The goal of maker education is not college and career preparation. The goals are deeper learning and authentic engagement, with an emphasis on turning learning over to the learner. However, making is the best college and career preparation that I have encountered, in part because it isn’t the core goal. Through making, students build their agency and find new passions. Lighthouse Community Charter School in Oakland, Calif., where I work, serves students from low-income communities. Five years ago, if you asked seniors about their visions of themselves as adults, they would have envisioned themselves as doctors, teachers or in a vocational job — the careers they encountered in their everyday lives. It’s hard to imagine yourself doing something when you haven’t seen or experienced it. But now students are engaged in becoming designers, artists, auto-mechanics, engineers, software developers, scientists and teachers through their involvement in making — in core classes, electives, and after school. As they engage in these areas at school, they start to see themselves in these fields. A year after we started a robotics class in the high school, we had our first graduates interested in majoring in computer science and engineering. Through robotics, we introduced students to tech fields, and, in so doing, they started to see themselves as programmers and engineers. A year later, we added more diversity (woodworking, sewing, physical-computing and design) to this class and opened the doors even wider. This led students to see themselves as designers, artisans and architects. Now our Creativity Lab is working with students from K-12 to build these visions of self-starting with our youngest students. Our focus has never been to fill the "STEM pipeline," but rather, to expose students to passions they didn’t know they had, and, in so doing, open up future options for them. So, exposure to what is possible is one way in which maker education prepares students for college and career. But college and career prep is about more than knowledge of different fields. By turning learning over to the learner, we develop student agency — their own interest and ability to learn about the work around them, and to solve the problems they encounter. What better preparation is there for a career than the ability to identify what needs to be learned and then learn it? Two years ago, one of my students, Katia, saw a visually-impaired person almost walk in front of a car. The experience inspired her to develop a cane that would warn people of approaching objects. Over the next five months, she learned to program an Arduino, use sensors to detect distance, and create an output the user can hear. She taught herself CAD and the use of a 3D printer to design a case to hold her project. She learned all these skills in order to solve a problem she had identified herself, a mindset which will clearly serve her in college and any future career. As one of my students, Arya, told me, in the making class "they don’t judge your ideas; they won’t laugh at them. They will ask you questions about how you will research it, your plans. You give yourself an assignment." This sounds like what I would like in a colleague — how about you? Aaron Vanderwerff is a K-12 makerspace and science coordinator at Lighthouse Community Charter School in Oakland, Calif. Aaron also is a SmartBrief Education Educators’ Choice Content Award winner. Listen to an interview with Aaron on Education Talk Radio. Related Posts: All’s well that ends well? You can’t spell "college and career" without CTE Educator innovation: Re-Making teaching and learning #SBSTEM Pathways: Q&A with Kimberly Tobey, NACCTEP #SBSTEM Pathways: Q&A with Sabari Raja, CEO of Nepris How making expands students’ visions of themselves originally published by SmartBlogs

The New America Foundation today hosted a lively panel discussion on education and training from a global perspective. SmartBrief Education was onsite to learn how education, business and government stakeholders are working to prepare today’s students for the 21st-century global economy. We’ve curated social media shares from the event. Stay tuned to our Path to Workforce content channel on SmartBlog on Education for a deeper dive into lessons learned from the event. Related Posts: No Related Posts The great #skillsrace originally published by SmartBlogs

