Published Work

Lindsay has been published throughout her career, both as a freelance journalist, full-time editor and content strategist.

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

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.

 

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.

Brandman Partners with CASP to Offer Educational Opportunities to Psychology Professionals

Posted on by Lindsay Racen

Sacramento, California – December 21, 2016 – Brandman University, a nonprofit and regionally accredited institution dedicated to working adults, announces its partnership with the California Association of School Psychologists (CASP) to offer scholarships for its members.

The relationship between the organizations, which has been steadily building over the years, has now been formalized to help increase CASP membership and bring new opportunities to psychology professionals. Heidi Holmblad, executive director for the association, supports the partnership by saying, “CASP is already seeing the benefits of Brandman’s offer of scholarships for its members. Although the program is just getting off the ground, we have a few new members who joined to receive the Brandman scholarships.”


Brandman University offers undergraduate and graduate pathways for psychology professionals with multiple concentration areas from which to choose. Those who apply the scholarship to the bachelor’s in psychology degree can take classes online or on campus and are able to specialize in child psychology, community psychology, industrial/organizational psychology or preclinical psychology. Graduate students may pursue their master’s in professional clinical counseling, or combine it with coursework in marriage and family therapy, at select California campuses. An additional option in counseling is available at select Brandman University Washington state locations. CASP members may also apply their scholarships to more than 50 degree, certificate, credential and authorization programs, including Brandman’s prestigious doctorate in education (Ed.D.) in organizational leadership.


The partnership is one of many ways Brandman University supports its professional communities. The school’s psychology program chair Dr. Pedro Olvera is proud to serve as the president-elect of the association and its community relations representatives consistently look for new ways to engage with members. From hosting webinars for professional development and career-relevant academic pathways to attending and presenting on top psychology trends at annual CASP conferences, Brandman is thrilled to expand its partnership with the association.


The two organizations share similar missions rooted in providing quality educational opportunities to busy professionals, which further solidified the partnership. “The relationship is sure to ourish. We now have a resource for workshop presenters with expertise in a variety of school psychology topics. The advertising of this partnership alone is bound to increase our membership numbers. Thank you, Brandman, for making this offer to California’s school psychologists,” said Holmblad.

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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 offers 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 through an online campus and at 27 campuses and sites throughout California and Washington. The university’s online programs consistently rank among the top in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. www.Brandman.edu


About CASP
Founded in 1953 and located in Sacramento, the California Association of School Psychologists (CASP) is the statewide membership organization for school psychologists in California. With a membership close to 1,800, CASP is the largest statewide organization of school psychologists in the nation and the strongest voice for psychologists practicing in California’s schools. In addition to providing liaison with various state boards and commissions, CASP actively represents the profession to legislative audiences, governmental ocials, and other policy-making bodies. The

5 Digital Marketing Trends

Posted on by Lindsay Racen

This article was published on Orange County American Marketing Association (OCAMA) Official Blog

digital-marketing-trends

As professionals and business owners we use benchmarks to monitor success and create projections for future goals and expectations. Now is the perfect time to dive into evaluating and improving our operations and strategies, especially in the wild world of online marketing.

Let’s review the top predictions that came to fruition as trends in 2014:

  • The explosion content marketing
  • Diversification of social media channels for promotion
  • Image-centric bite-sized messaging (Pinterest usage soars)
  • Re-targeting regained effectiveness
  • High demand for cross-platform responsive website design
  • Local search gains leverage in Google search

These are a few of many factors that weighed on Chief Marketing Officers and Chief Content Officers this past year and some of them gain even more momentum as we pass through the halfway marker of the second decade of the 21st century. After evaluating and listening to the top minds in the industry, here are some of our favorites to look out for in 2015:

Content, Content, (Convoluted?) Content

As a writer, content enthusiast and marketing professional this topic is thrilling yet a little annoying at the same time. The content marketing boom is in full swing, nearly every digital article blares the importance of quality content that does not treat the brand as a celebrity and actually aims to solve the problems that consumers face. This is by all means a wonderful win for brand journalists, SEO gurus and digital marketing strategies alike and I fully support the enthusiasm. According to inbound now content marketing will be the most important initiative companies will take on in the New Year (if it isn’t already), but let’s also remember there is always another side to pop culture – the crowd.

