Click here to receive your FREE subscription to Campus Technology
News
Blackboard To Give Away $25,000 Greenhouse Grant for Virtual Worlds
7/26/2007
Learning management provider Blackboard is expanding its "Greenhouse" initiative into the area of immersive virtual learning. Through a new program, called the Greenhouse Grant for Virtual Worlds, a single recipient will receive a $25,000 for the integration of virtual worlds into teaching and learning.
Blackboard's Greenhouse initiative recognizes a variety of efforts on the part of K-12 and higher education institutions, covering such areas as Exemplary Courses, Exemplary Campus Services, and best practices in electronic learning. The new Greenhouse Grant for Virtual Worlds joins the regular, ol' Greenhouse Grant and the Exemplary Campus Services Awards in giving cash to educators who innovate using Blackboard software.
The new Greenhouse Grant for Virtual Worlds will award one $25,000 prize for initiatives that integrate virtual worlds, such as There and Second Life, into education. Blackboard's stated criteria for the winning entry include:
- The program must enhance the learning experience;
- It must "leverage existing teaching and learning strategies and best practices;"
- It has to "integrate virtual worlds and Blackboard Enterprise Software through Blackboard Building Blocks and Blackboard PowerLinks;" and
- The results should be accessible to the Blackboard community.
The deadline for submissions for this latest grant opportunity is Sept. 24, 2007. See the link below for further details.
In related news, Blackboard earlier this month handed out 10 awards in the Greenhouse Exemplary Course Program, five "Best Practices" recognitions, and two Greenhouse Grant awards (not to be confused with Greenhouse Grant for Virtual Worlds).
The 10 awards in the Greenhouse Exemplary Course Program include:
Recommended Reading
- California Community Colleges Partner with Waterfall Mobile on Statewide Emergency Notification Coverage
The Foundation for California Community Colleges (FCCC) has awarded a statewide emergency alert notification contract to Waterfall Mobile. The contract establishes Waterfall's AlertU as an approved technology through the official non-profit foundation for the California Community College (CCC) system office. Through this partnership, individual colleges may directly implement emergency communication services, eliminating lengthy technology evaluation and RFP processes.
- King's College and ASU Add e2Campus for Improved Emergency Notifications
King's College and Arizona State University have switched to Omnilert's e2Campus for emergency notification. Omnilert also has introduced a new program called the ENS Conversion Service that allows schools to bulk upload data from their previous emergency notification system into e2Campus at no charge.
- Saint Joseph Builds Out Wireless Network in Multi-year Upgrade
Saint Joseph's University has begun deploying a Meru Networks wireless local area network across its Philadelphia campus as part of a multi-year effort to bring wireless coverage to every building on campus.
- Vista Ramp Up Is Happening Now, Study Says
Organizations may have been slow to adopt Microsoft Windows Vista, but expect that to change by late 2008 to 2009, according to a Forrester Research report by Benjamin Gray et al., published last week.
- Talisma Launches New Version of CRM with Built-in Application Management
Talisma Corp. announced version 8.0 of its constituent relationship management (CRM) application for higher education. The new release includes application management, a revamped user interface, two-way text messaging, personalized Web portals, and an ADA-compliant Web client, among other enhancements.
- Bringing Composers into Classrooms Through Skype
Two Pennsylvania teaching colleagues with an interest in music and technology are bringing remote experts into classrooms at almost no cost, using Skype's free videoconferencing technology.
