International Law

Michael Rees has a good post on a potentially great new Blackboard tool:

This influence Facebook has over the social networking of university students across the world is undoubtedly significant and probably growing. The dominant learning management system used in universities is Blackboard. However by design Blackboard is a closed system within each institution and it would be very difficult to emulate Facebook?s global reach.

It is quite natural therefore that Blackboard should seek to link with Facebook so that students can be notified of significant Blackboard information changes within their favourite Facebook social environment. Thus we now have BBSync, a Facebook application that synchronises information changes from Blackboard. To allow institutions to control which information, if any, finds its way into the potentially public Facebook network Blackboard now provide a building block. This component also monitors and logs the use of the Facebook application.

Read more here.  From the Bb Sync official wiki:

Blackboard Sync^TM is a safe and secure student engagement tool for Facebook that keeps students continually connected to their academic studies and promotes online social learning opportunities.

COURSE UPDATES

Blackboard Sync is an application that delivers Blackboard course information and updates through the Facebook interface to keep students in touch and engaged with their academic studies. >>More

CLASSMATE NETWORK

Blackboard Sync enables students to connect with their classmates through Facebook, thus creating social learning opportunities. >>More

SAFE SYNC

Blackboard Sync offers several options for participation to give the institutions as much control as they need. >>More

Read more here.  It will be interesting to see whether universities embrace this application.  I think many students would find it useful (although some would surely prefer to keep their social space and educational space separate).  However, the bigger question is whether universities are willing effectively sanction the use of Facebook when I know many may be concerned about plagiarism issues through to the fear of sexual predators being present on the site.  I'm hopeful my institution would be willing to use this tool - after all, they let me set up an official Facebook group for first year law students this year, and we have been early adopters of Second Life, Skype and Gmail -  but I imagine we would probably want to wait and see the experience of other institutions before we adopt this tool.  Regardless I intend to let my supervisors know of this application in the next week and begin to gauge their reaction and the likelihood of early adoption.