MindShare Learning Report
Issue No.12, Volume 3, April 2010           Click here if you are having problems viewing this report            Complimentary Issue
April 2010 Edition of the MSL Report: Cross Canada Spotlight on Ontario-Special Feature Wireless and Mobile Technologies
Funding Opportunity
K12: Headlines
K12: Upcoming Events
Green IT
Post Secondary: Headlines
Post Secondary: Upcoming Events
Research and Innovation
MindShare Musings
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Poll Question
Does your district have plans to roll-out wireless access to schools in the near future?
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Suggested Reading...
  
The Leader in Me

 
Closing the Gap

 
 
Teaching the Digital Generation
 
How, Flat and Crowded
 
The World is Open

Dear Thought Leader,
                                                                Publisher Vodcast Welcome
Robert Martellacci
Welcome to the Spring April Edition of the MindShare Learning Report-Cross Canada Spotlight on Ontario-Special Wireless and Mobile Technologies issue.
 
Spring is the air, and so too is change.  Given the many pockets of innovation across the province, Ontario is on the "move." Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board is a great example having recently approved a multi-million dollar well crafted District-wide Instructional Technology Plan. Rumours are that the province is exploring an ICT framework that was inspired by the excellent 21st Century EdTech Report by OPSBA led by two visionary trustees, Howard Goodman and Mark Bailey.
 
It's as much about leadership as it is technology. Change will happen through strong partnerships, but, it will not happen overnight as was evidenced at the recent TDSB - Dell 21st Century Connected Classroom launch event. Be sure to tune into the Publisher's Vodcast that features an exclusive interview with Paul Bell, Dell's Global Education sector president. With Dr. Chris Spence at the helm as Director, he's shaking up the apple cart to accelerate the pace of change. This is a great example of a public-private partnership that is essential in bringing about change when financial resources are limited.  Dr. Spence shared his bold and realistic vision of delivering wireless to every school and a computer for every teacher by 2015. Seems far away, however, some 600 plus schools and 300,000 students requires advanced planning for any program rollout. What is vitally important in the process of change is that the ultimate goals remain focused on the student. Dr. Spence speaks of "re-engagement" and student success.
 
On the mobile device front, I'm thrilled to share my podcast interview with Sheldon Hebert, Director, Education Sector, RIM, makers of the Blackberry. Be sure to tune in to learn more about their vision for education and the anticipated market growth in the next five years-mobile learning is going to be HUGE!
 
Speaking of mobile devices and "game changers," one could not ignore the release of the iPad this past weekend in the U.S. Apple claims to have sold over 300,00 units which is staggering from a sales and marketing perspective.  I wonder how many were teachers? Speaking of which, here's an excellent review by a Ryerson Journalism professor. We're looking forward to a Canadian release from our friends at Apple for our product review and test drive. Special thanks to Karen Ritcey, Apple Canada's Marketing Manager for allowing us to test drive their awesome MacBookPro this past year; an extremely robust and elegant tool for 21st Century Learners and educationalists alike. 
 
April is shaping up to be a super busy month with several conferences we're attending. MindShare Learning is proud to be the exclusive sponsor of this week's TedXOntarioEd taking place this Friday, April 9th, both f2f and Online. Speaking of TED as a follow-up to my interview with 12 year-old author and educator, Adora Svitak, I received an email from her mom, who shared that Adora presented at TED 2010 in LongBeach and has been invited to Toronto to present at Idea City Online
 
Taking a page from MIT, the University of Ottawa becomes the first university in Canada to offer Open access for research.
 
As this publication hits your computer screen I'll be preparing to head out to Quebec City for the ERDI Canada Directors' and Industry "think tank" sessions with my client Global Scholar.
 
Our publication continues to grow! We're pleased to welcome Discovery Education to the MindShare Learning Report as a new advertising partner. They are truly one of the leaders in the industry in migrating to digital video over the web and highly focused on meeting the needs of Canadian educators.
  
Don't forget to cast your vote in our monthly poll to gage the current availability of wireless in schools. BTW, last week's poll question yielded an interested result. 100% of the responses indicated that it is felt that technology in schools is not well utilized. I think we need to create a special Cross Canada "Tech Day" where every student and teacher spends part of their day discovering a new technology they've never used, while being permitted to bring their own technology to school as well.  Any sponsors interested in stepping up?
Special thanks to Tim Gard, our K12 editor, our readership, the many educator contributors, our generous sponsors, and the MindShare Learning Report advisory board, all have been an integral part of our continuing success. 
 