In my latest book. I describe Hidden Leaders as the people in companies that provide a powerful leadership presence despite the fact that their title or position provides them little to no authority. In fact. the topic I’ve received the most feedback on from the book is the importance of leading through relationships. To the naked eye, it may seem they are simply able to get things done. Look closer, and you’ll see that they are demonstrating strong leadership and influence by dint of relationships they’ve developed. Look closer still, and you’ll see that it isn’t simply niceness or collegiality that has earned them this influence. Too many people seek to establish trusting business relationships centering on likeability. I’m not suggesting that likeability isn’t good, only that it isn’t sufficient. When I observe Hidden Leaders in action, they lead through relationships in the following ways: They posses a technical or professional expertise. That expertise may be based on their function, like engineering, manufacturing or specific to technology. The technical expertise needn’t be technological though as it may come from a discipline like sales, or customer service, or accounting where they’ve established a track record. Whatever the source of that proficiency, it strengthens relationships and supports the connection to others in the business, because with expertise comes trust, which is the foundation of business relationships. They are recognized as having good judgment and rational thinking. Colleagues view them as being able to understand what the business is trying to accomplish, and having the ability to think of pragmatic approaches. That doesn’t mean they are always right, though. But even when they aren’t correct, it is easy to see the reasoning and course of thinking they used. In this way, Hidden Leaders are frequently able to express their rationale for an idea to be implemented, an innovation to consider, or a process to be changed. So even when there is disagreement, the logic is clear. They are good at making emotional connections with others. I’m always careful about using that phrase. In fact I wrote an article for Harvard Business Review on the ways leaders make emotional connections, and I’ll reiterate that I’m not talking about wild displays of emotion or what is pejoratively labeled as "being emotional." I could replace "emotional" with "human," I suppose, because the essence of these connections is that logic supports thinking and emotions support action. So using emotions as a means to connect with colleagues is powerful. That could be the energy-creating effect of enthusiasm or passion, the collaborative sense of mutual concern or frustration, and the effect of engagement on shared goals. People rarely act on information or data alone, and when we influence each other, emotion is almost always part of the equation. Hidden Leaders tap into those emotions. The last thing I’ll note about the relationships cultivated by Hidden Leaders is that they tend to be across the entire organization, spanning divisions, geography, and even hierarchy. That is what enables them to get results, as most of the pain points in businesses occur in the cracks between organizational silos. Hidden Leaders are able to rely on relationships in spite of boundaries in the organization, to fill in those cracks. Try identifying your Hidden Leaders. Who are they? What do they do differently? Ask yourself what kind of an impact it would have on your business if more employees behaved as they do — even 20% or 30% more? My bet is that you’ll see great power in cultivating more of them. And if you are reading this article, it is likely that is your job. Scott Edinger has worked with leaders for almost two decades in nearly every industry sector, helping them formulate and implement growth strategies, develop leadership capacity, increase revenue and profit, drive employee engagement, and attract and retain talent. He is the author of "The Hidden Leader" and "The Inspiring Leader," is a contributing author to The American Society for Training and Development Leadership Handbook, and has written dozens of articles and white papers. If you enjoyed this article, join SmartBrief’s e-mail list for our daily newsletter on being a better, smarter leader. Related Posts: 7 actions that create more effective managers He’s not ready to be promoted (but thinks he is) 9 ways to empower employees to be leaders If not the annual performance appraisal, then what? The new one-minute manager Harnessing the power of your hidden leaders originally published by SmartBlogs

(Photo: Flickr user U.S. Department of Agriculture) Technology has touched almost every aspect of the food and beverage industry in the digital age, and while some companies have fallen behind the times, others have risen to the occasion, incorporating technology like e-commerce and mobile applications into their business strategies. One aspect of the food and beverage space that has benefited in the digital age is loyalty programs. And restaurants and retailers are increasingly using today’s tech tools to elevate their loyalty strategies. For Jess Stephens, chief marketing officer at digital marketing firm SmartFocus, it is all about creating an omnichannel, personalized experience. "It doesn’t really matter what the channel is, it’s more about making it personalized and relevant in real time," she said. Today’s digital world allows retailers and restaurants to approach loyalty programs through different tiers, from more traditional loyalty cards, to mobile apps and location-based services, Stephens said. These different tiers help companies increase the amount of information they know about their customers and allow companies to provide customers with a more personalized shopping or dining journey. In Stephens’ opinion, mobile apps are the most vital piece to a loyalty program that successfully reaches customers across channels. "Without a doubt, a mobile application has to be at the heart of an omnichannel campaign," she said. Beyond just having a mobile application, Stephens said adding layers like location-based features to retailers’ and restaurants’ mobile strategies is also important for engaging loyal customers. And when it comes to customer loyalty, retailers and restaurants must approach every customer differently, and devote the most time and resources to holding onto their most loyal groups of customers. "Don’t try and recruit everyone for a loyalty program," she said. "Otherwise you’re wasting your energy." Above all, Stephens said facilitating an effective omnichannel loyalty program is about creating experiences for shoppers and diners. At Save Mart Supermarkets, a chain that operates more than 220 stores in California and Nevada, a partnership with NCR and Inmar Digital Promotions Network has helped the retailer set up an omnichannel experience for loyal customers. Through tech tools that include cloud-based, marketing, content and digital coupon solutions, Save Mart has found a way to provide shoppers with a loyalty experience that spans across online, in-store and mobile channels and gives customers the ability engage through whichever channels they choose. "As part of our strategic goal to change the way Save Mart engages with customers, we wanted them to be able to save coupons directly into their loyalty accounts at any time via multiple channels, including mobile or online. NCR and Inmar have allowed Save Mart to improve customer experience and loyalty by implementing their flexible cloud-based solutions across our business," Save Mart’s Chief Information Officer James Sims said. The loyalty program also allows Save Mart to make it personal for shoppers, giving the retailer the ability to target content and promotions based on the behavior and preferences of its loyal customers. "Digital channels and promotions are a powerful way for retailers to engage with shoppers….This enables them to respond to the consumer-driven shift from paper to digital media," said David Wilkinson, NCR Retail Solutions’ vice president of sales for North America. Omnichannel loyalty programs also present restaurants and retailers with other opportunities like drawing in additional shoppers and diners who might be regulars at other establishments, Stephens added. Location-based features of mobile apps are especially applicable in this case, she said, referencing the example of a shopping center that could use a loyalty app to find out which restaurants shoppers regularly visit and push messages out promoting other restaurants that are in a similar location in the mall or serve food the shoppers might like. "You could preemptively drive more business than you might normally," she said. "Also what that then means is you’re delivering that full omnichannel journey." __________________________________________________ If you enjoyed this article, join SmartBrief’s email list for more stories about the food and beverage industry. We offer 14 newsletters covering the industry from restaurants to food manufacturing. Related Posts: Report: Challenging and redefining consumer loyalty Report: What do food industry operators want and how do they buy? Prepared foods report: New consumer behaviors hone in on fresh, healthy and sustainable Culinary incubators: Where food businesses go to grow How the food industry is making sense of big data Elevating loyalty programs in the digital age originally published by SmartBlogs

