Photo courtesy of flickr.com/courosa

1. Getting connected – networked schools need wireless access so that teachers can effectively use the technologies available to them, engage in professional development “on the fly”, and access digital content beyond the confines of the library lab. Then they can test all the work-arounds that beat the firewalls still in place in many schools and use HDMI to share the world within the classroom environment.

2. Classroom management applications in a one to one environment. Several companies (SMART Sync, LanSchool) have launched products enabling a teacher to control student devices from an application, push content, and enable collaborative groups. They can block certain sites, and reduce distraction by steering students toward content and applications relevant to coursework and learning objectives.

3. Bring Your Own Device. Although concerns about equity and access persist, BYOD can allow teachers to work with the tools kids are already bringing to school. Typically seen in High Schools (who’ve realized that if you can’t beat ‘em, you might as well join ‘em), expect this trend to trickle down to the middle and intermediate level as cash-strapped schools and boards offset the cost of major hardware purchases to parents.

4. VoiceThread type collaborative applications that incorporate multimedia and encourage participation. Students can respond to any type of content, like a photo, a video, or a text using their mobile devices. Apps like this encourage critical thinking, sharing, and let kids practice using a number of formats to build their digital profiles.

5. Use of cameras on devices for capturing student work, thought processes etc, particularly as Full Day Kindergarten takes hold in provinces like Ontario. Teachers looking for enhanced assessment can video students in action as they engage in early learning activities, providing a visual running record of progress.

6. Open Educational Resources. Major initiatives across several Canadian provinces are booting the cost and hegemony of traditional publishers in favour of flexible content providers like Flat World Knowledge and CK12.org’s Flexbooks. Teachers have always been amazing at creating their own stuff (know one who doesn’t have 90 plastic “theme” tubs in their basement?), and the growing number of free digital publishing platforms like Pressbooks allow the motivated to make their own materials.

7. Teacher tech training. Apple has Distinguished Educators. Google certifies teachers proficient in using its apps in the school setting. The ed reform movement has placed a lot of pressure on teachers to get up to speed on classroom tech, and we can expect schools to respond by increasing training and PD opportunities. Canada’s ed tech leaders are all over Twitter and make big splashes at the highest profile conferences, like ISTE and FETC.

8. An influx of tech savvy new teachers coming out of programs like Brock University’s Education Technology Leadership cohort, which places 30 student teachers armed with the latest and greatest in hardware and software in classrooms while they learn leadership skills.

9. In-house social networks. Homework lost? Grades forgotten? Missed a council meeting? In the age of pervasive social networking, there’s no reason to miss anything when schools enable secure communities like EdModo and the new and amazing Edsby. With the user friendliness of Facebook combined with the home and school connection proven to impact student achievement, we can expect to see the demise of the weekly pdf’d newsletter and twice a year parent teacher interviews.

10. A backlash to the plethora of gadgets, games and apps that filter their way into the classroom. As childhood obesity rates soar and research shows us that kids are spending less and less time doing what kids need to do, we can expect strong resistance to the amount of time spent online from teachers, parents, physicians, and the media. Expect campaigns to launch that will make you question your child’s amount of screen time. Maybe it’s a skateboard instead of a new DS game this Christmas.

Not this kind of funk.

The Smartest Man in the World

Saul’s post referred to the also inimitable Jelly Helms, who had given him 3 critical questions to consider before working with people. The 3 questions took Saul on a veritable journey of self-discovery (no hyberbole here, friends!), leading to the really rich post I read during my morning angry time.
So here are the questions:

1. What do I love?

2. What do I see that no one else does?

3. What do I do?

I fought with these questions all through the livelong day. I thought of them in relation to my professional life: how I “market” my own small business, and the projects I choose to undertake. Here are my answers:

1. I love learning about people’s business challenges. I especially love to hear what powers an entrepreneur. What is the passionate idea that sparks someone into business? The idea that made them leave their day job and follow that passion? And I love teaching and being part of the lightbulb moment when a technology tool finally makes sense or a strategy comes together.

2. I see opportunities for niche audiences. I see places where content can connect, for as my friend Khayyam Wakil says, “Engagement is hollow without romance.” And I see ways to motivate people to chase their dreams.

3. I connect people to great ideas (usually their own), new avenues of thinking, and new channels of outreach. Sometimes that connection involves social media, and sometimes it involves darts and beer. I help people devise creative strategies.

I felt a whole lot better after that. Focused, and positive. I might have to do it again tomorrow, and I’ll certainly do it again next week.

