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  • jtpatry 2:24 pm on June 17, 2012
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    Tags: , , cloud management   

    For this week, our Emerging Market Team would like to introduce you to Cloud-Based Learning Management Systems. We welcome you to visit our Emerging Market Analysis Weebly at Cloud-Based Learning Management Systems.   We  have presented an overview of the content in  four areas: Why Cloud?, Cloud LMS Services, Types, and Security. Within each content area, there are […]

    Continue reading Week 7-Cloud-Based Learning Management Systems Posted in: Week 07: Learning in the Cloud
     

    • Bridget 4:28 am on June 18, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hello Cloud Team,
      My personal experience being “in the cloud” is using Dropbox so I am looking forward to learning about the options, benefits and drawbacks of this concept.
      When you go to the “have you ever heard of” section the answer was no to all. So…lots to learn.
      Bridget

    • Leonora Zefi 12:57 pm on June 18, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Thanks Bridget.
      Glad to hear we have peeked your interest already….Cloud-based LMS is quite an interesting topic so I am sure we will all learn a lot from each other.

      Leonora

    • Chelsea M Woods 6:14 am on June 19, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      I’m impressed, Cloud Team! Your intro does a great job of clarifying what a cloud based LMS is, and has piqued my curiosity! Thank you 🙂

      • Leonora Zefi 1:29 pm on June 20, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Thank you Chelsea,
        I enjoyed reading your comments and insightful questions about security and maintenance of cloud-based LMS..

    • Yves Mainville 6:33 pm on June 19, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      I look forward to working my way through this… being a web 2.0 junkie (twitter, Google Apps, evernote, Drupal, WordPress, Moodle, Facebook,Dropbox, Prezi,, and on and on), I think the ‘cloud’ IS in fact the next ‘sliced bread’. 🙂 An LMS focus will be very interesting.

      Cheers!

    • Allan 8:39 pm on June 19, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Spectacular presentation group! I really enjoyed the Voki, and how it personalizes the interaction. (I’m going to try making one myself). The wiki is superb, and the learning modules are interesting and edifying. Great work!

      Allan

    • Danielle 12:23 am on June 20, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Very nicely laid out presentation! And very informative! I am learning a lot! 🙂

    • kimnoel 9:07 am on June 23, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Kudos to the team! I just finished your entire module and cannot tell you how much I have learned. Cloud computing was an area in which I was woefully uneducated. Your team has created a very comprehensive overview which included all neccessary issues and components.. Loved the wiki, and the Voki was a new introduction to me. Fantastic job all around!

      • troos 1:16 pm on June 23, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Thanks, Kim for your positive comments. Although I felt I knew a little about cloud computing before I started this project, I now know just how little it was. This project has certainly supported the concept of “To teach is to learn and to learn is to teach.” Thanks,
        Tim

    • mariefrancehetu 6:20 am on June 24, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      I really enjoyed learming more about cloud-bsed LM Systems. Thank you for doing a great job providing a very visual and interactive presenation!

      Marie-France

    • Leonora Zefi 8:36 am on June 24, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Thank you for your comments and your contribution Marie-France. It was interesting to read how you are utilizing VOKI to teach French. I am looking forward to sharing your experience with my colleagues who teach English and French as an additional language.
      Enjoy your Sunday.
      Leonora

    • Donna Forward 9:22 pm on June 24, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hello Cloud-based team. Wow, after participating in your activities this week I can honestly say that my head is now out of the “clouds”. You explained everything so well and I really enjoyed what you had to offer us.

      Well done,

      Donna

    • lisamallen 2:18 pm on June 25, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Well done Group! That wiki is great – super comprehensive and has alerted me to new “cloud” apps I never knew existed!

      Excellent!

      Lisa A.

    • Bridget 4:58 pm on June 25, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Thanks Cloud group. You certainly brought some factors about the cloud to my attention that I had not thought too much about…mainly security. I like the Wiki…will be useful.
      Bridget

  • David Vogt 4:51 pm on June 16, 2012
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    Tags: , ,   

    Hi everyone – A few of you missed my earlier posting – please simply email your completed A1 assignment – as a doc, link, or whatever works – to me at david DOT vogt AT ubc DOT ca. Looking forward to diving into your EVA analyses! David

    Continue reading Delivering A1 Posted in: Announcements, Week 06: Learning with Games
     

  • mariefrancehetu 6:54 pm on June 15, 2012
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    Hello David,   I have several questions conerning the formatting for assignment 1: –  Are we expected to use APA style? – Is it possible to have some point form (bullets) within the venture analysis? – Also, is it possible to include links directly embedded in the analysis? – Are footnotes acceptable, or are you expecting traditional […]

    Continue reading Questions Concerning Assignment 1 Posted in: Questions & Answers
     

    • janetb 9:59 am on June 16, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      I was also wondering where we submit it. Do we email it to Dave directly or post it in the blog somewhere? Or perhaps that depends on whether it is a paper or a media presentation? Sorry if I missed it in the instructions somewhere.

