The courses I teach at the University of Regina are officially ECMP 355 and 455. I'm not entirely sure but I think that stands for Educational Computing. But I could be wrong. The truth is both Alec Couros and I have been able to create the course into pretty much whatever we like. By in large the courses have focused on transformational usages of technology in learning, focusing heavily on connected learning. I'd really like to change the name of the course to SFIK. Smart Folks I Know.
Pretty much every class over the past 9-10 times I've taught these courses I bring in someone I know doing interesting work or with a compelling idea. I have only two requirements for my guests. You have to be smart and you have to be able to stay connected and interact with my students for as long as they need.
This term my lineup has included:
If I do nothing but connect my students with these people in a meaningful way, I'll be satisfied. (BTW, you can listen to all these people's presentations here. You'll want to skip to the halfway point of each session to hear them speak.)
Yesterday I invited Ben Grey and Scott Meech to discuss the way in which they've implemented both netbooks and Ipads into their respective districts. Both have been very vocal about their decisions and I actually egged them on to make it more of a debate. While the first half was very civil and diplomatic, they did engage in some friendly banter at the end. That was just for my entertainment. At any rate, they offer great insights and since many asked about a recording, I took the time to encode it to video for you to watch.