Charting a path from Waterloo, Canada to Cap-Haitien, Haiti: 5 airports and 15 hours later

Our team arrived in Cap-Haitien today safe and sound after a long day of traveling. Team members joined us from Dallas, Waterloo, Miami, and Louisville! Here is the team arriving in our 5th (and final) airport of the day ... Cap-Haitien, Haiti!

We have an amazing group. This was made even more clear tonight when we debriefed our experiences on this first day. It was great to hear many members of the team talking about first impressions, early expectations, and motivations for participating on the team.

Most importantly, it was clear that everyone is eager to listen and learn. This has already started but will be ramped up tomorrow when we visit multiple schools and NGOs in Cap-Haitien.

It always fascinates me how, despite some differences, there is so much that connects us in the global village. Let the learning continue!

"The Big Truck That Went By": How we can support education in Haiti without leaving behind a disaster

In 2013, Associated Press journalist Jonathan Katz, wrote a book entitled The Big Truck That Went By: How the World Came to Save Haiti and Left Behind a Disaster.

 Katz documents the incredible mistakes and failures that accompanied the response to the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.A summary of the book states that it, "...presents a hard hitting investigation into international aid, finding that the way wealthy countries give today makes poor countries seem irredeemably hopeless..."

One of the key lessons I was reminded of when I read the book was that we want to ensure that we work with our Haitian partners in authentic and meaningful ways. We have tried not to "parachute in" and invent new programs. Instead, we have worked hard to develop long-term relationships, listened to the ideas and needs presented, and considered how we can work together to address these ideas and needs in ways that "make sense" to both groups. I believe that this approach is what has made our work in Haiti successful.

Next week's partnership meetings will work on the same principles:
     *relationships matter
     *listen before you speak
     *work together for change

Isn't this really what all successful partnerships are about?

Haiti Partnership Development Trip Update: State University of Haiti (UEH) and social innovation

Our team had its first meeting earlier this week and I'm getting quite excited about the potential this team has to really ramp up the work that we have been engaged with in Haiti. Here's one example of why I am excited...

Two weeks from today we will be in meetings with the State University of Haiti (UEH - Limonade campus) senior management team.This is the campus that was built following the 2010 earthquake; it's a beautiful facility:

We had two meetings with this group last May and one of the first things that Dr. Theodat, the president of the council, mentioned was their desire to develop an incubator for innovation in the region.

This is exciting as the Waterloo Region has been a hub for innovation in Canada for many years. Laurier has a number of innovative projects such as the Launchpad, the Schlegel Centre for Entrepreneurship, and the new Social Entrepreneurship program.

Our team is ready to listen to the ideas and needs that UEH has. With participants representing high tech, industry, K-12 education, and higher education it is also well-equipped to provide input and engage in discussions.

Wouldn't it be exciting to engage in an international, north-south, equal-partnership project to support innovation and capacity-building?!

How professors can facilitate global connections without even knowing about it

I recently met with Dr. Gavin Brockett, a History prof at Laurier, to discuss how he has "crossed borders" in teaching a course. Last year he taught a course that involved students in Waterloo, Canada and in Istanbul, Turkey. The students read articles together, collaborated, and engaged in class lectures and discussions. Video-conferencing facilitated the classroom sessions. It sounds like there were many successes through the experience.

Success factors for on-line, cross-border courses

It seems to me that Dr. Brockett considered three distinct, but inter-linked, aspects to the experience: the content (relevant to both cultural contexts), the pedagogy (engaging and collaborative), and the technology (facilitated the learning experience). The Venn diagram to the right is a starting point for my conceptualization and can be extended by the work of people such as Rovai & Downey (2010).

What he admits he didn't consider was the "soft" communication that occurred amongst the students, primarily through Facebook. Although he facilitated rich on-line discussion groups, he also found that students were carrying these conversations forward on Facebook outside of the classroom "space."

I find this fascinating because it reflects some similar experiences we have had in Haiti. We have facilitated face-to-face training sessions and on-line supports but the Haitian and Canadian participants have often furthered the conversations, and deepened their relationships (and their understanding?), through social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Clearly the use of social media is not just a "western" phenomenon; it is rewarding to see how it can facilitate GLOCAL connections and learning.

Laurier B.Ed. students take on the Cardboard Challenge

We have had a great first week with our entering Bachelor of Education students at Laurier. Quite an engaging and enthusiastic group!

Earlier in the week, we engaged in the Cardboard Challenge. If you're not familiar with the story behind the challenge, check out this website and the great movie on it:

Cain's Arcade

Our teacher candidates worked in groups of 5-7 and were given a few cardboard boxes, some tape, and access to some other recycled supplies (kleenex boxes, plastic containers, etc.). Their task? To come up with a creation that expressed their creativity and/or that could be "accessed" later in the year when dealing with stress. After 1.5 hours, they had come up with AMAZING creations! Thanks to one of our new students, Christie McKerron for this photo collage of the different projects:

The Cardboard Challenge has become a global initiative to help support 21st century skills such as collaboration, creativity, and problem-solving. More information can be found at:

Global Cardboard Challenge

Developing social entrepreneurship with partners in Haiti

Details continue to come together for our October networking trip to Haiti. We now have 9 confirmed Canadian participants, including leaders from universities, technology companies, and the government sector.

We have two anticipated outcomes of the networking trip:

1. Higher education - supporting the development of a "social incubator", on-line learning, and English language programming at universities in northern Haiti.

2. K-12 education - supporting the development of on-line training modules for teachers and technology integration for classrooms.

In both cases, what we are striving to do is to access the social capital that is already available, provide support for it, so as to develop innovative, made-in-Haiti solutions for local social challenges. Haitians have an entrepreneurial spirit ... Laurier's on-going work in Haiti is supporting that "DNA" for social change.

How digital technologies can support principals in Haiti: Creativity and innovation in school leadership

For the past two years I have led a research project investigating how digital technologies such as smartphones and tablets can support the leadership abilities of principals in Haiti.

Earlier this year, the results of the study were published in International Studies in Educational Administration, 42(1). The key findings of the study were that digital technologies can support:

1. collaboration and problem-solving
2. adapted leadership practices
3. local and cross-cultural learning

One of the interesting results of the study was that I found the participants developed trust with each other through the participation in the on-line professional learning community. Trust is a key element that leads to collaboration. Collaboration and sharing of resources have not been common amongst principals in Haiti. The digital mentoring project helped build this trust and collaborative practice.

I also found that digital technologies supported the ability of principals (both in Haiti and in Canada) to engage in "glocal" learning. Principals examined broader contexts for ideas and solutions that could address local challenges.

For further information on the article, please consult my Laurier Research Publications web-site by clicking on the link below:

Steve Sider Research Publications