That’s probably a bit of a provocative title – Nenshi, Upworthy, Librarians and Bliss… but in all honesty, I’ve been at a jam packed conference. I’m in Jasper, Alberta and the Fairmont Lodge here is absolutely stunning. I stayed here a while back – but it was in a time that life was tumultuous and I can’t say it was the enjoyable experience I am having today.

The Alberta Library Conference is taking place and I have been surrounded by a crowd of mostly women. It’s somewhat poor on my part that the stereotypical view of librarians remains in my psyche due in large part to personal experiences. The men and women participating at this National Conference have caused me to stop and reflect on many aspects.

Let’s start with the bliss piece. The scenery here is stunning. I live in Okotoks, AB with a daily view of the ever-changing, always beautiful Rocky Mountains. What I don’t have is the up close and personal panorama that is the experience of being in Jasper next to a lake that reflects that mountain that feeds it. You step inside it’s shadow and truly consider how minute you are in this world.

I attended a session presented by two remarkable young ladies that work for the Calgary Library. They demonstrated the importance of meeting kids in their own space and celebrated the Pop Culture of today’s youth. They did it in style including the Harley Quinn T-shirt one of them adorned. It was well done. Something to consider when working to discover how to engage our youth in our libraries.

It’s my strong belief that everyone should get a chance to hang with Nenshi… He’s a stand up guy, is a great listener and invites conversation. I can’t even vote for him as I don’t live in Calgary… but he took time nonetheless to consider my questions and share a laugh.  There wasn’t one person that he didn’t take the time to connect with or create a photo op. Kudos!

I also attended a session with Mayors Nenshi and Iveson. They addressed some of the big items regarding their municipal libraries including the cost per square foot as well as creating a balance in clientele from the marginalized to the academic. Provocative conversation to say the least. These are two great mayors who both seem to be doing an amazing job. The two have been friends for some time and you could tell by the banter that they were comfortable giving each other a ribbing. It made for a highly entertaining presentation. The best part… Vote for Me:

Another great surprise was the information provided by CEO of Upworthy, Sara Critchfield. She brings a fresh perspective to media with her work as she highlights noteworthy posts that are about improving the human condition. She’s just comes across like a very smart girl next door.

There were other sessions of course, but those were the most noteworthy.  I worked with a couple of great ladies from Foothills School Division to present our journey of Libraries to Learning Commons. Barb and Carol provided a lot of information to the librarians that hung out until the end of the day on the last day of the conference.  My thoughts… it was worth it, but my humble side keeps me from shouting it.

Take a look at the Alberta Library Conference information provided at their site and if you’re part of a community library of a school or school division library/learning commons looking to grow you should consider this conference next year.

…J

What’s your tally? If you stopped to reflect on your total time “in school” what would that number look like?

I consider my own journey – 12 years of grade school, 5 years for my Bachelor’s degree (switched majors), 3 years for my Masters and even a year of starting an unfinished PhD. Add that to 31 years in the education system as a teacher then Director…

I am looking at retiring from my current role in the very near future… 3 ½ months to be exact. It’s a strange feeling. I’ve dedicated my life to making a difference for kids and learning. I know I have always felt like it’s important to make a difference. I’ve already started to seek future work that will allow me to continue those efforts.

When I left my home in Kamloops to head to the University of Calgary, I was sitting in our basement with my two brothers. They’re a bit younger than I am and yet see the world through the lens of service. As we sat joking around and dreaming about the future we came up with a pact – a brothers’ pact. We bantered ideas back and forth and this is what we finally came up with: 3 things to do every day.

• Challenge ourselves
• Learn something new
• Do something nice for a stranger

Both my brothers are Engineers. They work in Phoenix due to the fact that one of them, David, is confined to a wheelchair because of SMA. There’s never any snow in his wheelchair treads. David started a business called Dignified Living and now, along with my brother Michael they provide people a new lease on life.

Converting vehicles is just one of the many things they do – but I have to say I think it’s the coolest. Olympic Gold Medalist Amy Van Dyken-Rouen, injured in an ATV accident, confesses that her car gives her freedom and provides her a sense of normality. She talks briefly about her experience (and inadvertently misquotes David’s company name, Drivven… it’s Drivven…) but demonstrates what her car means to her.

Amy is a swimmer – My own son swam at very high levels and I understand the dedication these athletes have for their sport. They spend a whole lot of time looking at the bottom of a pool. I have a niece looking to get to the Olympics as well. That’s another story because you can’t imagine the sacrifices a family makes to create that type of reality.

For Amy to go from a world class athlete and then address the life-changing event of paralysis – and then go out and talk to large audiences about being powerful… Amy is on my heroes list.

At the end of it, we take a lot for granted. Getting up, getting dressed, stopping for groceries, hopping in a car – everything is so different for folks with an injury or some other issue that changes their interaction with our environment.

