TECH Talks

#K12Online11 - Telling My Story

2011-11-30T21:05:00.000-06:00

I've participated in the K12 Online Conference every year for the last handful of years. I look forward to this online conference each year, as there is a wealth of information posted on a daily basis that's free for the taking.

While I've worked alongside several of the people who make this virtual conference happen every fall, I've never done more than subscribe to the presentation feed in iTunes and catch most of the presentations each year. I know many people who have presented and keynoted K12 Online Conference strands over the last five years, and this year I felt as though participating from the sidelines just wasn't enough.

When asked if I'd submit something for the 'Story Time' strand for this year's conference, I jumped at the chance. I spent many hours thinking about what I'd present & how I'd share. I had all kinds of great ideas for an innovative presentation that would challenge me and inspire those who took the time to sit through my presentation.

Then, all of a sudden, the K12 Online Conference was upon us and my session wasn't complete. Having taken on too many projects this fall, I was forced to just "git 'er done" instead of creating the kind of presentation that I had envisioned.

Although my first time presenting in this amazing conference didn't turn out the way that I had initially envisioned, I'm still happy with my submission. I don't know that anyone will walk away from this presentation thinking 'that was absolutely spectacular', but I do think that the folks who take the time to watch my presentation will be inspired by the idea of celebrating the little things that happen in their classrooms and schools on a daily basis.

We are shaped by our experiences, as are our students. If you're willing to take the time to watch "When Learning Becomes An Event", you'll find that it's all about living in the moment - capturing and highlighting the learning experiences that are occurring all around us.

An Arctic Adventure

2011-11-11T07:02:00.000-06:00

In exactly 24 hours, I'm hopping on a little plane to fly from Winnipeg up to Churchill, Manitoba. While I've lived in Manitoba over half of my life, I've never had the opportunity to travel this far north before. Not only will this be my first time visiting Churchill, but the way that I get to take in the tundra will be very different than the way most people get to experience northern Manitoba.

I've been asked to join Polar Bears International and Edmodo to assist with facilitating several days worth of webinars and video conferences. I'll be working alongside a panel of world-renowned scientists and researchers as they study polar bears in their natural habitat. We'll be witnessing, first-hand, the impact of global climate change as polar bears congregate along the shores of Hudson Bay to await the formation of the sea ice.

I know that there will be a lot of 'work' to do as this adventure unfolds, but this really is work worth celebrating! Connecting with hundreds of classrooms around the world to answer the questions of teachers and students alike. Connecting with zoos and universities to provide real-time updates about what we're seeing during this year's fall polar bear migration. And capturing every aspect of this adventure through lenses so that all of the details can be archived.

The morning after I arrive in Churchill, our team boards Tundra Buggy One - this is the same vehicle that streams live video of polar bears over the web via The Polar Bear Cam. We'll roll about 40km over the icy tundra toward Cape Churchill. This is where we'll find Tundra Buggy Lodge, a series of Tundra Buggy's that have been converted to a portable base camp that our team will call home for a few days. Between Tundra Buggy One and Tundra Buggy Lodge, there will be nothing but a thin sheet of metal separating me from dozens of polar bears in the wild.

This is sure to be an adventure that you'll want to follow as it unfolds. I've set up a website so that I can share my stories, pictures and videos as they are captured. If you want to feel as though you're right by my side aboard Tundra Buggy One & Tundra Buggy Lodge, you'll want to check out Chilling with Nanuq.

I hope you'll follow along :-)

Telling My #unplugd11 Story

2011-10-21T20:22:00.000-05:00

Last night a bunch of educators from around Manitoba gathered at the King's Head Pub for ManACE's annual preSAGE event. This year's theme was 'Telling Our (Digital) Stories' and one aspect of the evening saw the Manitoban #unplugd11 participants sharing their reflections on the Unplug'd experience.

This was my first time racing against the clock with a five minute presentation set to auto-play through the slides. Any chance I can get to talk about the impact that Unplug'd has had on me is a great opportunity to reminisce about the experience.

If you've got five minutes, you may want to check out 'My #unplugd11 Story'...

Hackin' the Radee-o

2011-09-02T15:10:00.001-05:00

Yesterday marked a first for me - broadcasting live over a mainstream radio network along with my old buddy & new co-worker, Darren Kuropatwa.

This was an awesome experience for me on a number of levels. I'd listened in a couple of times in the past when Darren was being interviewed by Richard Cloutier on CJOB radio and I knew that we'd be in for a great conversation. Sitting beside Darren while he waxed poetic about various aspects of the current state of our education system was nothing less than thrilling.

You can have a listen to the broadcast here:

Part 1

Part 2

Richard Cloutier was a great facilitator and he's a master of his craft. Along with Mark, the young & gifted sound engineer for the Richard Cloutier Report, this 'Dynamic Duo' sure knew how to ask the right questions and push all of the right buttons to keep the conversation moving forward. Whether fielding questions from callers or quickly locating and queuing up 'teacher' tunes for use between commercials and guest spots, both Richard and Mark were gracious hosts.

But what really set this experience apart for me was the sense that we were trying something new - pushing the limits just a little. During the frequent sponsored breaks, weather reports and news updates, we kept the conversation going. Through both Twitter and Today's Meet back-channel conversations, we were able to engage with our live audience and connect on a much deeper level with the CJOB listenership than we could have if we were simply fielding e-mails and phone calls.

Sure, we responded to a few callers through the two hour broadcast, but we were able to connect with many more of our listeners in real time through our back-channel conversations. Not only did they ask some critical questions, but they also provided us with some valuable answers. It was all of our collective knowledge that made for a much richer conversation.

At one point during a sponsored break, Richard even commented about how they needed to find new ways and better ways of keeping the conversations going during all phases of their program. Sure, they have to hand the airwaves over to their sponsors for a portion of their time, but this shouldn't kill the conversation. From behind the glass wall at the back of the studio, we could already hear Mark's wheels turning as he pondered the many ways he could put a Twitter account to good use during future broadcastings of the Richard Cloutier Report...

Our conversation turned in many different directions, and we covered a lot of ground. We discussed assessment, mobile devices, textbooks, spelling and so much more. And our dialogue caused listeners to reflect on many of their own beliefs about where our education system is today and where we need to be tomorrow.

The opportunity to share ideas and information through mainstream radio has me thinking more deeply about the societal changes we're seeing all around us as a result of the technologies that are now commonplace. We know that textbook companies need to give themselves a facelift to maintain their appeal in this day and age. We've seen our major newspapers strive to update their image to maintain their relevance through the information age. We've witnessed a dramatic shift in the role of the record companies who once owned the ability to bring our favourite music to our ears. And we're still seeing the need for radio networks to put themselves in closer contact with their listeners.

This is something that was really brought to my attention earlier this summer when I attended Unplug'd. Although I'd heard a bit of buzz surrounding #ds106radio prior to my arrival at Unplug'd, I really didn't know much about this grassroots broadcasting platform. I didn't know that #ds106radio was as mechanism that had been developed by Grant Potter where anyone, anywhere could broadcast live from their computer or mobile device. But the power of #ds106radio became immediately apparent to me when I witnessed Bryan Jackson conducting a live broadcast with Danika Barker, Dean Shareski & Alec Couros (and so many more) aboard the Unplug'd bus...

The Unplug'd 'buscast' was a real eye-opener for me because I saw how Bryan tapped people on the shoulder to share their wisdom and how the Twitter network responded in real-time. This dynamic has huge potential and really brings the power of the audience to the forefront...

I've started listening casually to the #ds106radio feed and heard many of my Unplug'd friends taking over the airwaves the share their songs and their stories. I've even had a couple of opportunities to broadcast with others on #ds106radio over the last couple of weeks and it's really opened my eyes to the possibilities that exist with this medium. I'm extremely grateful to Alan Levine for taking Chris Harbeck, Darren & I under his wing and getting us on the the radio as he wound through Winnipeg this summer on his North American odyssey.

There's power in this medium and I need to take more time to explore it more fully. Any advice that you can offer me when it comes to hackin' the radee-o?

Unplug'd - it's a long story...

2011-08-19T00:39:00.000-05:00

Earlier this month, I was one of the lucky few who had the privilege of participating in Unplug'd - the inaugural Canadian Education Reform Summit. Like many of the other participants, I've encountered some difficulty in articulating what this experience has meant to me. When asked about my experiences 'unplugging', I really don't know where to begin. I've come to realize that the reason I'm challenged with a response is that I want to tell people EVERYTHING about the experience.

It's not enough to say that I really connected on so many levels with 36 other amazing individuals. And I can't simply state that I've deepened my relationships with passionate educators from across the country that I've only ever known through my various online networks. To leave it at this would cheapen the experience.

Telling people that each and every one of the stories I heard and shared have shaped my thinking doesn't even begin to convey the impact these stories have had on me. These tales were so raw and powerful that they evoked a wide range of emotions in all of the participants. Whether they were shared in a whole/home group meeting, over a meal, around a campfire or in a canoe, these stories often brought forth either tears of joy or pain. They struck different chords for all of us, depending on our role within the system and the experiences that we brought with us to Algonquin's Northern Edge.

These stories will stick with me for many years to come. And they will flow through me - ready to be shared at any given opportunity so that others can benefit from the value of these yarns.

I firmly believe that it's the stories - OUR stories - that made Unplug'd such an overwhelmingly positive experience. The stories that we've told, the stories that we're telling and the stories that we've yet to tell.

The full impact of our stories can't be grasped when they're told in isolation or without context. Sure, each and every one of our narratives is powerful and will have a ripple effect when shared with others. But we'll really make waves by sharing our stories as a collective.

We came together to share our stories and, even after parting ways, our stories continue to be told by us and are beginning to be told more widely through our networks. We've planted the seeds and now we want to watch them grow. But we know that it's not enough to sit back and wait for this to happen - we must tend to our seeds and nurture them to ensure that they flourish.

The 'slow release' of our collaborative writing project, "Why _____ Matters", is a fantastic way to keep the conversation flowing. The anticipation of what's to come will keep all of us coming back and each of us will bring a bunch of friends along to share in these conversations.

To the organizers of Unplug'd - THANK YOU for your vision, your passion and your guidance in bringing us this far... I can't wait to find out where our efforts will take us :-)

And to the many friends, new & old, that I've met along the way - THANK YOU for sharing your stories... they've shaped me in more ways than I currently know. I'm deeply humbled by the opportunity to work alongside each and every one of you and I look forward to all of the future collaborations that will stem from our Unplug'd experience...

When I talk to others about my experiences participating in Unplug'd, I share your stories. Whether your stories come in the form of your personal narratives, the pictures you've shared, the tweets you've sent or posts that you've published, it's your stories that people want to hear.

Our collective stories need to be heard.

Managing Online Circles

2011-07-31T07:46:00.000-05:00

With the advent of Google+ coinciding with the arrival of my summer holidays, I've been feeling a little out of the loop over the past few weeks. I typically try to 'unplug' a little over the summer so that I can recharge my batteries for new projects & collaborations as another school year begins. This means taking a bit of a breather from most of my online connections. Not completely removing myself per se, but limiting the amount of time that I engage with these tools.

But now that Google+ has been introduced, I've felt the need to dabble - to connect with different people in different ways, to create new social circles with my online connections. Well, not really new social circles, but more social circles...

Herein lies the problem for me. With all of the online communities that are available to participate in, I'm beginning to find that it's becoming increasingly difficult to 'manage' my participation in each. Is regular participation required in each of these communities in order to make them meaningful?

I participate in a number of social networks and I find that I use each one in a slightly different way - each tool has it's own purpose for me. I like each of the social networks to which I belong because of that sense of community. And when new social networks arrive on the scene - especially networks that have been developed by the heaviest hitters in the online world - I don't hesitate to jump on board and explore the features and possibilities.

