Biography
Professor Kinney brings forty years of academic and industry experience in exploration of the intersection between technology, design and education. He infuses and informs his research with a McLuhanistic lens in order to anticipate trends in the adoption and use of technology in educational and design contexts. Between 2003-2007 Professor Kinney, as part of his graduate studies into the social construction of knowledge, conducted probes at the McLuhan Centre for Culture and Media into the development of adaptive strategies in rapidly innovating and obsolescing environments and was recognized for developing RISK (Rapid Integraton of Skills & Knowledge)-based learning methods—an early "flipped" pedagogy. Jim launched the college's first "Knowledge Garden"—an experimental lab for engaging students with emerging technologies in order to provide recommendations and leadership in their integration across the college. This led to Students developing technological expertise in a Just In Time fashion as well as an opportunity to create, curate and share their research as searchable multi-media learning objects on an open server called Harvest.
Academic Credentials
Bachelor of Science (Honours), University of Waterloo
Masters of Theological Studies, U of T
Areas of Specialization
Interaction Design, Narrative Processes, Creativity Software
Career Highlights
Kinney Communications & Hyper ACTIV—Principle in this company providing design services, consulting and interactive media and simulations development (1988-1995).
Partner, Face-To-Face Communications, Developed Interactive Training Simulations, Built Consul—North America's first secure, virtual online shopping mall (1995-1998).
Built and tested Mycelium—a searchable multi-media server as part of a collaborative research project between OCADU, Ryerson U and York U (2009).
Built Harvest—a searchable knowledge-base server containing searchable-shareable, student-generated learning objects that was used as an ongoing learning resource (2012).
Created CONNEXIONS for LIAD—GBC's first interactive digital publication for iPad published in the Apple APP Store (2014).
Directed the creation and implementation of interactive content for the History of Game Design Exhibit—The college's first Augmented Reality exhibition that delivered interviews with leading game designers and student-created documentaries on seminal games to exhibit participants via tablets and smart phones (2014).
Built and implemented ON (Open Network): a facebook-like college social network for community building and communications within the School of Design (2015).
Collaborated on the creation of the Flipped Classroom Pilot: Student-designed interactive content and tests to support a "flipped class" delivery of a business psychology course (2016).
Creation of a digital storytelling course to teach narrative processes to designers along with faculty workshops and seminars introducing them to the importance of storytelling in the digital age (2017).
Provided technical direction and training for building the award-winning IN-Store iPad for the school of design (2017).
Successful partnering with Start2Finish organization to collaborate on using digital storytelling for social good in order to support the non-profit's efforts in addressing issues of Childhood Poverty, Literacy and Health in Canada (2019).
Introduction of Character Design and Animation into Foundation Art and Design Curriculum (2019).
Awards
McGraw-Hill Award for Excellence—Innovation in Education 2007
Adobe Education Leader 2011
Adobe Impact Award 2013
GBC Innovation Award 2017
