Author: Lindsay Racen

A Blotchy Sort of Purple

Posted on by Lindsay Racen

@LindsayRacen

Jake sat on the dock just staring. He blankly studied how his cabin’s lights reflected on the mirrored water and the way they were morphed by the ripples that danced to the beats echoing from the wings of a nearby dragonfly. He was 25 years old, still young by many standards, but he felt double his age already as a divorcee with a seven-year-old girl sleeping inside. 

He glanced up at the window where his daughter’s bed stood just behind the glass and listened closely. He didn’t hear a peep so he took a sip of his beer, laid back on the wood planks, and focused his attention on the sky. He loved the fresh air, silence of the mountains, and the way the sky brought a million diamonds out to play. It’s a sight that no one in the city could ever imagine and one that his ex-wife could never appreciate. The thought of her broke his brief moment of peace and turned it into a mix of irritation and nostalgia.  He remembered the first time he met her… 

“Can I sit here?” Cassy asked. And he just stared. It wasn’t until she already plopped her backpack down on the table, settled down, and opened her English book that he was able to blurt out “uh YEAH… of course!” an octave too high than any guy should use past puberty. And that was it. That was the moment that changed his life forever. It wasn’t when his daughter was born, or even when he found out that Cassy was pregnant, he was already lost by then. Nope, it was that moment in the library, his terribly pitched voice, the ribbon in her hair, that skirt, and the look she gave him as he twirled her hair and said, “Hi! I’m Cassy!” 

She smelled like vanilla dipped in strawberries. He stared at her for a long moment, probably looking like a complete idiot or a fly trap with its mouth wide open then finally forced out the words, “I…I’m Jake.” She smiled. Or was it a laugh? He could see her high cheekbones defining and the corners of her eyes starting to curl upward and he gave her a weak smile back. She was clearly wearing lip gloss, more of a deep red than the strawberry scent, but it also gave off a new smell…cherry maybe? This chick was a fruit basket, and he felt like a basket case! He couldn’t figure out what to do next so he went back to his book. 

After what felt like an hour, Jake found himself staring at the same line of his text he had reread at least 52 times before he realized that he was spending far too much time at the same exact spot on the same exact page he had been on when she got here. It wasn’t even convincing at this point so he turned to the next. Cassy must have noticed because she glanced over with the corner of her eye and tried to hold back a laugh. 

Soon it was the classic game of keep away, but with eye contact not the baseball that his brother and his friends used to throw over his head in the trap of pickle. Back and forth, back and forth, begging to be caught but avoiding same time. He found himself looking at other parts of her than her face and a warm tsunami rushed through his veins. She noticed immediately and asked him the obvious, “are you blushing?” “No” he said, “It’s just hot in here.” Damn. She just called him out. But then it got worse realizing that she was now focusing on him and he turned a blotchy sort of almost purple. 

Jake cringed as he thought about that familiar feeling and it shook him back into reality. He listened for his daughter again, took a sip of his beer, and focused on finding Sagittarius in the sky. Looking back to that fateful moment, as indelible as the ink they signed the papers with, he realized that it represented his entire relationship. She always called him out and made him feel that same blotchy sort of almost purple, but at the time he didn’t mind much, especially knowing that she was clearly out of his league from day one. He always questioned why this picturesque cheerleader that every girl wanted to be, and every dude wanted to bang, was with a guy like him. A flash of irrational jealousy poked at him as he remembered the party they went to the night that they met…

“Jake!!! Come over here!!” Cassy yelled from across the Kappa Alpha frat house. It’s a miracle the “brothers” even let him in, especially since it was crystal clear that he didn’t belong there, although he was getting the feeling that the guys would pretty much do whatever this chick said. The place smelled like a cornucopia of old booze, moldy pizza, and fresh axe spray failing miserably to mask the scent. As he walked toward her he had to shove his way through an even thicker crowd than he saw when he mentally mapped out his original path to her location. It was as if these guys were trying to keep him from reaching her and one dude practically fell at his feet because he was so wasted. 

Luckily she was standing on a platform near the double doors waving so he was able to navigate this way through the bodies. As he came closer he caught his breath. She was wearing the tightest gold dress that barely covered the important parts of her body and it shone so brightly that even without a reflective ball hanging from the ceiling he still saw glittered confetti falling from above. Her long blond hair fell perfectly in front of her shoulders and framed her face just right. He was clearly blown away but this is exactly why he practiced not turning into a complete moron at the sight of her a hundred times that day. He had to do his best to be cool. 

“Hey Cassy,” said Jake. Her smile brightened and he could smell her lip gloss just as vividly as that moment in the library thinking only that he wondered what it tasted like. “Ohhhhh Jake I’m so glad you came! Meet Chad and Brad they’re my twins from my Fall Greek rush class. We share the same big bro.” Jake had no idea what that really meant, and although it seemed platonic enough he couldn’t help but notice how they were holding on to her waist as she threw her arms on each one of their shoulders. The twins just nodded their heads in greeting and Jake couldn’t help but imagine them with little propeller hats on the top of their head as tweedle dum and tweedle dee. Cassy broke his mental image and yelled over the music, “The keg’s inside, and the bar has all the hard stuff and mixers.” 

Trying not to sound too awkward Jake asked, “What are you having?” “Vodka Red bull!” she nearly screamed and he strained to hear her. “Need a refill?” he questioned, “sure. I’ll come with you,” she responded. He never drank before and he tried not to show it. He couldn’t help but notice that the bottom of his shoes practically peeled off the floor with every step and he wondered what kind of rancid materials were layered on the floors. The counter was overflowing with mixers and bottles, and he searched around for the key ingredients. Cassy spotted them first and leaned over to grab them before handing them to him to pour. He tried not to look at the bottle and can as if they were aliens landing on a foreign planet and didn’t let himself think and simply poured too glasses with half of each liquid. 

She looked him straight in the eye as they tapped plastic red cups and he studied her face without trying to look like a creeper. Her eye shadow wasn’t shadow at all, in fact it was almost the exact shade of mined gold that was sprinkled all over her dress and tinted her green eyes the exact shade of the famed Emerald City from the Wizard of Oz. He kept his eyes locked on hers as he took his first swig, not wanting to lower his glass until the exact moment she did, which was apparently several gulps later. The vodka tasted terrible but the Red Bull hid the worst of it and when she finally paused she shook out her blond hair and sighed in satisfaction. Before he got a moment to say another word she took him by his hand and pulled him out on the dance floor. 

The rest of the night fell away. Jake remembers bits and pieces, jumping to the beat of the base with the crowd, a few more trips to the bar, then nothing. Cassy was a goddess, he felt lucky just to be in her presence, and the next morning when he woke up with her naked in his tiny twin bed reeking of vodka, she even jokingly pointed that fact out to him. Jake laughed at her comment but then fell back into his head and ran through all the insecurities he had been struggling with throughout high school. Puberty was tough on him. Most of his life he had been the shortest kid in class which came with its own social frustrations of ridicule and jokes, then add the bottle thick glasses, dense curly hair, and rolling backpack that your mom made you use to avoid scoliosis and you look like a side-show freak. He wished he grew up in today’s world where those damn backpacks are not even questioned and glasses are actually trendy. It honestly made no sense to Jake, especially since he heard that hipsters who don’t even need glasses actually buy the frames for fashion purposes rather than to help them see clearly. Why did he have to go through all that hell and now it’s all completely acceptable? 