I know a great many educators who shun all aspects of connecting & collaborating online. You and I both know that these teachers are doing themselves a great disservice by avoiding the use of these tools. For some of these teachers, they refuse to take the plunge because they feel that they've always been fine without the use of these tools. For others, they feel that they have nothing to contribute. But the excuse that I hear more than any other is the lack of time - they feel that they just can't afford the time that it would take to participate effectively in an online community.

It's a shame that we still have so many educators who have not realized the potential that social networking has to offer. But, to be honest, I'm starting to see where some of these teachers are coming from. It takes time to manage your participation in these learning communities. Is it worth the effort? Of course! But it can be tricky to juggle your online circles. I've begun to wonder just how many balls I can keep up in the air without dropping them...

Magical Moments

2011-06-26T09:01:00.000-05:00

I had the privilege of attending TEDxPhillyEd yesterday and I was blown away by what unfolded before my eyes. I've been a live participant in a couple of TEDx events already this year (TEDxManitoba & TEDxJuanDeFuca), so I knew what to expect going into this...

At least I thought I did. The two other TEDx events that I attended were great. The speakers were all world class and I walked away with so many ideas to pick apart. But as I walked away from TEDxPhillyEd yesterday, I couldn't help but think that the experience wasn't just great - it was magical.

Everything about this event was perfect - from the venue and the speakers, to the hosting city and the sponsors. The organizing committee deserves a huge round of applause for crafting their vision for this event and bringing it to fruition :-)

There are so many things that transpired throughout the day that I really can't articulate them all succinctly in a blog post. But there are a few ideas that I'd like to pick apart here that have got me thinking. One of the most significant things that made the day so special for me were the connections.

I connected for the first time in person with a number of the people I'd only ever known virtually. Seeing your network come to life in this way is a very satisfying experience and one that will stick with me for a long time to come.

All of the talks throughout the day were so well connected, from the featured speakers, to the students and the emcees. Everything about the content and format of the day was so well designed. The TED videos that were shown throughout the day were directly connected to speakers who were in the room, which served to complement the live event perfectly.

Even the hospitality area where participants networked during the breaks was connected to the content of the sessions, providing all of us with the opportunity to see, first-hand, the passion for learning that was so clearly articulated throughout the day. I loved how participants even had the opportunity to test out their new Echo Smartpens that were given to each and every one of us by one of the event sponsors - THANKS for your generosity, Livescribe!!!

I'm not going to go into any detail about the individual talks - suffice to say, they were all brilliant. I tweeted incessantly throughout the day about my own take-aways. I tweeted more yesterday than I've ever tweeted before, and I tagged all of my tweets with the hashtag for the event - #tedxphillyed - a hashtag that proved to be used by so many people that it was trending in Philadelphia yesterday...

If you want specifics, you really need to find them for yourself. You can follow the discussions with the hashtag listed above. You'll also want to check the TEDxPhillyEd website for the archived videos - they will all be made available soon and I know that I will be revisiting each and every one of them!

I do, however, have one lingering thought about the day. When asked how many people in the room were Twitter users, I was surprised to see about half of the hands shoot up. And I was also astounded by the sheer number of iPads in the room - clearly tablets are taking over as the device of choice among educators.

But where were all of these people on Twitter? Sure there were a LOT of tweets contributed to the feed, but there were really only about a dozen of us in the room who were using the hashtag to track the conversation. There were also a number of people who were contributing to the dialogue from abroad.

As I looked around at all of the iPads in the room, I noticed that many (most?) users were recording their reflections using Notes. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I think there's SO much more power in sharing our reflections in transparent ways. I know that if I were using Notes to record my thoughts and ideas, they'd live on my iPad and I'd occasionally review them to refresh my memory about what I felt was important at the time. Nobody else would benefit from me capturing these highlights in this way :-(

When an idea resonated with me, I tweeted about it. On many occasions, other people retweeted my tweets to show consensus. Several times throughout the day, I engaged in side conversations surrounding these topics with different people in different places. I thought much more deeply about the content as a result of the continuing conversations.

The whole idea behind any TEDx event is to make a difference. To bring together a group of like-minded individuals and push them to think about the things that matter. TEDx is all about spreading ideas and information - to encourage people to create and innovate.

Moving beyond TEDxPhillyEd, all of us have a responsibility to keep the message alive. By attending this event, we've all made an informal commitment to spread the word within our own learning communities. How do you plan to keep the message alive? How will you share your own take-aways from this event? How will you make a difference?

WoW! - Writing on Writing

2011-06-21T11:32:00.000-05:00

I just completed a really interesting chapter in the story of my life and decided I need to use this space to share it. In a way, I was contracted to do some writing and I really didn't know what I was getting myself into. I've written a lot of content over the years, but I've written it primarily for myself and the limited number of people who visit my blog.

I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to join the Edmodo Featured Blogger Team. There were five of us from around the world that were asked to post to the Edmodo blog once a week for the past ten weeks. I was humbled by the opportunity to write alongside this amazing group of educators!

I've been overseeing the implementation of this secure educational social networking platform within our school division. As a result, my posts provided a 'view from the district' and they were all related to various aspects of implementing Edmodo in our classrooms and schools.

Knowing that the readership of the Edmodo blog is significantly higher than the number of readers I see here, I really felt as though I had to pay close attention to the words I wrote. I spent a great deal more time than I usually do reading and re-reading the sentences and paragraphs that I wrote, because it was important to me that each word was used for a reason...

In looking back over the ten posts that I submitted to the blog, I'm proud of my accomplishments. I can see how I've grown and changed even over the last couple of months. I find it fascinating to reflect on how my story over the last ten weeks unfolded as I built upon my preceding posts from one week to the next.

I though it might be interesting to link to my Edmodo blog posts here, in the event that you're curious as to the story I've told. If so, you may want to go top up your cup of coffee, find a comfy chair to curl up in and settle in from the beginning ;-)

Week # 1 - getting started...
Week # 2 - professional development...
Week # 3 - it's all about connecting...
Week # 4 - sharing 'pockets of innovation'...
Week # 5 - technology infusion & the BYTE Challenge...
Week # 6 - breathing new life into an old system...
Week # 7 - why use Edmodo with your students?
Week # 8 - spreading the word...
Week # 9 - get out of the way...
Week # 10 - the end, or a new beginning?

Thanks, Edmodo, for this amazing opportunity!

When Learning Becomes An Event

2011-05-14T09:58:00.000-05:00

I had a fantastic week of connecting, sharing and learning with many colleagues from around the province of Manitoba as I attended the Riding The Wave conference out in Gimli. It's always a treat getting together face to face with like-minded educators, and I often find that (for me, anyway) some of the richest learning experiences take place between sessions as participants reflect over a cup of coffee and extend their own learning.

I was invited to present a couple of sessions at this year's conference. You'll find one of these two sessions below - 'When Learning Becomes An Event'. I've been thinking a lot about how I learn and how our students learn. This session proved to be an opportunity to take participants on a little journey to explore the idea of extending the learning by celebrating even the little things that happen in our classrooms and in our schools.

There's been so much talk in recent years about '21st Century Skills'. It's time for less talk and more doing. Teachers and students need to see tangible ways of incorporating social media into the teaching and learning that takes place in their classrooms.

If you just want to poke through my slidedeck, you can find it posted on Slideshare. However, I think you'll find that the content just isn't complete without the narrative. For that very reason, I recorded a screen capture of the actual presentation which you can watch right here...

If you're willing to take the time to view my presentation (about 70 minutes), I hope you'll take two extra minutes and post your own reflections, questions, comments, etc...

Making Our Learning Transparent

2011-05-01T10:06:00.000-05:00

I had the opportunity to attend my second TEDx live event just a few short hours ago and my head is still spinning. As I drove away from an amazing day of sharing, learning and networking at TEDxJuanDeFuca, my mind was reeling. Such a diverse array of speakers and each of them rose to the occasion in a very big way.

I've been reflecting on each of the speakers I saw and I must say - they were all brilliant :-)

But I've also been thinking a lot about how I learn.
And how I make my learning transparent.
And how I learn best by sharing.

One of the ways we all learn best is through sharing.

Yesterday: I shared some of my learning through tweets and images. I talked about my learning.
Today: I'm writing about what I've learned and how I learn.
Tomorrow - (or another day...) - I'll share my learning however and wherever I can.

How do you make your learning transparent?

The Safety Net

2011-03-09T06:14:00.000-06:00

I fell off the horse months ago and made the mistake of not climbing on again right away.

I'm amazed at how easy it's been to ignore my blog and voice my thoughts, ideas & opinions elsewhere (in 140 characters or less). All of the things I'd traditionally use my blog for have been replaced by micro-blogging - sharing current projects, highlighting resources, networking with colleagues. I never intended to remain silent for so long on the blogging front, but I find some comfort in the fact that I'm not the only edublogger who's ever taken a little reprieve from publishing in this format.

But the time has come to break my blogging silence. And the reason is simple. I have a favour to ask of my professional learning network. You are my social net and, in this case, I'm hoping that I can count on you as my safety net as well - in place to catch me if I fall ;-)

Image Credit: 'Greekadman'

In just a couple of days, Darren Kuropatwa and I are being put to the test. We've been tasked with educating a live audience of 200+ for three hours on the opportunities and challenges that exist with social media in a classroom setting. While we're thrilled about the prospect of taking this audience on a journey and challenging them to try new things and see new possibilities, we can't shake the fear of having our plans backfire.

That's where you come in - the social network, the professional learning network. You see, we've structured the afternoon in such a way that our virtual attendees could get just as much out of participating as our live audience will. In fact, with increased virtual participation, the participants in the room will get that much more out of their experience.

The entire afternoon will be streamed live over the web and you can catch the Livestream on the Create Faire website. The focus for the afternoon will involve having participants work together to create content which, ultimately, could be re-purposed in any number of ways down the road.

We'll be encouraging participants to tweet throughout the afternoon using the hashtag #createfaire - this will serve as their feedback and provide them with an opportunity to voice their opinions or concerns. Participants will be asked to tweet with the prompts 'I like...' or 'I worry...' with regards to the social media opportunities and challenges that are raised throughout the morning. If we could have you tweeting with these same prompts, or using the #createfaire hashtag and engaging some of these Twitter newbies by pushing back a little, that would be fantastic :-)

A portion of the afternoon will involve participants (did I mention we'll have students in the room along with teachers & administrators...) using their mobile devices to snap some pictures and e-mail them in to us for inclusion in a collaborative slideshow. All photos will be auto-tagged and licensed under a Creative Commons NC-AT-SA license. We'd love to include your pictures as well - just send them to:

did40use@photos.flickr.com

So, I've filled you in on the basics, but there's so much more in store for everyone who is part of Create Faire. We'd love to have you take part in this event in some capacity.

Please consider joining us virtually for Create Faire this Friday afternoon, March 11th, from 1:00pm to 4:00pm CST. Darren and I are confident that (if everything works according to plan) this will be a professional learning experience unlike any these folks have ever had the opportunity to participate in before. And, with your participation, it'll be that much more meaningful for everyone involved :-)

Please leave a comment if you'd like to participate virtually and I'll make sure that all relevent information is shared with you...

Pump Up The Volume

2010-08-10T05:36:00.000-05:00


Image Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/53611153@N00/2337887067

No, this post isn't a tribute to the eclectic 80's band MARRS, although their tune was mighty catchy. Those of you that know me likely assumed that this post had something to do with music, as I have been known to spend too much time and money on live music - but no, you won't find that in this post either ;-)

This post has grown out of some reflecting that I've been doing over the summer about media literacy and the increasing need to make sense of the wealth of information and content that we're bombarded with on a daily basis. The times, they are a changin', and we need to really think about how we are preparing ourselves and our children to embrace these changes...

I haven't spent a whole lot of time at home this summer and my adventures have taken me through many diverse landscapes. Through photography, I've tried to freeze all of these moments in time to preserve my memories of the places I've been and the people I've seen. I've really played the role of a tourist well - I've had my camera by my side every step of the way.