      Janet

      • karonw 10:48 am on June 16, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hi Janet,

        Yes, the assignments are to be emailed to David.

        Hope this helps.

        Karon

    • janetb 12:33 pm on June 16, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Thanks, Karon. I thought I had read that somewhere but couldn’t find it. I should have persevered!

      Janet

  • toddpowell 11:58 am on June 14, 2012
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    Hello all, My name is Todd Powell, and I am coming at you from the VERY beautiful city of Victoria, B.C. in Canada.  My sincerest apologies for the VERY late intro, but I have been dealing with a very unfortunate situation at my school with one of my students. I have the wonderful honour of […]

    Continue reading Hello Everyone!! Posted in: Uncategorized
     

  • Chelsea M Woods 9:01 am on June 14, 2012
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    Tags: programming   

    Zach Sims is the co-founder of Codecademy (http://www.codecademy.com), a program I was recently informed of by one of my students. His co-founder is Ryan Bubinsky. Codecademy provides free online lessons that teach programming. Zach observed that there was a lack of programmers in the United States, and during his experience as an employee with GroupMe […]

    Continue reading Founder Parade: Zach Sims, Codecademy Posted in: Week 04: Entrepreneur Bootcamp
     

  • karonw 10:13 pm on June 10, 2012
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    During week 6 our Emerging Market Team (Bridget Perry-Gore, Colin Kam, David McInnes, Deborah Schell, and Karon Wong) would like to introduce you to Game Based Learning. We welcome you to visit our Emerging Market Analysis blog at Game Based Learning where we have presented an overview on  four emerging areas: educational games, gamification, simulations, and […]

    Continue reading Week 6 EMT – Game Based Learning Posted in: Week 06: Learning with Games
     

    • Claire Burgoyne 11:47 pm on June 17, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Thanks group 2 for your hard work in preparing a valuable game-based learning resource.

    • karonw 8:03 pm on June 19, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Thank you everyone in ETEC 522 for participating and contributing throughout week 6 on our Emerging Market Analysis. Your responses to our activities are very valuable to us. We hope that you have learned lots in regards to learning with games.

      Best,
      Karon Wong & Team 2

  • David Vogt 9:58 pm on June 10, 2012
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    Tags: , , W5, W6   

    Thanks so much to the W5 team for launching us into the emerging markets universe and setting a high bar for those that follow! Just a reminder that your A1 is due shortly and that I’m available for any questions you might have surrounding your delivery of this.  Please email your A1 to me directly […]

    Continue reading W5 BlogKudos Posted in: Announcements, Emerging Markets Poll, Week 05:
     

    • mariefrancehetu 2:54 am on June 16, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hello David,

      I have several questions conerning the formatting for assignment 1:

      – Are we expected to use APA style?

      – Is it possible to have some point form (bullets) within the venture analysis?

      – Also, is it possible to include links directly embedded in the analysis?

      – Are footnotes acceptable, or are you expecting traditional referencing?

      Thank you so much,

      Marie-France

    • David Vogt 6:59 am on June 16, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Marie-France –

      Thanks for asking.

      You may use APA style, but it is not necessary. Your objective is to compose and format A1 in whatever style that best conveys the integrity and force of your analysis. So bullet points, links, footnotes, etc, are all fine. Your analysis could also be a text-free video if it conveys your message well.

      Good luck!

      David

  • ddubien 10:47 am on June 6, 2012
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    If you have a Linkedin account, go change your password. http://www.thestar.com/business/article/1206692–linkedin-users-read-this-then-change-your-password If you have used the same password elsewhere, especially in combination with the email addy used as your login, change that too. http://http://www.theglobeandmail.com/technology/tech-news/linkedin-password-breach-could-threaten-your-other-online-accounts/article4235245/?cmpid=rss1&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

    Continue reading Go change your LinkedIn password. Posted in: Blog Café
     

  • Sherman Lee 11:27 pm on June 3, 2012
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    Bryan Falcon, Allen Angell and Reynard Hilman are founders of Haiku Learning Management System. Haiku provides a mean of managing curricular content in an online environment that could be used for both blended or virtual classrooms. Their service packages are geared towards both school districts and individual teachers. This system includes features such as website […]

    Continue reading Harmonious Simplicity of Haiku LMS Posted in: Week 04: Entrepreneur Bootcamp
     