He shook off the image of his former self and looked down at Cassy cuddling next to him. He regretted that he didn’t quite remember how she had landed next to him, and his head clearly was punishing him for it, but it must have been an amazing night by the looks of it. After a few moments of falling in-and-out of sleep, Cassy looked at the clock on his desk behind them, casually shrugged, and said, “Oops, looks like I missed Mr. Collin’s class,” and settled her head back on Jake’s shoulder. He looked at the clock and noted that he had a few more hours until his art history class and didn’t dare move from her side. 

The next few months flew by and he felt like he was on some sort of intense drug, despite the fact that he had never even tried any at that point in his life. Yeah he got his homework done but he found himself not caring nearly as much about getting a perfect 4.0 GPA. With Cassy there his life fell into whirlwind of sex, alcohol, sorority mixers, and house parties. He went to every class, even on the toughest mornings where the hangover was just too painful to breath, and she floated through those she surprisingly made it to by rotating between nerds a few weeks before each test. 

Parents’ weekend soon arrived and both Cassy and Jake were on cloud nine when they introduced each other to their parents. His parents were taken back by her beauty just as much as he had been the first day they met, and her parents liked him a hell of a lot more than the “hoodlums” she dated before him but clearly looked down on his family’s humble economic status. Overall though, the families took to each other fine, but the two were happy when they headed home and left them to their new liberating college lifestyle by the end. 

It wasn’t until right before they left for winter break that they came down from their high. Cassy hadn’t been feeling well for the past week or so, and although he brought her any and all remedies upon request, she mostly stayed to her bedroom in the sorority house. He packed up and was prepped to say goodbye for the short break when he opened his door and there she stood. Something was wrong. She was hiding that smile and body he loved so much and although she still looked beautiful her eyes were red and she stepped deathly into his room and shut the door. 

He went to hug her as he began to say, “What’s wro –.” But before he could finish she blurted out, “I’m pregnant,” and he stumbled back. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing and he didn’t know whether to comfort her or question her for certainty. Then with the air between them as frozen the iceberg that sunk the titanic, she simply straightened up, wiped her tears, forced herself to grin and said, “I’m going to handle the situation, I just wanted to let you know. I’ll call you when I get to my parents.” The entire moment lasted a whole minute and a half at best, and she was gone. 

Cassy clearly didn’t want a baby and shamelessly expressed how “it would ruin their lives and her body,” not to mention how she couldn’t imagine something hanging off her boob like some animal for months.  Jake on the other hand, although he was well aware that they were not prepared and knew the timing was terrible, he couldn’t help but toss around baby names in his head and wonder if they were going to have a girl or a boy. He hoped that whatever it was he would get Cassy’s good looks. And there it was – hope. He realized that he really wanted this baby no matter how scary it was. After the same debates, fights, and true terror that all teenagers have with the “Right to choose,” in the end they decided to keep the baby.  Jake ultimately convinced Cassy of a “happily ever after” together, and his parents were traditionalist anyways, whether she wanted the baby or not they would do everything in God’s power to let that child live. So they got married, moved into family housing when they got back to Mizzou and had their daughter Jade. 

In the early days they were happy again for a brief period of time. Cassy looked gorgeous holding their daughter and simply could not imagine his life without the two of them. He studied while feeding the baby, determined to finish his degree no matter how difficult. Instead of story time, he would read her his textbooks, often animating the details as if they were exciting characters out of a fairytale rather than digital brushstroke techniques. Every time he had a new project in an art or graphics class he would talk to Jade as he brainstormed ideas for his grand visions and she would smile at him with the same charm his mother had that day in the library. 

Every moment he caught his daughter’s smile he looked at her mother, trying to find that same smile he fell in love with, but all he saw was disappointment behind her eyes. He did everything he could to make her happy, make dinner, handle the house chores, and feed Jade at night so she wouldn’t have to wake up. But of course, although she may be oblivious to it at times, ultimately when he would forget the smallest of tasks, she would always call him out on them. Although he was flush with exhaustion he still picked himself up, told himself he should have remembered that, and moved on to reconcile the misstep.  

He had truly tried everything but as time went on Cassy started to get angry at Jake without explanation and would leave without notice of where or when she’d be back. Jake understood that this was hard. Hell he understood it the most considering he was doing all of the work, but he gave her the benefit of the doubt and figured she just needed to blow off steam. Until one night when she didn’t come home at all. 

Jake texted her, called her a million times, even reached out to her parents, who by this time hated him more than those “hoodlums” they had been so happy he was not when they met him at parents’ weekend. Nothing. It wasn’t until a week and a half later that she woke him up from a nap he was taking with Jade to tell him that it was over. He slowly slid out of their bed and gently moved Jade to her crib his parents bought her at Cassy’s baby shower. He turned on the baby monitor, not that he needed it in their tiny apartment, cracked the bedroom door just in case, and followed Cassy to the living room.  

She looked good, and although he was relieved that she was okay he felt this intense anger toward her, especially realizing that he didn’t want her to look amazing, he wanted her to look like an explanation that consisted of unfortunate events that prevented her from making it home. But before he could open his mouth to yell as loud as he could at her in a whisper so Jade wouldn’t wake up she spoke, “I met someone.”

Like that first night with her at the frat house the rest of the conversation was a blur. The bits and pieces Jake caught went in and out….He was one of her frat twin’s brothers….They met at a party the first night that she didn’t come home….an invitation to Paris where his family was flying out to the next day….a café on the river… And then she was gone. He almost didn’t realize it until the door closed behind her and the light through the window caught the tiny emerald of her wedding ring that sat on the table. Just then he heard Jade’s cry break the silence that Cassy left behind, turned toward the bedroom, and blinked. 

When he opened his eyes he was back on the wood-planked dock outside his cabin and part of the diamond sky was missing from his vantage point. There was a shadow that fell over him from someone blocking the dim lights coming from the cabin. He turned around to find Jade standing a few feet away, hugging her teddy bear and blanket that she clearly dragged through the dirt to get to where Jake was. 

“I can’t sleep daddy,” Jade said in a small, tired voice. Jake sat up, reached out to his daughter and said, “Come here baby girl,” and the once sharp and bitter memory fell away the moment Jade took three tiny steps toward him. He wrapped his arms around her as she settled into his lap. Jade had her mother’s green eyes and blond hair but had his curls that always fell in front of her shoulders. She was wearing her favorite color – purple, complete with spots of dried milk that she spilled on her onesie before she went to bed. He was reminded in that moment of what he realized many times since that day Cassy left and he turned toward the bedroom when Jade cried – his favorite color was a blotchy sort of purple.  

