

Blackboard goes offline
At 11:00 AM, the Tri-co shutdown its shared instance of the Blackboard course management system. In a two-step process, Swarthmore Professor Aimee Johnson (Math) and Haverford CIO Joe Spadaro pressed the “enter” keys that shut down the Blackboard services for the final time. On a separate screen, the assembled group of onlookers verified that Blackboard was no longer available. The shutdown is the conclusion to a period of over 11 years where Bryn Mawr, Haverford, and Swarthmore Colleges shared a single instance of Blackboard for all of their students, faculty and staff. All three schools have already switched to Moodle, … Continue reading Blackboard goes offline
For your weekend listening (and viewing) pleasure…
Some recent podcasts and videos worth your time (IMHO) First up, a Google hang-out with Phil Libin, CEO of Evernote and Loic Le Meur, organizer of the Le Web conferences (Phil will be a guest at the London Le Web conference this summer). Le Web Interview with Phil Libin, CEO of Evernote Here is his answer to the question, ‘what does it take to work for Evernote’: “When we find people that are passionate about something, that are infatuated with something, that have mastery of that field, and that have an infectious way of communicating their passion, that’s the magic … Continue reading For your weekend listening (and viewing) pleasure…
The end of the line for Blackboard
The Blackboard leaning management system will be shut down permanently on June 29, 2012. Please save any materials you have on Blackboard that you would like to retain. ITS has archived all the courses and organizations on Blackboard and can assist with transferring your materials to Moodle, the new learning management system. [updated 6/22/12 to include information on the Honor Exams archive] Is Blackboard really going away? Yes, our Blackboard license expires at the end of June 2012 and the system will be shut down and totally unavailable. How can I save my Blackboard materials? Use the “Export” feature in Blackboard to save … Continue reading The end of the line for Blackboard
Think you’re not being stalked on the Internet?
Do you accept a lack of privacy as the price for being on the Internet? For being connected to everything, everywhere? Think you have a good idea of what sites are tracking your browsing behavior? You might want to check out the recent TED talk by Gary Kovacs, CEO of Mozilla (developers of Firefox). The video is only six minutes long and Gary succinctly describes the privacy infringements we all face daily. Continue reading Think you’re not being stalked on the Internet?
Haverford College Presents: Teaching with Technology Forum
This May, Haverford College will host a series of presentations that explore interaction between technology and the classroom. Join Tri-College faculty and staff members as they discuss their experiences incorporating technology into their work. Among the presenters will be Swarthmore faculty members Sunka Simon, Associate Professor of German, Film and Media Studies, and Carina Yervasi, Associate Professor of French and Black Studies, who will discuss their experience co-teaching the Re-envisioning Diasporas course with Professor Mikelle Antoine of Ashesi University, Ghana. The event takes place Monday, May 2nd, 2012, from 9:30 – 12pm at Stokes Auditorium, Haverford College. View the entire schedule. Continue reading Haverford College Presents: Teaching with Technology Forum
Blackboard Shut-down and Moodle Training
Blackboard will be turned off on June 29, 2012. Starting at the beginning of June, ITS will be archiving all courses and organizations in preparation for the shut down. If you have important information in a Blackboard course or organization, please download your materials or export your course to your computer. The college has successfully transitioned many of our courses to Moodle already. ITS is offering many hands-on Moodle training sessions to assist with learning Moodle. Introduction to Moodle workshops help you get started using your own materials to begin developing your course in Moodle. Consider attending an Intermediate … Continue reading Blackboard Shut-down and Moodle Training