5 weeks & 4300 images later...

What do I have to show for all of these adventures? Far too much to fill an old-school photo album. But I do have plenty of material to create some captivating photo slideshows. My wife has a tonne of quality images to use in her digital scrapbooking. I can produce, upload & share videos of our adventures, or burn DVD's chronicling our summer holidays for family and friends. All of these things require the use of the media that we've been acquiring along the way.

It hasn't always been this way...

You see, we got a new camera. Our first digital SLR - a Canon Rebel XSi. We've decided that although we're both amateur photographers, we're ready for more than we can get out of our standard point and shoot cameras. My wife and I both love this new camera and we've done a great job of 'breaking it in' by shooting a tonne of photos. But 4300 shots - really? There's no need for that! To me, this just exemplifies the way our lives are changing as a result of the media-rich culture in which we live, work & play.

Rewind about 13 years...

Image Source: http://sajidgidda.com/life/the-descent-of-the-photographer

This was it - my first digital camera, a Sony Mavica. I fell in love with this camera instantly for the ease of use and convenience of seeing and sharing my photos instantly. This was before memory cards & USB cables were commonplace. All I did was insert a 3.5" floppy disk and start shooting pics. I could get about fifteen photos onto a floppy disk before I had to eject it & copy the images onto my desktop computer but, hey, it worked. I carried a stack of floppy disks in that camera bag anywhere I went because I knew I'd need them ;-)

Diluting an art form...

My wife's uncle is a professional photographer. He's spent much of his life making a living through photography. As much as I praised the merits of my Sony Mavica digital camera, he simply turned up his nose at it. He sneered at the thought of digitizing photography. I vividly remember a conversation we had before the turn of the century about how digital cameras were killing the art of photography. According to him, digital photography ruined the art because anyone could take perfect pictures. We set up our shots and snap our pics - if they don't turn out the way we want them, we try again. We frame them a little differently, we capture our subject in a slightly different pose, or we change the lighting a bit. The instant feedback that we get from shooting digital photographs can turn all of us into professionals by arming us with the ability to perfect the photos we capture. This uncle resisted for many years and finally bought his first digital camera about five years ago. Now, it's all he shoots with ;-)

The way it was...

Remember when you used to have to drop off your rolls of film at the 'photo finishing' store to get them developed? You'd pick up your prints and excitedly open the envelope to see what you captured. In most cases, you'd be delighted to find a few shots from a birthday party a few months back, a couple of pictures highlighting a family trip and a few photos featuring friends and family. One little roll of film could span a few months of your life. Now, we can easily shoot a hundred images in an afternoon...

The evolution of digital photography really reflects what's been happening with every aspect of technology. It's crept into nearly every aspect of our lives and we see evidence of it everywhere we turn. Through digital photography, we now chronicle our lives in far more detail. Every little experience is captured and preserved. And we have far better ways of sharing these images than simply tucking them away into albums and putting them up on a shelf. But with this increased volume we have to have better means of 'filtering' the photos we capture and share.

We're still learning the filtering process. We're looking for better ways of managing our digital photographs. We need to find more effective ways of archiving our images so that they can be easily retrieved. In most cases, we choose only a random sampling of our photos to share through sites like Flickr - so what do we do with all of the other images that don't get shared so publicly?

Who teaches us how to do these things? More importantly, who teaches our kids how to manage their digital artifacts? These skills haven't traditionally been taught in our schools or our classrooms, but they need to be...

A Transformation

2010-06-28T13:41:00.000-05:00

Over the weekend, I participated in a very powerful community celebration. Approximately 250 people of all ages pitched in to transform a school's playground in one day. This transformation will have a tremendously positive impact on the students who attend Brooklands School in Winnipeg, and the reach goes so far beyond the school itself - their re-designed school grounds will prove to be a focal point in the broader community for years to come.

The process of re-designing the Brooklands School playground has been months in the making. The school principal, Rex Ferguson-Baird, worked tirelessly to secure grants, line up resources & assemble a dedicated team of volunteers to turn his concept into a reality. Rex secured a grant through Let Them Be Kids, an organization that is dedicated to building one hundred new play structures a year in communities across Canada. The $75,000 that Rex raised toward this project was matched by Let Them Be Kids, which meant that the school had the opportunity to spend $150,000 on this project.

Throughout the day, volunteers worked tirelessly to bring about a complete transformation of the school yard, including:

two new play structures
a butterfly garden
removal of brush
repair of existing baseball diamond
beautification of gardens and planters

The school grounds were abuzz with activity, with teams of people turning Rex's vision into a reality. From the students and staff to the parents, grandparents and alumni, everyone played a role in bringing about this radical transformation. Everyone had a part to play and they all did it with gusto. The following images will provide some insight into what transpired throughout the day:

Not only did Let Them Be Kids support this project financially, they also promoted the redevelopment of the Brooklands school grounds on their website. Harnessing the power of technology, they featured live streaming video of the day's festivities on their website. We had dozens of viewers from around the globe watching the action on uStream as it was unfolding in real time. Not only could people participate at a distance, but we've also archived a great deal of content that was recorded throughout the day. We conducted interviews with students, teachers, parents, administration, former principals and city councilors. Highlights of the day can be accessed by scrolling down the LTBK uStream page.

In addition to snapping photos and assisting with the live video feed, I thought it would be interesting to create a time lapse video of a play structure being assembled throughout the day. I set up a camera on the roof of the school and captured a photo every 30 seconds. As you can see in the video clip below, there was a lot happening throughout the day - and it was only through the dedication and commitment of our tireless volunteers that we were able to pull it of.

The transformation that took place at Brooklands School on Monday is significant for a lot of reasons.

It's a positive change that benefits everyone and will continue to do so for years to come
It started with a vision and it could only be pulled off through hard work and dedication
It's an attempt to rethink how we make the most use out of our spaces within schools
Everybody got on board to turn this dream into a reality...

One of the things I've been mulling over since driving away from the school late Saturday afternoon is that this transformation is symbolic of a larger transformation that still needs to take place within our schooling system. We know that there are many things that can be done to ensure that our schools are effective in creating learning environments that motivate and engage our students emotionally and intellectually. We know that we must all work together to help bring about this change. And we also know that everyone must be on board to turn this dream into a reality.

We pulled together over 200 people to transform a school's playground in one day. That's radical.

How many people will we have to pull together to transform our schools so that they more suitably meet the needs of today's students? And how long is this process going to take?

That's an even bigger challenge...

Bringing History To Life

2010-06-15T16:42:00.000-05:00

Do yourself a favour and drop everything you're doing for the next eight minutes. A friend and colleague just shared the following story that aired on CBC Radio this morning.

Matt Henderson is a Grade 5 teacher in Winnipeg, and he's engaging his kids in some amazing learning experiences. He brings the curriculum to life in his classroom in very meaningful ways and, by doing so, he is developing a genuine love of learning within each and every one of his students.

I've watched Matt teach and seen the way the kids hang on his every word. He puts tools in the hands of his students and encourages them to use these tools in interesting and innovative ways. He challenges his students to really think about issues that affect them and he guides them toward answers to their questions...

The other day, Matt invited a guest speaker into his classroom to share stories with his students. Mary Courchene visited his classroom to share her experiences from attending residential school. This proved to be an opportunity that the students will never forget.

Sit back and have a quick listen to the lessons that were shared.

You can't find this in a textbook.

Dabbling With Data

2010-05-25T12:17:00.000-05:00

Image: "I'm not keen to shift the blame"

To begin with - excuses...

I've been neglecting this space a little as of late, and I have a few reasons I must share to justify my absence.

First of all, Blogger is no longer supporting the hosting of their blogs on custom domains. I've hosted the TECH Talks blog on my own site, mckiel.ca, for a couple of years and kind of enjoyed the freedom to have my own piece of the pie. Alas, all good things must come to an end, so I've finally rolled the content forward and now have a slightly less unique URL for the TECH Talks blog -

http://andymckiel.blogspot.com

If you're new to this blog - welcome! If you're revisiting this blog following my delayed absence, you may want to re-subscribe to the blog on the right, as the feed may not behave as expected following the move...

Secondly, as seems to be the trend with several of the edubloggers whose thoughts, rants & ramblings I subscribe to, I've taken to condensing many of the ideas & information I used to share through this blog down to 140 characters or less. Twitter has become the mortar in my PLN, and I find that it's often the first place I stumble upon news, trends & resources. By the time I get around to browsing through my blog reader, I feel as though there's a lot of old news sitting there. Through the people I follow on Twitter, I get links to new and noteworthy blog posts and I end up reading them as they're posted, not a week or two later through my RSS aggregator...

Thirdly, I sometimes question who actually sees the things I share here. I'm not very well established in the blogosphere, and I really have no way to appreciate my reach. Sure, I closely follow many bloggers - reading and commenting on their posts - giving back to my network. But I don't have a lot of 'discussion' taking place on my blog. Sure, I see some red dots popping up from across the globe on my clustrmap, but I sometimes question the value of saying things if there's no-one listening. Audience matters & we all have a need to be heard. In an era where collaboration is celebrated, we all want to feel connected and we value the conversations with (and feedback from) our peers.

And lastly, I've been kinda busy. As is the case with educators everywhere, I occasionally feel the crunch from juggling too many projects and facing too many impending deadlines. This sometimes leaves me struggling with what I share on this space. I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about how I use my online spaces - I'm feeling the need to de-clutter and maximize the use of the online spaces that I have available. I'm still in the process of re-thinking my primary vision for this space so that I can share things here with a little more clarity, rather than presenting a broad spectrum of ideas and information.

On that note, my current thought is that this space should be used to highlight and showcase some of the work that I'm currently involved with - projects & presentations - that sort of thing. With that in mind, the following slidedeck was used to support a session that I presented and facilitated at the recent Riding The Wave of Change conference in Gimli, Manitoba. Overall, this year's conference was fantastic, with lots of great sessions and opportunities to network and collaborate face to face with many members of my PLN :-)

Dabbling With Data

View more presentations from Andy McKiel.

If you're interested in finding out a little more about the focus of my presentation, you'll find a few more resources on the Dabbling With Data wiki that I utilized during my session to demonstrate the ability to embed Poll Everywhere polls and Google Forms surveys. You'll also find links to a few tools that can be used to visualize data with (and for) your students.

Thanks for stopping by the TECH Talks blog :-)
I'll start writing here a little more frequently to provide you with a reason to come back soon!
Andy

TEDxOntarioEd - The Winnipeg Satellite Event

2010-03-19T10:31:00.000-05:00

Looking forward to the upcoming TEDxOntarioEd event?

If you're anywhere near Winnipeg and would like to participate along with many other like-minded individuals, please register to attend this event in person.

Of course, you could take in most of the content while eating popcorn in your pajamas. However, you'll miss out on some of the rich virtual & F2F conversations that will be taking place at the Winnipeg Satellite event and many of the other TEDxOntarioEd Satellite events that are taking place synchronously around the world :-)

There is no cost to participate in this event.
And - we'll have refreshments & prizes!!!

LISTEN - A Song Mosaic

2009-12-11T09:29:00.000-06:00

Image: 'Megaphone' - http://www.flickr.com/photos/57498517@N00/158790381

My good friend and colleague is at it again - incorporating his love of composing and performing music into his teaching and the learning that takes place in his classrooms. I wrote about Ryan Miller several months ago (Rockin' The School Community) when he had written and recorded a song celebrating one of the schools in our division.

Ryan was recently the recipient of a provincial grant that enabled him to develop a project that focused on student engagement, student voice, social justice and the infusion of technology across the curriculum. He tied all of these themes together through music, by composing and recording a song that showcases lyrics that were contributed by individual students.

