In spring 2012, CC purchased a license for Blackboard Collaborate online conferencing software. How can an online conferencing tool like Blackboard Collaborate be useful in a residential liberal arts environment? Below are two ideas.
1) Bring in a guest speaker without having them fly halfway across the country (or drive down from Boulder). While our location in Colorado is lovely, we are a bit off the beaten path. Being able to bring in guest speakers without the hassle of travel may allow you to have someone speak to your class who couldn’t otherwise fit a speaking engagement into their schedule.
2) Facilitate collaborative projects with geographically dispersed colleagues. Are you collaborating on research with colleagues at other universities? Or maybe you are working on a joint project with other members of your professional group. BBC not only provides a great way to talk with multiple colleagues in different locations, it also enables you to collaboratively produce documents, look at web pages and software together, and record your discussions for later review.
CC faculty interested in trying out the Blackboard Collaborate software can contact their academic technology liaison http://www.coloradocollege.edu/offices/ats/department-liaisons/ to schedule a demonstration session.