Dan Rooney: Business and Leadership Lessons from “A Different Way to Win”

Posted on by Lindsay Racen

A Different Way to Win Book

Photo Adapted from Book Cover and Remembering Dan Rooney | NFL on YouTube

Sports are a part of my heart and soul, and in particular Pittsburgh sports. I proudly bleed black and gold, which is why I was so excited when I unwrapped A Different Way to Win: Dan Rooney’s Story from the Super Bowl to the Rooney Rule on Christmas day. This article is more of a reflection on the lessons that I gained from reading this book rather than a traditional review. It’s also my way of honoring Dan Rooney who in my yes, thanks to this book, is an inspirational leader who truly changed the world in so many ways. His influence and integrity helped shape ethical business practices in the NFL, brought hope to the land of his heritage in Ireland and of course helped fuel the passion of millions of Steelers fans around the world.

Steelers Fanship: My Personal Connection

I am a diehard Steelers fan who bleeds black and gold. My beloved grandparents are resting there and my extended family still calls Uniontown its home. So it’s no surprise that this isn’t the first Steelers-related book I’ve read. I’ve devoured many others, but none as possibly personal and as business-oriented as this one. This book was minted in December I noticed when I turned the first page, which struck me with a sense of pride to be among the elite few early readers to pick up the biography.

True story, I named my dog (@Chief_The_Thief on Instagram) after the original founder and owner of the Steelers: Art Rooney – aka “The Chief.” This book covers the life of his son Dan Rooney, and is written by his grandson Jim Rooney. How special is that? One of my favorite things about my beloved franchise is the fact that it’s a family business and I can’t imagine that would ever change generations from now. It I think it would devastate me if that tradition was ever broken but I’m confident I won’t have to see such a day.

Fans generally know cosmetic or public facts about the administrative leaders of their favorite teams. So going into this book I knew that Dan Rooney was the American Ambassador to the land of his heritage, Ireland, and that he genuinely loved the game of football and his the Iron City. That’s about it. He passed away in 2017 and all the players on my team proudly wore a “DMR” patch with a green clover in honor of him. But this book revealed so much more that made me feel even more proud to be a Steelers fan.

Dan Rooney: On Leadership, Integrity and Peace

Dan was a man of great integrity and faith. He was clearly brilliant, charismatic and knew how to use his influence to make positive change. To me that last part is becoming more of a rareity than it should be as many use their influential power that result in negative outcomes far too often. This book carried so many lessons in leadership.

The funny thing is that I, like most people, once believed a lot of leadership is simply common sense. Even as I was taking graduate classes on the subject, and earned an extra graduate certificate in organizational leadership addition to my MBA at Brandman University, I considered the curriculum pretty easy. Maybe this allowed me to enjoy them far more without stressing about the grade. But I soon learned that common sense is not so common and true leadership is a rare skill to come by now adays. That’s what made this book so impressive. It illuminated all the great things Dan Rooney did in his life that extended far beyond the football field.

Dan Rooney devoted his life to helping others. The world may not know it, but this story reveals what a massive impact he made on Ireland, its people and its history as a country. He did something no other politician has done to my knowledge, he brought grassroots back to social progress. He held town hall meetings and spent one-on-one time with the citizens. I’ve been to Ireland and it holds so many wonderful memories from my time there. From that experience I can really see what actions like that could do to help the people. The country was literally at civil war during “The Troubles” and Dan was able to use his position of power and his love for his heritage to implement peaceful solutions when hope was hard to come by.

Standing Up for Ethics and Equality in Business

There were of course references to the Steeler’s championships and heroic moments that millions of sports fans know and love about the franchise, but all that was simply a positive side effect of his leadership. A huge part of this book was the creation of the “Rooney Rule” named after Dan himself. This is where his integrity and brilliance in building authentic business relationships thrived.

One of the key takeaways I learned about Mr. Rooney was that he did not see skincolor. The Rooney Rule was created to give minorities in the NFL opportunities to be successful. Many were players themselves, and there is a clear historical connection between the two realms, but when you read more about the dynamics that went into implementing the Ronney Rule it really was impressive and facinating.

The stories that came out of this warmed my heart. It solidified of course why I’ve always loved and felt connected to Tony Dungy and of course our current Steelers coach Mike Tomlin. They among others are direct products of the Rooney Rule. Their success stories inspire me and I hope many others who read about the life of this Irish-American hero named Dan Rooney.

As a business professional I also appreciate stories of extending the impact of the Rooney Rule into other industries including the private sector. I felt such a strong sense of pride for Dan Rooney when reading the epilogue to find out that the spirit and principles of the model like meritocracy were adopted by some of the most successful brands that rule our everyday lives. In Silicon Valley the concept was embodied by the founding of Poject Include, a nonprofit organization whoe mission is to “give everyone a fair chance to succeed in tech.” Participating companies include giants such as Amazon, Facebook, HubSpot, Intel, LinkedIn, Lyft, Microsoft and Xerox.

This is just one of many reasons why Dan Rooney was truly incredible! He proved well before Simon Sinek‘ that when great leaders begin with “Why” they can inspire action that matters.  He showed all future leaders that when they lead with heart and implement concepts in smart and honorable ways, they can truly change the world.

Valuing What Matters Most

Finally, in an industry where the value of a dollar has absolute power, Dan Rooney’s stance on the matter was truly special. He of course had pleanty of money by the end of his life thanks to the success of the league and the franchise he helped build. But like many, it wasn’t always like that. He took risks, invested his own dollars in a team whose success depended entirely on others whose performance was for the most part out of his control. He was innately torn and struggled daily on the idea of the growing wealth. He understood its value, but he was not a greedy soul. He saw the corruption that often comes with money and always kept that on the forefront of his perspective.

This internal struggle hit home for me and it mirrors my own stance on the matter as well as my opinion of social media an honestly my profession of marketing in general. Let me explain. I am proud to be the creator of the instagram account @BookQuotes_InColor. I’ve personally run my company’s social media accounts, and as a content marketer am constantly connected with the industry. That being said I have a passionate love/hate relationship with social media and am torn with things like followership just as Dan Rooney was with monetary gain.

I recognize the good, the creative expression it brings, the connections it makes in our communities, and the memories it holds record of.  But I also have seen the negative impact it has had on things like self-esteem, creating chaos and amplifyng negativity that almost outrule my appreciation. But life is a balance, and Dan Rooney reocgnized this and used his ability to weigh the pros and cons of a situation to bring to the forefront what matters most – People, Equality, Integrity, and Peace.

If you’ve gotten this far in my reflection then I thank you and hope you’ve found it helpful. But I’ll also encourage you to follow @BookQuotes_InColor on instagram if you are interested in some of my favorite quotes from A Different Way to Win: Dan Rooney’s Story from the Super Bowl to the Rooney Rule and others. I bring this up not for a plug, I truly created this account to solve a personal need, which then turned into sharing my love for reading and writing with the world – my “Why” – but also to share some wisdom from this wonderful book:

So of course I give nothing but high recommendation for this book to all who may be interested in it, and I hope that it inspires you to lead with integrity in all that you do. God Bless and thank you to the Rooney family for leading Steeler Nation with love.

