Blackboard’s (Bb) Mobile Learn app has been working fairly well on my iPhone for months now so I figured I would give it a try on a different platform (Android) as well for comparison sake. This was not meant to be, but let me explain.

Recently, we have purchased a Motorola Xoom (along an iPad 2 for testing and feature comparison – more about this comparison/review later) and after downloading the app from Android Market the above error came up. I remembered seeing this once before prior to Bb Mobile Learn being enabled at our university so I thought that the same had to be done for Android devices (even though technically that didn’t make much sense) so I contacted the team responsible for Blackboard within our institution and asked if access from Android devices could be enabled. Their answer was surprising, while Bb Mobile Learn works over Wi-Fi on iOS devices the only way it will work on Android (or Blackberry) is over Sprint’s 3G/4G network. What!? Why would access be limited to Sprint’s cellular network, it just doesn’t make sense. Even when taking into consideration the last sentence of the above message: “Sprint users can use Blackboard Mobile Learn at no cost to the institution due to a partnership between Sprint and Blackboard” this imposed limitation makes no sense and here’s why.

My iPhone uses AT&T’s network and Bb Mobile Learn works fine over their cellular network (including Wi-Fi at home, work…) so this “Sprint partnership” exclusivity line is a bunch of nonsense. Blackboard should definitely enable Wi-Fi access to their app for all mobile platforms in order to level the playing field while expanding their reach and strengthening their presence in the LMS market which will undoubtedly be challenged in years to come (several alternatives are available with many of them at a much lower premium which is increasingly becoming more important). Just something to keep in mind, Blackboard.

On a slightly different note, Firefox v.5 is out today, how long will it take Blackboard to catch up and certify anything newer than v.3.6? Have they simply become too big and slow to keep up?

Post from: Milos Topic

Blackboard Mobile Learn on iOS and Android

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Most technology services used at work, school, or home are looked at by users as commodity services, similar to water and electricity, they are simply expected to be available and work properly. When it comes to network; access to websites, chat services, e-mail (from both computers and smartphones – iPhone, Android, Windows based phones…) along with many other services are simply expected to work. People outside Information Technology (and sadly a few who are part of it) don’t understand or care, nor should they, how all these things work.

On the other hand, what happens when these services fail, when you can’t go online, or your computer doesn’t print; or even worse, you deleted a file by accident/your computer is constantly crashing and is infected with some type of malware. Who do you turn to and how well do they perform? Is your local team overworked or maybe they don’t work hard enough? Are they knowledgeable and responsive; can they help you with other non-standard questions, concerns and ideas? How helpful is your IT team, are they aware of your needs or are they more of a “dictatorship” (as the graphic above suggests) when it comes to what can be used and how? How responsive are they to your technical issues?

I’m always interested in streamlining and improving the things we do and support every day while at the same time finding additional resources to get involved into bringing new and interesting services to our clients. It is very important for IT staff to be valuable and contribute to the overall goals or otherwise they should be replaced, even outsourced*. If you work with a tech team of any kind (work, school, home…) please take a few minutes of your time to share what your experience has been and how they could improve.

* What can or should be outsourced and where (local vs. offshore) is a topic worthy of separate discussion at great length.

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How reliable and responsive is your local IT team

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New year is here and for most of us today is our first day at work in 2011. As we woke up on January 1st (and sobered up) we were generally highly motivated to stick with the resolutions we made last week/year and believe that this year it will be different, that it will be better somehow. New year always brings new resolutions, mostly positive attitudes and excitement that this year we will do better than the year before. Some of the common ones (in no particular order) are: we will get a better job, work harder, get married, have a kid, lose weight, get back to school, buy that dream house/car, stop procrastinating…the number of resolutions is endless. While some people actually follow through on their resolutions and have measurable results before the year is over majority doesn’t.

Most of us will sooner or later give up or simply come up with excuses (generally poor ones) why we have failed to accomplish what we set out to do. Why is this the case, why are we excited for the first week or two of the new year and then it all goes back to the old way of doing things, we lose our excitement, our drive, our hustle. Why can’t we always be confident and determined to do the best we possibly can every single day?

I understand that January 1st is a nice, “tangible” separation and reference point used to reevaluate, review and move forward, but I can’t seem to understand why is it that we can’t do our best every single day. As the weeks go by, why do we lose the momentum we almost always have at the beginning of January?

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Sustaining new year’s momentum

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Keeping one’s resume up to date is generally not at the top of “to do” lists since most of us don’t change our jobs frequently and as such our resumes quickly become outdated, inaccurate and forgotten. However, considering that we got our current jobs in part due to that old, outdated paper representation of ourselves we should definitely keep them current. Even if you are currently happy and satisfied with your job, your resume should never be more than 6 months old, that way it can be updated quickly when needed while at the same time act as a great reminder of your progression and career choices. Having realized this myself I decided to see how much I’ve grown, improved and learned over the years (if at all ).

Updating resume with what I have been doing all these years was an eye-opening experience on many levels. First, I realized that I really need to keep this document up to date (revisit it semi-annually at least) as it will make the updating process much easier and make accomplishments fresher in my mind. Second, I did more then I thought I did over the years. Time flies and we do things daily that we don’t pay too much attention to, but once you put them on paper and look at the impact they had it puts it all in perspective. Furthermore, comparing your resume with that next position you are striving for makes you look at things objectively and highlights the (mis)alignment of job responsibilities with your qualifications and experience.

Having said that, when was the last time you seriously put some time aside to update your resume or CV? Objectively, looking at the resume alone, would you hire yourself for that dream job?

