samlab: self-directed, 'net-based learning

I have been doing more work lately in the social media space with some clients.

Each time someone refers to me as an "expert" in the field, I correct them and indicate that I'm a student of social media. It has been my experience that setting one's self up as an expert in any field--let alone one as dynamic as social media--is a recipe for ridicule, if not disaster.

Indeed, too many "experts" forget the "social" aspect of the media itself, and the fact that online spaces, like all areas of human endeavour ultimately come back to the social connections between individuals and groups. Furthermore, unless and until a particular tool or applications resonates, or meets a specific need, for your end-user, any relevance will be lost and they "won't get it."

There is also a lot to be said for picking the right tool for the job. Perhaps more than most, online spaces provide a perfect example of "just because you can, doesn't mean you should." Notwithstanding the relative appropriateness, or lack thereof, of a particular online artifact in terms of one's "brand" in online spaces--there are a number of ethical, legal and moral considerations associated with life online.

The web in general, and social media spaces in particular, are powerful tools that need to be used carefully and respected for the power they represent to build or undermine one's reputation in online spaces and beyond.

Feels good to be getting back into the groove on the EdTechBrainstorm on the EdTechTalk channel of the Worldbridges internet radio network.

Thanks to all the members of these inter-connected networks, and a special thanks to the artists and musicians who license their works under a Creative Commons license for those of us who 'cast. Here's this week's edition ETBS: techno-dance-party-hang-out

Months have passed since I have posted to this space. I have remained active--to a degree--in online spaces; however, contributions to this online space have been superseded by others.

Microblogging (Twitter) and concentration on streaming (Qik), video (YouTube), and still pics (Flickr) have kept me occupied and away from this space.

For the past few months, my work has been primarily "non-technical"--or non-internet-based, perhaps more accurately--than at any time since I began contributing to this space.

I find myself determined to once again make this space the focus of my learning and to use it to develop, display, and demonstrate the use of the tools mentioned above, as well as discoveries of both new tools and new uses of existing ones.

It all began with a wrist broken in snowboarding incident in the spring of 1997. Three months in a cast meant that my career in the ski industry (I was to have worked lift maintenance over the summer) was over before it began.

My inelegant exit from the snow sports industry led somewhat indirectly to federally-funded retraining program in object-oriented software engineering at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology in Calgary, Alberta.

I then worked as a technical writer and a curriculum developer for SAIT and as a Training Developer for SMART Technologies Inc. While at SMART, I began studies toward a Master of Education degree from the the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto.

I was able to complete this degree online while travelling North America conducting face-to-face training sessions for interactive whiteboards and related software. This experience really brought issues of connectivity to the fore. Wireless--free or otherwise--was still relatively rare and cell phone surfing wasn't yet a reality "at the turn of the century."

I started blogging at http://learningdiary.blogspot.com at the beginning of 2002. I began to blog as a place to capture some of the work I was doing online, to prevent the loss of my work with each course/semester within the confines of yet another walled-garden. More recently I have moved to this self-hosted space, but have found myself very challenged by a number of connectivity and hardware "issues" which continue to impact negatively on my ability to be an effective participant in online spaces.

What strikes me most about life in online environments is how it always comes back to the people involved. Technologies and interfaces (and many companies, it appears) will come and go, but the people--and the connections they foster--will remain.

Take EVO2009PDI as an example. I feel blessed to be exposed to such a great group of "interested parties" from quite literally around the globe. It is a gift to learn and share experiences, and expand one's frame of reference, with such a diverse and engaged group.

I recently installed qik.com on my BlackBerry:

Keep coming back to cell and mobile devices for the web. Seems a natural un terms of the ubiquity of the "user interface" and the growing number of users who understand, and will ultimately demand, this type of connection from service providers. I see mobile web as a more valuable tool than text/SMS, although a wide-ranging approach--one that captures the "user experience" across operating systems and platforms, and evolves to meet user needs, will ultimately succeed in reaching and engaging one's audience.

Martha's first book is out. Click for a PDF of the press release

... sliding on snow. After a number of years in the technology and education fields, I've decided that I'm going to make a return to the recreation industry. I also recognize that the web-based tools I've been using in and for education, are just as relevant to recreation. The videos and pictures embedded in this post are examples of how "social media" might be used to record and promote events, and enhance guest experiences.

The videos, and first set of pictures, are from the Winterstart World Cup at Lake Louise: the second set of pictures is from opening day 2007 at Mount Washington, here on Vancouver Island:

Video shot on, and uploaded from, my Blackberry:

At a time when all levels of Canadian government are moving to the web for "communicating" with their constituents, it follows that individuals need be connected to participate in society. Applying for any government documentation or service now typically begins online.

Public access sites, and affordable cellular connection are imperative.

There are very real costs associated with a lack of connectivity. Leaving aside the ethics of access for citizens, disconnected "users" don't know how to use the tools, and are left in a technology backwater, while citizens of truly and well connected jurisdictions reap the benefits of connecting, learning and sharing on a sustainable and global level.