Special thanks to our K12 editor, our readership, the many contributors, our generous sponsors, and the MindShare Learning Report advisory board, who continue to be an integral part to our success.  

 
Until next time, keep the learning curve steep!


Cheers, R.

 
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P.S. We're growing! We've moved our offices recently, conveniently situated adjacent Pearson International Airport in Mississauga Ontario. Feel free to drop in and visit sometime. We located in the Airport Corporate Centre, 2425 Matheson Blvd East, 8th FL.


Robert Martellacci, M.A. EdTech
Publisher & Managing Editor, The MindShare Learning Report™
President, MindShare Learning™-- Connecting Education & Business to Support Student Success 
Go Green  Before printing think about the Environment. Avant l' impression, il faut penser � l'Environnement.
Title Sponsor
Epson
Quotes of the Month
 
Via Twitter - "Technology is no longer an option, it's an essential tool for learning. See what I said at the Dell launch today "

and


"Our students are growing up in the digital age and instead of asking them to power down in the classroom, we should be working to meet their needs and better incorporate the tools they use every day, into our classrooms. Access is our biggest obstacle, but our vision is that by 2015, all TDSB sites will be wireless enabled, every teacher will have access to a computer in their classroom and every student will have access to an electronic learning environment.
"

-- Dr. Chris Spence, Director of Education, Toronto District School Board, at Dell Connected Classroom launch at Sir Adam Beck J.S.
 
" We are listening to educators, policy makers, and IT leaders who tell us an entire learning ecosystem is needed in which students, teachers, and parents are connected to each other, to shared information and, ultimately, to the shared knowledge of the world."

 
-- Paul Cooper, Country Manager (Canada), Dell

How Google Innovates...."Either we're going to figure out how to make a great user experience or we'll die trying," Perlow said. "Most of the things we try, fail."

--Jonathan Perlow, a senior engineer on the Gmail team



Cross Canada Spotlight - Ontario


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Cathy Abraham

Cathy Abraham, Trustee
Kawartha Pine District School Board

Ms Abraham was first elected in 2003 and re-elected in 2006. She represents the Municipality of Clarington in the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board.  Ms Abraham was elected to the Board of Directors for OPSBA in 2004 and first elected as Regional Vice-President in 2006, and still holds that position today.  She has served for two years as Vice-Chair of KPR and as Chairperson of a variety of Committees of the Board.   Ms Abraham is married  with three children, two of whom have graduated from KPR schools and are pursuing post-secondary education and the youngest is in Grade 10.







Ontario Education News & Facts


The McGuinty government is reforming the education funding model to increase ... standard by 2008 and to increase the high school graduation rate to 85 per cent by 2010. [Report]

Ontario's High School Graduation Rates

High school graduation increased to 79 per cent in 2008-09,


Fact Sheet
(Ontario Ministry of Education 22/03/10)
  • More Ontario high school students are graduating.
  • Over 52, 500 more High School Graduates since 2003-2004
  • Last year, 79 per cent of Ontario students graduated with a high school diploma. Since 2003-04, increases in the graduation rate have resulted in over 52,500 more young Ontarians earning a high school diploma
Read More
 

Education Funding

To reach every student and further strengthen the education system, funding to school boards will increase in 2010-11 and will continue to rise in future years. Education sector spending is projected to rise to $21.4 billion in 2010-11, a $0.7 billion increase over the previous year. It is projected to rise to $22.3 billion in 2011-12, and to $23 billion in 2012-13, an 11.5 per cent increase since 2009-10.

This focused investment is showing real results in smaller class sizes, better student achievement, improved graduation rates and healthier schools that are integral to the communities they serve.




GRANTS FOR STUDENT NEEDS: 2010-11 HIGHLIGHTS

March 26, 2010

The Ontario government's commitment to a strong publicly funded education system has resulted in higher student achievement, reduced the gaps in student achievement for students who are struggling, and increased public confidence in our schools.

Strong publicly funded schools are at the core of a competitive economy and an important part of the province's new Open Ontario plan to expand education opportunities in our schools and help build a well-educated workforce

That's why, for the eighth consecutive year, Ontario continues to invest in education and has increased its annual investment by more than $5.8 billion - a 40 per cent increase - since coming to office. This does not include the investment in full-day early learning.

