popularized these concepts over the last few years. We will take a look at social bookmarking and networking from an educational standpoint and explore the possibilities and potential impact on everyday teaching and learning.

And as you may already know, Blackboard offers its own free social bookmarking service, called Scholar®. Scholar is part of the Blackboard Beyond™ Initiative which was formed over a year ago to find ways to connect faculty and students in the Blackboard network across institutions and across the globe. With Scholar, we took the concept of social bookmarking and customized it for education, and then built it directly into the teaching and learning environment, the Blackboard Learning System products.

• Get a Scholar Account:
  If you don’t have Scholar installed on a server on campus and you’d like an account so you can participate along with us, please just email us and tell us your desired username: beyond@blackboard.com
  
  
• Webinar #1 - October 9
  Introducing Scholar: Social Bookmarking & Networking in Eduction
  View recording: http://tinyurl.com/yqb5sq
  
  
• Webinar #2 - October 16
  So Now What? Ideas & Best Practices for Social Bookmarking and Networking
  View recording: http://tinyurl.com/367sy4
  
  
• Guided Activity
  Participate in a guided activity to help you get started with the core bookmarking and networking features in Scholar.

Please Share Your Chalkboard! Take the blank chalkboard we sent you Personalize it any way you’d like – be creative as you want Take a photo Share it with everyone here Check back often to see what others have done