Now, you might be wondering, what’s all this got to do with ending school. I guess it’s the thought that went through my head when I saw this sign: . “Are you kidding me?” Without the tally of years spent on education there wouldn’t be the David and Michael Aitchisons of the world that are committed to making a difference and have the capacity to do so.

I realize there’s a shift taking place about “how” education should be delivered… but I think there’s a stronger emphasis on the “why”. My hope is that making a difference in the world continues to be one of the big ones. As a life-long learner committed to making a difference, school never ends.

When the nebulous  becomes tangible there’s a certain emotional response associated with that moment. Recently I was interviewed and my work was highlighted in an article created at the High River Times. My appreciation goes to that newspaper. They have been diligent in their work of inquiring about how technology is impacting students within Foothills School Division.

I’ve been very fortunate to work for two outstanding organizations as an educator: Livingstone Range School Division and Foothills School Division. I think I’ve made a difference, as a teacher first and then as a Director of Learning Technologies. And really, what’s most important to me, is that I’ve been somehow supportive in making a difference for the educators I’ve been so fortunate to work with. Lucky me.

I retire from this work in June. New adventures await – even though I’m not quite sure what they are.

The Holiday Domino…

Consumer Electronics were high on the holiday wish list for the average Canadian school aged child. With the cost of devices decreasing every year the opportunity to place wireless devices in the hands of children has never been better. According to Media Smarts a large number of these young consumers are involved in Social Media starting at an early age and many of these kids are using sites unsupervised.

A common question I get from parents within my social circles is “how do we keep up with it?” New online services show up every day and the risks associated with these services is real.

My answer is usually related to supervision. I have four kids in my personal life – 11, 13, 26 and 28. We’re a blended family, so I’ve been through this once with the older two. What I found is that the location of the technology in the home is relevant. For my first set of kids the family computer was in an open space where the screen was visible. Mobile devices were put away at the supper table and the phones the kids had were password protected but it was a known password. That meant I had access to view the content on my child’s device when I asked for it. As I go through this a 2^nd time, the rules are mostly the same.

As parents, my significant other and I talk a lot about online identity, the digital footprint and being safe. That doesn’t mean it’s been perfect. Kids are curious. The youngest created accounts without supervision or advice and the “friends” list had to be modified and their personal profiles reviewed. We also checked content. We had a lengthy discussion about Twitter, Facebook, SnapChat, Instagram and other popular applications. We frequently check the apps on our children’s phones and discuss what their phones are being used for. We also “take a look” at what’s on their phone and spend time discussing cyber-bullying.

As parents it’s important to be familiar with what kids are using and then to ask them why. Sometimes kids can make bad decisions on their way to the right place. Two powerful words… “show me”.

As we requested a look at “their” devices, our kids challenged us on that process. They suggested trust issues. The answer is simple – it’s not about trust… it’s about good parenting. My kids have lost the privilege of their own devices for more than a week at a time. It’s an effective strategy as I know the kids feel like I’ve removed a limb. They survived, and despite the groans and comments related to injustice, so did I.

As a family we talk about digital footprints frequently. We want our kids to be safe and wise in a connected world. We also want them to have access to technologies because we know that wired access can improve learning and provide an advantage.

If you’re sitting on the fence about a digital device for your child and the implications of that device on their safety, their learning or their balanced life style the links I’ve shared in this article are a good place to start. Our society has shifted and, in my opinion, the greatest shift has been in the critical need to be a lifelong learner. As parents I believe we invest in our kids when we remain informed about changing technology. When technology is placed in your children’s hands either at school or by you, are you ready to have the questions you need to “just ask”?

It’s Christmas. The tv is playing old movies and Stacey’s family is surrounding the Rumoli board and there’s a whole lot of laughter. I’m missing my own two kids as they spend time with the result of families spread across distance. I ducked in on them via Facebook. It’s a comfort to see their faces and smiles and it is always good to know that they are safe and happy. That doesn’t remove the small ache that hovers in moments between being busy. I’m looking forward to my turn with them.

It’s raining on the island and the weather is a far cry from the cold that is Alberta. The holiday has allowed me to work out every day. It’s crazy calm and I am relishing in ignoring the white noise that is my usual brain. It’s usually in constant motion with the iterations of the complexity that is my work – a thousand silken threads each tugging from a different direction – a spider’s web in a rainstorm. Instead I ran without thought. It was a quiet surprise that snuck up on me with a grin.

And so I shifted my neutral brain to the things prevalent in my thoughts that make me thankful.

