Blackboard Inc. announced today the addition of augmented reality (AR) to its Blackboard Mobile™ Central platform. The company is also announcing the launch of Explorer for iPhone, a free standalone app that leverages the same interface to allow iPhone users anywhere to explore the world around them with augmented reality.
Blackboard Mobile’s augmented reality interface uses the iPhone’s camera, GPS, accelerometer, gyroscope and compass to let users explore and learn about places around them. With a tap, students can find the nearest computer labs, navigate a dormitory complex or even see a bus blocks away moving in real time through their device camera lens. By pointing their smartphone at a campus building, users can also find out its name, significance, hours of operations and historical information.
Blackboard Inc. has also introduced an open enrollment option for CourseSites™, letting instructors open registration so any number of students can sign up for courses they are teaching with the free, hosted and supported online system. In addition, the company has added mobile support, giving over 200,000 CourseSites users access on a range of smartphones and mobile devices.
Launched in 2011, CourseSites is a free, cloud-based course option that leverages Blackboard’s latest technology for course management, Web collaboration and mobile learning. For more information, visit: http://www.coursesites.com.
