Latest Posts

The Canvas Breach, Blackboard’s Security Posture, and the Five Things Blackboard Admins Can’t Outsource

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This is the second of two posts on the Instructure Canvas data breach. The first post, "The Breach Instructure Saw Coming (And What It Means for the Rest of Us)," covers the ShinyHunters attack history,

The Breach Instructure Saw Coming (And What It Means for the Rest of Us)

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By now, you've read the headlines. The Canvas data breach has been covered by the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Reuters, Higher Ed Dive, Inside Higher Ed, and The Chronicle. At the reported

The Best AI Tools Are Free, At Least In Blackboard

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My last post covered the premium AI features, the AVA suite, and what you get for the additional investment. But this post isn't about the premium tier. It's about the tools that are already sitting

Blackboard’s Premium AI Tools: A Practitioner’s Honest Assessment Before the Clock Runs Out

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If you're running a Blackboard environment right now, you're sitting on a free trial of something that's going to cost you money after June 30th, 2026. Blackboard has made its premium AI features available at

Check Out The Topics…

Roadmaps & Announcements

Blackboard’s roadmaps & announcements can be overwhelming. Someone has to make sense of it so you don’t have to wade through the noise alone. Get my honest take on what’s coming, what matters, and what to actually prepare for.

System Admins

From step-by-step how-tos to “wait, why does it work like THAT?” moments, plus ideas, tips, and everything you need to be the best Blackboard System Admin on the planet.

Integrations

Tired of finding out about integration issues the hard way? I surface the new features, enhancements, and gotchas you need to know, before they become your problem. Because smoother integrations start with better information.

Opinion

Two decades in EdTech gives you a perspective you can’t fake. I’ve seen the trends come and go, the announcements that delivered, and the ones that didn’t. When I weigh in on issues and events, it’s experience talking, not guesswork.

Issues & Experiences

No one can predict every problem that comes your way, but you can walk in better prepared. I’ve troubleshot issues most admins have never even seen, and I’m sharing every lesson learned along the way. There’s a reason people call me the Blackboard Guru, and it didn’t happen overnight.

Archives

American philosopher George Santayana said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” In EdTech, that couldn’t be more true — yesterday’s issues have a way of showing up again tomorrow. This archive exists so the lessons are never more than a search away.