Click here to receive your FREE subscription to Campus Technology
News
On Heels of Injunction, Desire2Learn Releases New LMS, Repository, ePortfolio
3/14/2008
Extra Credit Although Blackboard pledged in February 2007 that it would not assert its patent rights against developers of open-source learning management systems, the existence of the patent and the lawsuit against rival commercial developer Desire2Learn have left many uneasy. Both Desire2Learn and the open-source advocacy group the Software Freedom Law Center have filed for the USPTO to reexamine the validity of the patent. Both requests have been granted. The reexaminations have not yet concluded. More Information Comments on Patent Pledge and Background Information --D. Nagel |
Desire2Learn has released new versions of its Learning Environment and Learning Repository software, as well as its new ePortfolio product. The announcement comes on the heels of two legal setbacks in Desire2Learn's patent infringement case with Blackboard.
The Desire2Learn Learning Environment 8.3 release is a direct result of a March 10 injunction against the company from selling version 8.2.2 or earlier in the United States, which followed the loss in February 2008 in the patent infringement case Blackboard brought against D2L back in 2006. Although it follows the injunction by just a few days, the company said version 8.3 has been in the works for the last year, redesigned to remove elements that might infringe on Blackboard's patent (the validity of which is still being reexamined by the United States Patent and Trademark Office) and also enhanced with new features.
These new features of the Learning Environment (part of the Enterprise eLearning Suite) include expanded customization options, including in the ares of course migration and "individualized learning paths"; new collaboration through group management (group discussion areas, group drop boxes, and group lockers); and expanded assessment and learning outcomes management features.
Recommended Reading
- Moodle Gets SCORM Improvements, Security Fixes
New versions of Moodle have been released, bringing the most recent stable build to 1.9.3. The latest round of updates includes a number of bug fixes and security enhancements, as well as improvements to the SCORM module.
- Free 'Morro' Antivirus To Replace Microsoft OneCare
Microsoft is rolling out a free antivirus software program for consumers that will compete with products made by Symantec and McAfee. Code-named "Morro," the AV app is expected to be available by the end of 2009.
- Microsoft Demos New SQL Server Features at PASS
Microsoft Wednesday previewed the ability to centrally manage applications and resources in the planned upgrade of SQL Server, code-named "Kilimanjaro."
- Microsoft Unveils Exchange and SharePoint as Services
Microsoft exec Stephen Elop on Monday announced two hosted solutions from Microsoft--Exchange Online and SharePoint Online--which are now available to organizations of all sizes in the United States. The software, paid for by annual subscriptions, is hosted on Microsoft's servers and supported by Microsoft's channel partners.
- 6 Ways Not To Become Rote Using Instructional Technology
There are, in my experience, six strategies to consider with any use of technology that will guard against rote use of technology and facilitate critical analysis of teaching and learning effectiveness. In this article, I'll share with you the checklist I work with and encourage others to work with in learning about and using new technology.
- Bringing Student Web "Stuff" to Campus Enterprise Systems
How can an institution incorporate Web 2.0 learning opportunities for students, and evidence of learning from those opportunities, into existing campus technologies and processes? PlugJam is providing part of the answer.
