My BbWorld 2016 Presentation Schedule

BbWorld16

I’m fortunate to be able to attend BbWorld for the fifth time this year. Here’s a list of the presentations I’ll either be collaborating with colleagues to give this year at #BbWorld16…

Blackboard Collaborate: Strategies and considerations for institutional adoption

Date/Time/Location: Tue, 7/12/16, 1:00PM-1:50PM, Titian 2205
Presenters: Jason Rhode, Stephanie Richter, Jeff Geronimo
In this session, we will share NIU’s recent Blackboard Collaborate roll-out strategy, practices, and lessons learned. Learn how NIU’s carefully planned adoption approach has been helping to make anytime synchronous collaboration simpler, more reliable, and more enjoyable. Bring your own questions and experiences and join in the discussion!

The Blackboard Portfolio tool: Features, uses, and campus-wide implementation process

Date/Time/Location: Thu, 7/14/16, 9:35AM-10:25AM, Titian 2205
Presenters: Jason Rhode, Stephanie Richter
The new Blackboard Portfolio tool released with Blackboard learn in April 2014 is much-improved and provides an easy-to-use platform for students to demonstrate and reflect upon what they have learned throughout their university career. Northern Illinois University (NIU) implemented the portfolios campus-wide during 2015, and it was used by thousands of students in a relatively short time. This presentation will provide an overview of the portfolio tool, strategies for developing portfolios that serve different purposes, and best practices for institutional adoption. Sample portfolios and exemplars from faculty who are using Blackboard portfolios in their classes will be shared, along with NIU’s campus-wide implementation process. Opportunities and challenges will be discussed to provide insights for others planning to roll-out portfolios at their institutions.

If be tweeting @jasonrhode my #BbWorld16 insights and takeaways and will post the slides from my presentations here on my blog.

BbWorld 2015 Live – catch all the #BbWorld15 keynotes and many sessions

BbWorld 2015 Live

In case you missed it, Blackboard for the first time is offering an opportunity to catch all the BbWorld keynotes, product roadmaps, and many of the other sessions by registering at bbworldlive.com

The schedule of live streamed sessions is available here.

2015 #et4online Conference Preview

2015 Emerging Technologies Symposium

Recently, I had the opportunity to join my colleagues from the Online Learning Consortium (formerly Sloan-C), MERLOT, and the Emerging Technologies steering committee to share a sneak peek of what lies ahead at #et4online. We hung out to share details about the upcoming conference being held April 22-24, 2015 in Dallas, Texas.

Who attends #et4online?

who-attends-et4online

image c/o @brocansky

6 Reasons Why You Should Join Us for #et4online

Or hear what the #et4online Steering Committee Members have to say in our 1/30 Google+ Hangout ON AIR (recorded):
Michelle Pacansky-Brock Conference Chair – @brocansky
Jason Rhode, Assistant Conference Chair – @jasonrhode
Jane Moore, MERLOT Program Chair – @janepmoore
Laura Pasquini, OLC Program Chair – @laurapasquini

Here are just a few of the MANY highlights for the #et4online program that we shared:

  • The Unconference – dig into topics and direct the agenda as you like it
  • Technology Test Kitchen – a maker space to explore, play & learn for ed tech
  • Keynote & Plenary Speakers – talks about connection to learning, networked identity, collaborative knowledge, and then some
  • Featured Sessions & Workshops – are just a few of the program items NOT to miss and learn from
  • Discovery Sessions with VoiceThread – to augment interaction and learning between presenters and attendees
  • The Launch Pad & Teacher Tank- Where #edtech start ups can show case their wares to our Ed Tech “sharks.” Submission Deadline Closes February, 13, 2015 – apply now!

Interested in attending (virtual or on site)? Register TODAY! Early bird pricing ends on February 25, 2015. Do you have questions about the conference or program? Leave a comment or hit me up on Twitter @jasonrhode

Designing Exemplary Online Courses in Blackboard

Bb Exemplary Course RubricDuring this presentation by Jason Rhode at the 12th annual SLATE Conference on 10/23/14, we explored suggested best practices included in the Blackboard Exemplary Course Program Rubric for designing engaging online courses. Jason shared practical tips from his experience building a course in Blackboard that meets the established ECP quality benchmarks. We also covered the steps and associated deadlines for faculty interested in submitting their course for consideration as a Blackboard Exemplary Course. This session was geared toward an audience already familiar with the basic online teaching tools available in Blackboard Learn. While the examples shared were specifically of courses in Blackboard, the principles can be applied to developing quality online courses in any learning management system.

Resource Links

My Presentation Schedule at 12th Annual SLATE Conference, Oct. 22-24, 2014

SLATE14On October 22-24, 2014, I’ll be attending and presenting at the 12th Annual SLATE (Supporting Learning And Technology in Education) Conference, hosted at Northern Illinois University, Naperville. This conference invites all faculty, system administrators, CIO’s, Web developers, instructional designers, librarians, students, and user support staff from institutions that are deploying and/or currently using any Web-based tools, applications or programs, in their teaching and learning. Presentations offer a wide variety of best practices for incorporating and supporting technology in teaching and learning.

I’ll be involved in giving three different presentations during the conference. For those who will be attending the conference, I hope you’ll join me for any of these topics that may be of interest to you:

Designing Exemplary Online Courses in Blackboard

Presenter: Jason Rhode, Northern Illinois University
Thu, 10/23, 11:00-11:50am, Auditorium
Join us to explore suggested best practices included in the Blackboard Exemplary Course Program Rubric for designing engaging online courses. The presenter will share practical tips from his experience building a course in Blackboard that meets the estab- lished ECP quality benchmarks. We’ll also cover the steps and associated deadlines for faculty interested in submitting their course for consideration as a Blackboard Exemplary Course. This session is geared toward an audience already familiar with the basic online teaching tools available in Blackboard Learn.

Contemporary Issues in Higher Education and Online Learning

Presenters: Carol Scheidenhelm, Loyola University Chicago; Jason Rhode, Northern Illinois University
Thu, 10/23, 2:00-2:50pm, Room 162
At a recent meeting of the University Professional & Continuing Education Association Center for Online Leadership & Strategy, the presenters participated in a roundtable discussion of issues relevant to online teaching and learning in higher education. Participants had the opportunity to share their experiences with issues, policies and road blocks to educating “contemporary” students, resulting in a recently-released federal policy brief. We thought it would be productive to bring this type of discussion to our SLATE Conference participants and provide them an opportunity to come up with a listing of the most pressing issues in higher education today. The list will be shared with the SLATE leadership and may help guide topics for discussion in the 2014-15 SLATE meetings.

Where eLearning Meets Faculty Development: Providing Seamless Online Program Development Support Services

Presenters: Aline Click, Northern Illinois University; Jason Rhode, Northern Illinois University
Thu, 10/23, 4:00-4:50pm, Room 162
While there is no single strategy for effectively supporting online teaching and learning, common faculty support needs related to online teaching practices and online course development exist at every institution. Join us for this panel presentation to learn about one institution’s collaborative approach to providing comprehensive support for new online program development. The conversation will focus on the specific online course development services as well as online teaching support programs, resources, and services offered for faculty.

For those in the Chicago area, there is still time to register to attend the conference in person, details at slategroup.org/conference/register. There is even a single-day option available for those who want to just come for 1 day. For those who can’t attend in person, feel free to follow the conference @slateconference and hashtag #slate14