2013-12-12

It’s getting increasingly difficult to escape technology. The spread of mobile devices has driven a culture of ‘connectedness’, where email, social media and Internet are never more than a finger-tap away. Even when we start feeling the psychological need to unplug, we face enormous societal pressures to stay within technological arms-reach at all times. How is this constant connection to the world around us both enriching and limiting our lives? As our online networks expand, are we forced to withdraw from some of our ‘real life’ interactions? Hear from UBC experts as we discuss how modern communications technologies are reshaping our perceptions of reality while affecting our personal and professional relationships, as well as our drive to make a difference in the world.

Official Broadcast and Online Media Partner:



Event Details

Thursday, January 30, 2014
6:30 – 9:00 pm

The program begins at 6:30 pm with a reception to follow.

Coast Capri Hotel
Horizon Room
1171 Harvey Avenue
Kelowna, BC

This event is free of charge but advance registration is required.

Panelists

Josh Byron, BA’07 - Project Manager, Moving Pixel Productions; UBC Okanagan Senator, Representative of the Convocation

Maxine Crawford, MA’12 – PhD student in Psychology, UBC’s Okanagan campus

Lane Merrifield – Partner/Founder, FreshGrade; Co-Founder, Club Penguin

Christopher Schneider  – Assistant Professor of Sociology, UBC’s Okanagan campus

RSVP

RSVP ONLINE

Please RSVP before Thursday, January 23, 2014. Questions? Please contact Krista Stokell at krista.stokell@ubc.ca or 250-807-9360.

Panelist Biographies

Josh Byron, BA’07

With a degree in International Relations from the Okanagan campus of the University of British Columbia, Josh’s strategic thinking bodes well for conceiving creative and salient digital marketing strategies as the Project Manager for Moving Pixel Productions. Josh has gained valuable insight into the challenges that many clients face when it comes to their digital presence and he is able to offer a “non-technical” approach to breaking down on-line communication into core priorities. His experience and interest in non-profit organizations keeps him up at night trying to conceive of ways to leverage digital technology to enhance the message and the work of non-profits.

In his spare time, Josh lends his expertise and experience to numerous organizations.  Josh is the first Convocation Senator to graduate from UBC Okanagan and sit on the UBC Okanagan Senate, filling posts on the Academic Resources & Buildings and Learning and Research Committees.  He has volunteered for nine years with Global Citizen Kelowna which annually hosts seven events to encourage individuals to become ‘global citizens’.  He is a Director with Hope for the Nations – a boutique non-governmental organization that works with ‘children at risk’ in twenty-two countries and is also a core leader with TEDxKelowna, an independently organized TED event.

Above all things, Josh’s pure joy is spending time with his wife Shawnella and their three month old daughter Ellie.

Maxine Crawford, MA’12



Maxine Crawford is a PhD student at UBC’s Okanagan campus. She holds a Master of Arts in Psychology and has worked in healthcare as a researcher and program evaluator. Her research interests span the domains of positive psychology and environmental psychology, examining the interaction between human beings and their environment. In particular, her work focuses on pro-environmentalism and connectedness to nature and how they impact well-being and life satisfaction. She is currently working with community partners to assess the efficacy of mobile technology to engage children with nature.

Lane Merrifield

Lane Merrifield is co-founder of Club Penguin, one of the largest virtual worlds and digital brands for children.

As CEO, Lane worked to develop and launch Club Penguin in 2005, playing an integral role in its phenomenal growth and continued success.  Commitment to creating a safe and ad-free online playground helped propel the Kelowna, British Columbia based studio to international acclaim, and a partnership with the Walt Disney Company which acquired it for $350M in August of 2007.

Recently, Lane left his role at Disney to pursue a new startup in the field of Education.  His Fresh Grade team is working to bring state of the art assessment software into the classroom and provide teachers, parents, and students with new visibility into a child’s learning.

Lane has always maintained a passion for utilizing technology as a way to connect people in new and innovative ways. He and the Club Penguin team have been recipients of a BAFTA Award, several People’s Choice Awards, Parents’ Choice Awards, and a Webby Award.  Lane has received an Honorary Fellows Award and several leadership awards.

In November 2013, Lane was appointed to the UBC Board of Governors.  His term on the board will run from February 2014 to July 2015.

Christopher Schneider

Christopher J. Schneider is Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan campus. Dr. Schneider is author/editor of three books, including the recent second edition of Qualitative Media Analysis(Sage, 2013). Other recent publications examine the role of Facebook in the 2011 Vancouver riots where social media played an active role in documenting the riot and shaped the outcome of how the riot was defined and interpreted in news media and by police and citizens. Dr. Schneider was the recipient of the UBC Okanagan 2010/2011 Award for Teaching Excellence and Innovation – Junior Faculty – and the 2009/2010 Provost’s Public Education Through Media Award. He has given hundreds of interviews with news media across North America, including The New York Times and CBC’s The National, among others.

To order his co-authored book Qualitative Media Analysis, go to http://www.sagepub.com/books/Book237731#tabview=toc.

Show more