People will lie to you.
You will be faced with strange requests that test your credibility.
People can be two-faced.
Trolls live under bridges where no goat dare tread.

2 Legit 2 Quit

And somewhere, 2 classrooms in different countries are helping a cute, wee robot find his way home. That oughtta cheer you up.

Thanks to Annelise Larsen, another awesome MOSO contact, for sharing the Robot Stories project. It made my day, week, month!

So here’s one that’s been stuck in my craw (not sure where that came from either) for a while, but has bubbled up with my recent election to our local school’s Parent Council, Curriculum Night, and some inspiring client research.

As a SpaceRacer, I like to wax about marketing, technology, and digitalisms. Since we work closely with educators and education companies, much of the great content and resources I come across are related to teaching and learning, or what some call 21st Century Learning. Every publisher out there has tried to coin it/own it/co-opt it/market it, but the joke is on them. Because you can’t buy it. It isn’t for sale, and it doesn’t come packaged in an app, an e-book, or (grr) a “digitized” PDF.

What is true about 21st Century Learning is that it is an approach that either lives within the heart of a teacher or a school, or it doesn’t. It took 100 years to get here, and it isn’t supposed to look the same as what passed for education 12 years ago. Beyond that, it’s awfully hard to define. Today I came across what I consider to be one of the most authentic “definitions”, if you want to call it that.

EdCampTO is coming up in a mere few weeks. It’s an unconference devoted to conversations about education. It’s inclusive, which means that teachers, administrators, parents and other community members can attend and participate. Vancouver recently had one, and from all accounts, it was a rousing success. I came across a link to Heidi Siwak’s Twitter handle while perusing updates on the site. Interestingly, Heidi’s profile says that she “…is documenting the transformation of her classroom into a 21st century place for learning..”. So I jumped straight to her site and discovered this absolute gem of a post. A post that wraps up so many questions I have about 21C, reassures me, frustrates me…and then throttles me out of my blogging hiatus in one blast. She writes about being approached (by Grade 7 students, no less) to facilitate a photography club at her school, and how it caused her to reflect on a “new model of learning”. And then the kicker – the question that has inspired me to stay up until 2 am blathering on: “These students are limited by the structure of school and have to pursue their learning goals outside of classroom hours. Why, if they’ve identified how and what they wish to learn next, is this so?”

Why indeed? If it wasn’t for this rather daunting problem, then we would be talking about a true 21st Century Learning environment. Yesterday at our school’s Curriculum Night, I asked about student access to technology and was told that “it really has to happen at home instead”, since there’s one computer (that works) in the Grade 4 classroom. It isn’t the fault of the teacher (who is one of the very few in the school to have access to a Smartboard and seems quite keen). It’s the structure of the school, and it’s what has to change in order for students to experience what access to technology provides when properly guided: collaboration, mobility, access, and engagement.

Siwak’s question is so much more about 21st Century Learning than education marketing jargon/hype/sandwich meat.

Where can the learning goals be achieved? That place is the 21st Century. I hope it’s your school.

It’s good to be back.

And some cool links:

Facebook Demographics 2011

How to Use Facebook Social Plug-Ins on your Website

Here are the slides:

And as promised, I will be uploading some handy hand-outs in the next few days.

Thanks for coming out in the cold!

I am a figment of fantasy.

Ahhhh, stock photography. If done well, stock photos can add a powerful, visual element to the content on your website.  But please (my February resolution is to be more polite), please take the time to do comprehensive photo research when you don’t have a shutterbug on hand. Planning the visual aspects of your website is just as important as honing the writing. People can often tell a stock photo when they see one.  That cute woman with a headset and a haircut like a social studies teacher from 1992? She’s not gonna take my order.

Order now. Our operators are waiting.

(And when you find that stock photo that encapsulates everything you want to say in one glorious, crystal-clear image, buy it for goodness sake. Don’t screenshot it and put it up with the watermark showing. Cheap ass.)

Now back to that lady.  I can understand why you might want a photo of a human on your site. Even if the human is not anyone you’ve ever met, and is likely just a clever composite of pixels and Photoshop and googly eyes. Some people believe that a face on a website attracts people – keeping them on the page longer. If that’s your metric, then great. Hang out all day! But what if you want your visitors to take an action?  Wouldn’t it be better to ask them (nicely) to do that?  Wouldn’t that be preferable to having them stare at the blazing white teeth of the Grecian Man who clearly isn’t really a doctor?

Thumbs up!