KEY FACTS
  • The Grants for Student Needs (GSN) is the annual funding provided by the Ministry of Education to school boards to support educational programs and services, staffing and the maintenance of school facilities.
  • The 2010-11 GSN is increasing to $20.2 billion - up more than $694 million (3.6 per cent) over last year.
  • Per pupil funding in 2010-11 is projected to rise to $10,730 - that's $464 (4.5 per cent) more per student than last year. This represents an increase of more than $3,500 per student since 2002-03 - an increase of almost 50 per cent.
FUNDING HIGHLIGHTS

  • More Teachers and Supports
    • 566 more elementary specialist teachers to support 10 additional minutes of preparation time per week
    • 132 more Grade 4 to 8 teachers to reduce class sizes
    • More support for elementary student supervision
    • Increased professional learning opportunities for elementary teachers
    • 216 more secondary teachers to support expanded programming.
Adobe Ontario Ministry of Education Case Study: Acrobat Connect

Lesson in achievement: Ontario selects Adobe Acrobat Connect Professional to enhance public education for more than two million Canadian students

In Ontario, big numbers are the norm. As Canada's largest province, Ontario's population exceeds 12 million and is spread out over an area larger than France and Spain combined. Ontario's far-reaching publicly funded education system is administered by the Ministry of Education, which relates to 72 different school boards as well as many school authorities serving over two million students in more than 5,000 different elementary and secondary schools. There are also more than 115,000 teachers.

Discovery Education


Ontario Educational Collaborative Marketplace (OECM)
 
The Ministry of Finance funded the formation of the Ontario Educational Collaborative Marketplace (OECM), which was established by the education sector to facilitate and lead strategic sourcing and group purchasing, and to introduce an integrated electronic marketplace. In 2010, OECM plans to undertake strategic sourcing for textbooks, computer hardware, telecom services and other commodities, as well as continue with the implementation of the e-marketplace.

 
Message from the President, Budget 2010
NSERC 11/03/10
 
Finally, NSERC is pleased to see the Government of Canada doubling the budget of the College and Community Innovation (CCI) Program with an additional $15 million per year. The new resources will support additional collaborative projects in colleges across the country, strengthen the competitiveness of small and medium-sized businesses through innovation and enable even more young Canadians to prepare for the jobs of tomorrow.

 
 
2010 Budget Released
The Orillia Packet & Times 26/03/10

Fred Gilbert, president of Lakehead University, is looking forward to a time of growth after hearing Thursday's provincial budget. The McGuinty government announced a $310-million increase in post-secondary education funding to pay for 20,000 new college and university spaces this fall. "I think in times of fiscal constraint, it's a very positive sign of this government's position on the importance of post-secondary education," Gilbert said. "It's an investment in the future."

Advanced Presentation Products

K12 Feature Headlines

The MindShare Learning Report Partners to Host Inaugural TEDxOntarioEd Friday, April 9, 2010
MSLR 09/04/10

The stage is set for Ontario's first ever TEDxOntarioEd event taking place this Friday, April 9 at the London Catholic District School Board offices and online.  The MindShare Learning Report will serve as exclusive sponsor of this inaugural leadership event. "We were thrilled to be offered the opportunity partner with TEDxOntarioEd. The MindShare Learning Report mission is to share knowledge and transform learning in the 21st Century across Ontario and beyond.  We share the same vision of TEDxOntarioEd," said Robert Martellacci, President & Publisher, The MindShare Learning Report.


National Geographic Experience Goes Mobile On BlackBerry Smartphone

RIM 23/03/10

National Geographic today announced the launch of the National Geographic Application for BlackBerry� smartphone users in Hong Kong and Australia.


SMART Response™ VE designed for Internet-enabled mobile devices
SMART Tech 16/03/10

SMART Technologies announces SMART Response VE interactive response system, a browser-based assessment tool in the growing SMART Response product line. SMART Response VE enables students to log in from any Internet-enabled device, such as smartphones - including the iPhone and BlackBerry� - the iPod Touch, a home computer or a laptop.


Student Engagement Just A Click Away
The Globe and Mail 26/03/10

It was like an episode of Who Wants to be a Millionaire, but instead of polling the audience, the teacher polled her students. "Enter your answers," she said, directing the 9-and 10-year-olds to key in their answers on handheld devices that are part of the Toronto District School Board's new Connected Classroom learning platform.