As content becomes more prolific, there will certainly be more noise to compete with and the true talent in this arena comes from discovering how to break away from the standards by creating a golden ticket of sharable content. What’s the secret? Expert Andrew Davis speaks of finding your MOI or “Moment of Inspiration” that changes the game or story for your audience which when found can truly unlock the potential. But the truth is that there is no secret other than finding what works for authenticating your brand’s voice. Research best practices in content marketing, but don’t use them as stencils for your own strategy or your content will become convoluted and your brand identity will be lost in the crowd. Be human; be innovative; and connect with your true audience without having an ulterior motive – in other words: make their concerns your concerns and you will ultimately succeed.

Wearable Technology, “Great Scott!”

I’m a child of the eighties, so one of my favorite realizations of the New Year was that twenty-six years ago, Marty McFly and Doc Brown climbed out of a flying DeLorean and arrived in present day. They predicted a number of technological advances but which were true and which ones impact the digital marketing world? Well we may not have auto lace-up shoes or garden center fruit dispensers, but we do have video calls and futuristic phone glasses in the form of Google Glass. So in a sense, McFly and Doc are on the right track! According to Mark Schaefer of Schaefer Marketing Solutions, “there is a vast change on our horizon that will be led by augmented reality and wearable technology. In an article on Top RankBlog.com he goes on to say, “by the end of 2015, wearable technology should be gathering enough steam that we will begin to see some early marketing applications. What does marketing look like when the Internet sounds us like the air that we breathe? Fascinating to think about.”

Other experts agree wholeheartedly, as the concept is listed as second runner up to content marketing on inbound now’s top ten 2015 trends. Although there are some definite early adapters out there, including Fitbit, GoPro and Google Glass, don’t think that it’s a far off place for your company to waste thoughts on. The great thing about predictions, is that if the correct ones are taken seriously at the right time, they can launch the next best company into stardom. So give the far-fetched ideas some thought and see if they can work their power on you!

Learn to Walk Again: Back to Basics

To me this third trend is a party mix of the many expert opinions on what’s to come. Pam Didner, Global Integrated Marketing Strategist at Intel Coporation, made the bold statement that “The major change for 2015 is NOT about digital marketing.” Huh? – Just listen – “The major change will come from Marketers by Going Back to Basics: reevaluate the target audience, determine what works and what doesn’t. Re-prioritize and be smart about resource allocation and investment.”

That all sounds simple enough but don’t ignore it. Her reasoning comes from the ever-expanding highly fragmented marketing channels that exist today and the increased challenge of reaching a secured target audience. As fast as technology, social media, algorithms and preferences change it is important to take a step back and make sure your audience, or as marketing giant Hubspot calls them “personas” are secure. Make sure you have ways to not only track sources, but also behaviors once a stranger becomes a prospect and their activity from there. Also don’t overlook your funnels. Are your marketing and sales funnels still separate? Are they working for you? Are there ways to improve conversion rates? All of these play into the next main trend of 2015 – Smart Content.

Be Smart! Use Smart Content to Make Your Prospects Smarter

Get my keyword here? Yup! You got it – Smart! We mentioned evaluating personas and making sure they were accurate and detailed. That means building a full profile including their interests, behavior, preferred channels of communication, demographics, career level, education level, hobbies, favorite dog and lizard…okay you get the picture. Be specific! Smart content begins with this profile. Many experts even recommend giving them profile pics to help marketers visualize the personas. From there smart content can begin. The strategy is all about personalization and providing the right message, to the right person, on the right channel and the right time. This seems simple enough, but many companies are actually missing this concept or understand it yet don’t have the tools to make it happen.

