Blackboard Mobile Learn

Image from Blackboard, IncApp Title: Blackboard Mobile Learn

Grade Level: K-12 and Higher Education

Cost: Free

Introduction/Background of App
Blackboard Mobile is a mobile application that extends the Blackboard learning space to mobile devices including the iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, and Android. In order to use the app, there are two criteria that must be initiated by an educational institution (1) they must be a Blackboard user and (2) they must have installed the Blackboard Mobile Building Block on their system. If these two criteria are met, and you have a Blackboard account at that institution, you can use Blackboard to access some course content held in the Learning Management System.

The Blackboard Mobile app does not bring all of the functionality of Blackboard to your mobile device but it does work on its own and it teams with your browser to access the following features:

• Announcements
• Grades
• Blogs
• Roster
• Discussions
• Journals
• Tasks
• Media (provided your mobile device supports it)

Image by jrho
Description of App functionality
I loved the graphic user interface for this app on the iPad. The graphics and access to information is easy to use and appealing. I liked the potential to access my course content from a mobile device so I can respond to student questions from anywhere.

I used the application with an online course in Blackboard that had the following features:

• Discussion board with a threaded discussion and a video embedded
• Content
• Test
• External link
• Item with a link embedded
• Assignment
• Announcement

And I tested a number of tools, what I found is:

As long as the media is supported by the mobile device, I was able to access most of the general content of the course. Content created using building blocks like Wimba and Learning objects wikis and blogs were not accessible. Some of the interactive tools like discussion boards and tests had limited functionality. For example, the discussion board worked in the mobile app once there was a thread to respond to yet I could not access the video in the discussion board. In regard to creating content, the app is limited. I found that I got kicked out of the app often and I repeatedly had to log back in to the application when I got kicked out and to access certain tools.

From my brief experience with the app, it looks like an app that could provide students and teachers with an opportunity to check in to their courses but really not do much production of content and communication in their courses.

Classroom Use/ Examples /Ideas
Can be used by teachers to provide content, announcements etc to students to access anytime, anywhere. Great if you have students on a field trip or lab, they can access content and resources from their mobile device.

Developer website: http://www.blackboard.com/Mobile/Mobile-Learn.aspx

Reviewer Name: Lisa C. Young

Reviewer Blog: http://lcbyoung-scc.squarespace.com/


Comments

[Jim Siegl]

Lisa,
We have not enabled this on our Blackboard site yet because we are waiting for Blackboard to answer some questions for us. The way I read the description it seems like while the client is free, the Building Block that is required is only free to schools will only support access via wifi and that the ability to connect via cellular is only free to Sprint customers and schools need to buy a license to allow it to work over cellular for all cariers.

Have you tried this over a non Sprint cellular connection, and if it worked, did the school have to pay for the Building Block?