Ask yourself these questions and the answers might surprise you.

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Based on your resume, would you hire yourself?

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Finding that perfect balance between business and technology can be a challenging process. Aligning them together where they are useful to one another, productive and most of all on the same page has proven to be the key to success for many organizations. It’s simple, in order to maximize return on technology investments, organizations must align IT decisions with strategic business goals.

Now, we have all heard that all old, outdated and inaccurate statement that Information Technology (IT) is a cost center. While at times, this certainly can be the case, I would like to respectfully disagree and here’s why. Irrespective of the business/industry you are in, today, you need technology to be more productive, responsive, available and well informed and as such IT is enabling and helping people do their jobs better. Disagree? If so, imagine how productive would your work day be without technology?

Having been in IT for over a decade I have seen both sides of this negative, adversarial environment where business and IT are competing instead of collaborating towards a common goal, organizational success. To be fair, most IT personnel is of a unique sort (I know, I’m one of them) and at times we transgress our responsibilities and by doing so impose on the business side and their goals and objectives. This is absolutely the wrong way to go about it (unless you are an IT company of course) as IT employees don’t have the full grasp and understanding of business objectives and strategic plans. Conversely, I attended meetings where business executives have enthusiastically stated that, “business* will drive technology as that’s the only way it makes sense.”

NO! That’s the not the solution either. Business and technology need to be partners, not competitors or in subservient positions to one another. They need to work collaboratively early in the process (or project) to benefit from each other’s strengths while at the same time minimizing weakness that both sides certainly have. Us vs. them approach needs to end and we need to realize that we are all in this together and that the difference between success and failure of our company, organization, project or idea is directly correlated to how well we work together.

* replace business with a more applicable term (revenue, ROI, market, education, pedagogy, research agenda…I heard them all).

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Business & technology are partners, not competitors

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Since most of us haven’t won that elusive jackpot yet (trust me, I’ve been trying) we continue to work for a living. It’s a job to some, career to others, yet a place we all go to to earn money (on average 5 days a week) so that we can enjoy the rest of our lives.

Considering how much time one spends at their place of employment it really ought to be an enjoyable and rewarding experience, don’t you think? Financial aspect is definitely an important factor when accepting a job offer, but what else is of importance while making that decision? I personally value the following items (in no particular order) and believe that these components complementing each other create that enjoyable and rewarding work environment.

• Respect and acknowledgment
• Friendly and knowledgeable co-workers
• Knowledgeable, open and enabling management
• Opportunity to have an impact
• Ability to learn, grow and advance
• Flexibility and accountability

What else should one look for in search for that ultimate balance and desirable quality of life?

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Work and happiness shouldn’t be mutually exclusive

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Tell me what constitutes a great leader in your mind. Is it their industry specific knowledge; personality traits; communication; management style; decision making process, appearance,…?

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How many great leaders do you know?

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Recently I came across several project proposals where I was asked to evaluate technical components (hardware, software and staffing needs) and found a few items worth sharing. Several items in these proposals weren’t adequately priced (difference from list and actual price on select items was as high as 60%). Furthermore, some hardware models have been discontinued years ago.

While certain people are not technical by trade it is still very important to make sure those components are accurately priced and still available. If you are specifically requesting a particular computer, printer, server model please make sure that we can still purchase it at the time of your submission. While this might add a bit more work, done mainly by “Googling” or “Binging” (?) these models, it will go a long way in supporting your need and presenting you as someone who does their research and is well prepared.

The success of most today’s projects depends on the right blend of people, processes and technology, but it all starts with a clear definition of needs and goals, including all technology components.

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Know what your project needs

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I have recently moved my primary work laptop to 64-bit Windows 7 Enterprise and while I am overall pleased with the operating system (OS) I found that some apps which didn’t run on Vista don’t work on 7 either.

Some of those which I use frequently are Timbuktu Pro and a custom built application to manage user access permissions on our NetDrive storage solution (dependent on Novell Client). Since having access to both of these is important to me, on Vista I ran them inside a Virtual PC instance running Windows XP SP3. Now that I’m using Windows 7 the idea is basically the same but it has been implemented a bit differently.

Windows XP Mode is the tool of choice in 7, it runs an instance of XP (as the name indicates), but it is much better integrated with the OS itself. Boot up, usage, resource allocation, exchange of files between your primary OS and the virtual one is much smoother and more efficient this time around. Furthermore, unlike Virtual PC on Vista it doesn’t require a separate Windows XP license or media to install it. Simply, go and download Windows XP Mode, install it, then download Windows Virtual PC (both available from the same page), install it and you are in business.

Nicely done Microsoft.

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Windows XP Mode in Windows 7

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Our institution has been using Blackboard (Bb) for a while now as their Course Management System (CMS) of choice with mixed results. Depending who you ask, based on their technical knowledge and their experience using Blackboard (and other CMS solutions) you will get different responses. They range from it is good, does what I need it to do to can we please use anything but Blackboard. Both performance and availability have been known to be a bit spotty and we all know that those two parameters are very important to students and faculty.

My usage has been fairly limited since I don’t teach any courses and my needs are different from those of a faculty (or even some other staff members). This is why I’m probably not the best person to provide an in-depth assessment of Bb v.7.3 (currently in production) and why I turn to those who have more exposure to Blackboard and other CMS tools such as Moodle, Sakai and the likes to hear what your thoughts are.

Is Bb the best or simply the largest solution out there? What are you running/using at your school/work and how satisfied are you with that product?

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Is Blackboard the best CMS out there?

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