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CDW Canada, a provider of technology solutions for Canadian organizations in the public and private sectors, today announced the winners of its third annual Teaching with Technology™ Story and Sweepstakes Contest.

This year’s grand prize winner of the Story Contest is a teacher from Campbell River, and the two runner-up winners are teachers from Richmond Hill and Barrie. All three were chosen by a panel of judges to receive grand prize technology packages. Ten sweepstakes winners (five educators and five IT professionals) were picked by a random draw to win various technology prizes. Finally, one winner was selected to win a prize bundle in the Tweet UR Tech Tale Contest. Introduced last year, this contest challenged educators to tweet their submissions in no more than140 characters.

“Educators across Canada are so passionate about their jobs and have really taken the time to implement great technology-based learning strategies,” says Mary Ann Yule, Vice President and General Manager, CDW Canada. “This year’s submissions are true testaments to that passion and to the dedication they have — engaging the future generations with inspired creativity and IT. Through these stories and by speaking with our customers, we know the significant impact technology can have on a student. We hope to inspire Canadian educators to go above and beyond in teaching with technology,”

Educators from across Canada were asked to write about how technology has improved or enhanced the learning experience in their classrooms. CDW Canada’s panel of IT experts reviewed the 200-500 word entries and selected three winners. Each prize bundle – ranging in value from approximately $5,000 to $6,000 – contains technology products that are useful in the classroom, such as projectors, personal computers, whiteboards, digital cameras, and networking software and equipment. The prizes will allow the winning schools and teachers to continue to make a difference in the classroom.

Winner #1: Southgate Middle School in Campbell River, B.C. – Robynne Fraser, special education teacher
Robynne submitted a story about how the use of technology in the classroom has had a drastic impact on students, including a teenage girl with select mutism who was able to speak for the first time; autistic students who learned how to make eye contact with the use of a digital camera; and children — not expected to be literate — who learned to read. Read the rest of this entry »

Toronto-based IT Service Management Best Practices educator Pink Elephant has announced that the addition of social media to its roster of education topics. The course, Social Media Essentials For ITSM Professionals, introduces IT professionals to the growing and ever-evolving world of social networking.

With its 2010 acquisition of ServiceSphere, Pink Elephant is leveraging the resources of the IT market leader and innovator in the area of social networking. ServiceSphere founder Chris Dancy, who has moved into the role of Digital Engagement Director at Pink Elephant, has created a unique course exclusive to Pink Elephant. As one of the IT support industry’s most respected social networking experts, this course is an outlet for Dancy to share his wealth of knowledge and experience.

“As information technology departments of the world’s leading enterprises evolve, a growing void is taking place with the skill sets of today’s professionals to focus on working with Information Systems,” said Dancy, “Social Media has established itself as the democratization of the information custodian. I look forward to helping our customers transform the way they do business through a better understanding of social media”.

Today, there are numerous social media tools available to organizations. Many experts hold a common view that social media has the power to transform business as much as the Internet did in the 1990s. This course allows IT professionals to walk away with an understanding of how exactly IT can use social media to create business advantages. Read the rest of this entry »

The mark of a great mentor is that it’s not “all about you,” a Robert Half Management Resources survey suggests. More than half (54 per cent) of chief financial officers (CFOs) interviewed who have served as mentors said the key benefit is the satisfaction that comes from helping someone else.

The survey was developed by Robert Half Management Resources and was conducted by an independent research firm and includes responses from 270 CFOs from a stratified random sample of Canadian companies with 20 or more employees.

CFOs were asked, “Have you, at any point in your career, served as a mentor, either formally or informally?” Their responses:

Yes:  54%
No: 46%

Those who responded “yes” to the question above were asked, “Which one of the following do you think is the greatest benefit of being a mentor?” Their responses:

* Provides the internal satisfaction of helping someone else –  54%
* Offers you the opportunity to improve your leadership skills – 22%
* Allows you to stay current on industry trends – 18%
* Helps you build your professional network – 3%
* Something else/No benefit/Don’t know – 3%

“Mentoring can help anyone at any career stage; its benefits are not restricted to those just starting their careers,” said David King, Canadian district president of Robert Half Management Resources. “The challenging business environment over the past few years has heightened the importance of having a mentor who can provide valuable guidance on a variety of professional questions and dilemmas.”

Below are four tips to get the most out of your mentoring experience:

– Consider your strengths. What are the most valuable things you’ve learned over the course of your career? Think about what you have to offer someone just starting out.

– Don’t rely on a formal program. Many companies don’t have established mentoring programs, and those that do may still be ramping up after scaling back during the downturn. If you identify someone you think you can help, extend the offer.

