I started writing this post while sitting on the plane, reflecting on past Blackboard conferences. Unfortunately, there is so much history that this (very long) post has now taken a few days to finish. While I can't remember every detail; aside from last year in Vegas I'm fortunate enough to have made it to all of the US Blackboard user conferences. I've formed some amazing friendships and I am very grateful for the Blackboard community. It's an amazing experience to be around brilliant, dedicated people (especially when they're having fun).
In 1998, when my institution first signed on with Blackboard, the product was called CourseInfo 2.0. Blackboard had fewer than 40 employees and CourseInfo (I think the product was renamed "Blackboard Courseinfo" when it hit version 4, in December of 1999) had grown out of a class project at Cornell University. There were two big challenges for instructional technologists back in 1998. The first was helping instructors to begin to view online resources as approachable... something they might be able to do without taking away from their area of expertise. The second was the idea that technology could be valuable as a teaching tool. CourseInfo 2.0 provided a great balance of delivering just enough functionality, while taking only a fraction of the time for an instructor to learn (around two hours – instead of the two weeks that competing products took).
The first time Blackboard clients got together to learn from each other (and from Blackboard) was for a 'Train the Trainer' event at American University in Washington, DC. After the sessions, we toured the first set of Blackboard offices – decorated with university pennants from each of their clients. I remember that a central focus of the offices was the break room with a foosball table. In the evening, we all headed to the bar across the street from the Bb offices to play pool. I had to leave the session early on the last day, so I wasn't able to attend the closing event, which featured the Capitol Steps.
For the next few years, the conferences were held at the Marriott, Wardman Park, in DC. Mostly, I just remember that I was still terrified while presenting to large groups of people (and amazed by how large the groups of Blackboard clients were getting). The years at the Wardman Park also saw a handful of vendors start to show up – talking about basic integrations to Blackboard, and how well technologies would complement one another. The Blackboard Users conferences were a great, intimate setting that allowed for plenty of interactions between schools.
In 2000, when the Blackboard 5.x product was released, it not only taught students. Blackboard (and .edu sysadmins around the world) learned some brutal lessons about product development and horrible rollouts. Blackboard 5 was released before it was ready, and schools implemented it before they had tested or planned. The conferences after the 5.0 release were times for rebuilding damaged partnerships, and saw the already strong user community that had formed around Blackboard really come together to help each other out.
In 2001, Blackboard acquired AT&T CampusWide Access Solutions and a division of iCollege called CEI SpecialTeams (products that evolved into what is now branded Blackboard Transact). The next Blackboard conference after the acquisition was in Phoenix, AZ (headquarters of AT&T CampusWide Access Solutions). While it wasn't Blackboard's first acquisition, it was the first that began to diversify the company and start to establish the Blackboard brand as more of an educational platform.
Open source seeds were sown in 2002, which saw Blackboard's acquisition of George Washington University's Prometheus project and the release of the Blackboard Building Blocks program (strongly pushed-for by Blackboard's Product Advisory Board). The first Building Block published was developed by Seneca College (the Seneca Toolkit) and was a system usage reporting module.
Blackboard's 2003 User Conference moved up to Baltimore, MD – also hosting the first Blackboard Developers' Conference. Also in 2003, in Nebraska, we began to hold our own "Blackboard Days" regional user-group event. The Blackboard conference (and DevCon) moved back down to Phoenix in 2004, where all of the talk was about Blackboard's IPO. Thankfully, the world did not end with the IPO as some had predicted. :) We'll leave the destruction to the Mayan zombie apocalypse, scheduled for release later this year.
The 2005 Blackboard User's event was back in Baltimore. It was the first year that Blackboard was able to provide Greenhouse and Exemplary Course grants to support great practices in the community. 2006 moved the conference to San Diego – I think that was the first one that was officially called "Bb World." I remember a great party on an aircraft carrier, and how significant the vendor community and show floor had become. It was also the first Blackboard conference after the WebCT acquisition, which provided plenty to talk about; and the first year that the Open Source Day event was held. Open Source Day events (hosted by OSCELOT) bring together community-source software advocates to build solutions that integrate to and enhance the learning environment.
We were in Boston in 2007; the first time the Blackboard and WebCT communities came together. It also brought the Building Blocks and Powerlinks developers communities together at the 5th DevCon. Las Vegas hosted the 2008 conference, along with some truly spectacular hangovers. I don't think I've ever been on a plane full of so many miserable people since leaving Las Vegas that year.
2009 sobered us up, and brought us back to DC. It was the year of the Angel acquisition, and the very welcome introduction of Ray Henderson to the Blackboard community. More recent history has brought us 2010 in Orlando, last year back in Vegas, and this year in New Orleans.
The common theme throughout all of these events (and the times in between) has been the community. As you participate in BbWorld 2012, don't miss out on that community. You'll never have a better opportunity to talk to intelligent, experienced, and dedicated professionals. People who really understand and care about what you do, because they've had the same experiences. If there is a problem that you are struggling with, chances are excellent that the person next to you has already solved it, or would love to work with you to get it solved. Be sure to get out, socialize, and make new connections. The relationships you form here at BbWorld can last throughout the year, and can carry you (and your institution) into the future.
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