People are great.  People on your website are great. Especially if the people actually work at your business. If they don’t, it’s highly unlikely that you will fool anyone.  And think of how pissed they’ll be when they do show up and are greeted by your current receptionist, who still has a trace of Movember hanging on and a Cinnabon habit. There went my February resolution.

Here are some great sources of images for your website, especially if you have a small budget. If you’re using a Creative Commons image, please make sure that you understand the license and attribute responsibly. Don’t rip photographers off. They’re the ones capturing our lives, eh.

Flickr’s Creative Commons

Creative Commons Search

Compfight: A Flickr Search Tool

Google Advanced Image Search

Got another one? Add ‘em, Dano!

Today I feel a bit less aggravated as I learned that Ottawa would reverse the controversial CRTC billing decision, but I consider myself warned.

UBB would have a number of negative implications for Canadians. Many have spoken of its potential to kill innovation. To stymie web-based collaboration and the development and sharing of content. To create a dangerously tiered structure of access, with the wealthiest having the greatest access. UBB would limit access in the sectors where we are at a critical crossroads and need innovation, such as health care and education, at the expense of the profit and content monopolies that our telecoms so desperately want to preserve.  It ain’t right.

Yesterday’s hectoring, school-marmy National Post editorial in support of UBB reeked of telecom lobbyism and ignorance.

How can we push and advocate for free, open, and transparent use of the internet, when cost issues (as opposed to old thinking and ideologies) are the prohibitive factor?  Yeah, unlimited web access is great, if you can afford it.

Alistair Fairweather

And then a beloved and trusted South African Twitter contact chimed in on my frustrations. You see, UBB is the state of the internet in South Africa. She connected me with Alistair Fairweather, who is the Digital Platforms Manager for South Africa’s Mail and Guardian online. He also writes for Memeburn and News24. I was curious to explore the implications and outcomes of UBB in a place where it is part of the system, and Alistair was gracious enough to answer my questions:

How much does the average South African pay for unlimited monthly internet? Is this affordable?

Does this constrain the average web user from accessing the media they are interested in?

Does UBB prevent certain types of media (video etc) from being produced and accessed?

Any implications for education? Online learning?

How do South Africans feel about it? Have they tried to change it?

Is there a telecom monopoly?

I’d like to thank Alistair Fairweather for taking the time to share his insights on this issue.

Canadians – be warned.  Let’s hope the decision sticks.

We were concerned that our wee SpaceRacer wasn’t getting enough access to technology in school. In fact, she’s getting none. The transition to 21st Century Learning is happening v-e-r-y slooooooowwwwly in most places in Canadian schools, and she’s been unlucky thus far to have teachers who’ve been mostly uninterested, unmotivated, and unaware of the potential for digital tools in the classroom. But before I rant on (because this really riles me up), I’d like to share a sliver of silver lining.

Upon expressing my frustrations to the school principal, we devised a plan to incorporate a little technology into the lives of the digitally deprived students.  A weekly one hour session with a new educational technology tool. Project focused, and related to something happening within the school community. And it was as easy as being able to give up an hour of my time (with a few to prep, of course). Within a day or 2 of proposing the idea, the principal had forwarded me a list of 41 keen kiddies. 41!  She’d made arrangements for us to meet in the library, in order to use the school’s smartboards and laptops for the activity. No red tape. No cumbersome permission forms:  if you’re interested, just come and learn.

Today is the first day of SpaceRace Technology Club, and I am so very excited to facilitate a Bitstrips project with 41 Grade 3 and 4 students.  If you haven’t heard of it, Bitstrips is an online comic strip creator.  The educational arm of the service, Bitstrips for Schools, is a teaching tool that “engages students using a medium they love – Comics!”  It’s 100% web-based, and includes tons of curriculum-connected activities designed by a huge network of educators. It’s fun and social – a great way to get students working collaboratively to share stories using technology. Our topic is “Kindness”, and I can hardly wait to see the madness that ensues.

I’m very excited about today. It’s the start of something really cool – I can just feel it!

Celebrating with the amazing Glyn Moore

Monday was Community Manager Appreciation Day (follow #CMAD on Twitter). I celebrated by eating half a jar of Nutella with a butter knife. We know how to party around here.

I wanted to post on the day, but being a busy Community Manager myself, I didn’t have time because I was busy connecting, advocating, researching, promoting, listening, and responding!