Recommended Sports Leadership Books

          

Changing School Culture: Successful Strategies from a High School Principal

Posted on by Lindsay Racen

This article was originally published on acsa.org

Changing School Culture

Amy Belser is the principal of Bear River High School, a comprehensive public high school serving hundreds of students in the Sierra Nevada foothills community of Grass Valley. Early in her tenure as the school’s administrator she pursued her Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership at Brandman University. Her experience in the program, which has a central focus on transformational change, motivated her to take steps to improve her school culture. Find out what strategies she used to achieve this goal and how she inspired other educational leaders to implement them at their schools.

Creating a Mission and Vision for Changing School Culture

Early in her leadership journey Besler identified her core mission which was to create a “shared identity for all members of the Bear River High School community” by connecting, supporting, celebrating and challenging all students and staff.

The next step in the tranformation process was to involve her staff in creating a long-term vision for change. Through ongoing open discussion they determined that this vision centered on, “creating a school where no one ever wants to leave.” This phrase is borrowed from Phil Boyte, a national leader in school culture-building and creator of the Link Crew and Breaking Down the Walls programs for student growth and engagement. Boyte identified that a positive and sustainable school culture is grounded in the relationships that exist between the adults on campus. Principal Besler was also influenced by the work of Mark Crowley, author of Lead from the Heart: Transformational Leadership for the 21st Century, who notes that employees want meaning, happiness and significance from their work.

With this in mind, Besler and her team placed a great deal of emphasis on supporting staff, with the belief that if the adults in a school are happy and engaged then everything else will follow. This led to emarking on initiatives big and small, including transforming the staff lounge over the summer to include recreational equipment like a dart board, coffee bar and more. Another example Besler shared was a “Thankful Thursday” celebration where a cart of pastries, coffee and juice was rolled around campus to treat every single adult. As a result, “some of them were nearly moved to tears by this simple gesture of appreciation,” she says.

Inspiring a Movement: “Lawn Chair Fridays”

Lawn Chair Fridays

Making connections at Bear River High School on Lawn Chair Friday. Photo courtesy of Amy Besler.

Another strategy Besler created for connecting her staff was called “Lawn Chair Fridays.” As the name suggests, at the end of each week staff members bring their lawn chairs out to the quad at lunch and spend some time socializing together.

“Not only is this a great way to connect and celebrate the week, but it also allows us to model the things we want our students to emulate, including engaging with their community and getting to know others who have different backgrounds and interest,” she explains. “Sometimes students pull up their chairs and join us, too!” she adds.

Amy Besler proudly mentions that Phil Boyte now shares her concept of “Lawn Chair Friday’s” with other communities as he travels throughout the United States and Canada speaking to students and staff about the importance of creating a positive school culture.

In a recent email exchange between the two, Boyte stated, “If you knew how many schools are using the idea you would be thrilled. Thousand Oaks High School in Southern California used it this week along with a number of the Sacramento area schools. Thanks for the ideas that are moving around the country!”

The concept has created such a buzz that she even received encouraging feedback from a student she had 15 years prior, who is now a teacher at Whitney High School in Cerritos, California. She told Besler that when Boyte spoke about “Lawn Chair Fridays” to her school’s staff, she was delighted to proclaim to her colleagues that she has a personal connection with the creator.

The key takeaway here is best stated by principal Besler herself, “In many ways, it seems the best ideas are the simplest ones.” She is thrilled that “Lawn Chair Fridays” have caught on and is inspired to work with her team to develop other ideas for changing school culture that will benefit her own school community and beyond. “Who knows? Maybe someone reading this article will start a lawn chair gathering of her own, or be inspired to create something even better that I can learn about and implement in my school community.”

 

This article is based on a narrative written by Amy Besler

5 Reasons Why Kids of the Early-to-Mid 80s are NOT Millennials

Posted on by Lindsay Racen

As a marketer and a child of the eighties I have a personal vendetta against the term “Millennials,” and I’ll tell you why. In short I understand that my younger counterparts fit within a certain profile or persona that get a bad wrap for their supposed self-centered and non-conforming lifestyles. In fact every eighties child who came into themselves in the era of punk and grunge music can relate to that. But there are very specific examples and reasons why we, kids of the early-to-mid eighties are NOT do not fit within this scope and here are the simple reasons to prove it.

  1. We grew up AS technology grew up.
    What does this mean? We understand the joys of a payphone, still hear the AOL sign-on tune in our heads, and most importantly, we did not grow up with a smart phone in our hand. In fact we had some of the first personal computers which were tanks with green screens that gave us the enjoyment of the Oregon Trail. This means we had to call the movie theaters to listen to the recordings of show times or take typing classes just to understand the technology. That’s a huge difference that most marketers and people don’t realize. As our technology grew up we did so right beside it. This translates to some of the highest regard for adapting to new technologies in the workplace and problem-solving that employers hunt daily for.
  2. Our work ethic leans more toward gen X.
    Some of the best Generation Xers I know are my mentors and good friends. Millenials are often known for their self-righteous  job searching and moving from one job to the next. Generation Xers and their predecessors, our parents, were devoutly dedicated to their employers and we are a happy medium between the two. I for example, have been at my current job for nearly a decade. That is unheard of for Millennial who I’m sure look at me like I’m crazy. Sure everyone has challenges in their job, but we know how to appropriately evaluate the pros and cons which include the wonderful benefits of being loyal to an employer like 401Ks and extra vacation time. What employer wouldn’t appreciate the same investment that they give to you coming right back to them?
  3. We have the best blend of communication skills on the planet.
    What does this mean? Well it goes back to my first point that we grew up with technology as it grew up. This means that we had to memorize phone numbers to communicate with those we wanted to. We value relationships and the nurturing that comes along with that. We respect hours of operation because you just don’t call your friend past eight and we’re not afraid to pick up the phone to get ish done. One of the biggest challenges I’ve seen for my Millennial counterparts in the workplace is their dependency on text and email. It’s almost as if their social skills are devoted to emojis and abbreviated messages. Although these channels serve highly effective purposes at times, a professional has to be well rounded and able to communicate in a variety of different ways. That’s what us early-to-mid eighties kids can do. Don’t ever underestimate the power of this.
  4. We believe travel is a privilege not a right
    Now, I’m a travel blogger so this is a fine line for me to cross. But have you noticed just how many Instagram accounts have been created for the mere purpose of traveling? An insurmountable number. That’s because many Millennials have seen others strike it rich by simply powering through the map to conquer as many countries on the risk board as possible. There is a certain intangible benefit to traveling that employers overlook, but at the same time when you see a candidate with a year or two absence in work just to travel the world, is that really benefiting the employer or the employee? Likely not. It’s almost as if the conquest is more important than the journey for many, a position that I balance between each time i evaluate where I want to spend my money at on my next vacation. Also, they tend to overlook the beauty that our home country has to offer, preferring the farthest destinations over paradise in our own back yard.
  5. We appreciate quality over quantity
    This can be seen as an extension of number four but it goes deeper than traveling. Consider the online universe as ever-expanding with content. There is so much click bait, terrible videos, and yes Instagram accounts with useless information that gets bypassed with a quick scroll. Quality means breaking through the clutter and as a marketer and yes, content marketer, I have come to hate content for that specific reason, even while I sit here and create it. It’s so difficult for a brand to overcome the quantity war that good quality content is often not found or overlooked. That is a sad day for me personally but a positive perspective to have when you are a creative trying to break through the noise. Marketers – hire #ElderMillennials I promise you we won’t disappoint.

