Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis computer scientist and entrepreneur Ali Jafari has rolled out a free social network designed to connect educators and students from around the world with common interests and class subjects.
The open source learning management system Moodle has a new mobile companion. Developers at Moodle HQ have released a free app for iOS designed to work with Moodle 2.1 or later. Apps for additional mobile platforms are planned.
Desire2Learn has partnered with ReadSpeaker to increase the usability and accessibility of the Desire2Learn learning platforms.
Blackboard's pending acquisition by a private equity firm has received shareholder approval. The company announced that at a special meeting held Sept. 16, 2011 shareholders representing 81 percent of outstanding shares approved the proposal put forth by Providence Equity Partners.
Blackboard has launched Blackboard Learn-Angel Edition 8.0, a new version of its online course delivery platform. Support for Angel will continue until October 2014, at which time clients will migrate to Blackboard Learn 9.1.
Panopto has released a new version of its Web-based rich media video lecture capture and library platforms.
Blackboard has released an upgrade to CourseSites, a free online course system, which includes support for six languages, and other new features.
In support of its strategic plan to increase student satisfaction, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide launched a live virtual classroom dubbed EagleVision nearly 5 years ago. The response from students has been overwhelmingly positive, and in fact the system has been life-changing for many. Becky Vasquez, Embry-Riddle CTO, reports that demand from students for this new learning platform has increased almost 100 percent in the last year alone.
A technician school with 11 campuses will be moving onto a new learning management system starting in 2012.
Echo360 is embedding its lecture capture EchoSystem portal for multimedia course materials within open source learning management system Moodle 1.9 and 2.0.