Read More K12 Feature Headlines...
21st Century Corporate Partner Spotlight
Dell Launch of Connected Classroom
VideoCast: Tim Workman, National Research Council
Tim Workman, NRC

Student with Dell Latitude 2100 Netbook

Web 2.0 Tools

Doug Peterson's Blog

Click on over to Doug Peterson's blog where you'll find a wealth of Web 2.0 tools, among other things! Thanks Doug!
K12: Upcoming Events

Pearson

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Event:........ ERDI Canada Spring Conference
Date:..........
April 8-10, 2010
Location:....
Quebec City, QC


Event:........ The Learning Partnership RTT � Day ICT Mini Summit, Featuring Dr. Chris Spence, Director of Education TDSB
Date:..........
April 20, 2010
Location:....
TDSB Offices, 9-12PM


Event:........ 21st Century Learning & Sharing: Engaging for Success - Spring Online Conference 2010
Date:.......... April 21-24, 2010
Location:.... ONLINE


Event:........ OPSOA Annual Conference 2010
Date:.......... April 22-23
Location
:.... Toronto, ON


Event:........ MindShare Learning 21st Century EdTech Leadership Summit
Date:..........
May 4 - Postponed until the Fall, 2010
Location:....
TBA. For more information contact: eMail

Event:
........ Canada 3.0
Date:..........
May 10-11, 2010
Location:.... Stratford, ON


Event:........ ISTE 2010
Date:..........
June 27-30, 2010
Location:..... Denver, Colorado







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iEARN Summit
Conference Corner

Our team at the MSL Report has the good fortune of attending and presenting at many conferences throughout North America. We endeavour to "mindshare" the knowledge that is generated from these conferences. Through the power of Web 2.0 technology we are also able to attend virtually as well. This past month we feature: CeLEA Board Meeting

CeLEA


CeLEA Board Meeting
MindShare Learning president & publisher Robert Martellacci played host to CeLEA's (Canadian eLearning Enterprise Alliance) recent board meeting at its new offices in Mississauga. A member of the board, Mr. Martellacci was honoured to be elected vice-chairman.  Back Row LtoR: Claude Martell,newly elected Chairman; Lydia Sani, Marcus Daniels, Robert Martellacci Front Row LtoR: Jay Bahlis, Barry Nicolle, past Chairman Absent: Michael Skinner









If you have conference news to share with us, please forward it to this email.

Green IT

 Green IT Faronics : How Green Is I.T. Really?












7 Things You Should Know About GreenIT
Educause 23/03/10

A broad consciousness has developed about environmental sustainability, and IT is not only is responsible for an appreciable portion of emissions but is also in a position to facilitate reductions in the environmental impacts of non-IT areas. The sustainability area in which IT has the greatest impact is the reduction of energy usage, and it can also contribute to environmental efforts through programs such as virtual classrooms and telecommuting, which help constituents minimize driving. Many of the technologies and practices that will move us to an environmentally sustainable future have been or will be developed in the research centers and classrooms of college campuses, and higher education will supply many of the members of the emerging "green economy" workforce.
 

Faronics Receives Network Products Guide 2010 Product Innovation Award

Faronics 16/03/10

Faronics announced today that Network Products Guide, industry's leading information technology research and advisory guide has named Faronics Anti-Executable a winner of the 2010 Product Innovation Awards.


Earth Hour Benefits Our Kids
Barrie Examiner 26/03/10

There are encouraging signs provincially with the new Green Energy Act and students have more about climate change in their education curriculums, too. Locally, there are positive signs with the South Simcoe Green Transition project. Sadly, the federal government is the weak link with its leadership on climate change in the wrong direction and the federal budget providing less toward solving this urgent issue. 

Timothy Gard
Educator, Toronto District School Board





Hardware Review: Dell's Connected Classroom Mobile Wireless Cart, 24 Latitude 2100 Netbooks
 
If it's simple and robust, with solid technical support, it's good. And it's as simple as that!  Dell's wireless-enabled cart with bays for 24 Latitude Netbooks is sweet because it's simple, easily managed, and it works. How do I know? I'm currently using one in my classroom of eager grade 5 technophiles. Each student can simply select his or her netbook out of an appropriate bay from either side of the cart - each cart has 12 bays or docks on each side - walk it to an area that he or she is going to be logging onto the network, and off they go to begin work on their blog or wiki, or check out the assignments that they've been assigned on the class SharePoint site.