The result is LISTEN - check it out:

Ryan refers to LISTEN as a 'song mosaic', as it unites so many voices and important ideas in a very meaningful way. The collective and collaborative nature of this project serves to demonstrate the power of banding together to make a difference.

Thank you, Ryan, for allowing me to share this project in such a public way and for providing your students with such rich learning experiences. It will make a difference :-)

For more information about LISTEN, or to access the song/video where access to YouTube may be filtered, check out http://mckiel.ca/listen

Digital Artifacts & The Twitter Test

2009-11-18T09:01:00.000-06:00

Last night, I had the opportunity to present a couple of sessions at ManACE's 'Making Connections' TIN. I've sat on the board of the Manitoba Association for Computing Educators for several years, and have had the opportunity to present many sessions and take in lots of great presentations through our Technology Information Nights (TIN's).

We host TINs around the province several times a year, and often have between 20 & 50 people in the room. The sessions that are presented often demonstrate the use of leading edge technologies, and I've always wanted to increase the profile of our TIN sessions to include even more participation from around the province and around the world.

This has led me to consider different ways of connecting with an audience, and I've played a pivotal role in pulling together some innovative events through ManACE over the last couple of years. Events like the Manitoba Edubloggercon and Awakening Possibilities have involved Skyping in presenters and uStreaming the content out over the intertubes so that we could engage our virtual audience and impact more than just the people who were in the room.

These events have given birth to several other events taking place within the province, like Windows To The World last spring and, more recently, the Media Literacy event that Manitoba Education Citizenship and Youth (MECY) and the Manitoba Association for Computing Educators (ManACE) organized as Manitoba's contribution to our national Media Literacy Week celebrations.

Through these events, and through my affiliations with the ManACE Board and membership, I've had the opportunity to collaborate with many amazing educators. I've learned a lot from my network and, I'd like to think, I give back to my network in many different ways. I think that one of the greatest strengths of planning and delivering sessions as described above is that all of the content is archived on the web. This allows for professional learning opportunities to take place anytime and anywhere. These digital artifacts that have been created will continue to impact the educators who stumble upon them (or actively seek them out) for many years to come. We're leaving a legacy of learning online so that educators can continue to reap the benefit over time.

On that note, several people were hoping to attend last night's ManACE TIN but were unable to be there in person. I had several requests to uStream the presentations so that they could participate from a distance. I wanted to make the content available to a virtual audience, but we didn't have the time or resources to pull it together on short notice. But it got me thinking about how I could archive the presentation in a different way. I thought about whipping out my Flip Mino HD to capture the sessions. Instead, I opted for trying out a little experiment.

For the last couple of years, I've been dabbling with an application on my Mac called Screenflow. It's a very powerful app for creating polished screencasts, and you can also capture external audio and video at the same time. I wanted to try capturing the presentation as it appeared for the folks who were in the room & record the audio to accompany the presentation.

All I had to do was click record the content of the session, then stop the recording at the end. When I got home, I opened the recording in Screenflow, exported it to Quicktime (coincidentally, it's only 66mb for 33 minutes of footage...) and uploaded it to Vimeo. I chose Vimeo over YouTube simply because not as many school divisions block/filter access to Vimeo.

It took no time or expertise to crop, render or encode the video. Just a couple clicks of a button and I was done. I'm extremely impressed with the ease of capturing this presentation, and am happy to say that it has now been archived and made available for your viewing pleasure :-)

BuildingYourPLN from Andy McKiel on Vimeo.

Due to the ease of capturing and sharing this presentation, I plan to adopt this technique a little more often over the coming weeks and months. I'd love to hear examples of how other educators create and share digital artifacts :-)

Outta This World!

2009-11-04T11:52:00.000-06:00

This morning I got to be part of something very cool - connecting a handful of high school students with Dr. Robert Thirsk, a Canadian astronaut who is currently orbiting earth aboard the International Space Station.

This was an incredible experience for everyone involved, and a moment that will live on forever in the minds of these students.

Dr. Thirsk graduated from John Taylor Collegiate here in Winnipeg, so this was a very unique home-coming celebration. In fact, Dr. Thirsk made reference to his high school chemistry teacher, George Bush (no, not that George Bush...), who was actually in attendance this morning. Must be nice to re-connect with your former students when you can see how far they've come ;-)

Each of the students who participated in this event had the opportunity to ask questions of Dr. Robert Thirsk. You can have a listen to the entire audio content here:

This event was attended by some local media, so I would expect to see some coverage in the local newspaper (Winnipeg Free Press) as well as on television (CBC News).

This was an experience that I won't soon forget. I just wish I had enriching opportunities like this as I made my own way through high school years ago :-)

Am I Media Literate?

2009-10-03T19:59:00.000-05:00

Over the past few weeks, I've been working collaboratively with some amazing innovators from around Manitoba. We've been planning a series of projects on the topic of 'Media Literacy', which has forced me to continuously ponder the question, "What does it mean to become media literate?"

Here in Canada, the Media Awareness Network offers some great resources to help teachers, parents and students understand what it means to be media literate. They've broken media literacy down into several components, including the ability to access, consume, evaluate and create information. The Media Awareness Network is also responsible for establishing Media Literacy Week, an annual event that's celebrating its fourth occurrence November 2nd-6th, 2009.

Media Literacy Week will feature a variety of live events taking place across the country. Here in Manitoba, we're (MECY & ManACE) planning a unique event that features short virtual presentations from many innovative educators across the country. Mark your calendars for the evening of November 2nd, as you won't want to miss this event! Even if you're nowhere near Manitoba, the presentations and the panel discussion that follows will be broadcast via uStream to facilitate virtual participation :-)

Another project we've been working on has to do with demonstrating media literacy. We've created a short video to spark people's thinking about what it means to be media literate. It's been posted to YouTube, and our hope is that this seed video will prompt teachers and students from around the world to post their video responses to demonstrate their own media literacy. This video should generate some great classroom discussions about what it means to think critically & creatively, and to use technology ethically & responsibly.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this video that we've produced. And I'd love it even more if you shared it with your students and/or your fellow educators. If you took the time to pop over to our YouTube channel to post a video response, that would REALLY make me happy :-)

* CREATE - PARTICIPATE - CELEBRATE *

The Tides of Change

2009-10-02T10:53:00.000-05:00

Image: 'time disappears' - http://www.flickr.com/photos/14576317@N07/2427479094

As Google Wave begins to wash over us, we're bound to see another dramatic shift in the way we access ideas & information, and the way we connect to friends, family and experts in the field.

Over ten years ago, Google began to shift our thinking. For years, they've been increasingly impacting our online experiences. Google has been the dominant factor in shaping the internet r/evolution...

Google's success comes with a price - they have to answer a LOT of questions. While Google can provide quality answers to some excellent questions, they're also required to address many questions that are trivial, mundane, ludicrous and even absurd. Google doesn't have a choice - they must instantly produce an answer to any question that is asked.

As an educator, I've often told my students, "There's no such thing as a silly question". Well, that's just not true. By taking a look at Google's auto-complete entries when typing in a question, you'll come to discover that there are, indeed, many silly questions. And what's worse - millions of people around the world are asking the same silly questions! Here are just a few examples of the questions that are being asked of Google:

Are you one of the 17,500 people who've already asked Google this question?

Okay, maybe this is a good question ;-)

1.3 million young males with low self-esteem just gotta know...

Almost 3/4 of a billion people have gone to Google - hoping to see their own name atop the list?

No, really... to whom were these questions asked before Google???

How many times have you thought to yourself, 'If I had a nickel for every time I answered that question...' Well, Google's found a way to do just that - it's how they've built up their billions...

And that's just the beginning. Let's sit back, relax, and watch what happens as Google Wave spawns the new tides of change :-)

Now I just have to wait until I get to dip my toes in the water - I'm hoping Google Wave washes it's way toward me soon...

Into The Unknown

2009-08-11T08:36:00.001-05:00

Image: 'They came...' -www.flickr.com/photos/17537227@N00/514419261

I've been travelling a little bit this summer and it's caused me to spend a fair amount of time pondering the places I've been - the paths I've walked and the sights that I've seen.

I've come to the conclusion that too many of my trips are repeats. I'm often forced to return to previous destinations out of obligation. The paths I walk are well worn and the sights I see have been tainted by experience.

I long to explore new spaces and visit different places. I have a strong sense of adventure and always want to see what's around the next corner. I need to venture into the unknown and explore the many possibilities that exist.

All the while these thoughts are running through my head, I'm thinking about my kids. I understand how important it is to lead them into different places. It's up to me to show my kids a world of opportunity and to keep them safe while they explore it.

It's our responsibility, as parents and as educators, to expand the horizons for our youth. We don't want our students to feel stuck - we want them to take the reins and control their own destiny. But many of our kids need to be shown some of the paths that exist and they want someone to walk down those paths with them - just a helping hand to get them started.

Technology holds the key to showing our kids all of the many paths that exist. There are so many worlds that they can begin to explore with just one click.

Where will you guide them?

Take a Number...

2009-07-23T12:27:00.000-05:00

Image: 'Happiness Queue' - www.flickr.com/photos/58971759@N00/3347552602

So, a couple of weeks ago, I tossed a tweet out on Twitter about how happy I was to have successfully set up a wireless router at the lake. Little did I know, the novelty would wear off way faster than I had anticipated, almost to the point that I wish we still weren't connected while spending time at the cottage.

First, a little context. The cottage is a log cabin located in Siglavik, which is a series of dredged channels along the shores of Lake Winnipeg, just south of Gimli, Manitoba. Siglavik is a little slice of paradise, less than an hour away from my doorstep in Winnipeg, yet it feels so incredibly remote. While spending time at the cottage, it's so easy to forget about the commitments and the responsibilities that await your return in the big city. We go for boat rides, we kayak, ride our bikes into the town of Gimli, walk along the beach, golf a little - life at the lake is far from roughing it. Check it out for yourself - it's a really unique location:

View Larger Map

Up until this year, the only thing I thought we were lacking to complete the experience was the internet... boy, was I wrong! Yeah, it's great to be able to Skype with friends and family who are far away. I love the power of being able to access Google to find out what kind of bird has built it's nest in our yard. And having the opportunity to share photos of this location with my online network is very powerful, indeed.

But it comes with a price - the downfall of being connected. When there's easy access to the internet, you feel compelled to check your e-mail several times a day. You find reasons to open up your laptop or pull out your iTouch on a regular basis. Being connected takes away that remoteness that used to go hand in hand with coming out to the lake.

And it's not just me who feels this. The thing that I've noticed above all others is just how much EVERYONE has come to value the ability to stay connected. My wife has spent more time online in the last two weeks than she did in the last two months - just because she can... My mother-in-law's been surfing YouTube for days, viewing and sharing all kinds of questionable content. My father-in-law's been monitoring weather forecasts several times an hour and reporting the updates in real-time. What ever happened to looking out the window or stepping outside to find out what the weather's like?

It's almost gotten to the point where I can't even get my hands onto a computer because everyone else has too many technology related things to do. All of a sudden, I'm not the only geek in the room ;-)

I've gotta take a number just to get a turn on my own computer...

I've come to the conclusion that life at the lake should always be

UNPLUGGED

Building a Sharper Image

2009-07-10T13:07:00.000-05:00

In my role as a technology coordinator, I've been asked to provide some input regarding the next 'image' that's prepared to roll out onto over 1000 Apple MacBook laptops across our division. My recommendations could seriously impact the tools and resources that are readily available to over 500 teachers and thousands of students.

Obviously, we'll include a wide variety of licensed software on these machines. But, in addition to the basics, I'd love to include a wide variety of open-source software so that our users can hone there skills more effectively.

Here's a partial list (in alphabetical order) of some open source apps that I'd love to see available to all teachers and students. While many of these apps can be included easily, a couple of them are in beta (or private beta), so some considerations need to be made before going ahead and installing them onto a slew of machines...

