Those familiar with Blackboard know that it is an E-Learning Course Management solution for managing all aspects of online courses including:

Assessment
Lessons
Assignments
Grade Books
Content Sharing

The service is backed with an exceptional level of customer service. Something which is not found with most free online course management solutions. With the latest update it even includes tools to prevent plagiarism, and a feature for bookmarking and sharing content in a del.icio.us fashion.

More detailed information on the features of Blackboard can be found in their product brochure here.

What Blackboard clients might not have yet realized is that Blackboard now seamlessly incorporates a streamlined version of WImba which strongly enhances the product’s usefulness and impact on student learning at no extra cost. If you are already a Blackboard user, upgrading to add WImba functionality is as simple as downloading the upgrade. More info can be found here.

WImba functionality means that you can add voice, controlled chat, and an interactive whiteboard setting to your current tools available on Blackboard. This means that you can now assign students to post voice recorded answers, have students message each other in a controlled environment, and interact with your lessons as if they were being taught on an interactive whiteboard. Video conferencing is also available as an add-on.

More information about the features that are included free for all Blackboard users can be found in their brochure here.

If you’re not a Blackboard user and you would like to try it out, Blackboard is extending a special offer to all TTB readers that consider themselves to be “technology evangelists”. This offers gives you access to a Blackboard CourseSite free for a year(a $495 value) by using the coupon code “teachertechblog” at k12.blackboard.com.Their hope is that individual teachers will try it, and encourage their IT administrators to implement a school wide distribution. The trial does not include the Wimba features, but does include all of the bells and whistles of a regular BB CourseSite with nothing to install on a school’s server. All that is required is to sign up using the coupon code. From there you would, of course, need to work with your school on developing the online class.