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
- Sentrigo Offers Help for Database Patching Woes
Sentrigo Inc. released its new Hedgehog vPatch database security software product Tuesday. The product addresses patching inconsistencies that seem to affect busy Oracle database administrators (DBAs), who don't always have time to test and patch. However, users of Microsoft SQL Server database in the enterprise can take a lesson here too.
- Starfish Launches Higher Ed Retention Solution
Software provider Starfish Retention Solutions has announced the upcoming launch of its first product, Starfish Office Hours. The company said this will be the first in a series of products intended to help higher education institutions improve retention and graduation rates by aiding in the delivery of programs designed to help at-risk student populations.
- Unisys Offers Free Unified Communications Trial
Unisys announced Monday that it is offering companies a free 30-day unified communications trial using Microsoft solutions. The offer is currently available through Microsoft's sales personnel.
- New Mexico Launches Statewide eLearning Initiative
As part of its Innovative Digital Education and Learning initiative (IDEAL-NM), New Mexico is launching a statewide program to standardize on a single electronic learning platform--Blackboard--spanning K-12, higher education, adult education, and government. The initiative will also support a new statewide virtual high school.
- North Carolina Adopts Blackboard for Higher Ed
The University of North Carolina and the North Carolina Community College System have signed on with Blackboard to deploy that company's electronic learning platform across 68 individual campuses.
- Semantic Search: Could the Web Think?
Semantics is a sub-field of linguistics that focuses on meaning making in language. Therefore, the Semantic Web we're still reaching for will be based on a set of definitions, languages, and standards that can base a search on the detection of meaning and not just on a simple character string. The Semantic Web will at least be smarter than the current Web.