    • troos 8:13 pm on June 4, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Sherman:

      Haiku sounds and looks like it has potential. This is another cloud-based LMS entering a competitive market. It seems as if ventures like these are “lucky” because it takes the right people at the right time with matching vision to pull it together. You are right in saying that a lack in unified vision can be deadly.
      Tim

      • Sherman Lee 8:41 am on June 5, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hello Tim,

        I agree that it is a rather competitive market out there. What I wonder as well is what gives the successful company that edge to best the many others. Luck is one of them, but relying on that solely surely would not last for long. A team must stay updated and informed of what the users / customers want in order to keep up with the market. That type of analysis in itself calls for a sharp sense to trend in the company lead and also a keen team to keep tapping into the opinions of users and potential user groups.

        Sherman

  • Claire Burgoyne 8:19 pm on June 3, 2012
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    Tags: , 4Cs, , collaboration, communication, ,   

    During week five we invite you to join us at Blogging 4 Education where we’ve provided an overview of the 4Cs and a blog pool for you to review and reflect on blogging in education. When you arrive on the “Blog Pool” page you’ll find the following: In hopes of inspiring development of blogs for […]

    Continue reading Blogging 4 Education Posted in: Week 05:
     

    • mariefrancehetu 6:33 pm on June 4, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Great intro for Blogging 4 Education . . . here your focus is on the 4C’s for primary, elementary and high-school students, but even as an adult teacher I find I can relate to the 4C’s. It will be interesting however to explore and discuss how the 4C’s can be fostered through blogging.

      Marie-France

    • Leonora Zefi 7:45 pm on June 4, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Blog title: Language, arts and social studies with Mr. Hayes

      In addition to its clarity and richness of information and resources, I found that this blog effectively used the 4 C-s of education.

      Collaboration
      Every blog entry invites learners to answer questions and formulate, critique and share argument points with the group.

      Creativity:
      I thought that the idea of a TED talk style debate was very creative. The content was presented in a variety of media (video clips, resources) to engage students (in addition to text based content) and provide models for presenting their thoughts and arguments. I really liked the unique approach to encouraging timely participation.

      Critical Thinking
      Critical thinking is stimulated through effective questioning and offering comparative comments for learners to review and compare. Multiple perspectives are offered through text and video and I thought it was an excellent idea to include video clips of the author defending his point of view and work. In my opinion this stimulates discussion and allows for more collaborative opportunities to challenge biases and develop critical thinking and objectivity.

      Communication
      I found this blog to be one of the easiest to follow the flow – it’s very well structured and intuitive and despite the abundance of resources, I did not get lost or distracted. It was helpful to have “tips for blogging” displayed and easily accessible.

      The PowerPoint slides outlining questions for debate could be improved but overall, I can definitely see the benefits of blogging for learning and bringing out the creative side of learners and encouraging communication.

      Thank you group 1 for a job well done – this analysis was helped my understanding of the 4 C-s through a “hands-on” activity.
      Leonora

      • Claire Burgoyne 12:14 am on June 5, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Leonora, thank you for providing a thorough analysis of the use of the 4Cs in the blog “Language Arts and Social Studies with Mr. Hayes.” We’d really appreciate it if you would paste your comments to the blog pool page at: http://bloggingforeducation.wordpress.com/2012/06/02/language-arts-and-social-studies-with-mr-hayes/ That way others analyzing the blog can benefit from your contribution and perhaps add to it. Also, while you’re at the blog pool page you could add your rating by using the “Rate This on 4C Use” option.
        Thanks

        • Leonora Zefi 4:22 pm on June 6, 2012 | Log in to Reply

          Hi Claire,
          I tried a couple of times to post it in the respective blog but for some reason it keeps loading but nothing appears. It may be an issue with my computer or browser. Will keep trying.

          Thanks,
          Leonora

          • Claire Burgoyne 1:03 am on June 7, 2012 | Log in to Reply

            Hi Leonora,
            Sometimes technology is a puzzle. I hope you have some luck with posting to the blog pool as I found your analysis to be very thorough. Let’s hope that others read your contribution.

            Claire

    • karonw 1:00 pm on June 5, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hello Presentation Team,

      I just wanted to thank you all for the excellent presentation on your blogging topic. Your blog was very well-laid out, made it very easy for me to navigate throughout to find information and thanks for highlighting all the key points for us!

      Good job!! I will be posting my reflections for your activity shortly.

      Best,
      Karon Wong

      • maybacon 7:38 pm on June 7, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Thanks for the feedback, Karon. As with lots of e-learning environments, the navigation has been a work in progress!

        If anyone else has navigation/content/technical issues, please let us know so we can help your experience be (relatively) painless – at least insofar as we can make the learning environment suitable for everyone.