Let’s take an example: Smart content to some is like magic. When you visit a vender you want to know a little about them and what they do. Great! Then you look around to other competitors and they have some good stuff but you really like that first company that you stumbled upon. With smart content, when you land back on the original website, you won’t just get the same profile and features, you’ll get content that addresses you personally: “Hi Rob, Welcome Back. While you were away we gathered some more information for you” along with some middle of the funnel resources to get you to move forward.

Pretty cool stuff don’t you think? Smart content was made popular in large part by the lords of the Frankensystem at Hubspot. The platform makes it extremely easy for you to implement this technology so take some time to research and learn more about how smart content can play into your digital strategy. But remember that although Hubspot is the primary and original champions of the strategy, they are by no means the only source of implementation. Check with your in-house or agency programmers and support teams as some of the most passionate coders can definitely help create an in-house system that works without freemium payment model.

What about SEO? Oh Search…We Could Never Forget You!

As a result of the content marketing explosion, some may think that SEO has fallen by the wayside – Impossible! Digital marketing relies on an inbound strategy, which is built upon search engine optimization as well as content. Just because we make messaging that resonates with humans doesn’t mean we ignore the machines! Let’s check out lessons from a great infograph from Business 2 Community:

  1. Social signals will become even more important for SEO – Search engines use social shares as a signal that a website or a piece of content is “what people want” and more likely to push it up the search ladder so even more people get to see what it’s all about!
  2. The rise of security as a ranking signal – Google confirmed that they are already considering https as an important ranking factor. The only way to go about this is to take Google’s word for it and integrate https for your websites not just for SEO but for your website security, especially if your company collects payments online.
  3. Increased focus on conversational keyword phrases – SEO is now taking content’s side on rewarding us to be human. What this means is that search algorithms are moving away from merely focusing on one/two keyword phrases and are reading towards better interpretation of long-tail or more “conversational” keyword phrases.
  4. Brand mentions takes center stage in link building – Search engines focus more on the content of the pages from where the backlinks were generated, taking into consideration the relevance and social popularity of the source content. Brand mentions that do not necessarily require a hyperlink but include one back to your site are also considered!
  5. Visual Based SEO – Rich text that include visual elements are now given priority in SERPs over web pages that contain only free text. Also don’t forget YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world!

But wait there’s more?!

Of course there is! There is always more in this age of instant information. Take advice from lord Google and search for more information on content marketing, SEO and digital marketing trends for 2015 and share your thoughts on what’s to come.

Staying Career-Focused During the Holidays

Posted on by Lindsay Racen

This article was published on Orange County American Marketing Association (OCAMA) Official Blog

career-focused

With the holiday season in full force, many of our to-do lists are getting almost as long as Santa’s. But how do we manage to stay focused on our career opportunities with everything going on? Here are five simple things to help keep you on the track to success:

1 – Refresh Your Resume

Whether you are comfortable with your company and career or prepping to join the busy job search in the New Year, it is important to keep your resume up to date. This relatively simple task can be a great way to keep your head in the game and continue to make goals and dreams for the future. Double check your job responsibilities, as many of our positions and duties change annually as our organization evolves. Enhance the listing where available and triple check grammar throughout the document.

One of the mistakes many people overlook when resumes have bulleted lists is switching from past tense to present tense. For those employers looking for your attention to detail and accuracy, this pitfall can make or break which pile your resume stacks onto. I generally use past tense since a resume is there to show your historical experience. If you are currently working at a job, then leave the present tense to the interview conversation. Don’t forget to keep your digital resume up to date as well, including your LinkedIn profile.

2 – Start a Success Journal

This one may be unfamiliar to you but its power can be magnificent. In addition to appearing in a different form within my organizational leadership graduate studies, my mother actually recommended this soon after I achieved my bachelor’s degree. The holiday season often inspires us to reflect on our successes and lessons learned over the past year and look ahead to new opportunities available in the future. Take advantage of this time and begin an annual success journal.