Corporate Learning & Technology Spotlight

April 2010 MindShare Learning Report Interview with Sheldon Hebert, Director, Health Care, Government and Education Sectors, Research In Motion



Sheldon Hebert
Sheldon Hebert

As the Director of Healthcare and Education Sales at Research In Motion Limited (RIM), Sheldon is responsible for all sales into the Healthcare and Education verticals within North America.  Sheldon's team has a mandate to expand BlackBerry usage in these markets by working with partners and carriers to enhance the strong ROI that is native to Blackberry.  Sheldon has been able to make significant headway in the adoption of BlackBerry as the standard in the healthcare and education markets.
 
Sheldon holds honors degrees in business and science and joined RIM in 2002. 







Dr. Gary Woodill, a senior analyst at Brandon Hall Research and former CeLEA board member shares his recent book at the eLated event sponsored by CeLEA recently in Toronto

Post Secondary Education

As part of our innovative practices, each month we will profile a "Visiting Professor"

21st Century Podcast Interview with Dr. Bill Muirhead, University of Ontario, Institute of Technology.

Dr. Bill Muirhead

Dr. Bill Muirhead
Associate Provost, Academic at the University of Ontario, Institute of Technology

In his role Bill is responsible the following portfolios: academic integrity, undergraduate program review, university pathways, international programs, undergraduate policy development, continuing education, learning technology requirements, faculty mentorship and the Office of Teaching and Learning. Bill has had extensive experience in the areas of teacher training, online education, learning technology planning and development, educational policy research and international education. His current research interests are in the areas of online education, the design of hybrid teaching-learning environments and student diversity. A recipient of many awards, Bill is the past President of the Canadian Association for Distance Education.

Podcast Interview



International News

Education Secretary Duncan Announces New Teacher Quality Grants
U.S. Department of Education 30/03/2010

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced the award of $99.8 million for 12 new five-year Teacher Quality Partnership grants that aim to raise student achievement by improving instruction in our nation's schools. The grants, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will be used to reform traditional university teacher preparation programs as well as create teacher residency programs for professionals from other fields entering the teaching profession.


Post Secondary Education Feature Headlines

Ontario needs strategy to increase postsecondary success rates

CNW 30/03/10
 
Ontario's colleges are anxious to see the provincial government's new long-term strategy to improve success rates at the province's colleges and universities, the college presidents said today.
 
"The government has made significant investments into new postsecondary spaces," said Tony Tilly, the president of Fleming College and vice-chair of the colleges' committee of presidents. "The province now needs to release a long-term strategy to help ensure that greater numbers of people can successfully complete their college and university educations."


University of Ottawa first to embrace Open Access

New online repository supported by institutional funding.
University Affairs 08/03/10
 
The University of Ottawa has become the first Canadian postsecondary institution to set up an institution-wide "open access" initiative. Several years in the making, the move thrusts U of Ottawa into the forefront of Canadian efforts to make publicly funded research freely available online.


Ryerson in the Market for Bright Ideas
The Globe and Mail 19/03/10
 
Ryerson University student Jonathan Ingham had an idea. So while his classmates posed for pictures after graduation last spring, the radio and television arts major found the school's president standing on the grass and made him a pitch. He needed space to develop technology and support to start a business. Could the university help?


More Post-Secondary News...
Post Secondary Education: Upcoming Events 

Event: ....... Best Practices for Incorporating Web 2.0/Web 3.0 into Your e-Learning Mix, eLearning Guild Online Seminar
Date: ......... April 8-9, 2010
Location: ....Stratford, ON

Event: ....... 14th Annual Western Canadian Conference on Computing Education
Date: ......... May 1-2, 2010
Location: ....Simon Fraser University
 
Event: ....... Canada 3.0
Date: ......... May 10 -11, 2010
Location: ....Stratford, ON


 
Event: ....... ACCC (Association of Canadian Community Colleges) Conference
Date: ......... June 6 - 8, 2010                                    
Location: ....Niagara Falls, ON
 
Event: ....... Canadian Higher Education and Information Technology Conference
Date: ......... June 13 - 16, 2010                                
Location: ....St. John's, NFLD

Event: ....... MODSIM WORLD
Date: ......... June 14 - 17, 2010                                
Location: ....Montreal, QC

Career Opportunities
MSL






Education Canada

Canadian Publisher Seeking K12 Contract Presenters
 
A leading Canadian educational solutions provider is looking for per diem presenters to communicate the features and benefits of a high-quality digital instructional resource, customized for Canadian schools, which will enable education leaders to easily and cost-effectively implement a digital-based learning environment that engages and inspires students.