        May

    • vawells 3:16 pm on June 5, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Blog – “I Think”
      This blog presents topics that students are encouraged to analyse and reflect on their opinions. The topics are relevant to students and would, I think, facilitate some interesting discussion.
      Collaboration: The blog has a set of rules for students to follow which essentially leads to an atmosphere of respect in which all contributions are valued and considered. Students are asked to post their thoughts and to read their classmates thoughts. “Remember to read the ideas of others and try to build on them.” In theory this encourages students to analyse their peers’ ideas and add to or debate arguments made. This type of collaboration is an example of an authentic, real world activity. This blog seems to be a new entity to this group of students so as time goes on I would expect the quality of the entries to improve. The combined learning of the class far exceeds the learning of the individual.
      Critical Thinking: Through the weekly topics students are required to analyze their opinions and opinions of others, to synthesize the information gained through the reading of their peers’ entries trying to connect the new information to their own ideas. This type of blog also requires students to reflect on their own ideas on a topic and alternate opinions voiced by their peers. One aspect I feel is missing is student reflection on their own learning and the process that facilitated the learning.
      Communication: “I Think” promotes effective communication of student ideas and “listening” to others through the requirement for students to read other students’ entries. The blog uses images and text to present the topic. Although this blog is to promote student exposition writing I would add the option for students to present their arguments in different formats, video, audio or cartoons. I would. The variety would lead to better written pieces as students perfect their debating skills.
      Creativity: I think this is probably the weakest of the 4c’s. Although the topics encourage students to think outside the box there is not much innovation. However to participate in the conversation students need to receptive to their classmates opinions and follow the posts closely. Hopefully this would encourage students to look for commonalities/connections between their ideas and their peers.
      Overall “I Think” has the potential to engage students in activities that require students to use the 4cs.

    • Donna Forward 8:22 pm on June 5, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Dear May, Claire, Greg, Shawn and Chelsea.

      It sure is great to finally see some faces and hear some real voices after looking at my computer screen every day for the past month. It’s amazing that you’re all in different places around the world but because of technology, you were all able to come together for the occasion. It was also fun to see a palm tree from Turks and Caicos in the background behind Shawn. As I look out at the rain here in the Cariboo, it makes me dream of getting away:)

      I’m looking forward to checking out the rest of your “Blogging 4 Education” site.

      Thanks,

      Donna

    • karonw 8:24 pm on June 5, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      In the past, I have really enjoyed blogging as I will be able to go back and see how I have further developed my skills and knowledge in a field. I find that blogging is a great way to voice out our opinions and thoughts and really share this information with others. Similar to what your team have stated under the Collaboration section “Transform the learning process from a personal activity to a social and group activity”. To me, I feel that when I blog I have entered a community of practice through cyberspace where we can share our thoughts through commenting on each other’s blog posts. The blogging experience has impacted me mostly in a positive way, other than increasing my critical skills while reflecting on my own work and reviewing others, I feel rewarded when someone comments on my post and feel motivated when someone criticizes my work as I am open to suggestions and see this as an opportunity for further growth. Blogging for sure made things better on my end, as I can blog and write my thoughts out at anytime. Sometimes, I have so much going on in my mind I just want to release it all out and waiting until the next class session to get the opportunity to release my thoughts may not be as efficient because by that time I probably forgot what I was going to share with the class.
      For education, I would see that blogging is something that would be used to record one’s personal self-development. I think blogging does have a good potential in the market, there are food blogs, personal blogs, educational blogs, health and wellness blogs and etc. To me, blogging seems unlimited you can blog anytime, anywhere about anything. It is a way to let us express our thoughts with one another. As mobile apps and a lot of courses are also adapting to the blogging feature, I would say that in 5 years it would be a trend that would be common amongst us all. I think my inter-school blogging idea is already out there but I would think that having students blog over their course of study would be a good idea.

      Karon

    • Dave Horn 9:01 pm on June 7, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      I use a blog as a photographer and believe there is a lot of potential for them in education to provide forums for students to discuss ideas with in their community and with the community at large. It is important for the educator overseeing the use of blogs in the learning process to promote and model dialogue so that students can build their communication and collaboration skills. Without some encouragement and modeling the forums often end up under used with only superficial content or little actual dialogue between various learners.

      Dave

  • admin 2:47 pm on June 3, 2012
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    Tags:   

    HI everyone. Sorry about the lateness of this post, but I’ve been out of the country for a few days. I originally had intended to do John Baker of D2L, but someone had done that already so I chose to do Stephen Baker. Please see below for my introduction.   Jody   PS ***Full disclosure: […]

    Continue reading HI everyone. Sorry about the lateness of… Posted in: Week 04: Entrepreneur Bootcamp
     

    • Deborah S 4:29 pm on June 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Jody,
      A very informative post! My daughter took a course through VHS to help her accelerate her high school education (she graduated more than a semester early and gained early admission to university). She and I really liked the self-paced nature of the course and the flexible start dates.