After glancing at this list, what other open source titles would you include? I'd love some more feedback from my network on this one ;-)

ATMOSPHIR
An amazing cross platform video game design application that allows users to upload, share and edit all levels that are created...

AUDACITY
A no-frills audio editing and recording application which makes it very easy to produce audio podcasts...

GIMP
A great photo editing application that can introduce students to layers, masks and other powerful image editing tools...

GOOGLE EARTH
Instantly take your students on virtual field trips anywhere in the world for free - without having to deal with permission slips - what more could you ask for?

PHUN
A simple to use physics engine where students can dabble with creating objects and solving complex problems...

SCRATCH
A simple programming language developed by Mitch Resnick at MIT - introduces students to action scripts and allows uploading and sharing of files...

GOOGLE SKETCHUP
A comprehensive 3D design environment that allows users to create models to scale - features an online object warehouse so that objects/models can be easily shared...

SKITCH
A great little application for annotating or marking up photos - also makes it very simple to crop and resize image files...

SKYPE
An amazing application that allows you to freely and instantly connect with anyone, anywhere in the world...

SMART Notebook 10
An object oriented application that is used to create interactive lessons and activities for use with SMART interactive whiteboards. Why not encourage students to create and share their own Notebook files?

STELLARIUM
A very cool application for viewing constellations in great detail - allows zooming, searching, and even enables users to manipulate the passage of time to track the paths of orbiting planets...

VLC
A great little media player that handles some video formats that Quicktime may not like very much...

Preserving Oral Traditions

2009-07-10T07:43:00.000-05:00

If a picture could talk, what would it say?

We all know that a picture is worth a thousand words. But no matter how well a picture captures a scene and a snapshot preserves a moment in time, there's no way that a picture can tell the whole story. The picture above conveys a message, but it can't tell you that it is quite content living in a garden that's lovingly maintained by a 90 year old gardener and that it's surrounded by equally beautiful flowers and produce...

In this day and age, we're bombarded by media from many sources. While I love the instant access to this visual and auditory media, I find that it's actually contributing to a loss of our oral traditions. We rely too heavily on a picture to tell the whole story and we leave out too many of the details.

More and more these days, I've recognized the need to preserve our oral traditions. We still need to be story-tellers first and foremost. Because pictures can't always speak for themselves.

I'm currently visiting family in Southern Ontario. While I'm here, I get to spend time with all four of my grandparents, each of whom are entering their 10th decade of life. I'm also spending lots of time at the other end of the spectrum with my two year old nephew. One of the things that's really struck me throughout the last couple of days is the ability that some people have to weave their webs through stories. To add value and meaning to their stories through the subtle little nuances of their speech and to embellish their stories with actions and artifacts.

I've got my camera with me but, to be honest, I haven't pulled it out as often as I thought I would. I've also got my Flip Mino HD in the bag, but it, too, has remained in the bag more often than not. While I really wish to capture and preserve all of the stories I'm privy to out here, nothing can really bring any of these stories to life as well as taking them in firsthand.

In order to preserve our oral traditions, we don't need to do away with all of the media. We just have to find better ways of merging it with our stories. Tools like VoiceThread are amazing for this purpose, providing you with ample opportunity to add more meaning and context to the images that we share. And then there's all of the web 2.0 tools that provide you with different ways to tell your stories and focus on the content.

And now, I'm off to historic Fort Henry, to hear some of the stories it has to share...

Remixes & Mashups - It all started with a cover song...

2009-06-18T08:43:00.000-05:00

With the ease of creating content on the intertubes, it becomes increasingly difficult to create truly original work. This has led to the growing trend of remixing content and mashing up content. Educators can lead their students to vast collections of Creative Commons licensed audio clips, videos and photos, and these resources can be combined to create original content, even though they didn't necessarily create all of the pieces on their own. Mashing up data and remixing content is definitely one of the trends that we should all be aware of as we access content on the internet.

However, this is not a brand new phenomenon. Bands have been remixing content and mashing up multimedia for years. Think back to some of your favourite cover songs. That's what they're all about - remixes and mashups. The best cover songs are the ones where bands add their own twist to the original song to make it truly unique and set it apart from the original, rather than trying to replicate the original tune.

All this to say that I got to catch The Watchmen performing in front of their hometown supporters a couple nights ago. I grew up feasting on Watchmen shows and was sad to see them call it quits several years ago. However, when they announced that they were playing a couple of shows again these days, my spirits rose. And after hearing Danny Greaves, the lead singer, mention that they were in the studio last week, I was elated. They put on a really tight show here in Winnipeg this week, which included a couple of brand new tunes. I am hopeful that this is just a sign of what's to come :-)

I recorded a few tunes and shot some pics. And with all this talk of cover songs here's The Watchmen's take on Billy Bragg's 'A New England':

Also here, for your viewing pleasure, are a few photos that I shot during The Watchmen's set at the Red River Ex in Winnipeg on June 16th, 2009:

i Type, therefore i Animate

2009-06-02T11:43:00.000-05:00

I've been playing around a bit with Xtranormal, a cool new online application that allows you to create really cool animated videos simply by typing in your script. This application allows you to customize your characters and backgrounds, add actions and sound effects to your videos.

Xtranormal is extremely simple to work with, and it takes all of the production time out of creating animated videos, and I can think of many students who would love to get their hands on this tool :-)

While anyone can use an e-mail address to sign up for a free account, there are some benefits that come with upgrading to one of the premium account options. Not only can anyone view your videos on the Xtranormal website, you can also embed your published videos on websites, blogs and wikis. They also have a feature that enables you to instantly post your videos to a YouTube account...

I just created the following video in 30 minutes using my free Xtranormal account:

Rockin' the School Community

2009-05-26T11:34:00.000-05:00

Image: 'Cantante' - www.flickr.com/photos/17513020@N00/164361902

Yesterday I had the pleasure of spending the day with several teachers at one of our Divisional elementary schools. I always appreciate the opportunity to meet informally with teachers to share ideas and find out about some of the innovative things that are happening in our classrooms.

While I was there, an old friend shared one of his recent projects with me. Ryan Miller, who was once a student teacher in my classroom, has found a way to successfully integrate his musical background with his current role as a teacher and guidance counsellor within our school division. While Ryan has long been an accomplished singer and songwriter, his foray into music within the context of education is beginning to flourish.

Earlier this year, Ryan attended one of our divisional workshops that explored several classroom uses of GarageBand. Although he hadn't played with GarageBand prior to this workshop, he's become hooked on writing and recording songs with this powerful Mac application.

This spring, Ryan wrote a song for his school. As word got out about this project, he's had other schools approach him about the possibility of recording songs on their behalf. Most recently, 'Mr. Miller' recorded Strathmillan Stars for one of our other elementary schools. The school provided a series of phrases that they wanted incorporated into the song, and Ryan involved the school choir and a student soloist within the song that he wrote.

I'm thoroughly impressed with Ryan's dedication and commitment to involving students in projects of this nature. What an incredible way to build community and celebrate school successes. I'd love to see more projects like this one being created across our division and around the world :-)

Please take a few minutes to have a listen to Strathmillan Stars and leave a comment with your reflections on this song and the concept of connecting and collaborating through music. On that note, I proudly present to you 'Strathmillan Stars', an original composition by Ryan Miller:

Strathmillan-Stars.mp3

Mining Our Resources

2009-05-22T06:49:00.000-05:00

Adapted from: 'Hand' http://www.flickr.com/photos/75424716@N00/467231755

Last night I gave a short presentation at the ManACE Annual General Meeting. The focus of the presentation was to talk about the benefits of 'uncovering' technology tools and resources. For me, the highlight of the presentation was having Clarence Fisher join us virtually for a little while to discuss the impact mining has on his life and his community. Clarence also described some of the 'struggleware' that he and his students have unearthed...

You can view the slides from my presentation here, clicking on pause between slides:

Both of the presentations from the ManACE AGM were broadcast over uStream and they've been archived on the ManACE blog. Check out ManACE Memos to view these presentation :-)

It's Well Worth The Trip

2009-05-12T13:18:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, I took my family out for a visit to the snake dens just north of Narcisse, Manitoba. At just an hour's drive from my doorstep, this was an incredible way to spend a beautiful day.

Each year, tens of thousands of garter snakes make their way to the unique geological landscapes that are found in this region. They spend the winter below ground in limestone caves. When they emerge each spring, they engage in a mating frenzy before moving on to their respective homes to spend the remainder of the year. Everywhere you look, garters are slithering through the grass and across your path. If you're lucky enough to come at the right time of the year, you'll even be privy to large 'mating balls', where many of the smaller male garters are writhing around one large female garter in an effort to reproduce. A day at the snake pits is an awe-inspiring experience, and people from around the world are attracted to see these events unfolding first-hand.

Yet, many of the Winnipeger's whom I've spoken to about the Narcisse snake pits over the last couple of days have never made the trip. It's not that they all dislike or are scared of snakes. Rather, they just haven't taken the time to explore the resources that they have so readily available.

I often see the same barriers with the infusion of technology in too many classrooms today:
- with technology, teachers have incredible tools at their fingertips, yet so many of them choose not to use them
- there are literally thousands of tools available for the taking, each of which provides ample opportunities for teaching and learning
- access to many of these tools and resources is free

If you live in Manitoba and haven't taken the time to witness the Narcisse snake dens firsthand, do yourself a favour and go. Millions of people from around the world have beat you to it.

And if you haven't yet explored the use of some of the free and easy onine tools that are available to benefit your teaching and learning, don't wait any longer. Millions of people from around the world have beat you to it. Just get started. And if you're not sure how to begin, Alan Levine's 50 Ways (errr... 67 Ways) to Tell a Story will serve as an excellent starting point to launch you on your way :-)

A Breath of Fresh Air - #wttw

2009-04-16T12:54:00.000-05:00

Wow, we had a great time last night! It was nice to have an opportunity to chat with others in the room, and it was exciting to be able to bring so many talented educators into the room virtually from around the world. Some of our online participants came from as far away as the UK and Australia :-)

One of the first things that took place during this event was the creation of a wiki (thanks, @charbeck) to record the Twitter usernames of a few Manitoba educators - http://mbteacherswhotweet.wikispaces.com/ - if you're in Manitoba and on Twitter, please add yourself to the list :-)

You can catch many of the evening's festivities by watching our Windows To The World uStream recording here:

- - watch the #wttw event on uStream - -

Many thanks go out to everyone who participated in this unique event...

So, when should we do the next one???

Red River's Relevence

2009-04-11T21:49:00.000-05:00

Photo credit: Joe Bryska, Winnipeg Free Press

Living in Manitoba, we're no strangers to flooding. The Red River basin collects water from a vast region of the heart of the continent and whisks it north into Lake Winnipeg just as quickly as it possibly can. However, every so often we're left in a bit of predicament when we receive more precipitation than usual and the ice that covers the mighty Red River each winter doesn't break up as quickly as it should. This spring, we're facing one of these potential disaster situations. The last time we were hit with a flood this bad was 1997, when hundreds of millions worth of damage was inflicted upon our province from the overland flooding that was caused by the mighty Red River overspilling it's banks.

Most of the people who live in Winnipeg aren't affected too badly by the flooding. But there are some low-lying regions within the city where high water levels and erosion combine to threaten the decimation of entire neighbourhoods. Take, for instance, Kingston Row & Kingston Crescent - it's just a matter of time until this meandering segment of the river becomes another oxbow lake along the shores of the Red River. No matter how hard we try to slow Mother Nature, she will eventually run her course...

Photo courtesy of Google Maps

One of the reasons that Winnipegers don't have to worry too much about the flooding Red River is the floodway that was created just over 50 years ago to divert floodwaters around the city. Once they open the floodgates, the excess water flows east of the city and spills back into the Red River just before Lake Winnipeg. Provided the powers that be are able to open the floodgates in time, disaster can be averted.

