The weekend before the BBWorld 2012 Conference has been filled with food, fun and sun!  I have eaten true American pizza (complete with cheese, cheese and more cheese), visited the Guinness World Record Museum and Wax Museum – a must on every travellers list and stopped in on the stars on Hollywood Boulevard.   A slow walk on the Santa Monica Pier, followed closely by some shopping at Bloomingdales and Nordstrom caped a perfect weekend in concrete paradise! 

The ‘marine’ layer has not hindered my ability to get burnt – a quick nap by the pool has resulted in a slightly pink nose! (but hopefully a more golden change to my pasty legs!)  The weather in New Orleans is expected to be a sunny 29C today!!  While humidity is high, I am eagerly awaiting the feeling of being warm!!  I have managed to glance at the BBWorld 2012 schedule and have chosen some sessions to attend on Tuesday – but until then I am going to do exactly what the captain has asked ‘sit back, relax and enjoy your flight’! New Orleans here I come!

The first day of my second adventure begins on what has been declared the coldest Melbourne morning in three years, with the mercury plummeting to 2.7 degrees just before 7am!  This will be my second trip to the United States in as many weeks!  This time I return to attend BBWorld 2012 – to “learn about advancements and discuss the most influential topics in education today including technology adoption, digital content, mobility, social learning and analytics”.  My school has been using Blackboard as our learning management platform (LMS) since early 2000.  

Before I get in to the nitty gritty of the conference I should first explain how I am typing this first post… it is coming to you as I fly over Tonga – about four and a half hours in to my journey!  How ridiculous is that!  Internet on the A380 courtesy of OnAir – I am not sure how it works (I did try and read the information sheet) but it is phenomenal that now you can san be connected around the clock while you fly around the world!

Now back to the conference.  On the BBWorld Website you can download a “handy document to pen a note to your boss” to justify the importance and relevance of your trip to what is shaping up to be a busy, fun packed, technology rich program!  According to the ‘note’ the conference is set to draw thousands of Blackboard experts and users as well as industry leaders and educators. 

Here’s a quick summary (again according to the ‘note’)

·      More than 190 sessions with tracks dedicated to critical topics in education; Technology Adoption, Digital Content, Social Learning, Analytics and Mobility.

·      More than 50 world-class industry leaders and Blackboard partners attend; NBC Learn, Follett, Dell, Barnes & Noble, McGraw-Hill, Wiley, Salesforce and more.

·      There are several world-class keynote presentations delivered by experts driving the education evolution and stimulation ideas. 

·      Hands-on workshops by Blackboard experts and designers

·      One-on-one networking opportunities with fellow educators and industry leaders

·      Information about new and upcoming releases for products, services, and technology that will help us stay ahead and make the most of our Blackboard investment.


The program has so many sessions it is hard to know where to start!!  

Now to just get through the next 9 hours on the plane… with my battery fading fast it is time to sign off until my arrive into Los Angeles!!

Education is changing – I am so glad I get to be a part of it!