Blackboard
Company: Blackboard, Washington, D.C.
Company Description: Blackboard is a global leader in enterprise technology and innovative solutions that improve the experience of millions of global learners every day. Blackboard's solutions allow 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.
Nomination Category: New Product Awards & Product Management Categories
Nomination Sub Category: New Product or Service of the Year - Computer Software - New Version
Nomination Title: Blackboard Mobile Learn™
Tell the story about this nominated product or service (up to 500 words). Describe its function, features, benefits, and sales to date. You may include hyperlinks to product photos and data sheets. IMPORTANT: Begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.youraddress.com]:
Going mobile is one of the most effective ways to instantly enrich teaching,
learning, and campus life for everyone, wherever they are. Through mobile
technology, educators can put more power and opportunities into the hands of
students and faculty, help keep alumni connected to campus, and showcase
institutions to prospective students and parents. In March 2010, Blackboard
introduced Blackboard Mobile Learn™, an application that brings two-way
teaching and learning to mobile devices, creating an interactive mobile
learning experience for students and teachers on-the-go. As of March 2011,
Blackboard Mobile Learn is downloaded 3,700 times a day.
Through a unique partnership with Sprint, Blackboard Mobile Learn is offered at
no additional cost to institutions, making it easy to quickly get started
without the worry of costs that might otherwise delay progress. A perfect
complement to Blackboard Mobile Learn, Sprint 4G and the Overdrive™ 3G/4G
Mobile Hotspot, provide blazing fast speeds on any Wi-Fi-enabled device. The
nation’s first-ever 3G/4G mobile hotspot, Overdrive allows users to connect up
to five Wi-Fi-enabled devices simultaneously through a single connection to run
seamlessly over Sprint’s 3G or 4G network where available.*
Through the recreation of the course experience of school's existing Blackboard
Learn™ implementation, Blackboard Mobile Learn makes the core Learn content
available in an engaging and intuitive way. Students and instructors can
access documents in multiple formats, post announcements (instructors), create
threaded discussion posts, upload media as attachments to discussion boards and
blogs, create content items within the course map, and comment on blogs and
journals, all on the mobile devices they love.
According to EDUCAUSE Campus Computing 2009, 30 percent of schools have a
strategic plan in place for mobile devices and a further 25 percent are
currently preparing a plan. The mobile revolution in schools has begun and
Blackboard Mobile Learn, in partnership with Sprint, is augmenting the
traditional settings of bricks and mortar by providing tools that enable
students to connect with educators and each other in an unprecedented manner.
Blackboard Mobile Learn Product Video
http://www.blackboard.com/Videos/Blackboard-Mobile-Learn-iPad-Commercial.aspx
Product Overview
http://www.blackboard.com/Platforms/Mobile/Products/Mobile-Learn.aspx
Blackboard Mobile Learn Demos
http://www.blackboard.com/Platforms/Mobile/Resources/Blackboard-Mobile-Learn-Demos.aspx
* Coverage not available everywhere. The 3G Sprint Mobile Broadband Network
(including roaming) reaches over 273 million people. Sprint 4G is available in
over 25 markets and counting, and on select devices. See sprint.com/4G for
details.
List hyperlinks to any online news stories, press releases, product reviews, or other documents that support the claims made in the section above. IMPORTANT: Begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.youraddress.com]:
Blackboard Mobile’s blog, Mobile Garage
http://www.mobilegarageblog.com
March 2010 press release announcing the launch of Blackboard Mobile Learn
http://blackboard.com/About-Bb/Media-Center/Press-Releases/Archive.aspx?releaseid=1404339
March 2010 press release announcing partnership with Blackboard and Sprint
http://www.blackboard.com/About-Bb/Media-Center/Press-Releases/Archive.aspx?releaseid=1404497
April 2010 press release announcing Blackboard Mobile Learn being available on
the iPad and all major mobile platforms
http://www.blackboard.com/About-Bb/Media-Center/Press-Releases/Archive.aspx?releaseid=1409351
http://www.blackboard.com/About-Bb/Media-Center/Press-Releases/Archive.aspx?releaseid=1438039
Vice President of Blackboard Mobile Kayvon Beykpour’s article “Taking Education
Mobile” in E.Learning Update, a U.K.-based e-magazine, discussing mobile's role
in education
http://www.mobilegarageblog.com/2011/04/the-mobile-revolution-in-education.html
Kayvon Beykpour’s article, “Going Mobile: Our Approach,” featured in the
Association for Learning Technology, the leading academic newsletter in the
U.K.
http://newsletter.alt.ac.uk/hd6l2nv75sa
The Chronicle of Higher Education feature “As the Web Goes Mobile, Colleges
Fail to Keep Up,” that discusses the increasing demand for mobile learning on
campuses and quotes Kayvon Beykpour.
http://chronicle.com/article/Colleges-Search-for-Their/126016/
Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the leader(s) of the team that developed this nominated product or service:
Kayvon Beykpour
Vice President, Blackboard Mobile
Beykpour keeps Blackboard on the leading edge of mobility by creating rich,
engaging mobile applications that are functionally powerful, beautifully
designed, and contextually relevant.
Beykpour co-founded Terriblyclever Design (acquired by Blackboard in 2009) with
the passion of bridging the gap between traditional enterprise-based, mobile-
unfriendly university services and the plethora of mobile devices used on
campuses. At Stanford University, Beykpour created the nascent version of his
mobile platform, iStanford, which put Stanford's web services into an engaging
user experience on iPhones. Within six months, Terriblyclever deployed mobile
applications for ten of the most prominent U.S. educational institutions.
Beykpour graduated from Stanford University in 2010 with a degree in Computer
Science and a focus in Human Computer Interaction.