All self-congratulatory binging aside, it’s a great week to consider what a Community Manager can do for your organization, and how the role has evolved with the maturity of many social networks, and the growing understanding of the importance of online outreach and participation. Community Managers bridge many roles, but:

• the Community Manager is not a marketing specialist
• the Community Manager is not tech support
• the Community Manager is not customer service

Rather, the Community Manager plays a tune that’s a bit like a one man band (a good one man band). The Community Manager:

• manages the editorial content of your initiatives, ensuring that content is appropriate, engaging, and available through all channels through appropriate messaging

• knows your website and message as well as they know their own sibling

• connects people, be they “influencers”, “squeaky wheels”, or your run of the mill evangelist, and connects them to the information they need or to others who can help them advance their interests

• manages the “voice” through social media channels and monitors them effectively, responding to Tweets, Facebook comments, comments posted on external blogs, and all other social networks

• listens with ears wide open for opportunities to thank and connect with engaged online audiences, and to solve problems, slay trolls, and monitor sentiment

It’s an evolving, but critical role, and the list of responsibilities above is not exhaustive. Non-profit Community Managers will experience a much different day-to-day than their big brand counterparts. Community Managers in the middle of a move from beta to big time won’t mirror the work that goes on in an established initiative.

I’ve compiled some of my favourite Community Management reading out there. Have suggestions? Put ‘em in the comments, friend!

12 Steps to Hiring a Social Media Manager

What your Community Manager Should Be Doing

Fire Your Marketing Manager and Hire A Community Manager

15 Essential Articles for Online Community Managers

…aaaaand the Community Roundtable is chock full of nutritious advice for Community Managers. Check it out.

This gentleman uses smart productivity tools, and his resolutions are well on track. Look how relaxed he is.

Know what? Now’s the time. The hype has died down (a bit). The rest of the world is whinging that only three weeks have passed, and they’ve already broken the rules. Let themselves down. Failed to ship.

Take 3 graspable goals to set for 2011. Any of these tools might help make ‘em happen.

1. BaseCamp

Since we’re an uber-small business, we can’t (yet) hire someone to boss us around and tell us what to do. We wanted a solution that would help us manage our clients and projects, instead of the other way ‘round. And what we’ve found is that BaseCamp is the single best thing out there to keep us on track. Milestones are deadlines. To Do lists can be easily integrated with Milestones. Which means that deadlines can’t sneakily creep up and whoosh past, in the words of Douglas Adams. Writeboards let us brainstorm with clients in real time, which means we can work in our pajamas most of the time. It even lets us store files, so that they don’t get lost in email hell. Our clients seem to like the workflow set up that it provides them access to – and that workflow is what keeps us sane while multi-tasking and juggling llamas. Free and paid versions available, depending on how many projects you’re managing. Great for personal stuff too, like tracking diet and fitness goals.

2. Instapaper

Keeping up with your professional development goals can be extremely challenging, because you’re freakin’ busy. If you spend a lot of time online (and especially if any that time is spent in social networks) you probably come across a multitude of great stuff that you’d give your eyeteeth to read, but you just don’t have the free half hour, 9 times a day. (BTW, if you gave your eyeteeth, who would want them? Always wondered this.) The best tool I’ve found for archiving and saving the delightful gems I mean to read but can’t always access in real time is Instapaper. By adding a little Read Later button in your Bookmarks bar, you can simply click and save anything for later. Then, when you’re luxuriously lounging in your velour, you can visit your page and immerse yourself in the learning you’ve had the foresight to set up for yourself. You can even convert articles to text, ePub format, or printables (if you’re mad at trees). It feels good to learn. It’s a good, graspable goal. And it feels good to lounge about in velour, too. Free!

3. FreshBooks

We’re just big enough to need an accountant. Because we aren’t math people. Because we simply don’t have time to do the best work we can, and then turn around and be brilliant money strategists. We have to ski when we’re not working. An accountant is lovely, but it doesn’t mean that we can turn a blind eye to the incomings, outgoings, and time management issues of our business. So we use FreshBooks. It lets us invoice, track those invoices, manage taxes, track time spent on projects (even integrating with BaseCamp, which gives me shivers of joy), and communicate professionally with our clients. The quality of the FreshBooks blog is astounding, considering they spend so much time providing awesome customer service, responding to Tweets, and generally being cool. We want to be that cool as well, so we rely on a tool like FreshBooks to do the work for us. Free and paid plans available.

None of the above services paid for our gushingly positive reviews. We just like to write about things we like, because not every day requires a good rant.

Good luck with your resolutions, whether you’re already making progress or just getting started. Work hard, but make some time to slay the pow.