Academic and Commercial Developers to Gather at Second Annual Blackboard Developers Conference
Washington, D.C., July 22, 2004 –Academic and commercial developers of next-generation e-Learning technologies are attending the Second Annual Blackboard Developers Conference July 26 and 27 at Georgetown University in Washington, DC to demonstrate their next generation reusable learning objects. The Blackboard Developers Conference is the premier event for education technologists that work to develop applications that integrate with Blackboard software.
“We are pleased to welcome academic and commercial developers from around the world to our Second Annual Developers Conference,†said Matthew Pittinsky Chairman of Blackboard. “The level of innovation and creativity that has taken place within our developer’s community and our Building Blocks program has been tremendous and we look forward to another exciting few days with our clients and partners. We are especially excited to showcase a number of reusable learning applications that members of our developer community create, use and share across a great many institutions, disciplines, and teaching styles.â€
The unique two day conference will cover topics ranging from in-depth technical sessions on specific APIs (both Java and Microsoft .NETâ„¢ framework), to best practices for designing and developing a Blackboard Building Block.
Other conference highlights will include:
- Presentations from Bowling Green University, George Washington University and the University of South Florida
- Corporate presentations from Microsoft Corporation and Sun Microsystems
- Over 30 technical sessions in Microsoft .NET and Java technologies
- Demonstrations of Building Blocks developed by universities and companies from all over the world
Additionally, Blackboard Chairman, Matthew Pittinsky will deliver a keynote presentation highlighting the growth of the Building Blocks developer community, announcements on new support and tools for developers, information and a demonstration of soon-to-be-released Blackboard software and Blackboard’s support for the use of industry standards in e-Education.
For more information about the Blackboard Developer’s Conference, please visit: http://www.blackboard.com/about/events/ConferenceSchedule.htm.
About Blackboard’s Building Blocks Program
Blackboard’s Building Blocks program, announced in 2000, provides the education industry with an open set of APIs and developer services for creating extensions to Blackboard products. Since its launch nearly 4 years ago, more than 250 institutions and commercial vendors have joined the Building Blocks program and have made nearly 115 Building Blocks available for download from the Building Blocks Catalog. From client developed innovations that extend Blackboard into new pedagogical frontiers, to commercial applications from 3rd party providers who speed their growth through Blackboard’s platform technology and client base, Building Blocks represents a springboard for innovation in the e-Education market.
About Blackboard Inc.
Blackboard is a leading provider of enterprise software and services to the education industry. The Company’s product line consists of five software applications bundled in two suites, the Blackboard Academic Suite™ and the Blackboard Commerce Suite™. Blackboard’s clients include colleges, universities, schools and other education providers, as well as textbook publishers and student-focused merchants that serve education providers and their students. Blackboard is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with offices and staff in North America, Europe and Asia.
Corporate and Investor Contact:
Michael J. Stanton
Blackboard Inc.
+1 (202) 463-4860 ext. 2305
Media Contact:
Kris Coratti
DBC Public Relations Experts
866-774-4720
Any statements in this press release about future expectations, plans and prospects for Blackboard and other statements containing the words “believes,†“anticipates,†“plans,†“expects,†“will,†and similar expressions, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including the factors discussed in our Registration Statement filed on Form S-1 with the SEC. In addition, the forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company’s views as of July 22, 2004. The Company anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause the Company’s views to change. However, while the Company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company’s views as of any date subsequent to July 22, 2004.