*Asterisk! I do have Millennial friends so I apologize for what modern society is in an uproar about – cultural misappropriation, profiling, generalizations – whatever your term for it may be. The point I’m making is not against Melinnials but instead is intended to learn that we are all unique with our own perspectives and if you were to create a persona about me, at least get it right!

Brandman University and Vitro Launch Fresh Campaign Targeting Adults Going Back to School

Posted on by Lindsay Racen

Irvine, California – July 6, 2017 –Brandman University and its agency of record, Vitro, have
launched a new campaign designed to stand out in the higher education marketing space.
Titled “‘Your Partner is Here,” the campaign leverages an internationally known illustrator to
bring the journey of adult education to life using unexpected metaphors.

“Your Partner is Here” departs from stereotypical lifestyle imagery and visuals by tapping
into the creative talents of artist Davide Bonazzi. The striking illustrations in digital, social
and animated for television uses the obstacles that adult students experience when going
back to school — and how an experienced partner can turn those obstacles on their head. A
fence becomes steps, a light beam becomes a bridge, and a blackboard becomes a mirror to
a student’s future self.

The campaign’s radio spots complement this creative approach by applying the same metaphorical storytelling techniques (and puppies!) to emphasize that Brandman University is the partner who can help students reach their educational goals and beyond.

“We recognize that within the adult education space future students have a lot of options for their higher education,” said Roger Lee, executive vice chancellor and chief marketing officer at Brandman. “The campaign allows us to show we understand the challenges they may face and let them know we have the solutions they need to succeed.”

‘We really tried to go against the trend of happy, smiling students that the “degree mills” out there use in their advertising and speak honestly about the obstacles facing returning students. Not going negative, but being genuine and real about actual graduation rates — especially the fact that Brandman’s rates are much higher. Instead of just taking students’ money and promising a degree that may or may not materialize, Brandman sticks with you every step of the way,” said Brian Dunaway, executive creative director at Vitro.

“We’re your partner” is currently rolled out across digital and traditional platforms including TV, radio, digital video, digital display, search and social media in major markets in California and Washington, where Brandman University has campus locations, and at the national level for its online programs.

# # #

About Brandman University

Brandman University is a private, nonprofit institution accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC). As part of the Chapman University System, Brandman blends a legacy of academic excellence with innovative curriculum and strong support services designed for students with busy schedules. The university oers 50+ undergraduate, graduate, credential and certificate programs across its schools of arts and sciences, business, education, nursing and health. Brandman serves 12,000 students annually with programs available online and at 27 campuses throughout California and Washington. The university’s online programs consistently rank among the top in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.

About Vitro

Vitro is not just another ad agency. Featured In Ad Age’s Top Ten list two of the last three years, Vitro has been helping brands drive their business forward for 24 years for iconic brands like ASICS, Wild Turkey, Adidas, Petco, Lexus & Disney. Our success lies in the success of our clients. Above all else, we’re business partners, seeking out creative solutions to real world business and brand problems, delivering results that matter. Combine that with our philosophy of Never Settling and you can see why VITRO stands out as a next-generation creative agency.

Bridging the Generation Gaps: Lindsay Racen and Dr. Shelly Neal Share their Expertise with Emerging Professionals

Posted on by Lindsay Racen

Bridging Generation Gaps Irvine Chamber Event

A room full of emerging professionals glean insights from a panel of expert guest speakers.

How do you navigate this multi-generational workplace? For the first time in history, four generations are working side by side, which makes it no surprise that bridging generation gaps was the topic of conversation at the recent Greater Irvine Chamber of Commerce Emerging Professionals event. Brandman University’s Dr. Shelly Neal and Lindsay Racen were there to help lead the panel discussion as guest speakers.

The Emerging Professionals group in the Greater Irvine Chamber strives to develop those looking to climb the professional ladder through networking, philanthropic and learning opportunities. Dozens attended the event in Irvine to gain insight and analyze real-world case studies to understand how they can help unify their diverse organizations. Dr. Neal recently joined the Board of Directors for the Irvine Chamber of Commerce and is thrilled to have the opportunity to positively impact Brandman University’s local Irvine businesses and professional communities.

Dr. Neal and Lindsay Racen joined Hector Santa Cruz of Marriott Hotels and Matt Gilliland of Zillow Group, representing multiple generations by providing first-hand perspectives. Dr. Neal kicked off the presentation by highlighting the different values and attributes of each generation, from traditionalist to millennials, by discussing how these translate into the higher education space. She shared with the attendees that although there are clear differences between the generations, that this actually fosters engaging collaborations that produce results that matter.

Lindsay Racen Panel Guest Speaker

Guest Speakers Lindsay Racen and Dr. Shelly Neal from Brandman University

Lindsay Racen then shared her unique perspectives from being a student, staff member and adjunct faculty member during her over seven years at Brandman. This included taken an in-depth look at the differences and similarities between younger millennials born in the 90’s and older sub-section born in the 80’s. Technology played a key role in how each of these sub-cultures interact with one another and how those experiences shaped communication styles. In addition, she noted that in some cases those born in the early-to-mid 80’s actually can serve as key links that can easily connect their younger counterparts with Gen X-ers to help bridge the gap in many cases.

Fellow panelists Hector Santa Cruz and Matt Gilliland continued the discussion by adding their perspectives from their diverse industries of hospitality, gaming, and real-estate. Their presentations gave unique real-world examples of the challenges and benefits of having multiple-generations within the same organization. There is no single recipe for uniting these different segments however one thing became very clear through the conversations which is that having four generations working side-by-side is just another form of diversity, which experts agree is a key driver of collaboration and ultimately success.

Join the Resistance: Choose Quality Over Quantity [A Content Marketing Story]

Posted on by Lindsay Racen

Before the content marketing space became as large as the universe itself, the planets, moons and galaxies, or various companies that comprised it, began taking sides on which force was more powerful quantity or quality. As this universe continues to expand at an exponential rate I urge you to Join the Resistance: Choose quality over quantity.

The Content Marketing Star Wars

Years ago I was sitting in a room at the first annual Content Marketing World conference and listened to a panel of experts debate passionately about which is better quality or quantity, and that same war to this day still rages. In fact some may say its even amplified.

I wrote down two columns, one for quality and one for quantity, and jotted down arguments for each. However I and remember thinking to myself, “why would compromising quality even be a concept to consider?” I do admit however that’s the editor in me who is mortified and filled with with fear of what the implications would be for a published typo or incorrect claim.

