We live in Toronto near a Boys and Girls Club called St. Albans. When we bought our house, we didn't know for sure we'd have kids so it didn't figure into the buying decision. However, we lucked out. The Children's Storefront, a drop in space for preschoolers, was around the corner (since burned down and moved to Shaw and Bloor), two of the best public schools in Ontario were within walking distance (one with a French Immersion program) and down the street from that school was St. Albans.

We starting using (and appreciating) the club when looking for summer camps. When everything else was amazingly expensive and had all these rules about changing your plans ($$), St. Albans was running weekly camps for a budget conscious amount which you could cancel or transfer as needed, the money would go toward your next need (such as swimming lessons or daycare). We never used the day care, but the after school programs, one per day (you pick and choose, and FREE) were lifesavers more than once. Not to mention they walk your kid over from school. Like I say, we lucked out.

When I developed the Thinking Skills Club, I didn't exactly know where it would fit into the world. Would teachers be able to use it in the classroom as a supplementary activity? Would they have money to pay for it? Would parents buy memberships for their kids on an ad hoc basis, if the kids didn't ask for it? Maybe the site should run on donations, or build traffic while free and then try and find advertising. But I didn't want advertising. I had thought of community centres as one option, but didn't know that world and was nervous about approaching them. When my wife pointed out that the programmer at St. Albans was someone I knew, I decided to go over and see what came of it. To my delight, she was very receptive to the idea of using the club, and it seemed to fit in not only as an after-school but as a possible camp activity as well. With that encouragement, I started calling the other B&G's in Toronto, and then broadened it out to Ontario B&G's. I found the clubs very approachable and eager to hear about a new program that served their computer literacy goals but also had a larger purpose. They could tell it was something the kids would enjoy and also that it could benefit them. Those that had computer rooms were encouraging, those that didn't gave me the names of others. All in all a very positive and confidence-enhancing sales experience.

When I reflect on it, it makes sense that this should be where it would live. After all, it was developed in an after-school context, so it works best that way. Meanwhile, having it in the clubs is an ideal way to reach teachers and parents teachers, who are always interested in new things that have some kind of track record (as a parent, this goes for me, too).

Anyway, the reason for this blog entry is that yesterday one of the GTA B&G's called to say they wanted to put the club into 8 of their school locations. I'm very gratified to have created something that they feel will be useful, and happy that the B&Gs will be the first ones using it. It's also bodes well for the future of the Thinking Skills Club, i.e., it can have a future, instead of being just one more idea that never found its niche. So thank you Boys and Girls. To paraphrase Humphrey Bogart, this could be the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

Long day in Troy NY. Started waking up at 6:30 cause the clock said 7. Bit of a tramp finding rent-a-car across the street. Woman there was interesting, hearing I was from Canada said she visited a reservation in the North once, it was 40 below. She wondered where all the teepees were. Her Native boyfriend hadn't warned her, "Indians don't talk much," she tells me. They broke up when she found out he was a gun runner and wouldn't be let back into the States. Are American's talkative or what? Also an interesting connection, her son had had a therapist 40 years ago who used games in therapy to improve social skills. Find out all sorts of things when you talk to people. Got to the conference all right, the keynote was great, about how teacher's professional development should be more playful, they should apply gamification principles t their own meetings. Key comment: "Technology is best understood as an amplifier" of qualities the kid may have but you don't know about. Next talk was about games on a great site, BrainPOP, focused on core curriculum but open ended. Focus on asking kids to collaborate in figuring out the rules of a math game, for instance. Key comment: "It's important to remember that our children have a lot of knowledge when they come to us." They're also collecting testimonials from teachers using games in the classroom and putting them on YouTube (e.g., Lisa Parisi GLPC). BrainPOP also has a funding page for education projects similar to Kickstarter. Next speaker Joel Levin talked about MindcraftEdu, his version of Minecraft designed for use in a classroom. Some amazing things built by kids: a cell, a scale model of their high school, the Alamo (see more on YouTube). Interesting that libraries and other comm hubs began calling him to get it in, there's a lot of interest in positive things to put on their computers (try to apply at home). Next was a workshop presenting some very cool research using games about difficult scientific concepts to prime kids for lessons. Examples were genetic mixing (RoboBots) and photosynthesis (building atoms). Then an adventure game had male and female leads making use of this knowledge in their quest. The next talk also involved quests, cutting up curriculum into modules that can be done in 10-15 minutes in any order, with kids getting points for completion and increasing difficulty levels. If the module is done poorly, they get it back with comments and can do it over until they're satisfied. Everyone who completes the class gets an A or A+, since it's designed to make students successful (what a concept!) Managed by a program called Quest (he had good non-Powerpoint slides too, I should ask him about that). Actually, it sounded a lot like my Grade 6 Enrichment class in 1969 (Mrs. Muir was ahead of her time). Finally, a "performance" video done by 5 high school kids with their teacher, using World of Warcraft to tell a story, and interesting mashup of theatre and gaming (they usually do it live, not in a video). Then followed the chalk arrows to the Happy Hour get together. Free wood-oven pizza and cash bar. This conference stuff is all right. Oh yeah, talked to several people about my site and handed out a lot of cards; also happened to bring a sheaf of posters with me which they put out on a table and which disappeared by the time I came to check on them, probably a good sign. Got a few minutes to spend on my essay. It's funny not having responsibilities outside of learning, quite a treat.