While the flood of 1997 was devestating, we did experience some flooding a few years ago, in 2006. Unfortunately, the provincial flood forecasters underestimated the magnitude of the flooding that would occur and decided that it wouldn't be necessary to use the floodway. The headlines in all of our newspapers reassured the general public that we had nothing to fear because the situation was under control. Then, within one day, there was a surge in the water levels and flood officials were forced to eat their words and scramble to throw the floodgates open before our fair city was inundated by floodwaters. I took advantage of this situation to grab my video camera, hop on my bike, and document the power of the Red River Rising...

I threw this video together within a few hours back in 2006, and it's the first video I ever uploaded to YouTube. This winter, I noticed that it surpassed 2000 views. Much to my surprise, I just discovered that this video's been viewed over 1500 more times within the last month. Interesting how the content that we post online can sometimes become so much more relevent long after we upload it to the 'net.

The Tools Have Changed.

2009-04-06T14:45:00.001-05:00

One of the things I was really looking forward to on my recent trip out to southern Ontario was a visit to the 'ol sugar bush. I have so many fond memories of tromping through the maples with my Grandpa when I was a young lad and I was hoping to recreate this experience for myself. I was also hoping to treat my daughters to their first taste of fresh maple sap and soak up the atmosphere that can only exist within an old sugar shack. We stopped in at Drummond's Maple Sugar Bush in Spencerville, Ontario, just a little south of Ottawa. Drummond's is a family owned and operated outfit that's been in business for over 200 years in the same location. One of the first things I saw after climbing out of the car was enough to burst my bubble. It was this sign:

The methods have changed.
Completely.
The experience of visiting a sugar bush is nothing like it used to be.
It's smoother. It's slicker. It's far more efficient.

Looking around the sugar bush, all you see is a maze of nylon tubing. This tubing strings from tree to tree, it gathers and collects the sap and it transports the sap instantly to the central collection area. While there's no question that this method of collecting sap from the trees makes much more sense than the traditional methods that were used, I was disappointed that my children couldn't experience this process first-hand. The tubing has allowed Drummond's to tap and collect sap from over 1600 trees, far more than they'd be able to manage with the old school ways...

However, there was one bucket set up beside the parking lot to appease people like me. My kids could see the tap in the maple tree. They could see how slowly the sap flowed from the tree. We talked about how long it would take to fill that one bucket with sap. This one bucket doesn't shed too much light on the entire process of creating maple syrup, but it made it so much more relevant than staring into a sea of nylon tubing.

Of course, this is a technology blog, and not sugar bush blog. The reason I'm posting about this experience in this space is that I've been hung up on the tools that we choose to use in our classrooms. As educators, technology provides us with many tools and resources that can make our teaching so much more meaningful for our students. These tools can help us tap into our own professional learning networks. These tools can help us, and our students, to be far more efficient and effective than we used to be. But even though these tools are readily available, some educators opt to stick with the more traditional tools.

My recent trip to the sugar bush reminded me that we shouldn't push teachers too hard to adopt the new tools that are available. Many teachers are steeped in tradition, and are quite comfortable using the tools that they know best. Only when we really see the merit of adopting these new methods will we be comfortable letting go of our traditions...

The tools have already changed.
Now we're changing.

Announcing 'Windows To The World'

2009-03-20T11:06:00.000-05:00

Adapted from: 'BCE Toronto' - http://www.flickr.com/photos/7578081@N07/2409088184

Over the last couple of years, ManACE has organized a variety of forward thinking events. You may have participated in 2007's Manitoba Edubloggercon. Or you may have heard about the innovative approach that we took with presenting 2008's Awakening Possibilities. These events were all about bringing together educators from around the province of Manitoba (and around the world) to showcase some of the many talents that exist in the vast region of Canada where we are situated.

Enter 'Windows To The World'. This event aims to throw the windows open a little wider in an effort to connect with more people in even more meaningful ways. Windows To The World will provide a greater opportunity for face to face networking with educators from around the province. For participants in the room, there will be opportunities to connect and collaborate with the other like-minded educators who are in attendance.

In addition to bringing people together, we'll turn our own walls into windows by sharing what we're doing with other educators from around the world. Using a variety of video conferencing tools and techniques, many distinguished guests will join us throughout the evening. We will have an opportunity to ask questions, highlight successful collaborative projects and connect with our own circle of experts by showcasing the benefits of being a connected learner. We will also broadcast the live video feed from this event out to our global audience, to facilitate increased virtual participation.
If you plan to be in or around Manitoba the evening of April 15th, we hope that you'll consider joining us in person for 'Windows To The World'. If you'll be in another province, country or continent, we hope that you'll join us online for this event to help us demonstrate the power of networked learning.

There is no cost to participate in Windows To The World. Everyone is welcome to attend, and refreshments will be provided for participants in this event. Virtual participants --> BYOB :-)

Register to attend this event in person by emailing: andy@mckiel.ca

Please help ManACE spread the word about Windows To The World by posting, printing and sharing this open invitation:

WindowsToTheWorld.pdf

We look forward to having you join us for Windows To The World :-)
Andy

The Power of The Pen...

2009-03-11T15:01:00.000-05:00

For those of you that know me, you are well aware that technology is just one of my many passions. I am a devoted dad, an dedicated director, an enthusiastic educator and an avid audiophile. I love many genres of music, and I try not to pass up too many opportunities to catch live shows by local and touring musical acts.

What does technology have to do with music, you might ask? Well, I've become increasingly aware of the power of the pen, and the growing ease of sharing our experiences with a wider audience. Many edubloggers have noted the recent rise in both the quantity and quality of citizenship journalism - ordinary people reporting on both ordinary and extraordinary topics. No longer do you require a degree to publish your work and share it with a wide audience. Everyone has the ability to cover any story that is important to them. We are all entitled to share our opinions and ideas with the world.

But technology doesn't just provide us with the ability to share our experiences using the written word. We can now use a wide variety of media to tell our stories and highlight our experiences.

Last night, I was fortunate to catch a great show by one of my personal hometown heroes, Luke Doucet. Luke is an extremely talented songwriter and a guitar virtuoso. His songs span many genres, making it difficult to label his music. He's worked closely with many artists over the last couple of decades, including touring regularly with Sarah McLachlan and Blue Rodeo. His most recent string of tour dates was spent opening for James Blunt (that's right, the 'You're Beautiful' guy). But, for me, watching Luke headline his own tour and showcase his own songs is the best way to see him up on a stage.

Although the show was sold out and many people were denied entrance due to a lack of space, the tool that I brought with me to the show last night has allowed me to share my experience with everyone who couldn't be in the room. I had my digital camera, which I used to snap over 300 pictures (many of them duds...) and capture video of a few songs. All of this with just a camera - something that many of our students carry in their pockets day in and day out.

Here are a few pictures that I took during Luke's sold-out performance last night at the Park Theatre in Winnipeg:

Also, a few of the songs that I captured throughout the evening have been posted to my YouTube channel. Here's Luke performing Broken One:

We can all tell our stories using a variety of media. I love seeing examples of stories that are told through the blogs that I read. I've gained so much knowledge from listening to stories told through podcasts. And I'm always looking for new ways to allow and encourage students of all ages to tell their stories.

Why must we always require our students to keep their tools in their pockets, rather than allowing them the freedom to tell their stories in different ways?

I wanna hear your story.

My First Keynote...

2009-02-26T23:19:00.000-06:00

I've had months to prepare for this occasion and it arrives first thing in the morning. I've been asked to deliver the keynote address at the 2009 BYTE Conference, being held February 27th in Minnedosa, Manitoba. Just over 400 participants from across Manitoba in attendance. As nervous as I am about the prospects of delivering my first keynote address, I think I'm as ready as I'll ever be :-)

For archival purposes, I've used SlideShare to create a slidecast of my keynote address. Here it is:

BYTE 2009 Keynote

View more presentations from Andy Mckiel. (tags: keynote 2009)

I've also created a wiki for the 2009 BYTE Conference, to share and archive resources from the many sessions that are offered at this year's BYTE Conference. Check out the BYTE Resource Wiki...

I'd gladly welcome any and all feedback, so please don't hesitate to post your comments ;-)

Please feel free to share this resource as you see fit...
Thanks in advance,
Andy

Building a Better Block

2009-02-16T09:17:00.001-06:00

Image: 'La tour Block Buddies' - http://www.flickr.com/photos/49462908@N00/141488559

As kids, how many of us spent an eternity building teetering towers with blocks? How many of us learned to combine letters to form sounds and words with these same blocks? Blocks are one of those universal 'toys' that provide a solid foundation for learning by allowing all children to manipulate and create.

And now, thanks to technology, a whole new generation of building blocks have emerged that will up the ante. In the following TED Talks video, David Merrill, an MIT grad student, demonstrates the capabilities of 'Siftables'. I wish I could have gotten my hands on some of these when I was a kid. Actually, I'd really love to get my hands on some of these as an adult, so that I could share them with my kids :-)

Check out Siftables, and imagine the possibilities...

Twitter 'follower' Mosaics

2009-02-10T09:37:00.000-06:00

Image: 'Poster #2 - Test Run' - www.flickr.com/photos/94832693@N00/7966141

It's been far too long since I posted here. I've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to tie up too many loose ends. Combine this with preparing a whole bunch of sessions and the keynote address for the upcoming BYTE Conference, and it leaves me with little time to post on my blog.

And then there's Twitter. Over the last month, my Twitter network has doubled in size and I'm finding that the nature of my blog reading has changed. I rely less heavily on my RSS aggregator and pay more attention to the trends and discussions that are surfacing in my Twitter feed instead. I still read the same blogs, and discover new blogs, but I hear about and read the latest posts long before I read about them in my blog reader.

I love this Twitter Follower Mosaic tool that I first discovered in a recent post on Rodd Lucier's blog. I found many new people to follow, and have been privy to many great discussions by building off of other people's Twitter networks.

Click on any avatars in the following mosaic to find a few more people to follow in your own Twitter network :-)

Get your twitter mosaic here.

Beyond Boundaries

2009-01-14T09:39:00.000-06:00

Photo Credit - http://www.flickr.com/photos/tesslerdavis/1265207247/

If you're anything like me, every once in a while you feel you deserve a bit of an escape. A little break from the daily grind - a temporary reprieve from your routines - a change in scenery.

For me, one of those occasions presented itself just after I dropped the girls off at school this morning. I was walking back to my car, thinking about how good it felt to be running a few minutes ahead of schedule, when I noticed the flat tire.

That, in itself, was enough to make me shudder. However, this problem was confounded by the fact that it was -40 outside, with a brisk wind to boot! If there's any humour to be found in the problem that I faced this morning, it's that when I recount this story it doesn't matter whether I specify that the -40 was farenheit or celsius - I'd hit the breaking point! Changing a tire when it is that cold outside is something you probably want to avoid :-)

But back to the purpose of this post... if you're an educator looking for ways to move beyond your boundaries, sometimes all you need is a little push. While we're usually bound by curriculum, limited access to resources, competing initiatives and insufficient time, every once in a while something happens that forces you to look at your situation from a different perspective and consider some alternatives.

That was my goal in organizing 'Awakening Possibilities' a couple of months ago - to encourage educators to open their eyes to some of the possibilities that currently exist when looking to make their classrooms more conducive to teaching and learning. With the support of many amazing people (Jeff, Alec, Kathy, Dean, Clarence, John, Chris & Darren - and Brian, our 'surprise' presenter...), I'd like to think that we've really started making a difference in getting the word out there to more educators. Not just reaching those educators that already realize the benefits of collaborating through the use of emerging technologies, but some of those educators who haven't yet been exposed to the available tools and resources, those educators who must realize the potential.

All of the presentations that took place during the Awakening Possibilities event will continue to be available on 'The Archives' page of the wiki. Several of the presentations are also available in other formats and different locations around the blogosphere. From embedded uStream videos, to slidedecks and audio podcasts, all of the content that was shared throughout the evening is reaching a different audience all the time. Every day, new teachers are getting turned on to the potential that technology affords.

