Eric Kunnen’s GRCC Blog

I wanted to take a moment to provide an update on the soon-to-be-released Blackboard Sync Facebook application. According to the dates presented in today’s Blackboard webinar, Sync should be available in the April/May time frame.

While Blackboard Sync still appears to be in prototype, I thought I would try to collect what I saw in today’s webinar as far as potential features and place the features side-by-side with CourseFeed from Classtop Inc., which has been in operation here at GRCC since November 2007. In fact, since November, over 1,200 users on the GrandRapidsCC network have added the CourseFeed Facebook application.

While I have yet to get my hands on Sync, and realizing it is still in a prototype phase, it seems that CourseFeed has a more typical look and feel of a true Facebook application with the way notifications and updates are handled and displayed. I also like CourseFeed’s email notification capability and the personal mini-feed that can be placed on a users’ Facebook profile page. CourseFeed seems to integrate with the Facebook environment very nicely, and presents information in a way that users have come to expect with other applications.

That being said, the Sync application appears to have some outstanding potential, and I’m definitely excited and interested in trying it out. According to today’s webinar, Sync will be first available around the April time frame as an “Open Access” Facebook application, which would allow a student to add the Sync Facebook application without any institutional involvement. Institutions can “block” this Open Access connection by installing a simple “Opt Out” text file on their server. Another option for institutions is a Building Block that can be installed on the institution’s server which handles authentication slightly differently and has the potential for providing more accurate synchronizations.

Sync will eventually be included and bundled with an upcoming release of Blackboard. I’d imagine this will be similar to how Scholar and SafeAssign are now bundled with Blackboard 8. What intrigues me most is the potential for Sync to also integrate with additional social networks such as Google OpenSocial, and support other Bb products such as Bb Connect. In addition, Sync’s framework has potential for extending capabilities into other communication channels such as Windows Vista Gadgets and Apple Dashboard Widgets. This is impressive. I have heard some buzz about gadgets and widgets in Sakai, and it surprises me a little that someone hasn’t written a gadget or widget yet for Blackboard.

Here are some important notes about how CourseFeed and Sync handle the privacy of student and course information. CourseFeed and Sync:

• Do not share Blackboard course announcements or content outside of the course – only students enrolled in the course have access to the information.
• Do not transfer content to Facebook – only links to the content are displayed in Facebook.
• Do not display student photos from Blackboard – student roster photos come from Facebook.
• Do not make public a student’s private information.

The benefits of CourseFeed and Sync:

• Allows students to receive their Blackboard course updates in Facebook.
• Alerts students when new announcements and content are posted to Blackboard.
• Provides a way for students to form study groups, ask questions, and interact with each other.
• Encourages engagement with other students and helps to increase communication between students and instructors.
• Helps to make learning social by providing classmates a way to connect, interact, and collaborate.

The following table below provides a comparison of Blackboard Sync vs CourseFeed by ClassTop Inc. The information below is compiled to the best of my knowledge: