samlab: self-directed, 'net-based learning - learning is for life

Social Media

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 14:17:47 -0800

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.

EdTechTalk: ETBS

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 14:14:44 -0700

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

Blogging again

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 14:26:35 -0700

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 I have remained active--to a degree--in online spaces; however, contributions to this online space have been superseded by others.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

How I got started on the web

Sat, 03 Jan 2009 13:44:12 -0800

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.

Qik

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 17:16:27 -0800

I recently installed qik.com on my BlackBerry:

more mobile web

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 14:29:06 -0800

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.

For Immediate Release

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 16:41:59 -0700

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

Back where I belong...

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 11:32:37 -0700

... 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:

www.flickr.com

14 minutes

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 13:57:07 -0700

Video shot on, and uploaded from, my Blackberry:

Connectivity as a Right

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 09:48:31 -0700

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.

more mobile computing

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 11:34:41 -0700

from my BlackBerry, another in a series of "proof of concept" activities on the web.
BlackBerry has been my camera for my participation in the 366photos project happening @ Flickr.

The interface there doesn't offer full functionality on the device (I can't add photos to sets or groups) but I am able to take and upload photos.

Some ~220 photos into the project, I have to say: while the quality of the camera itself may not be the best, I'm able to post my alotted pic/day. Especially relevant for me due to recent "real 'net" outages.

Mobile offers a lot and needs to be included to make education relevant again. Opportunities for outreach and inclusion grow as the cellular 'nets expand.

Govenments need to be held accountable for our access to mobile technology at reasonable rates. Ministries of Education need to come up with usage guidelines and curriculae integration strategies.

Saying Goodbye to Lee Baber

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 12:34:01 -0700

Taken me a long time to pen this post. I don't really blog any more; more to the point, to do so is to admit that she really is gone.

Almost a week ago now, we lost Lee Baber. Here's a link to a short intro in MP3 format that Lee did for Webcastacademy. Lee was loved across all the worlds she moved in.

An accomplished musician, educator, facilitator and technologist--many will remember the occasions that she had to combine these talents, to the delight of her 'net-connected audiences. Lee was a pioneer in the "webcasting" as a way of connecting class rooms via the Worldbridges: "community of communities" (each of which she played a founding and nurturing role in) and really did a lot to prove "proof of concept" for so many who have followed in her footsteps.

Lee's gift was her ability to connect with people. Lee's memorial page speaks to the influence and impact she had, quite literally around the world. Lee also had a big impact on virtual worlds across the spectrum. For example, many will be able to attest to the fact that Lee was virtually "right there with them" the first time they entered Second Life or participated in a Skype conference.

Lee was always out looking to involve and include others in the fun happening online. I've taken to calling myself the "community animator" of Worldbridges and associated communities, after a gig of the same name I had at SILC. This is really how I think of Lee and the way she "animated" and "connected" communities around and between online worlds; furthermore, she went out of her way to reach out to the members of the "new to technology" members of SILC and provided a very real example of the connections possible in online worlds....

Lee was also quick to reach out to those who were in need to support. Almost a year ago now, I suffered my biggest (to date ;-) technological defeat in which I ended up with a losing the audio archive of a high-profile event in SL that we'd webcast at WB. I've certainly messed-up before, but this really was a "new world record" and it affected me in a big way.

Lee was right there to offer support, and to encourage me to put down the baby and bathwater, and back away from the window, and I'll always remember how much I appreciated the effort she made to help and support another member of her community--that was Lee.

Goodbye Lee: we miss you, and are thankful for the legacy you left behind.

Resume by Wordle

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 13:15:54 -0700

Mobile Computing

Thu, 01 May 2008 18:26:42 -0700

Want to start by wishing my nephew Sam "Happy Birthday"

This is a "proof of comcept" post that I'm making from my BlackBerry. Notwithstanding the typos that will inevitably find their way into the post, I'm impressed with the way that Drupal reacts to this mobile device, and believe that posting via this method would be viable for those so connected, and comfortable with texting. I don't know how often I'll post via this device, but it's nice to know that is an option.

Digital Divide

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 08:56:06 -0700

Accessibility, or lack thereof, has always been a concern of mine in the technology integration and instructional design work I do. Too often, those of us with newer computers, and broadband connections forget that so many--particularly those in rural and remote communities--don't have the access to the f'net that so many of us take for granted.

From 2000 to 2004, I was employed as a "Training Developer" for a technology company, and spent up to 80% of my time travelling North America conducting training sessions for customers and clients. Very often, my only available connection to the 'net for these sessions, and in the hotels I was staying in, was via dialup. This experience brought into full relief for me the challenges so many face in accessing content and participating in the conversation online. It also led me to design and develop "low overhead" versions of the curricula I was developing. Even if that meant providing for CD-based versions of some of the content that was being produced for online delivery via faster (i.e., broadband) connections.

In 2001 I began an studying as an online Master of Education student at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. By the time I was completing my degree in 2005, some of the faculty were presenting content in the form of audio and video files. Unfortunately, especially with the MP3-based lectures, a sizable minority of classmates were unable to access this content due to the fact that slower connections would "time out" during the download of MP3 files. Fortunately, my "low bandwidth experience" had taught me that converting MP3 files to Windows Media Audio format would allow access to those on slower connections, and I was able to convert and upload files to allow access for colleagues. I relate this anecdote not to "blow my own horn" but as a reminder (for me as much as you dear reader) that so much of what we do in design and development of online content has "unintended consequences." Multimedia is great, but are you sure all of your intended audience will be able to access it?

It's been a while since I've had dialup-only access and it's been a good reminder that we need to stay diligent, and realistic, while developing web-based content. I, for one, am more interested in bridging than perpetuating "digital divides" with my content.

NOTE: While I do have EVDO access on my mobile device, many web applications--streaming media, and javascript-based sites, to name two--aren't accessible via my particular device. I'm also apprehensive about what type of "roaming data rates" I'm incurring while browsing via the BlackBerry >;-)

We need to bring pressure to bear on governments and the telecommunication conglomerates to ensure that ALL CITIZENS have the means to effectively engage, contribute, and participate in the conversation.