On the other hand, Marcus Sheridan, an advocate for Content Marketing The First Order dedicated to quantity, said at that very event many years ago, “Perfection is the death of all good things when it comes to marketing.” To his point, the marketer in me also wants the reach, impressions, engagement and leads which quantity and frequency can definitely help with. So which is better?

Choose Content Quality Over Quantity

Join the resistance against the dark forces of crappy content and your brand will thank you. Here’s why:

It builds relationships that matter.

Steve Jobs believed it and it shows in its loyal Apple customers that exist long after this red giant star passed away. When you create quality content you prove to your loyal customers that you care about their time and appreciate their attention and dedication. In terms of social media marketing:

“Your social media posts and tweets contribute to a reputation over time and if you spend more effort on trying to post often without paying attention to the quality and reliability of what you’re posting, they’ll stop listening by unfollowing you or simply ignoring your posts.”

– Why Quality Over Quantity is Key in Social Media (Smart Bug Media)

Don’t become another clone in the First Order army and fall into the dark force of tactics like follow/unfollow tactics on Instagram. Put an effort toward your messaging and earn your followers loyalty.

It stands out among the stars.

Content marketing is reaching a critical power level that is about to send all messages into a black hole. Simply put there is far too much content out there, and our systems are at information overload to the point that our brains cannot compute fast enough and focus on one thing long enough to make a decision. In fact quantity over quality is a primary contributor to this problem and you are not helping your consumer at that point you are actually decreasing the quality of their decision making abilities:

“Information overload occurs when the amount of input to a system exceeds its processing capacity. Decision makers have fairly limited cognitive processing capacity. Consequently, when information overload occurs, it is likely that a reduction in decision quality will occur.” –

– Information Overload Why it Matters and How to Combat it (Interaction Design Foundation)

So what does this mean? It means that simple yet purposeful content that deeply resonates with your audience breaks through the darkness and shines brighter in the content marketing galaxy than all the other stars.

It proves you are a leader and not just another storm trooper.

Anyone can be a follower, but to be successful in your industry you need to blend multiple leadership styles while empowering others – aka your followers – to join and champion the movement. There are so many leadership lessons to learn from the Star Wars saga, not just from the obvious leaders like Yoda, but also the supporting leaders like Finn and Chewbacca. For example:

“He is not a Jedi but in battle he sees a vacuum and he fills it by grabbing a lightsaber and fighting with it even though he is not trained. He doesn’t always follow the rules but gets the job done. He’s very concerned about outcomes and doing the right thing. The resistance movement is not trying to follow the old ways but to blaze anew.  Finn fits right in.”

– Leadership Lessons From Star Wars (Brandman University)

Read on to the quote’s source to find more leadership lessons from star wars but the primary takeaway here is that yes you certainly should work to become the recognized leader in your industry, but you also need the Finns of the world to help you grow. Quality content is recognized by your loyal consumers and they will become the supporting leaders of your battle to gain market share by promoting that content to their planets and galaxies if done right.

May the Force Be With You

This is a call to action for all marketers who believe in the power of the force. Join the content marketing resistance and choose quality over quantity!

How to Identify Fake Instagram Followers

Posted on by Lindsay Racen

Track Fake Instagram Followers

To steal from one of my favorite campaigns out on the market today, “Wouldn’t it be great if everyone meant what they said?” But thanks to the Citi Double Cash Card TV spot we laugh at the blatant realization that we can’t trust that everyone will do just that. I’m in my early 30’s which means I’m learning that true friends are highly valuable and there is a fickle level to any friendship, even the best of them. If that’s the case for friendship what can be said about social followers? For the most popular visual platform, gaining true quality followers is more difficult than you think. My belief is if you like my feed wonderful thank you for your follow! But if you are just here to be another fake Instagram follower please waste your time somewhere else.

Why do I attract fake Instagram followers? Is it my content?

Maybe maybe not. I have on rare occasion purposely unfollowed a user because the account bombarded me with annoying terrible content but for the purposes of this post I lean on the side of no it’s not you, it’s them. My personal content philosophy follows quality over quantity which is why this post is not just another P.O.S. out there to get you clicking over to my site. That said, Instagram is a visual platform, and there are millions of photographers out there with better skills and better lenses and their followership is by far superior to my own. Keep in mind no matter how high the resolution is on an image it doesn’t matter much as the system will automatically resize it down to 1350px high and 1080px wide. I admit this and I’m good with it, but I don’t think that my content is crap nor am I trying to be biased. Since I’ve re-focused my efforts I’ve gained far more true followers than I had in the past simply because I’m delivering consistent content that is relevant to the users interested in my product. Plus its worth saying that part of Instagram’s vision is to elevate the average user, not the power photographer. In fact Instagram states this by explaining, “Mobile photos always come out looking mediocre. Our awesome looking filters transform your photos into professional-looking snapshots.”

There are so many ways to get Instagram followers nowadays that are screaming facade such as buying already established accounts, falling into one of those “Want F0llower$ Now” profile scams (which I always report as such), or one of the many others. Lucrative or not – I prefer to do it the old fashioned way – by earning my followers.  Maybe I am a traditionalist, or maybe I don’t have the capital to invest in such strategies, either way if you’re like me or a budding business with no budget, hopefully this article helps you out a little.

I’ll follow you! But only for a second…

Ever wonder why your followership fluctuates so much? Think Field of Dreams, or Wayne’s World II, whatever fits into your world best (I love both) “If you build it they will come,” or in Instagram’s case “If I follow they will come.” And that is exactly what the modern day fake marketer on Instagram is assuming, and once they get your attention and your follow tap, they release you right back by unfollowing days later hoping you won’t notice.

There’s even automated technology for this and everyone’s favorite digital trolls – bots. Some even dedicate time to following as many users as they can in an hour and let those unfollow bots do the rest of the work. Instagram does have hourly quotas that threat deactivation but as long as they stay under these numbers they generally can keep practicing this tactic. This is exactly why I say for the purposes of this post, no its not necessarily your content.

If you’re a casual user you likely won’t notice or care if someone unfollows you, but isn’t it annoying that your followers can be so fake? It irritated me so much I caved and got the App InstaReport to see who would put this much effort into the whole process and what I learned was that its far harder to gain true loyal followers than you may think.

Tracking Fake Instagram Followers

InstaReport Interface

InstaReport Dashboard

My public profile is relatively humble at this point since I recently switched from being a primarily casual user, assuming a base of friends and family, to focusing more on my travel adventures, but the screenshot gives you an idea of InstaReport features. It shows:

  • Followers Gained
  • Followers Lost
  • Profile Stalkers
  • Users Blocking You
  • Followers You Don’t Follow Back
  • Followers Not Following You Back and more

Like many services out there its on a freemium basis so you can download the app then see basic information like followers gained and lost, but then pay up for advanced features like profile stalkers and engagement metrics. It depends on how irritating this whole phenomenon is to you. The one thing I’d caution is that it does advertise price on a monthly basis at first $1.99 a month for a year’s subscription I believe with higher prices for shorter periods of times, however when you do purchase they actually charge you all at once. In other words its not a pay as you go, cancel anytime deal.