– Look beyond new grads. Professionals at all levels can benefit from having a mentor. Those trying to advance to the next level or looking to make a change might particularly welcome your advice.

– Listen. The best mentors are often the best listeners. Understand your mentee’s situation and his or her greatest needs before you offer guidance. Sometimes the most valuable role you can play is that of sounding board.

GROW is a unique three-day conference held in Vancouver that brings together the top minds in business, entrepreneurship, technology and startup investment to inspire and engage the next generation of disruptive entrepreneurs. This annual conference is the place for Canada and Silicon Valley’s leading entrepreneurs to brainstorm, innovate, and connect, giving them an opportunity to strengthen their networks, companies and broadening their scope of possibilities.

GROW Conference 2011 will be held on August 17th through 19th, and this year, there are lots of ways to get involved in GROW. Apply for the private networking afternoon in Day 1, enter the Launch@GROW contest to pitch your startup to Silicon Valley VCs, purchase a ticket to attend Day 2, and finally, explore a new outdoor adventure while networking with industry leaders.

GROW 2011 will showcase the Silicon Valley elite, Canadian success stories, and world-class innovators who are turning industries on their heads and engaging consumers in new ways – both online and in the real world. Featured speakers include:

Munjal Shah, General Manager for Google Boutiques
Matt Galligan, Co-Founder and CSO for SimpleGeo
Garrett Camp, CEO of StumbleUpon
Jeff Lawson, CEO of Twilio
Mike Ghaffary, Director of Business Development for Yelp

DAY 1: ENGAGE: This invite-only program brings together promising Canadian entrepreneurs with leading Silicon Valley founders, influencers and investors to meet, discuss, debate, and glean information to understand how to innovate in a web-fueled world. Apply now!

LAUNCH @ GROW: The official opening night party AND startup competition! Startups will get the chance to produce short two-minute videos presenting their startup and then voting will begin. Winning startups will get the chance to be showcased at the Launch Party opening night reception and possibly demo on stage at GROW! Nominate your startup before June 15!

DAY 2: INSPIRE: GROW 2011 Conference will provide inspiration for turning today’s entrepreneurs into tomorrow’s leaders. Speakers include founders of fast-growing companies, leading investors and influencers who will share lessons learned.

DAY 3: CHALLENGE: This is an open day for attendees to experience the best of outdoor adventure in Vancouver. Local insiders will take you kite-boarding, hiking, cycling/mountain bike riding and kayaking.

The Women In Leadership Foundation will be hosting its 2nd Annual Calgary Women in Business Luncheon: Password to Success from 11am – 1:30pm on Wednesday, May 25th at the Calgary Petroleum Club in Calgary.

Presented by TD Bank Financial Group, this luncheon is a part of the Women in Leadership National Spotlight Speaker Series, and showcases female role models in business and fosters the expansion of networks. At the annual luncheon, you’ll hear leading local women in business share their journeys of success, practical tips and inspiration. Proceeds will benefit the Women in Leadership Mentorship Program.

Leslie Horton, Global TV, will be moderating the panel as each women share their individual stories of their password to success. This year the four inspirational speakers from the business community include:

• Bonnie DuPont – Corporate Director and Management Consultant
• Sharon Hapton – Founder of Soup Sisters
• Leslie Conway – President of Hopewell Residential Communities Inc
• Lynda Hay – Senior Investment Advisor – TD Waterhouse

SCHEDULE
11 a.m. – 12 p.m. — Networking and Exhibits
12 p.m. – 1 p.m. — Panel Presentation and Lunch
1 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. — Q&A

Women in Leadership was founded in 2001 and has its head office in Vancouver. WIL is a national, non-profit organization dedicated to advancing women in leadership roles. WIL has played a pivotal role in helping thousands of women across Canada surge to success. WIL’s vision is to advance women in leadership.

Moneyville.ca, a comprehensive financial resource for everyday personal finance, has partnered with the Investor Education Fund (IEF) to deliver high quality educational content that will help Canadians to make smart, informed decisions about money.  Adding to Moneyville.ca’s comprehensive editorial coverage on the financial issues that matter to Canadians, are hundreds of IEF articles, blogs and case studies.

“We have partnered with the IEF because we have the same priorities in mind,” says Adam Mayers, editor of Moneyville.ca. “Both organizations stand for the consumer and offer plain speaking, clearly written articles on all aspects of personal finance from budgeting and basic money management to buying a car, bringing up baby and buying a house.”

A non-profit agency set up by the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC), the IEF is funded by fines and settlements from OSC enforcement actions and has a mandate to improve investor education and financial literacy through the web and in schools. The IEF’s Get Smarter About Money site is a treasure trove of practical financial information including everything from budgeting to investments to lifestyle angles such as finding and losing jobs, the cost and considerations of getting married, having children and the implications for divorce and retirement.