My eyes were opened to this reality in mid-December, when one of my colleagues approached me to share something. They logged on to A Difference, and proceeded to show me the slides from Darren's presentation and gushed about how his message resonated with their thinking. And this is someone who is not tech savvy, who doesn't typically read blogs and, unfortunately, who isn't 'connected'. When she asked if I'd ever heard of this presenter, I sheepishly pointed to her the role that I played in helping to get 'Awakening Possibilities' off the ground ;-)

Immediately following the Awakening Possibilities event, Darren posted his slide deck and the audio from his presentation to his blog. I'm doing my bit to 'pass the torch' by remixing the content and making it available in another format, in another location, thus making it even easier to share Darren's message. Please, do yourself a favour and take five minutes to watch this presentation and consider how you could move beyond boundaries to make more of a difference in your teaching...

Also, if you'd like to download this video to share with others in your school, please feel free to download and share the following file:

5min-DKuropatwa.mov

Thanks for reading,
Andy
BTW, the photo that inspired the title for this post was shot by my brother-in-law, Jonathan Davis (no, not the lead singer of Korn), at the Grand National Zoo in Seoul. I could stare at this picture for hours - it's perfect :-)

Apple's Latest & Greatest?

2009-01-05T18:49:00.000-06:00

Apple Introduces Revolutionary New Laptop With No Keyboard

I just saw this video that @caseywright shared on Twitter and it had me laughing out loud. I've been a Mac user for several years now, and I always eagerly await their announcements about the latest and greatest products to hit the market. Apple has certainly raised the bar when it comes to innovation in design and aesthetics. However, there have been some hilarious spoofs of Mac products. This is just the most recent one that I've come across.

Here's another recent jab at Apple that recently aired on Matt Groening's The Simpsons. In this episode, Lisa's thrilled to find out that their mall just got a 'Mapple Store' and the whole family shows up just in time to catch 'Steve Mobs' keynote address...

And then there's Mad TV's iRack sketch. It's been around for over a year, but it still gets me every time:

While I fully understand that Apple has it's critics, I still think they do an incredible job of designing and marketing their products. The shroud of secrecy that veils each new Apple release generates a tonne of hype and interest in all things Apple. And just look at the amount of exposure that Apple gets from the mainstream media that they don't even have to pay for. Despite all of their critics, in my book...

Apple = Cool

Gotta get to the Apple Store and pre-order myself one of them there MacBook Wheels ;-)

Into the 'Atmosphir'

2008-12-17T13:21:00.000-06:00

Atmosphir.

Have I mentioned how much I love this amazing video game design platform?

I've been in on the beta testing of Atmosphir for a couple of months now, and I'm constantly amazed by the power of this application.

Atmosphir is available on all platforms (Mac, PC, & Linux).

Do yourself a favour and head over to the Atmosphir website to get yourself invited into the beta testing :-) Not only will you be able to quickly and easily design and play your own levels, but you can also play and edit the levels that have been designed by all other Atmosphir users...

While you're at their website, you'll also find many awesome walkthroughs that demonstrate many of the features found within this video game design platform, like the one below :-)

Alone in the Twitterverse?

2008-12-08T13:10:00.000-06:00

The Twitterverse.

Just how quickly is this global community growing, and how many other communities has it replaced for you?

Twitter has become a mainstay within my online profile. I gain knowledge through the Twitterverse every day, and I try to give back to my 'tweeps as often as possible.

My Twitter network is NOT vast. I'm currently following the tweets of about 100 people on Twitter, mostly edubloggers and educators, and there are currently about 65 people following my tweets. As far as I'm concerned, the size of my network doesn't matter - followers come and followers go - it's the quality of my network that matters most.

For that reason, I find it necessary to undergo periodic grooming of my Twitter network - the odd 'twitticure', so to speak. In fact, it's almost time for another twitticure, to trim away some of the unwanted / unneeded parts of my Twitter network.

Twitter has become a very valuable tool for me, and I am constantly touting its' benefits to other educators who aren't already converted. But one thing that I've found is that it can be tough for those who aren't that 'connected' to begin forming their own Twitter network.

Thankfully, many blog posts and wikis are beginning to identify lists of people to follow on Twitter. These are great resources to develop for newbies and veterans alike, and I hope that many of these lists continue to grow and flourish.

What would you share with someone who's looking for a sure-fire way to grow their network?

What advice could you share to help a newbie get started with Twitter?

in 140 characters or less ;-)

I'm 'it' - thoughts on Wordle

2008-11-27T06:30:00.000-06:00

So, here it is the morning of 'Awakening Possibilities' and I've got a million and one things to do. However, the first thing I saw in my Twitter feed was that I'd been tagged by John Evans in a Wordle meme. Since this is my first time being tagged in a meme, I felt I better make this a priority.

I've used Wordle several times in the past to create these unique word clouds. However, I've never created a Wordle with a blog RSS feed. I didn't realize that it was so easy to do this directly within Wordle.

This wordle was created with the RSS feed of this blog:

Image Source - http://www.wordle.net/gallery/wrdl/346188/TECH_Talks

But, I also went on to create a Wordle with the RSS feed of another blog that I've been spending more time with as of late. This one's based on the IGNITE@Brooklands blog, which has been a space for 9 and 10 years olds to reflect on their experiences as they take part in a 3-day IGNITE Camp, designed to promote interest in technology and engineering.

Image Source - http://www.wordle.net/gallery/wrdl/346172/IGNITE

I wanted to see how the two Wordles differed based on the target audiences. You see, TECH Talks is my professional blog, whereas the focus of IGNITE@Brooklands is the elementary students who are involved with IGNITE Camp.

As soon as I saw each of my Wordles appear before my eyes, two things became immediately apparent:

1) It's amazing how accurately Wordle captures the main focus and concepts. It's so obvious to see where my current interests lay, and it forces me to reflect on how my understanding of these concepts is taking shape :-)

2) The language that is used is so different dependent on the two target audiences.

Thanks for including me in this meme, John. It's always good to take the time to reflect on your own learning and understanding. It's all about 'Awakening Possibilities' that exist with all of the emerging technologies that we have available...

Interest IGNITEd :-)

2008-11-21T20:55:00.000-06:00

For the last three days, I've been hosting an IGNITE Camp at one of the elementary schools in my division. The idea behind IGNITE is to 'IGNite Interest in Technology and Engineering'. This is done through building electronic circuits, dismantling computers and building/programming robots using LEGO Mindstorm kits. While engaging in all of these activities, the Grade 4/5 students were given cameras and encouraged to document everything through photos. We blogged about our experiences at IGNITE@Brooklands, we created VoiceThreads with our observations, and the students also created videos by assembling all of the many photos that they had collected throughout the three days.

IGNITE is a program that was initiated by IBM a few years ago, and our provincial Department of Education has modified IBM's initial concept for this program so that there are more curricular connections for the students and the activities are more global than compartmentalized...

We had many visitors throughout the three days - administrators, consultants, teachers and parents. Everyone who popped in was amazed by how engaged ALL of the students were. Thanks, MECY & IBM, for the opportunity to host IGNITE. Looking forward to seeing what happens over the next couple of weeks when we run two more IGNITE Camps :-)

BTW, I closed today's session by sharing Dean Kamen's TED Talks presentation. Dean's the inventor of the Segway, and he was approached by the US government to develop a prosthetic arm for injured veterans What he put together in only 13 months will astound you...

Enjoy,
Andy

'Awakening Possibilities'

2008-11-17T10:17:00.000-06:00

Consider this your official invitation to attend 'Awakening Possibilities', a live event being held in Winnipeg, Canada the evening of November 27th, 2008. I've been pouring a lot of time and energy into putting together this event as a follow-up to last year's MB Edubloggercon, which was sponsored by ManACE. Not only do we want to see you there, but we also want you to help us spread the word about 'Awakening Possibilities', so please share the following .pdf wherever you see fit - print in out and hang it in your staffroom, e-mail it to a friend, or post it on your blog or wiki -

Awakening%20Possibilities.pdf

'Awakening Possibilities' will feature short presentations by many prominent edubloggers. We'll hear from Darren Kuropatwa, Clarence Fisher, Chris Harbeck and John Evans, all of whom will be in attendance. We'll also hear from Alec Couros, Kathy Cassidy, Jeff Utecht and Dean Shareski, all of whom will be presenting virtually at 'Awakening Possibilities'.

We'd love to have you join us for 'Awakening Possibilities'. If you'll be anywhere near Winnipeg on November 27th, 2008, send me an e-mail to get involved - andy@mckiel.ca

Of course, no matter where you are, you can participate online. To find out more about this event, please visit the 'Awakening Possibilities' wiki.

I hope to see you there :-)
Andy

The Incredible Journey

2008-11-11T12:00:00.000-06:00

Image: 'Goldstream River' - www.flickr.com/photos/41864721@N00/2998189077

I have traveled out to Vancouver Island at least twenty times and there are many things that I love about the island. I've spent the last twenty years living in the prairies, but I'm not prairie born or bred, so I'm drawn to the mountains and the ocean. I love to get out on the water, sit on the beach and watch the waves roll in, and go for hikes to discover the panoramic vistas that await.

I've finally accomplished one of my longest-standing goals when visiting Vancouver Island - witnessing the salmon run. Typically, I only get to the island during the summer months or over the winter break, so the timing is off. Therefore, when I was invited to attend a November conference in Vancouver, I planned to hop onto the ferry and attempt to catch the coho as they trekked upstream.

For those of you who have witnessed the salmon run firsthand, I'm sure you'd agree that it is an awe-inspiring experience. They fight so hard to make progress up the river, knowing full well that once they reach their destination, they've truly reached the end of their journey.

I tried to capture the essence of the salmon run in the following video. While it is impossible to bring this experience to life without witnessing it firsthand, this video should give you an idea of the scope and magnitude of the challenges that the coho salmon face as they push onward and upward... enjoy :-)

The Salmon Run

Futility

2008-11-06T09:27:00.000-06:00

Over the last few days, I've felt like banging my head against the wall on more than one occasion. The hotel where my conference is being held, and where I've spent the last couple of nights, claims to offer wireless Internet access to all of it's guests. The picture above captures the essence of the quality of their wireless access - a snapshot of a 3.3 MB download that still requires 18 minutes to complete...

I guess I've just become used to connecting to the internet at much faster speeds than this, because I feel so restricted by ridiculously slow connection speeds. Although my connection almost never times out, it is painfully slow even for menial tasks like loading flash-free webpages.

Last night, I almost went off on a little rant about this issue, when it took me 40 minutes to attach a 2 MB file to an e-mail that had to be sent. I was prepared to question whether the hotel even had the right to call this access. But I'm glad I caught myself, because I was reminded of the fact that for many people around the globe, access doesn't come any better than this. I sometimes take it for granted that the fast reliable access that I have day in and day out is an experience shared by all, which certainly isn't the case.

As frustrating as this can be, it pays to remember that slow access is far superior to no access...

Down By The Bay... follow me :-)

2008-11-05T23:15:00.000-06:00

I've been in Vancouver for the last couple of days for some SMART sessions, and I wanted to get out and see some of the sights around town. I decided to go for a 'little' walk - almost seven hours of meandering around Vancouver's vibrant streets and serene sea walls.

I've embedded my adventures from last evening into the following Google Map. Take a closer look at some of the great views along the way :-)

All Around Town

View Larger Map

There's no better way to learn a city than to get lost in it's streets and rivers.
Hope you've enjoyed my adventures :-)

Five Minutes to make a difference.

2008-10-27T13:44:00.000-05:00

Image: 'cinderella' - www.flickr.com/photos/14784969@N08/2580895303

In this day and age, time is of the essence.