What types of accounts do this follow/unfollow method?

All kinds really but there are some patterns I noticed like accounts that promote a local business from the geotag or location that you select to show where you were when you took the picture. They probably found you from one of the million hashtags you embedded at the bottom of your post then targeted you as a potential local customer. For example I often post at least one picture per day from a new destination, whether domestic or international, sometimes promoting a new travelblog, and on one instance I marked that I was in Seattle, the kickoff destination for my next trip. Shortly after @SeattlePulse started following me saying “Hi! Look at me!,” I checked it out, it looked cool so I followed back. But then thanks to my trusty app, I find out days later they are no longer interested in me and unfollowed hoping I wouldn’t notice. Well then fine I’ll breakup with you via tap too, you did not earn my followership.


If you do decide to download it and use it for its full potential, you’ll probably have many moments of “well that’s interesting” because you can also see when people unlike or delete comments from your posts. Most of the time its profiles being deactivated but every now and then the activity is intriguing. It did help in one instance when I notified a member of my family that her account had been hacked before she even knew. In any case, what this tool really helped me do is play the game right back to those fake followers.

As i said, I wish everyone would just say what they mean, like the dang credit card commercial, so I don’t give into the tactic by toying with other users, I simply give the sass right back to the fake Instagram followers by giving them the same courtesy they give me. It provides a small nudge of satisfaction that their little scam doesn’t work on me – whether they care or not. Try it. You’ll see.

 

Fredericia Denmark Cruise Port | Short Guide and Travel Tips

Posted on by Lindsay Racen

Fredericia Denmark Cruise Port

View from the top deck of the Celebrity Cruise looking down on Fredericia DK

The story goes that this little town was established in 1650 by Danish King Fredrick III as a new capital city for Denmark, but it never became so. The Fredericia Denmark cruise port is located on the eastern part of the Jutland peninsula and you will likely land here for a day trip after visiting the metropolitan city of Copenhagen (read blog post). The town likely relies on tourist traffic to their little town and, like on our occasion, will likely greet you with festive folk music as you de-board the ship. It was in fact very charming. I also suspect that the pop up street vendors set up shop for the special occasion as well, and the prices and busy square will show for it, but its worth a stroll. Believe me you’ll have the time to spare.

A Charming Fortress

Travel Tip >> Skip the cruise’s shore excursion, unless you want to venture outside of the city, just take the map and enjoy walking around on your own. You’ll find everything you need to see and have enough time to do so. 

Fredericia-Vold

Fredericia Vold Moat Waters

If you’re not prepared for what to expect in this port then you will likely be extremely underwhelmed. My travel tip is not intended to be negative it’s just to help you understand that this town gives you more of a small town feel and breather from the big city ports that ships tend to land in and you don’t need to rush. A few friends of ours attested to this after spending the money on the brightly colored sticker and celebrity paddle sign and proved it to be true. The town and its people have their own special charm that is worth checking out as long as you’re there for six to eight hours. Unless of course you want to venture outside the city to destinations like Egeskov Castle, Denmark’s Oldest Town of Ribe, Viking Age Monuments, or Fairytale Island, all of which seem to be great options.

White Water Tower Fredericia DK

White Water Tower Fredericia DK

Before the city was named by King Frederick III, King Christian IV built a large fortified encampment that gave the town the military identity and history we know today. The old walls are easy to walk to and the green park space around them offers a relaxing and peaceful light walk. I loved walking along the waters of the moat surrounding the fortress, even on a cloudy day the scene was charming and had its own unique feeling that mixed strength and romace. There are some stairs to climb to get back to the top of the fortress but it’s worth the view. You’ll find old military cannons scattered around the hills and the path will lead straight to the White Water Tower that is shaped like a single round castle. All the guides recommend climbing to the top, though I believe we didn’t because there was a small fee and the view was decent enough from the hilltop where we stood. It’s small but cool to see.

Fredericia Fun Fact

Danish teens, or at least those in Fredericia, apparently get drunk and dress up in costumes to celebrate the end of classes. I should have gone to high school in this town…

Fredericia DK Youth Vold

Partying with the Danish youth

I must pause at this point in the short guide to Fredericia to explain what the hell is going on if you are traveling to the city during mid-to-late May, or anytime near the end of a school term, in this town. When we got to the White Water Tower it was difficult to not be distracted by the crowds of fumbling teenagers getting completely wasted in the middle of the park while wearing costumes ranging from a cow, complete with milking nipples, to wizards and witches, and everything in between. Our first guess was that maybe here they celebrate Halloween in May but nope! After straight up asking a large chicken walking upright down the street, we learned that apparently this tradition happens during a school’s finals week, and it doesn’t particularly matter if you still have a test to take or not, the festivities must go on! We had the wrong lens on to capture the scene in detail, or maybe my husband fully intended to focus on his new wife instead, whatever the case may be, you can get a fuzzy idea of the scene in the picture to the left.

Landsoldaten The Foot Soldier Statue Fredericia

Landsoldaten “The Foot Soldier” Statue

Other Historic Sites in Fredericia

Travel Tip >> Keep your eyes open and you’ll find little things along the way to appreciate, like the Jewish Cemetery that can be seen as you walk down the hill from the White Water Tower. Here are a few other gems my feet found their way to.

As you walk down the hill from the White Water Tower you’ll run straight into the famed Landsoldaten, or “The Foot Soldier,” statue of Fredericia. It stands homage to the military heritage of the town, and the Battle of Fredericia, which is commemorated with a full festival held annually on July 6th. I vaguely remember it being relatively similar in purpose to The Tomb of the Unknown Solider in Arlington National Cemetery for the United States. A few short steps from there, through the trees, you’ll find the Jewish Cemetery located on the street corner that you can look down into from the hillside. I didn’t realize what it was at the time, but even walking past it you can feel its history and importance. It’s the largest of its kind outside of Copenhagen and is located at the corner of Slesvigsgade and Jyllandsgade. And on my way back to the ship I could not help but be drawn to a beautifully tarnished bronze steeple atop a brick church which turns out to be the catholic church of St. Knud, so fitting for my faith. For most it may blend right into the rest of the brick-and-red-roofed architecture but its a pleasant surprise if you appreciate such things.

Fredericia At-a-Glance

Stories aside what are the main attractions when walking around the city? 

Here is a list from both my blog post and a few other travel sites to consider when walking around the city:

  • Fredericia Vold – The park area, with moat waterway, and battle cannons scattered about
  • The White Water Tower – A nice view of the city from atop the fortress
  • Landsoldaten “The Foot Soldier” – Statue commemorating the Battle of Fredericia celebrated each year on July 6
  • The Jewish Cemetery – Jewish burial ground with about 500 graves on the corner of Slesvigsgade and Jyllandsgade
  • St. Knud Catholic Church – Beautifully simple brick building with tall tarnished bronze steeple
  • Madsby Parken – A park that your kids can play out or just lounge by the water
  • Trinatatis Church – A beautiful church that holds a piece of Danish history

More Travel Blogs from the Region by Lindsay:

The Classroom in the Cloud: Modern Day Learning

Posted on by Lindsay Racen

This article was published on the UMass Global blog.