      Deborah

      • Jody McKinnon 1:20 am on June 5, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        I’m glad to hear that you both enjoyed the course and the school! I have had so many positive experiences since being a part of the school in 2009.

    • Sherman Lee 11:35 pm on June 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Jody,
      I completely understand your challenges. I am trying really hard to push it so that I am not posting last minute, but my week simply would not allow it now that my tutoring students are getting closer to their final exams. Hopefully we will both find our balance soon!

      It is cool that you are working for VHS right now! I have heard much about this program, and has been quite interested in it as some of my tutoring students have a very difficult time in traditional schooling, which I think would definitely be a great thing for them to gain that flexibility in VHS. (as well, Deborah’s comment about her daughter is really helping to push me towards looking into this type of schooling further as a possibility and recommendation to my own students).

      I think the thing that I find most interesting from your post is how this venture started off rather slowly. In terms of entrepreneurship (which I have none of, at least I do not really believe so quite yet and is hoping to gain more of) I think patience was the key learning here. VHS started rather slowly. It surprised me how long it took for the program to pick up.

      If you do not mind, how do you feel working for VHS right now?

      Sherman

      • Jody McKinnon 1:22 am on June 5, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        I really enjoy working with VHS. Not only does it supplement my income, it gives me an opportunity to meet and work with students from all over the world. For example, many of my students are at the Canadian School in Singapore. Since one of my courses was designed by me, it gives me an opportunity to tweak my lessons for day school too. I wouldn’t change it for the world.

        • Sherman Lee 8:36 am on June 5, 2012 | Log in to Reply

          That’s great to hear that you are enjoying your work at VHS. I think this experience through working with students from other parts of the world also create a more global view of how learning is established and viewed. It is interesting how this venture is bringing the worlds together not just for students but also for teachers.

          Thank you for sharing your story 🙂

          Sherman

    • karonw 12:49 pm on June 4, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Great post Jody!

      In your post you mentioned that Stephen Baker believes that “not all kids do well in a traditional classroom setting. ” And I agree on this, I find that online learning can be more beneficial to students who are less assertive, as in a traditional classroom setting they may be too shy to raise their own voice or question feeling pressured by those who are more assertive and aggressive. Hence, through virtual classroom settings, they will feel less pressured and intimidated to post, comment and question.

      Karon

    • mariefrancehetu 6:17 pm on June 4, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Jody!

      What a success story! We need more inovative teachers like Stephen Baker who believe there are many ways to learn . . . particularly in high school I think it is important to offer different learning options!
      Kudos on your post Jody – it shows that you are enthusiastic about and proud of VHS and rightly so!

      Marie-France

    • Allan 11:12 pm on June 4, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Thanks Jody for this wonderful posting. i really enjoyed learning more about Virtual High School. I had no idea that such an institution had existed, and more importantly, offer such high quality instruction. From the look of the syllabi, this is an exceptionally well organized institution. What I find most impressive is that VHS is moving back from the digital to the physical by renovating an old hotel to create a presence in the community. This is an important step to realizing its place as an educational institution. Well done VHS!

      Allan

    • Leonora Zefi 5:14 pm on June 6, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      What an interesting experience for you Jody. It was so interesting to read the genesis of this venture – impressive growth which to me demonstrates the forward thinking of Stephen Baker to establish something that addresses such a demand for alternative ways to learn and teach.
      I am assuming that d2l will perfect the media environment for VHS’s version 2.0 🙂
      Thanks for sharing your experience.
      Leonora

  • lisamallen 2:34 pm on June 3, 2012
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    About Infinite Campus: “Infinite Campus is focused on delivering an innovative, evolving student information system (SIS) that K12 districts, regions, and states across the United States rely on today and into the future to effectively collect and manage student data.” About Charlie Kratsch: Charlie Kratsch is the founder and CEO of this web-based student information […]

    Continue reading Infinite Campus – Founder and CEO: Charlie Kratsch Posted in: Week 04: Entrepreneur Bootcamp
     

    • Meggan Crawford 8:06 pm on June 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Lisa,

      I think that you are raising a very valid concern, one that I question about my own background as well! So many of the successful ventures seem to be led by those with a direct background in IT that is seems as though they are required. At the same time, however, it seems common for these IT experts to partner with an educator, which is where I can take some comfort (I fit in!). I think that there needs to be a balance between education and IT in order to create something truly successful in this field.

