Web 2.0 in blackboard learn

The Citadel has just recently switched to Blackboard 8e from WebCT and will soon upgrade to Blackboard 9.1 Learn (Bb9.1). We will pilot Bb9.1 in the fall of 2010 with a small group of faculty that are already Blackboard advocates for our campus. The Citadel would like to see every course on our campus in Blackboard but have faced reluctance to meeting this goal from naysayers that feel Blackboard is too confining. With technology producing an ever-increasing portfolio of teaching methods, we are hoping to encourage faculty to take advantage of the new features available in Blackboard 9.1 without giving up their ability to use Web 2.0 applications and freeware. As an instructor, it is easy to be pigeon-holed into a template or a platform that an institution wants to use across the board. Now Blackboard 9.1 has made it possible to meet the requirements of uniform appearance while using the technologies available to enhance and engage learners. With technology advances like this, we can improve student learning by incorporating current technology, faculty instruction by improving curriculum, and administrative functions by adhering to a single LMS for all instruction.