Modern Day Learning

Just as we once experienced booms in industry, arts, and social movements, we are now seeing a new generation of learning technologies evolve to re-position the classroom into the cloud. But what exactly does this mean? As producer, author and learning technology expert, Elliott Massie once said, “eLearning is changing. And, we will see new models, new technologies and designs emerge. So, let’s drop the ‘e’ – or at least give it a new and wider definition.”

New Models for the Modern Day Classroom

Adaptive learning, flipped learning, badging, mobile learning, personalized learning, and social learning among others are all models that are gaining traction at all levels of education as parts of emerging technological trends. Even those attending blended learning courses find themselves with their heads in the clouds engaging with one another on interactive discussion forums and other innovative communication tools online. Here we examine these new models by analyzing concrete examples of success:

Adaptive and Personalized Learning

The idea of adaptive learning, although in the early stages of adoption, is gaining traction among colleges and universities (especially with online colleges). Assistant professor Paul W. Thurston, Ph.D., at Siena College for example found that the concept was invaluable to integrating online components into its on-campus Organization and Management class. He implemented LearnSmart technology by McGraw Hill and found that students who were engaged in the online modules, participated more and performed better on quizzes and in-class projects. The technology helped reinforce and better prepare students for in-person instruction which not only helped elevate engagement and retention, but also personalize learning to better accommodate to each individual student’s needs.  Read more about this case study and LearnSmart technology.

Flipped and Mobile Learning

Person Higher Ed, in conjunction with its educational partners The Flipped Learning Network and George Mason University, published a white paper that helped define what flipped learning is all about. The model relies on mobile technology and teachers to make lessons available to students whenever and wherever it is convenient for them to learn. Instruction is delivered in a variety of formats including narrating screencasts of work they do on their own computers, creating videos of themselves teaching, or curating video lessons from trusted Internet locations. Flipped Learning is seen to have the following four requirements:

  • Flexible environments – This structure can be applied to online as well as blended programming with online or in-class engagement activities complementing the content accessed virtually on their time. Educators must physically rearrange their learning spaces to accommodate the modality that fits the lesson, which might involve independent study, collaboration, research, performance, and evaluation.
  • Learning Culture Shift – The Flipped Model requires the modern day classrooms to shift from teacher-centered to student-centered. As the report identifies, “students move from being the product of teaching to the center of learning, where they are actively involved in knowledge formation through opportunities to participate and evaluate their learning in a manner that is personally meaningful.”
  • Intentional Content – Flipped educators utilize intentional content by evaluating what they need to teach directly, including thinking abstractly about what materials students should be allowed to first explore on their own outside of the group learning environments. This places the lessons in the hands of the students rather than teachers dictating words and data to passive listeners.
  • Professional Educators – The use of rich media in Flipped Learning does not mean that instructors will be thrown to the wayside. In fact, the experts say that professional educators are more important than ever in this model because they help students gain conceptual understandings, as well as procedural fluency.

The higher education case study presented in the report was conducted in a blended electrical engineering class where students would watch lectures on their own and work on exercises and problems in groups. Professors found that students progressed faster than their peers in traditional learning models and test scores exceeded those of their peers.

New Technologies Communities in the Cloud

A staggering 2.6 million students are pursuing their degrees online. The idea of eLearning emerged partially due to bringing education to students separated by distance or creating solutions for working professionals and military personnel who could not attend traditional institutions. In its infancy, online education was partially seen as an individualized experience that isolated the student from his or her peers and instructor. Today, technology has advanced virtual and telecommunication abilities by fully integrating social connectivity into online learning.

From iPads in K-12 classrooms to fully online graduate and undergraduate degree programs, almost every aspect of students’ experiences is connected through Wi-Fi or LTE networks.  In fact according to Education Week, due to some big policy changes last year, the FCC has seen a dramatic increase in applicants for e-rate funds that are devoted to increasing internal connectivity on K-12 campuses. The learning strategies used at these levels propel the need for colleges and universities to keep above the pace to prepare to educate the new generation of internet-savvy students.  Here we explore some of the ways institutions of higher education have integrated social learning into the classroom in the cloud.

Social Learning and Badges

What exactly is social learning? Although the principle has been around for centuries, the modern understanding comes from Psychologist Albert Bandura’s work in the 1970s that dictated that we learn how to perform tasks by observing someone who models how a task should be performed. As dry as the definition may seem, its application in the online learning environment is practically endless.

Many colleges and universities for example provide their students with google-based email accounts which come fully loaded with a variety of different communication tools that are often overlooked. An instructor may have students create and submit a group writing assignment via Google Docs for instance, where they may use video and/or instant chat features to communicate and contribute simultaneously during the planning process. Integrated activities such as this not only provide social learning opportunities but also get students acclimated to regularly using popular technologies they may find in the workplace. Ultimately, by applying intuitive and engaging technologies, social learning enables rich, real-time interaction that drives collective success.

Blackboard, a leading learning technology company that some of the top universities partner with to make online education possible, debunked four myths of social learning which included identifying the value of integrating some of the popular social media sites’ functionalities with online platforms. With the popularity of communities such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Pinterest, there appears to be more and more interest in sharing professional and academic credentials digitally on student profiles. Some online learning platforms feature capabilities for learners to verify skills, achievements, and learning outcomes through credible organizations then share visual representations of them on the web. This essentially allows potential employers and institutions to quickly and easily authenticate the qualifications and expertise of any given candidate.

Online Discussion Forums and Wikis

The tech community and gamers have been using forums for years now to discuss everything from upcoming product launches to secret levels and new realms. And even though Wikipedia is not considered a credible source to site in an academic paper, online course instructors are finding themselves incorporating the technology into weekly, graded activities.  In the spirit of social learning, the primary benefit of wikis is that they encourage students to work together to be creative and contribute equally in an open-editing system, similar to the example of the functionality that Google Docs provides. Virtual discussion boards provide similar benefit but some argue that they have stronger mentorship opportunities for faculty in that they not only prompt engaging topics, but also guide deeper inquiry by directly responding to students and the reactions of their peers.

Designing Learning to Build Digital Portfolios

LinkedIn has been promoting digital portfolios for years through user-to-user endorsements, its latest blogging feature, and featuring previous projects directly on professionals’ profiles. As we’ve seen, education platforms are encouraging social learning and sharing through posting badges to track achievements, so it’s no surprise that in the following article featured in this tweet is a prediction of the importance of digital portfolios in the upcoming years. Author Tracy Trowbridge explains:

A New and Wider Definition of eLearning

With all of these perspectives in mind, how do we now define what eLearning is? At Brandman University, we believe in many of the community-driven, innovation rich ideas presented in these learning models and concepts, and are student-centric down to our very mission and vision. As the wider definition of eLearning continues to evolve, Brandman is committed to keeping above pace.