samlab: self-directed, 'net-based learning

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.

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.

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.