BlackPhone is the mobile collaboration tool for Blackboard Learning System. The product allows students to have permanent access to their Blackboard system account from personal mobile phone. With BlackPhone application user can manage announcements, events and tasks according to his/her privileges, and even take online training courses. This handy application can be installed on virtually any cell phone with J2ME support and with internet connection! On server side it is integrated with Blackboard system via Building Block API.

Key Features

Announcements

Here student may browse announcements like at the Blackboard’s web application, and also can make the system to notify his phone about new announcements by SMS. The following features are available for announcements:

• View announcement list
• View announcement details
• Specify period of time for view
• Manage alerts and notifications

Calendar

If user selects the calendar menu item he/she will be able to manage events. Calendar contains several views that user can switch – daily, weekly and monthly views are provided. These views are described in details below.

• Monthly view
  In monthly view user sees a calendar with dates organized in a table according to a day of week. Dates with events are highlighted to differ from usual ones.
• Weekly view
  In weekly view there is a list of days of week with indicating days with planned events.
• Daily view
  In daily view events are organized in a list, each with title and date pointed inline, this list is sorted in time ascending order.

Managing functionality for events is the same as for announcements, but with additional ability to add new events to calendar as well. Features for events:

• View event details
• Add/edit/delete event

Tasks

This is a complete copy of related web functionality. Tasks will be organized in a list with sorting ability. Tasks module includes:

• View task list
• View task details
• Add/edit/delete task

Requirements

The mobile client is developed for and tested with the Blackboard learning system version 6.0 and 7.0. But it can be easily adapted for any newer version of the system. BlackPhone mobile interacts with Blackboard learning system server through our own building block (server module), so mobile client doesn’t require any significant modifications.

Server module:  Java 1.5, Apache Tomcat 5.0 or later, Blackboard learning system server 6.0 or higher
Mobile client:  MIDP2.0/CLDC1.0