      As for what you can come up with, I would hope that is not limited by a lack of IT knowledge. Perhaps it is possible for the non-IT people to imagine something incredible that will be fully realized with the help of a friendly IT partner.

      Either way, I think there is still a place for non-IT experts to imagine incredible ventures and to follow through, there just might be a need for support in the process.
      Thanks,
      -Meggan

    • lisamallen 9:41 am on June 4, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Thanks for this comment Meggan,

      I am hopeful that me lack of IT knowledge won’t get in my way. I think you’re right that educators do have a place in the entrepreneurial world!

      Lisa

    • Leonora Zefi 5:27 pm on June 6, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      HI Lisa .
      I appreciate your genuine reflection about the roles on IT and non-IT. This is a question I ask myself very frequently. While I think that the role of the IT person is important to implement a creative idea in a creative way….I think that it’s the qualitative, pedagogically sound content that will prevail and make any venture successful (at least long-term).
      Maybe I am too naive but that’s what I like to believe.
      Thanks,
      Leonora

  • dmcinnes 1:22 pm on June 3, 2012
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    Shane Hill, Founder and CEO of Skoolbo   Skoolbo is a developer of a online educational games that aim to help 4-10 year olds strengthen their core skills in numeracy and literacy. The multi-player games are 3D animation and provide parents and teachers with detailed reports indicating the child’s strengths and weaknesses. Skoolbo claims that […]

    Continue reading Skoolbo Founder- Shane Hill Posted in: Week 04: Entrepreneur Bootcamp
     

    • janetb 1:55 pm on June 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Very interesting review. My son uses Mathletics at school and loves it. I think it has been very beneficial for him. However, as a member of the Parent Advisory Council (PAC) that paid for the school license, I know how expensive it is. I like the idea of a a free basic level as it gives the students/parents a chance to see what is involved before deciding to pay for it.

      I appreciated your comments about the buyer being the end user and the absence of commercial advertising. I think that would be important to many schools and parents.

      Janet

    • dmcinnes 9:29 pm on June 5, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Janet,
      Good to hear your perspective as a parent and a member of Parent Advisory Council. Thanks. I haven’t used Mathletics, would you say that the they give you a sufficient opportunity to assess the programs value, in the free trial version?

      David

  • jtpatry 11:01 am on June 3, 2012
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    Tags: Blogging, Edublogs, James Farmer   

    Edublogs is a blogging platform for teachers, school districts, educational leaders and students around the globe.  It provides a host site that allows users to create custom blog platforms that suit the needs of the user. James Farmer is the Founder and CEO of Edublogs, the company is based out of Melbourne, Australia.  While lecturing […]

    Continue reading Edublogs & James Farmer Posted in: Week 04: Entrepreneur Bootcamp
     

    • Yves Mainville 5:54 pm on June 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Interesting! I had no idea that edublogs was based out of Australia… I had just ‘assumed’ that it as a canadian deal. There are several blogs I follow from educators that use this platform, but I had never considered it a ‘venture’ or anything like that. How do they earn income $? I thought this was a free platform, but not sure now… honestly, I suppose I should go back and check it out once again… I think I had created a profile there at on time.
      I agree with you that it is a well-recognized treasure trove of educator discussions! You’ve given me the urge to go check it out again!
      thanks.
      -y

      • jtpatry 7:55 pm on June 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hey Yves,
        Yup and Aussie company! They offer 3 types of memberships: free, pro, and campus. Last year they ran a campaign to keep the advertisers away by aiming to get 1 million blogs posted. They were successful and the site is ad free!

  • Brian H 10:46 am on June 3, 2012
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      SurfEasy is a new product developed by Chris Houston (based out of Toronto) that provides secure internet access from any computer. They do this via USB stick and a modified version of Firefox providing customers private secure access. With a $59 price tag that allows 2gb per month of user browsing and premium plans […]

    Continue reading Chris Houston and Surf Easy Posted in: Week 04: Entrepreneur Bootcamp
     

    • Yves Mainville 10:56 am on June 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Disruptive technology indeed! Placing high value on me digital ‘freedom’, this kind of product is quite appealing to me. I would think it also quite appealing tho those wanting to to decide what they wish to access and not be blocked, controlled, etc.
      I find this costing somewhat prohibitive for the educational market as ‘starving’ students would most likely forego the additional cost after paying the cell bill, internet access bill, rent, scholastic fees, etc.
      I also appreciate your comments on how ‘together’ Mr. Houston and his team seem to be – no doubt they have recognized the controversial impact their product may have… I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for this product and its effects on networks and ‘controlled’ environments. Maybe school boards and enterprises use blacklists to filter out anonymizer sites; this here seems to be a hardware based solution that will be far more difficult to control…
      Great post. thanks.