“The consumer wins with this partnership,” says Tom Hamza, President of the IEF.  “Greater awareness of high-quality, unbiased resources will help consumers get what they need and help to avoid the financial mistakes that are so common.”

The AMD Foundation today announced grants of more than $125,000 for educational programs that mark the non-profit’s expansion into Canada. The grants were awarded to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Canada and Friends of York University at the 2011 INplay Conference.  The awards support AMD’s education initiative, AMD Changing the Game, which is designed to inspire students’ interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) by creating video games.

“The AMD Foundation is committed to partnering with organizations that can help us meet students on common ground to build critical STEM skills,” said Allyson Peerman, President of the AMD Foundation. “The Boys & Girls Clubs of Canada and York University are innovators in the education space and the perfect partners to help us grow educational game design curricula in Canada.”

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Canada will receive $45,000 to create two new computer labs with Acer computers powered by AMD Fusion APUs and $32,000 to deploy Game Tech pilot programs that will familiarize students with video game design principles and the STEM skills involved in the process.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to expand our technology learning programs for youth by enabling our Club members to access Game Tech,” said Pam Jolliffe, CEO and President, Boys & Girls Clubs of Canada. “Using game design to support youth in their learning and get them excited about learning is an innovative approach that we think will encourage our youth to be actively engaged.”

The Ontario grants are the most recent collaboration between AMD Changing the Game and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Canada. The Game Tech curriculum offers Club members ages 9-13 the opportunity to explore video game design and teaches systems thinking, introductory programming and problem-solving skills. The program is also designed to expose members to gaming career fields.

Friends of York University will receive $15,000 to create a computer lab equipped with AMD-based technology, and $35,000 to develop after school programs that encourage girls aged 13-15 to make use of video game design as a way to harness the power of new media development for under-privileged youth in the Greater Toronto/York Region.  After school programs will be enhanced with a summer camp opportunity that will provide access for additional students, supplemental mentoring and confidence building opportunities.

“York University researchers are making new breakthroughs in digital media and gaming,” said Stan Shapson, Vice-President Research & Innovation at York University. “We are excited to partner with the AMD Foundation to extend our research and outreach into the pedagogy of gaming to engage high school girls. These opportunities will provide students with technical skills while giving the participants insight into careers in the gaming and digital media industries.”

AMD Changing the Game is designed to take gaming beyond entertainment and inspire youth to learn critical education and life skills by equipping them to create digital games with social content. The program’s purpose is to promote the use of youth game development as a tool to inspire learning and improve science, technology, education and math (STEM) skills. The initiative is rooted in AMD’s long history of supporting education, along with the company’s passion and expertise in the graphics processor and gaming industries.

Since its launch in June 2008, AMD Changing the Game has:

• Funded 33 programs by 21 organizations in the United States, China, Malaysia, Germany and Canada that enable youth game development
• Co-sponsored the U.S. National STEM Video Game Challenge and joined Change the Equation in support of the US Educate to Innovate campaign
• Co-sponsored, along with the Entertainment Software Association, The Atlantic Intelligence Series Technologies in Education Forum
• Funded the creation and implementation of the Game Tech program at 10 local Boys & Girls Clubs across the country.
• Funded the creation of Level Up!, a comprehensive online teaching resource providing curricula and tools for middle and high school educators to teach students video game design and improve their STEM and language arts skills
• Funded the creation of a social impact game community within the Gamestar Mechanic game development platform
• Funded the creation of the AMD Game Zone within the Whyville.net virtual learning world
• Funded the development of the World Wide Workshop Foundation’s Globaloria game-design program for the Southwest Key’s East Austin College Prep Academy in 2009 and 2010
• Funded the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers new video game design category for the 2010 and 2011 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
• Funded Schmahl Science Workshop’s program to develop a sustainable fishing video game to communicate the danger of over fishing to long-term human survival
• Co-sponsored the 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 Games for Change Festival

On Friday, May 20, family literacy practitioners in Alberta will roll up their sleeves and build their social media capacity. They’ll learn how to leverage the power of Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to get connected in a digital age to other non-profit organizations and to the community.

Dr. Sarah Elaine Eaton, a specialist in marketing of language and literacy programs will present at the Food for Thought conference, organized by the Centre for Family Literacy. (note: registration is now closed for this event)

Eaton will deliver a hands-on workshop designed to teach program directors, administrators, practitioners and volunteers how to leverage the power of social media in a literacy program. Participants will bring their laptops and spend time registering for and using Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

“Typically, literacy experts have deep knowledge about teaching learners to read and write, and are somewhat hesitant to delve into the world of new media literacy,” says Eaton, who has presented internationally on the topic of social media in the education and non-profit sectors. “By getting them to open an account, create a Facebook page and try their first Tweet in a collaborative environment, we can engage in meaningful conversations about how to use social media constructively to promote the good work they do in literacy to help our local communities.”

