Well, whaddya know, as of June 2 2004 Blackboard has been flogging their own blogging tool:
“Journal LX is a powerful learning extension that enables instructors and students to create, share and comment on blogs within a course.”
Maybe there was some sort of confusion at the users conference, when “Melissa Chotiner (Blackboard PR Manager and newly converted to the wonders of blogging) is standing over my shoulder saying, “Greg, Greg, why can’t we put a blogging feature in our software?”"? Maybe it was a lone shark who’s slipped under the corporate radar? Maybe Alex was sought out by underground developers…
Oh hang on, or maybe this is some cunning ruse to appear all responsive and user-centred… noooo, they wouldn’t do that!
Now, is anyone using this? It’s free for evaluation you know! Would love to hear some reviews! & how much $-wise…
Hi James –
Journal LX is a third-party product that runs on Blackboard, not a Blackboard product. Blackboard has not developed its own weblog feature. Journal LX was developed by Learning Objects Inc., an independent software company.
Blackboard has a development architecture called Building Blocks that allows clients or any third-party to build new functionality for Blackboard or integrate third-party applications. This is what Learning Objects and many other developers use to extend Blackboard products.
Also, contrary to being a “ruse,” as you insinuated, the post on the Blackboard weblog specifically highlights Journal LX and another Building Block (My Journal from Baylor University) as examples of blog-like extensions for the Blackboard platform. Since you reference that post, but don’t link to it, people can find it at http://blackboardblog.blogspot.com/2005/04/everybodys-blogging.html.
Whatabout what Alex said Greg?
(& I do link to my commentary on that post which links to the post…)
It’s not like I’m stressed about it being a bit of a ruse… we’ve all rused in our time… but there is an element of fake surprise / interest there iusn’t there… you know there is :o)
I commented on Alex’s post more than a week, ago, James. You can read it here: http://alex.halavais.net/news/index.php?p=1097#comment-3218
And, actually, there is truly zero fake surprise or interest in that post on the weblog. The colleague I quoted had never blogged before that conference (and had only been at Blackboard six months) so was genuinely eager and stoked about about the idea of blogging and a blog feature. I blogged at tenreasonswhy.com for four years, so I’m not as surprised at the coolness of blogging as her, but I hardly think my interest can be called fake!
I know you’re not Greg, you’re one of the best ‘bloggers on blogs’ I’ve ever read and it’s a damn shame you’re not at it any longer (& I’ve missed having someone about to disagree with :o)
If your **PR** person hasn’t clocked eyes on blogs or in the last six months the conversation hasn’t happened about BB & blogs and you haven’t “heard from customers that they really want this as a core feature of Blackboard software” then I’m afraid I can only suggest one thing… you need a blog :D
Will leave the last word to the comments on the post (shame they’re mostly anonymous):
“Don’t you guys at Blackboard keep up with new technologies and educational developments. I can’t believe that it takes so long for something to filter through- perhaps you should employ someone to monitor the various conversations around about emerging technologies?”
“I too am a litte surprised it has taken this long to even consider implementing blogging into your software. The open-source LMS Moodle has already indicated it will be part of future releases, maybe as soon as August, 2005.”
“I think that it is really in bb’s best interests to anticipate a little bit the needs of their clients. Rss, wikis, blogs, tagging systems like Flickr and delicious, are all clearly visible on anybody’s business radar. My university might very well move toward separate blog servers for its clients and then discover that it’s only one very small step toward an open source lms. Of course, blogs open up an otherwise closed system. Can bb stand the sunlight?”
So it’s not just me, is it?