    • lisamallen 2:37 pm on June 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Finally – a Founder and CEO from Canada! The majority of entrepreneurs on that list were from the U.S.! This is such a promising product – but, as you’ve already pointed out, it’s quite costly in an already “starving” educational market! -Lisa

  • Denise 10:56 pm on June 2, 2012
    0 votes
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    Tags: audience response technology,   

    Turning Technologies produces software and hardware for interactive group polling. The main software is powerpoint based and has results/ report management functionality (TurningPoint)  and is used in conjunction with a hardware radio frequency device (ResponseCards). The company has expanded its products to include: software that allows polling from pdf, webpages, spreadsheets; LMS integration of student […]

    Continue reading Turning Technologies – Mike Broderick Posted in: Week 04: Entrepreneur Bootcamp
     

    • mariefrancehetu 4:21 am on June 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Denise,

      First I have to ask, how did you upload a photograph of the CEO? I tried many times using different techniques, but in the end gave up . . .

      According to Mike Broderick, a key ingredient to success as an entrepreneur is that one really has to be convinced in one’s venture for it to fly. This has brought to mind that the CEO’s vision, leadership and charismatic qualties are vital characteristics when launching a venture, not only to attract funds and support, but also to attract and motivate a strong team to ‘believe’ in the venture and carry it through.

      Marie-France

      • Denise 8:33 am on June 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        HI Marie-France
        re the photo, I just uploaded the original to my pictures and then in the new post (under dashboard) there is an upload insert item (just above the toolbars) and it uploads and inserts it. – Hope that makes sense.

        I agree re the really beliveing in it. I guess that is why he commented about no PlanB!

        Denise

    • Bridget 6:39 am on June 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Denise,

      Thank you for the summary…..I have to say that I was sure (until now) that they were a Canadian Company.
      I have been using the Turning Point clickers regularly for two years and I have to say that their customer service is fantastic and even the smallest questions/confusions are answered promptly and kindly.
      I am always checking out other “clicker” companies (more about that in a minute) and Turning Point is way ahead in clicker size, durability and battery life.
      However, I find it interesting that they have not established itself on the Mac OS platform. The most current version version is Mac/Office 2004. They have improved their Turning Point Anywhere which will layer on top of any program (Keynote was excluded in the past) but I still do “get it”. I use a Mac on which I have installed a PC platform to run the full TP version…not ideal but works fine.
      I enjoyed reading about TP from a different perspective.
      Bridget

  • ddubien 4:36 pm on June 2, 2012
    0 votes
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    Tags: embodied learning, game, , kinesthetic, media, research,   

    SMALLab stands for Situated Multimedia Arts Learning Lab and it was founded by an interdisciplinary team at Arizona State University led by the CEO, David Birchfield. Birchfield has a Doctorate in Music and a background in digital media and performance.   He and his team do research on games, K-12 education, assessment, digital media programming, […]

    Continue reading SMALLab Posted in: Week 04: Entrepreneur Bootcamp
     

    • sheza 10:28 pm on June 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      I hadn’t heard of SMALLab before you posted this profile, and I think it is fantastic! When Smart Boards came into the classroom it changed the way teachers taught and I think that SMALLabs has the potential to do the same. I liked the introductory video on their main website and I was happy to hear of the the developers say that it is not meant to replace teachers, but enhance teaching methods. I am also happy to read that it has been developed by highly qualified researchers in the subject field related to the game developed. This is definitely something I can see more schools buying into within the next 5 years. I think it will explode into the public education system just like Smart Boards did and CEO David Birchfield will be a very happy man then 🙂

      • mariefrancehetu 5:02 am on June 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hi Sheza,

        I totally agree with you . . . in my own mind any and all technology should not replace the teacher, but enhance teaching and learning methods. I feel SMALLab has great potential to do both. I would absolutely love to have access to these tools for teaching second languages to adults – what a great way it would be to present grammar concepts intreactively – or help students discover how the brain works when translating a word or understand the physicality of pronunciation (how the palate, tongue and lips work together when pronouncing)! I feel using this form of technology to increase embodied learning experiences has endless possibilities.

        Marie-France

    • mariefrancehetu 4:53 am on June 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hello,

      I think SMALLLab is an extraordinary learning venture and has tremendous potential to transform the school classroom. My vision and understanding of embodied learning so far has been ‘hands on’ experiences where students actually manipulate material, using their sense of smell, touch, vision, hearing and thus ‘feeling’ the learning experience in a holistic way. It is possible to handle physical objects for many subjects taught, but many principles remain abstract or untangible and this type of ‘virtual’ embodied experience, I believe, could help students experience embodied learning when exposed to these concepts. Out of all the ventures presented here, this is the one I find the most impressive and the one with the most potential. Not only would I certainly invest in this venture, but I feel excited at the thought that this embodied virtual lab could some day become part of all classrooms.