Eaton, who holds a PhD in Educational Leadership,  is one of the world’s top experts on marketing and promotion of second language and literacy programs. She founded Eaton International Consulting Inc. in 2001 to help educational and non-profit organizations. She is the author of 101 Ways to Market Your Language Program and is an international speaker, who has presented on her work in seven countries.

The conference happens in Edmonton on May 19 and 20, 2011 at the FantasyLand Hotel.

Exceptional Webinars Made Easy by Calgary author Dr. Sarah Elaine Eaton was released globally this week by Amazon as a Kindle e-book. Designed for trainers, entrepreneurs and small business owners,  Exceptional Webinars Made Easy helps readers understand the basics of what is needed to develop and deliver marketing webinars and basic e-learning training sessions, combining practical “how to” tips with solid best practices for both elearning and business.

This is Dr. Sarah Elaine Eaton’s fourth book, but is her first book book on e-learning and her first Kindle book. Eaton founded Exceptional Webinars in 2010 to help independent services professionals and small business owners become more tech savvy in their work and use the power of webinars to become 21st century entrepreneurs and business people.

An international professional speaker, Dr. Sarah Elaine Eaton has presented to thousands of people around the globe. With a PhD in Education, she has been working with educational technology since the turn of the millennium and giving webinars since 2005. She is passionate about webinars and the potential they create for business and non-profit organizations. Her passion is effervescent, leaving audiences inspired and ready to take action.

Dr. Eaton has authored hundreds of articles and three previous books. Her work has been featured on radio and numerous websites. In 2009-10, she received a Pinnacle Award Honourable Mention from the Centre for Interactive Learning and Collaboration for her virtual training programs.

INplay 2011 has announced the five successful kids interactive projects that will be showcased at the upcoming INplay Conference; the unique, international event that connects kids creative industries with insights and opportunities in the interactive space. INplay is taking place at the Liberty Grand in Toronto on May 17 & 18. For tickets, schedule and speaker information please visit the event’s web site.

INplay has partnered with the Canada Media Fund (CMF) to create an exclusive opportunity to showcase Canadian interactive projects. The Canadian Interactive Showcase presented by CMF will provide Canadian companies with a chance to share their interactive project, product or service with an audience of investors, potential partners and peers. The following five projects will be presented to the INplay audience at the conference on May 18, hosted by Mike Wise, Anchor: CBC News Toronto, and Host, iDesk

PO-MO Inc. – Meghan Athavale, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Project: Customizable projection software
PO-MOtion is a free, customizable motion-reactive projection software that can be installed on any computer. The software can be used with any projector or large display (including TVs) and any kind of web camera. The software allows childhood educators and special needs educators to install their own motion reactive floors and walls.

Soma Creates – Josh Heidebrecht, Calgary, Alberta
Project: OLIVIA Paints iPhone app
Soma Creates will showcase two iPhone Kids games. Paint like never before by mixing colours together in OLIVIA Paints, make your very own fruit smoothie with none other than Strawberry Shortcake, and catch a glimpse into their next upcoming project.

Tactica Interactive – Kevin Glasier, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Project:  Tiga Talk Speech Therapy Games for the iPhone
Tiga Talk Speech Therapy Games is an innovative iPhone/iPod app that helps children improve speaking clarity and confidence. Voice-controlled games give children a fun and engaging way to master 23 core phonetic sounds. The product was developed and tested in direct consultation with speech and language pathologists.

Kidobi – Eric Sorenson, Toronto, Ontario
Project: Kidobi
Kidobi is a revolutionary technology that creates personalized programming blocks for preschool children, helping them get the most out of their media. Extensive parental controls and reporting tools give parents peace of mind, while our subscription-based business model helps content partners generate new revenue streams.

Pixton Comics Inc. – Clive Goodinson, Parksville, BC
Project: Pixton Click-n-Drag Comics
Pixton introduces the world to Click-n-Drag Comics™, a revolutionary new patent-pending technology that gives anyone the power to create comics on the web.From fully posable characters to dynamic panels, props, and speech bubbles, every aspect of a comic can be controlled in an intuitive click-n-drag motion. Pixton Comics was named a “leading Web 2.0 pioneer” and “one of the 20 companies driving innovation and changing the way we use the Internet” by Backbone Magazine / KPMG.