Play in the Sandbox!

What do children do when they get together in a sandbox?  They play! 

Blackboard Collaborate is a neat way to expose students to classrooms all over the province, country and world.  I once took a course that had a classmate join us from India!  When I was a student, having a class write pen-pal letters was as close as we got to communicating with students from another area, now we can see their faces and hear their voices - in real time.  With Collaborate I can have my students connect with others for lessons, discussions and presentations.  I love the idea of students from different areas getting to share their views and ideas on content presented on Collaborate. 

There are so many possible uses for Collaborate, it not only lets you join together to learn with others from areas as close as in the next room to as far away as across the planet, it also has a neat feature called "Sandbox" in which students (and teachers) can meet outside of class time to develop, discuss and play about.  This is very helpful for group assignments.  Students can load power points, do web tours, hold discussions via chat box, over a microphone or web cam, and use a virtual whiteboard to help hash out details or ask questions regarding upcoming work.  Students can sign in at any time, but work is not carried over and needs to be saved by the user.  

Blackboard Collaborate - Check out the video on this page for a quick look at what Maurice Heiblum, the president of Blackboard Collaborate feels student are looking for in their education.