are the days of Blackboard numbered? Google Wave

Google Wave was announced today.  This has led some of us around here to wonder if in the long-run Blackboard's days are numbered as the predominant platform in which we organize and deliver our courses.

I wouldn't say numbered....but I would say BB's future needs to be different from its past. 

How you ask?

BB should focus on integrating their core value proposition (user management, assessment, grade center, etc.) with social learning tools and publishing platforms.  

A grade book (or grade center) is hard to do. 

Integrating with a SIS is hard to do (for handling drops/adds etc.)  

A testing/quiz engine for formative assessment is hard to do. 

Authentication is hard. 

We still need all these things, but they really need to work with consumer social learning/collaboration tools. 

Paradoxically, for BB to remain relevant it needs to recede into the background as much as possible. 

To be specific - yes - I want to be able to use a Google Wave for a team project.  But I want all the students automatically in the system (pre-populated).  I want the students to authenticate into our Google Wave area by going through BB.  And I want this for lots of applications.  A YouTube channel for my class, automatically created and pre-populated with my students.  Slideshare.net chanel and accounts.  Typepad blog - pre-populated.  A Facebook Organization (or whatever the call it) - pre-populated.   All with 1 authentication. 

All available to students once they leave the class.  Available to the outside world.  But all initially set up by the CMS.

Is this the direction that Blackboard is actually heading?

Comments

[Malcolm Brown]

If Google beat Microsoft hands down in the Dartmouth sweepstakes, what chance would Bb have? We heard it today from Ellen Waite-Franzen: it seems that Google has an app or an API (or both) for everything. I think the days of the LMS as we know it are numbered. This is the LMS in general but especially Bb, since Bb seems to be good at generating ill-will and doesn't seem to have a clue about learner-centric curriculum.

My guess is that what will happen to the LMS is the same as what happens to anything else when it comes into contact with the cloud: an thinning, sometimes dramatically so.