1) Family
2) Friends
3) My partner. Should be first on this list. She’s amazing.
4) Ability to run, feel sore, and be happily tired.
5) Being Canadian. ARE YOU KIDDING? We are so fortunate
6) Youthfulness. Ok. Not that I’m bragging but 9/10 people think I’m 5-10 years younger than I am. Ok. Maybe a little bragging.
7) Opportunity. I’m so fortunate. The work I’ve invested a lifetime into is leading me into opportunities across Canada and other parts of the world. How fun is that?
8) Home sweet home. I love coming home. It’s a great place to be.
9) Making a difference.
10) Attitude. Mine. Every day of my life has not been exceptional. In fact some have been, well… We’ve all had them. But what I know is I’m responsible for the tomorrow in front of me. Every day is a great day if I choose to make it so.

Be thankful, pass it forward and celebrate the moments. What are you really thankful for? I’m kind of curious.

Merry Christmas.

Failure is instructional in its process. In the landscape of learning we all have discovered that it is during the bumps and bruises that the most important part of learning takes place . We learn from risk. If you think back to your own childhood and the learning that took place, how many of you can remember a dozen compelling enduring learning moments in your schools that stuck?

Most of the folks I share this question with can barely remember one or two moments let alone a dozen. There’s something wrong with that… isn’t there?

When we take a look at kids immersed in the “flow‘ that’s where the fun is. Hard fun, but fun… and that’s where I learn best too. Growing up as a Kamloops kid living on the ski hill at Tod Mountain (now Sun Peaks) I learned how to ski by skiing with people better than me. Usually, they were much better than me. I broke skis, and glasses and pummeled my body over moguls… but in the end I became a pretty good skier and I remember those moments like they were yesterday.

In my schooling I know I have the usual answers about learning – gym class and breaks were my favorites. And the classes that Mr. Gordon Gore taught. He was a remarkable science teacher and spent more hours than I can give him credit for setting up his learning space with hands on experimentation so that the laws of physics became second nature. He made the abstract become concrete and did it by allowing us to experiment… and fail. Now that he’s left teaching, he’s used his genius to set up the Big Little Science Centre and continues his work making the world a better place by sharing his knowledge of science.

He made a difference to me and used three important facets to  “flow based learning”. His teaching allowed for the following:

• experiential learning
• student voice
• embracing failure

So… Thanks Mr. Gore (Dr. Gore!) = I finish my career in education this year – I’ve been doing this for 31 years and you’ve been a part of that work. Tomorrow I’ll go seek something to fail at while I learn with some bumps and bruises.

I’m sitting in line at the car wash adding a blog post after reading some detailed articles regarding our wireless learners. Not so long ago I would have sat with a newspaper instead. I would have been limited to the content provided by the editors and authors of the day. Still an enriching experience but now I can direct my attention on the subjects I’m most interested in. They are at my fingertips. I’ve become the curator of my own learning.

At home one of the kids is using YouTube to develop a skill set in movie making. He’s spent a couple hours every night learning the tool and checking other artists creations to compare his own skills. He’s 13. He epitomizes today’s learner.

As we gear up for the movement towards BYOD devices in the classroom as a strategic plan instead of by accident, there’s a number of concerns bubbling to the murky surface that is the understanding of the learning community. Questions are focused on responsibility for the most part. It’s about damage and security and ownership. I have to admit that those concerns strike me as odd. I suppose it’s the teacher in me, but I would hope their first concerns would have been about improving learning.

The number of resources busting loose on the web related to the benefit of personal devices as a part of student learning are beginning to pile up. The articles generally expand on the notion of gamification of learning, the benefit of personalized devices and student organization and ubiquitous access.

As I work to engage parents, I’ll be adding links and refer to the research in future posts. In the interim here’s an article posted by John Steele from Dell Computing regarding gamification of learning.

Wireless devices have proliferated the space we’re immersed in. My phone just pushed a notification that my garage door opened and then closed. I know the boys are off to school and that they remembered to close the door behind them. The WeMo motion sensors and the lights connected to them will automatically shut down shortly and the FitBit on my arm is tracking my efforts towards maintaining my goal of remaining under 40…

It is a wireless decade. The curiosity belongs intertwined with what this means to the average learner. A constant set of analytical data is available and the impact of that work can be seen everywhere.

Join the idea of wearable technology with data analytics and there’s a great chance we will be seeing adaptable learning that happens in real time as feedback from student owned devices lets both the teacher and the learner know if they are in the flow.

This decade is accelerating the use of all things wireless – as educators we need to seek the opportunities that will allow us to leverage these tools to help all kids learn.

I work with a group of Librarians in Foothills School Division developing Learning Commons. I found this twitter post to be inspiring!

Libraries use new tools to be places for curious, creative, experimental learning http://t.co/qMx9TuHPJ7 #edchat pic.twitter.com/uBSbdhCfXC

— MindShift (@MindShiftKQED) November 21, 2014

I’m at ATLE and David Hay is presenting the gamification of learning from his perspective. He always does an amazing job and I enjoy what he has to say. He lists a large number of resources and provided explanations for each.

His resources are listed at http://goo.gl/PxOqDA: