Blackboard Brings Mobile Learn to Smart Phones

Following the release in April of Mobile Learn for Apple's iPad, Blackboard has released the mobile version of its learning management system for Android-based phones; Apple iPhone and iPod; and BlackBerry devices.

Mobile Learn is designed to mimic the full functionality of the Web-based Learn platform, including two-way communication between students and teachers, access to gradebooks, blog access and commenting, discussion board participation, and student-to-student e-mail communications.

Blackboard is making Mobile Learn available for Android, iPhone, iPod, and BlackBerry through two options: "an annual license that supports all device platforms or a no cost option," according to Blackboard. The company is partnering with Sprint to provide Mobile Learn at no additional cost to institutions for Android and Blackberry devices; a free version is also available for iPhone and iPod that can be used only over WiFi connections.

Mobile Learn is available now for higher education institutions in the United States and Canada. K-12 institutions and international users will be able to access the software beginning in August. It will be available for additional mobile platforms "later this year," according to information released today by Blackboard.

Mobile Learn is supported through a free "Blackboard Mobile Web Services Building Block" in Blackboard Learn 8 and higher; Blackboard Learn 9.1 Service Pack 1 will include integrated support for the mobile LMS.

Further information can be found on Blackboard's site here.

About the Author

David Nagel is the former editorial director of 1105 Media's Education Group and editor-in-chief of THE Journal, STEAM Universe, and Spaces4Learning. A 30-year publishing veteran, Nagel has led or contributed to dozens of technology, art, marketing, media, and business publications.

He can be reached at [email protected]. You can also connect with him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidrnagel/ .


Featured

  • landscape photo with an AI rubber stamp on top

    California AI Watermarking Bill Garners OpenAI Support

    ChatGPT creator OpenAI is backing a California bill that would require tech companies to label AI-generated content in the form of a digital "watermark." The proposed legislation, known as the "California Digital Content Provenance Standards" (AB 3211), aims to ensure transparency in digital media by identifying content created through artificial intelligence. This requirement would apply to a broad range of AI-generated material, from harmless memes to deepfakes that could be used to spread misinformation about political candidates.

  • stylized illustration of an open laptop displaying the ChatGPT interface

    'Early Version' of ChatGPT Windows App Now Available to Paid Users

    OpenAI has announced the release of the ChatGPT Windows desktop app, about five months after the macOS version became available.

  • person signing a bill at a desk with a faint glow around the document. A tablet and laptop are subtly visible in the background, with soft colors and minimal digital elements

    California Governor Signs AI Content Safeguards into Law

    California Governor Gavin Newsom has officially signed off on a series of landmark artificial intelligence bills, signaling the state’s latest efforts to regulate the burgeoning technology, particularly in response to the misuse of sexually explicit deepfakes. The legislation is aimed at mitigating the risks posed by AI-generated content, as concerns grow over the technology's potential to manipulate images, videos, and voices in ways that could cause significant harm.

  • Jetstream logo

    Qualified Free Access to Advanced Compute Resources with NSF's Jetstream2 and ACCESS

    Free access to advanced computing and HPC resources for your researchers and education programs? Check out NSF's Jetstream2 and ACCESS.