If interested, please forward your credentials to Paul Masson
Research and Innovation



Will $99 Moby tablet swim or sink?
eSchoolNews 26/03/10

In a development that it claims will be a game-changer in education, technology company Marvell has announced the prototype of a $99 tablet computer that students can use to surf the web, interact with electronic textbooks and other digital media, and collaborate with each other around the globe.


Seismic shift in mobile use: Data traffic exceeds voice traffic for the first time
Mobile phone users are more likely to log onto a mobile browser than make a call, it appears
SNW News 02/04/10 
 
The Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Industry, today announced funding for several groundbreaking, large-scale, multidisciplinary research projects. These projects will play an important role in connecting academic researchers to Canadian organizations in an effort to propel new knowledge generation and technology applications for the benefit of Canadians right now.


Ministers put Education at the Forefront of the Economic Recovery
CMEC 05/03/10
 
Canada's education ministers were in Toronto this week for the 97th meeting of the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC), where they worked to further advance commitments made in their 2008 declaration, Learn Canada 2020. "We recognize the importance of education and literacy to our economic recovery and to the future prosperity of all Canadians," said the Honourable Diane McGifford, Chair of CMEC and Minister of Advanced Education and Literacy for Manitoba. "Knowledge and skills are the road map to Canada's long-term social and economic well-being."


Read More Research and Innovation...
Bits and Bites...

Becky Kellar


Three time Olympic Gold Medalist Becky Kellar of the Canadian women's hockey team inspired coach Martellacci and his Atom Mississauga girl's hockey team to a championship win with a pre-game visit and pep talk.


MindShare Musings..."The Connectors, Leaders and People on the Move"

Robert Martellacci
With Spring upon us there is an air of change with the many new and exciting developments to share this month.  On the federal government front Industry Minister to announce a discussion paper on 'Digital Economy Strategy."
 

SMART Technologies announced the appointment of Patric Nagel to the position of Vice President, Sales - Americas. Congrats to my friend and mentor, Anne Wujcik, MDR Senior Research Analyst, for receiving the Private Sector Champion Award from CoSN!  Congrats to Loralea Carruthers, Trustee, York Region District School Board, who has been accepted in to the Masters of Education in Digital Technologies program at UOIT starting in July!  "It's very exciting and I'm really looking forward to it," says Ms. Carruthers.
 
Great to connect with Maxim Jean Louis, president and CEO of ContactNorth over lunch recently while he was travelling through Mississauga.  One of Maxim's other hats is Chair of ORION. I'm looking forward to next week's ORION Summit 2010 at the MaRS Centre.
 
Anita Townsend dropped into our new digs for a meeting last month. She recently presented at the HP Customer summit and continues her work with the Simcoe County District School Board as well as the Ontario Principal's Conference. Congrats to fellow Canadians Stephen Downes, Dr. Alec Couros for achieving Top 50 EdTech blogs. Fellow Pepperdine U EdTech alum, Sylvia Martinez also made the cut for her Generation YES blog.
 
Dr. Ron Owston, MSL Report board member checked in to share his new website Future CampusDenys Lupshenyuk, Doctoral candidate, York University is also a key member of the project team.  Speaking of my alma mater York University, I participated in the recent York Institute for Research on Learning Technology board meeting. Shann McGrail, Education Director, Microsoft Canada was welcomed as the newest member of the team. I would be remiss if I didn't mention my other board involvement for a very good cause... A few foursomes remain for the York U Chair's Cup Golf tournament, Wednesday, June 2. The tournament raises over $600,000 for graduate scholarships.  Bill Hogarth, recently retired York Region School District Director will be adding "Dr." to his name. Bill will be honoured at the upcoming York University Faculty of Education Convocation this June.
 
Jamie McNamara, MSL Report advisory board member and Superintendent of Schools, St. Thomas Aquinas Roman Catholic Schools, Leduc, Alberta updated me on their Building Information Technology Together (B.I.T.T.) Project.  They're hosting their final showcase symposium on June 2, with the Education Minister SKYPING in from 2:30-2:45 to interact with students who are presenting their projects on "How technology integration is impacting our education?" 