Every day, I'm forced to consider how to make the best use of my time. I like to think that I manage my time fairly wisely. However, I always find I end up a few minutes short when it comes to having enough time to accomplish all of my daily goals. There just isn't enough time in the day. As much as Merlin Mann's 43 Folders blog helps me along with my efficiency and productivity, I still find I could use just a few more minutes each day...

This is a common complaint I hear from the teachers with whom I work - time is of the essence. Too many teachers shy away from emerging technologies and web tools because they feel that they just don't have the time. They don't see the fact that many of these tools can increase their productivity and lead them toward more creative and innovative ways to reach their goals and objectives.

How much of a difference could five more minutes make? This is an idea I've been pondering for some time now. I think it was probably triggered by a comment that Darren Kuropatwa made in one of the first K12 Online Conference podcasts released earlier this year. Darren mentioned a presentation he was asked to give for the administrators in his division. He was given five minutes to share his knowledge of blogging. Darren's first thought was that five minutes wasn't even enough time for a proper introduction - what more could be shared in only five minutes? But the longer he thought about it, the more he realized that it is possible to pack a wealth of information into only five minutes.

You can make a big difference with only five minutes - just watch Chris Lehmann's ignitePhilly presentation for proof of this:

Look at the growing popularity of TED Talks and all of the many steaming video services afforded by the web. YouTube is single-handedly changing our media viewing habits because we all crave what it has to offer - and we feel that we can spare a few minutes here and there much more easily than committing ourselves to a task that's much longer in duration.

If you had five minutes to make a difference, what would you do with it?

Five minutes to make a difference.
That's all I want...

Thanks for reading,
Andy

When Your Hands Are Tied...

2008-10-16T13:38:00.001-05:00

Image: 'Gassa d'amante' - www.flickr.com/photos/11779957@N07/2521208486

Wouldn't the world be a much easier place to live if you always had the power and ability to control situations that are sometimes beyond your control?

For example, filtering web content.

Divisional web filtering solutions can sometimes pose such barriers to us as educators. While I fully appreciate the need to limit the access students have to some of the virtual trash that the Internet houses, I think we're shooting ourselves in the foot by blocking everything that may pose a risk to our students.

We strive to teach our students all about the ethical and responsible use of technology. In doing so, we discuss some of the dangers associated with sharing private information. We work with our students to help them understand that their online actions leave a permanent mark. We encourage our students to show the same level of respect for their online acquaintances as they would with their off-line peers.

When it comes to accessing online content, we tend to tighten the leash on our students and deny them access to some valuable resources. Many divisions block YouTube content. Twitter use isn't allowed by a number of the divisions in my province. In fact, in many divisions, access to a number of the free and useful online tools that pop up each day will be blocked by the time these tools become mainstream.

Why do divisions/districts feel such a strong need to restrict access to this content? Is it for the sake of the students or are we filtering this content from the teachers? If it's because we don't want our students to stumble upon content that may not be appropriate for them, we're really wasting our time. In most developed and developing regions, students have more access to technology at home than they do at school. And too many parents don't pay close enough attention to how their children use technology at home. If a student wants to access inappropriate material online they will, whether they do it at school or at home.

If we had open access to the good and the bad in all of our schools, I think it would empower teachers to engage their students in more discussions about the ethical and responsible use of technology. Sure, allowing our students to visit YouTube may result in a few minutes of wasted time, but it could also generate some great discussions, motivate reluctant learners, and encourage a great deal of collaboration. I get jealous when I read Clarence's posts about his students uploading videos to YouTube, because I know that many of the teachers in my division would love to do this with their students, but their hands are tied :-(

Although it's frustrating when our hands are tied, bringing more people into the fray may help to loosen the knots.

Here's hoping...

The Smallest Footprint

2008-10-07T14:31:00.001-05:00

Image: 'We've come this far.' - www.flickr.com/photos/79105258@N00/737263197

Sustainability has become a very relevant issue in many of our lives today. With the exponential growth evident in all aspects of society today, there is an increasing need to take stock of the effect our species is having on the environment.

The threat that we are depleting our natural resources is not new. The fact that we are wasting many of our 'renewable' resources has been evident for decades. Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth shed much light on this issue a couple of years ago. More recently, The Story of Stuff opened our eyes to the amount of waste we create and showed us some of the errors of our ways. But the fact remains that the destruction of our planet is still continuing at an alarming rate and little is being done to stop it.

Last Friday, my school division had the insight to invite Dr. David Suzuki to speak to us via video-conference from British Columbia. Dr. Suzuki has long been an advocate of the environment and he has fought hard for many years to preserve our natural surroundings. According to Suzuki, the peril of the environment is imminent and we must act now to save the environment. We must all strive to do our bit to protect and preserve nature in it's truest form. And right now, the key to having a voice on this matter is to raise the issue of environmental activism with our political candidates. The fate of our nation rests in our hands and on October 14th, that fate will be determined for the next several years. What happens to the environment really isn't our problem. It's a problem that we're passing on to our kids and our grandkids. It's not enough to simply teach our kids about these problems and offer solutions. We must act on behalf of our children. They don't have a voice when it comes to voting - our children need us to act on their behalf.

As we move forward as a country and look to the future of our government, we must ensure that the party that's voted into power in Canada will do their part. Rather than passively observing and documenting all of the ill-effects that our planet is suffering, they must take a stand and act now. We must all take it upon ourselves to raise the issue of the environment and question our candidates in this regard. How are they prepared to act if they get elected?

We've heard all of this before, but what have we done about it?

What have you, personally, done about it?

I feel very strongly that technology holds the key to solving a lot of our sustainability issues. Technology is responsible for giving us the big picture in terms of what's happening on a global level. Rather than focusing on smaller community challenges and solutions, we can act on a much larger scale. Technology brings us together in such a way that we really can work collaboratively and find solutions to the problems that are affecting us the world over.

For the benefit of our planet, we must focus on reducing our 'footprint' on the earth. We have to move towards more sustainable practices, and we must help others to do the same.

As one person, what are you prepared to do in order to leave the smallest footprint?

For those of you who would like to hear Dr. David Suzuki share some of his views of what he would do if he were elected as our Prime Minister, check out this audio podcast, recorded at Queen's University last year:

If I Were Prime Minister

Connections

2008-09-30T15:04:00.000-05:00

Image: 'How Small Can Big Be' - www.flickr.com/photos/8523711@N05/2182689585

For the past few weeks, I've been participating peripherally in CCK08 (Connectivism & Connective Knowledge), the massive open online course that is being facilitated by George Siemens and Stephen Downes. While I'm not nearly as involved with this course as I'd like to be, I do feel as if I've gained a lot through my participation. George and Stephen are to be commended for their efforts in pulling this off so smoothly - I shudder at the prospect of trying to coordinate regular uStream and Elluminate sessions with a potential audience of over 1900 students. While there have typically only been about 50 participants in these sessions to date, they've pulled it all off without a hitch :-) Kudos!

I have always been intrigued by the value of networks. Networking with others is, and has always been, a key indicator of success. I have friends and family members who are in business for themselves, and they all say that networking is the single biggest key to their success. Of course, networks take many different forms and have many unique functions.

Through my involvement with ManACE (the Manitoba Association For Computing Educators), I network a lot with some very well connected technology educators around the province. I have gained a great deal of knowledge through my participation on the ManACE board. I have also contributed a great deal through my involvement with this organization.

I value the knowledge I have acquired through my role in my various interpersonal networks. However, I'm only just beginning to develop and explore the learning opportunities that exist as a result of my participation within various online networks.

I've dabbled in Facebook and dickered with Second Life. I'm tweeting more with Twitter and can't get by without an RSS ticker. I'm well versed in all things web 2.0 and I see the potential that exists to glean knowledge from my online networks.

Over the years, I can honestly say that I've experienced an equal amount of give and take through my face to face connections with others. But when it comes to my online connections, I've been too much of a lurker for too long. I've lingered on the fringes of my online networks and I've collected a bunch of knowledge that I've really only been sharing effectively with small groups of people through my traditional networks. I have come to the realization that I need to find more ways to give back to some of the people in my online networks. It's time for me to find more ways to reciprocate and share some of the knowledge that I've been guarding.

Knowledge doesn't do anyone any good if it's locked away somewhere and is not being shared effectively. The time has come for me to focus on the maintenance of my connections and ensure that information and knowledge continue to flow through me. It's time for me to give back and strengthen my connections.

Raising Your Voice

2008-09-29T14:36:00.000-05:00

Image: 'Me suena' - www.flickr.com/photos/40421323@N00/2875972610

If you've got something important to say, what's the best way to make sure that people hear it?

Easy... tell someone.

But let's say that you have an idea that you think could change the world... how does one little person get their one little idea out into the hands of everyone else in the great big world? Is it enough just to raise your voice in order to make sure that you're heard by more people?

I think not. This is where the title for this blog post originated. Rather than raising your voice, I think the real issue becomes: 'How do you talk so that people will listen?' If you're trying to really implement change, do you have to tell lots of people, or just tell the right people?

I think Google's onto something with Project 10^100. Encouraging people to share their innovative ideas in a public forum will lead to some amazing thinking. I can't wait to see the innovation that is generated from this venture. Of course, the ideas will really be brought to life when people start to talk about them and create some buzz. Ultimately, whatever Google sires through this project will be far greater than the sum of its collective parts.

Talking so that people will listen is a concept that I've been tossing around in my head for some time now. I don't like to raise my voice, yet I do like to be heard. So how do I get my message across?

I'm still trying to find my voice.

Identity. Identit(ies)?

2008-09-22T12:57:00.000-05:00

Who are you? Who do you want to be?
Identity. Identit(ies)?

That's the allure of the internet for many people today. The fact that, through our online lives, we can be anyone we want to be. This is the reason that social networking sites have grown so entrenched in society today. This is also the reason that so many virtual worlds are thriving. The internet allows everyone to be who they want to be, even if it's just for a little while.

For a long time, I've struggled with deciding who I want to be. In real life, I'm lots of people. Those people close to me know me as a family man. Those people with whom I work may know me as an educator. Some of the people I serve on boards and committees with may think of me as an innovator. In real life, I am many different people and sometimes the boundaries can become quite blurred. For example, as a father of two young girls, I sometimes teach my children lessons as a teacher would do for their students. As an educator, I often try to tie ideas and people together to support mentoring and collaboration.

Online, I have a lot of identities that compliment my real-world identity. While some people create various online identities to fill a void that exists in their real life, I try to use my online identities to further develop aspects of my real life. But I don't think that I've been as successful with this as I'd like. I spend a lot of time managing my online identities - too much time. Managing your online identity is something that I think too many people overlook.

Managing multiple identities can be tough. All identities, real and virtual, need to be nurtured in order to survive and flourish. I've seen a number of my online identities flourish and then flounder because they haven't been given the attention that they deserve.

My identit(ies). That's what this blog is all about. I've dabbled in blogging for a few years and, to be honest, I don't think I've ever done it really well. I've never really stuck with it or been commited enough to it. In most cases, I've blogged as a way of documenting my real-life adventures. My blogs have each served a specific purpose for a fixed time and place, documenting and developing various aspects of my real life. I've always moved too quickly on to the next chapter or the next tool, prematurely ready to adopt new identities that haven't always meshed with my existing identities.

Enter TECH Talks. This is where it all begins for me again. You see, I've had some time to think about which identities I'm prepared to grow and nurture, and which identities are going to fall by the wayside - so long, and thanks for the memories.

This blog will be a place where I can play with my identities. A place where people can come to learn all about me. TECH Talks will be both a forum for me to share some of the things that I've created, and it will be a place to highlight some of the things that have been shared with me.

In establishing the TECH Talks blog, I'm not just creating a new identity that's on par with all my other identities. This is the one that matters. This is what it's all about.

TECH Talks is how I want to be seen.
It's the me I want to be.

My new identity.