      I also thought that David Birchfield’s presentation was excellent. As a speaker he reached out to the audience with confidence, portrayed himself as a regular guy with an extraordinary idea and concept to share. His use of a PPT was well used to support his presentation.

      I don’t teach K-12 anymore, but ventures like this one almost make me want to become a primary or high school teacher again . . .
      I think it is high time we change the set up of classrooms – the traditional way being student desks on one side of the room (usually in rows) and the teacher at one end. Classrooms need to be more dynamic, they need to become a learning lab and the ‘SMALLab’ concept explores that idea.

      Thank you for sharing this learning venture!

      Marie-France

  • sheza 4:00 pm on June 2, 2012
    0 votes
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    Tags: robotics   

    CEO and Founder Bruno Maisonnier of Aldebaran Robotics, has been working with the development of personal robotics for 25 years. He believes that the NAO (pronounced “now”) robot is the face of the future. Since it’s difficult to build your own robot, Aldebarn Robotics has decided to offer the market a sufficiently performing robot, but […]

    Continue reading Bruno Maisonnier and Aldebaran Robotics Posted in: Week 04: Entrepreneur Bootcamp
     

    • karonw 4:14 pm on June 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Sheza,

      I have heard about these robots before but have actually never looked into the details of one. Thanks for sharing your post with us. I really liked their concept of using robots for therapies in helping autistic children.

      Karon

    • Donna Forward 4:33 pm on June 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hello Sheza,

      It’s interesting to see that Bruno Maisonnier is considered the Bill Gates of France. Thanks for sharing the video. I love the scene when the one robot is pushed over by Bruno and he says “ouch”. Then the robot answers “Je ne suis pas un robot, je suis un assistant personnel”. It’s great to see that autistic children, handicapped people and the elderly can all benefit f rom the use of these robots. The autistic kids can relate to the robots where otherwise they can have difficulty with people. Also, Bruno mentions that the Korean government is starting to use the robots as teachers’ assistants to help teach English. Apparently, the robots aren’t judgemental, they just repeat what the students need to work on:)

      Cheers,

      Donna

  • Meggan Crawford 3:42 pm on June 2, 2012
    0 votes
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    Tags:   

    Nic Borg (above, top) and Jeff O’Hara (above, bottom)are the co-founders of Edmodo, an online classroom management system based on social media.  The two young men worked for two different school districts and while Mr. O’Hara was working in an IT position he found that schools were constantly needing social networking sites to be blocked […]

    Continue reading Edmodo: Nic Borg & Jeff O’Hara Posted in: Week 04: Entrepreneur Bootcamp
     

    • Denise 1:46 am on June 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Thanks for the introduction to Edmodo Meggan. realy interesting. Given some of the privacy issues with Facebook, and I believe some provinces in Canada make it illegal to use Facebook for classes, I’d be interested in its privacy policies.
      I agree that it is great to see employees see a problem and create a valuable tool and company!

      Denise

    • lisamallen 2:43 pm on June 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      What a great venture these two have come up with. This idea of collaborating with fellow colleagues is certainly inspiring! And, as Denise points out, by developing their own platform, they get around the privacy policies – totally brilliant!
      Lisa

    • Meggan Crawford 7:55 pm on June 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Denise,

      The two actually mention needing more security and privacy control as one of the reasons that they created Edmodo. Check out this video if you’re curious to see them explain things a bit more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wr_DkIfOWag

      Thanks,
      -Meggan

  • kimnoel 3:08 pm on June 2, 2012
    0 votes
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    Tags: ,   

    Skoolbo is currently the biggest and newest (so new it is not even online till June 24!) online educational game to date.  For students ages 4-10, Skoolbo is designed to strengthen core skills in math and literacy.  Skoolbo’s mission is to help students master the fundamental skills needed in numeracy and literacy, and as such, […]

    Continue reading Skoolbo’s founder & CEO – Shane Hill Posted in: Week 04: Entrepreneur Bootcamp
     

    • jtpatry 11:13 am on June 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Great find Kim! There is always room for educational gaming in schools, especially as a way to support the learning at home. I know many students in my school have been introduced to http://ca.ixl.com/ and use it at home as a way to hone their skills (some teachers use it solely in the classroom, as a means of explaining concepts which isn’t the greatest). I look forward to the 24th to see what unfolds!

      Cheers,

      Jon

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