Worth watching! The Educator's PLN and 5 minutes with Sir Ken Robinson on Standardized Testing. Publishers take note! MIT OpenCourseWare FREE online for High School Students and teachers.
 
The 21st Century Learning movement continues to gain traction across the Canadian landscape. Speaking of which, I came across a great article from New Zealand on the 8 Habits of Highly Effective 21st Century Teachers.  Hats off to a couple of Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board teachers who created an engaging online "Read, Write & Rock" Guitar Hero type of game to support Grade 10 English students.
Carleton University is celebrating the launch of Pathoftheelders.com, a ground-breaking educational resource to help Aboriginal youths.
Desire2Learn continues to gain traction in Canada thanks in part to Blackboard. Wilfrid Laurier University Migrates to Desire2Learn Learning Management System.
 
Looking ahead...  Canada 3.0 2010 Forum Sets Goal for Canada's Digital Economy. I'm looking forward to covering this event upcoming in May at the Stratford Institute, hosted by the University of Waterloo.
 
As I glance at my April schedule, I have a conference, or two each week! Lifelong learning at its best!  Until next time, keep "MindSharing" your stories with us!

Cheers,


 

Publisher & Managing Editor, The MindShare Learning Report™
President, MindShare Learning™
www.mindsharelearning.com  
Go Green Before printing think about the Environment. Avant l' impression, il faut penser � l'Environnement.
Advisory Board Members 
 
The MindShare Report is grateful of the guidance and support provided by our esteemed advisory board.  Members include: 
  • Dr. Greg Malszecki, Department of Kinesiology & Health Sciences, York University
  • Dr. Ron Owston, Director, Institute for Research on Learning Technology, York University
  • Dr. Eric Hamilton, Associate Dean of Education, Pepperdine University, Graduate School of Education and Psychology
  • Cheryl Paige, Principal, Joyce Public School, Toronto District School Board
  • Jamie McNamara, Superintendent of Schools, St. Thomas Aquinas Roman Catholic Schools, Leduc, Alberta
  • Joni Turville, B.Ed, M. Ed (Instructional Technology), Educator, AISI Coordinator, St. Albert Protestant Schools
  • Timothy Gard, Educator - Media Literacy & Technology, Toronto District School Board
  • Cathy Phillips, M. Ed., Director, Round Table on Technology, The Learning Partnership
  • Ron Sedran, MD, Equity Capital Markets, Canaccord Adams
  • Marty Keast, President, Pearson Learning K-12 Canada  
  • David Marsi, AVP, Learning & Development, Invesco Trimark
  • Chip FeskoSr. Director of Advertising & Strategic Alliances, George Lucas Educational Foundation, Edutopia Magazine
About Us

The MindShare Learning Report team is made up of the following individuals:

About The MindShare Learning Report™ -- Canada's Leading, Learning & Technology eMagazine.

Our mission is to transform education by sharing knowledge of 21st Century innovative best practices and success stories in the Canadian education market space and beyond. We harness the power of Web 2.0 technologies to feature engaging Vodcasts, podcasts, polling, Canadian educational technology news headlines & upcoming strategic industry events in the K-12, Higher Ed and corporate eLearning market segments. Other elements of the MSL Report eMagazine include: successful practices, ask an educator, ask a professor, research & tech tools, GreenIT and career listings, to support educators and educational technology providers in maintaining a pulse for emerging trends in Canada. http://www.mindsharelearning.com/report
 
Editorial content for the monthly issue is due the third week of each month.
 
Please forward your news releases as web links to [email protected]
 
Sponsorship opportunities are available, please contact,
[email protected]
 
Annual subscriptions to the MindShare Learning Report can be purchased at $99 CDN
 
About MindShare Learning

MindShare Learning is a privately held company based in the Greater Toronto Area, Canada. Its hallmark is providing strategic marketing solutions to learning & technology solution providers in the K-12, HED and corporate learning markets, to support new market expansion and revenue growth. MindShare Learning's partial client list includes: Adobe (Macromedia), Blackboard Inc., EPSON, GlobalScholar, Learning.com, RM PLC UK, Softease Ltd. UK, netTrekker, IMSI (ClipArt.com), CERC (Canadian Education Resources Council), Tech4Learning, Xoolon, NECTAR Foundation and ERDI Canada. http://www.mindsharelearning.com