Write about the major projects you accomplished at work, in the community or even at home. Each section can be as short as a paragraph or as long as you wish. Don’t worry about the technicalities of writing; just concentrate on recording the positive changes in your life and career. This living document serves as a personal reminder of all of the endeavors that you have undertaken and overcome. This can be very helpful for not only boosting your self-esteem but also serves as a quick cheat sheet for talking points at an important networking event or interview. For those projects that you extracted significant lessons from, the journal can also help reinforce those teachings, ensuring you keep them in mind the next time they arise in similar situations.

3 – Secure Your Central Source of Information

As marketers, we all understand the importance of keeping up on the latest industry trends but often struggle with finding the time to consume all of the information necessary to apply in the workplace. Well there is good news! Not surprisingly, technology has made it easier for us to organize and keep a pulse on what is happening in our industries and interests. If you don’t already have a go-to RSS (Really Simple Syndication) account to help you find your most important topics, consider establishing one that you can depend upon.

Explore all your options. Feedly is one of the most popular web-based RSS readers that helps collate information based on your interests but there are also other alternatives that you can try out. Here are some to explore:

  • InoReader – This easy to use, clean, and uncluttered feed puts your content front and center. It offers different views and themes to tailor your reading experience to your preferences and has many keyboard shortcuts to help you navigate through the platform. Like Feedly, InoReader has premium accounts but unlike Feedly, it doesn’t require you to pay for something as basic as search.
  • AOL Reader – Yes AOL still exists and although it might seem surprising, the former giant does have its own RSS reader application that actually works pretty well. It is currently completely free to use and has an iOS and Android app on the way. It trumps Feedly in terms of the services that it can integrate with including the popular Evernote application.
  • StumbleUpon – Users of this slightly different platform have said that StumbleUpon puts “the entire Internet, all in one place,” and helps people “map to an adventure you wouldn’t otherwise have found out about.” It helps you discover new and interesting stuff on the Web based on your personal interests. You can even install a browser toolbar that helps you identify quality topics and introduce them to the StumbleUpon community.

4 – Resist Taking on New Projects

This recommendation comes from the job search engine Monster. Contributor Roberta Matuson states that, “By the time the end of the year rolls around, most people are giving all they have just to finish what’s already on their plate. Adding a new project to an already full plate can easily send you over the edge. Hold off on starting new initiatives until after the first of the year. You will return from your hiatus refreshed and ready to go.”

Alternatively, although not the reality for every industry or job position, typically as we near the end of the year and the holiday spirit sets in, we tend to see a lull in productivity and demand for our time. If you are in this boat, resist the urge to speed up. In most cases it’s the nature of the business to give us periodic down time. If you are type A and need to be moving all the time you can still adjust accordingly by going back to basics and spending your energy on finding ways to become more efficient at routine tasks so that when the busy season starts up again, you can breeze through them and focus on tasks at hand.

5 – Keep up Your Fitness Regiment

Although this may seem a bit out of place, it’s one of the most important factors that can help you stay on track while others submit to seasonal indulgences. Whether you are a runner, dancer, swimmer, yogi or hiker, maintaining your regular exercise regimen will reduce your stress, lift your mood, improve your self-esteem and help you get a restful night’s sleep. Matuson also refers to the importance of this aspect of your life by saying, “Seasonal stress comes with the territory. Customers expect deadlines to be met, even when they are out of the office preparing for the holidays. Maintaining your regular workout routine can help keep your energy level up and your weight gain down.”

Different activities have different benefits to our mental health. Find your favorite and stick to it, especially during the holidays where night time comes sooner (at least in the northern hemisphere and Southern California), and foods get more “comforting.” The positive effects of exercising can help you get through the hectic responsibilities of hosting guests at the best holiday parties of the season while helping you center yourself when it comes to the workplace.

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