Customer service is something that is a reflection of corporate values. Good service is a reflection of good values. When an employee says that management makes it easy to do what’s right, it means they are teaching employees to put customers first and, most importantly, backing it up by example. Organizations whose cultures place a premium on doing what’s right are organizations for which employees want to work and customers want to patronize. Click here to view the embedded video.   John Baldoni is chair of leadership development at N2Growth, is an internationally recognized leadership educator and executive coach. In 2014, Trust Across America named him to its list of top 100 most trustworthy business experts. Also in 2014, Inc.com named Baldoni to its list of top 100 leadership experts, and Global Gurus ranked him No. 11 on its list of global leadership experts. Baldoni is the author of more than a dozen books, including his newest, "MOXIE: The Secret to Bold and Gutsy Leadership." If you enjoyed this article, join SmartBrief’s e-mail list for our daily newsletter on being a better, smarter leader. Related Posts: The art of the sound bite A-C-T your way to receiving feedback Confident leaders invite dissent Resilience: Your tool for success Don’t waste your time — focus on your purpose Good values spark good customer service originally published by SmartBlogs

More than 2,100 exhibiting companies demonstrated their goods and services to a crowd of more than 63,000 chefs, restaurant owners and other foodservice professionals at the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago last week. The show floor was a great place to spot new trends. Several trends from years past — such as gluten-free and spicy flavors — are still going strong. Here’s a look at three concepts that were among the most buzzed-about at this year’s show. Time for Tea Specialty iced tea was among the top trends named by American Culinary Federation chefs in NRA’s What’s Hot Forecast for 2015. Teas of all types were represented on the show floor this year, from artisanal loose teas to flavored iced teas that are gaining popularity as more diners seek out healthier beverage choices. Art of Tea was one of nearly 50 companies featuring tea at the show. The 10-year-old company produces more than 140 blends and restaurants account for 80% of its business, Business Development Executive Chelsea Gutierrez said. The third-wave tea and coffee trend is pushing restaurants to stock more premium teas, she said. Mediterranean diet fuels popularity of hummus, flatbreads Mediterranean tacos at Kronos’ booth (Photo: Tricia Smith) The Mediterranean diet — another trend from NRA’s What’s Hot Forecast — is still gaining popularity as more research is released about its myriad benefits including increased cognitive function and heart health. The staples of the Mediterranean diet — which include hummus, olive oil and Greek yogurt — are not new to foodservice, but Show exhibitors put these products front and center and played up their health benefits to take advantage of the diet’s trendy status. Kronos Foods has been around since 1975, but the Illinois-based company has seen a surge in the popularity of its hummus since the Mediterranean diet craze began, Senior Vice President of Sales Bob Michaels said. The company gave classic Mediterranean ingredients a modern makeover with the Mediterranean street tacos at its booth on the show floor. Pure Mediterranean Foods has also seen increased interest in its hummus and flatbreads, and the company recently launched Hummus Plus, a line of hummus and chicken products that capitalizes on both the Mediterranean trend and consumers’ increasing demand for protein-filled meals and snacks. The product, which comes in five varieties including roasted red pepper hummus with BBQ seasoned chicken breast and garlic hummus with chipotle chicken breast, has received a "phenomenal" response from consumers, President and CEO Peter Parthenis said. 3D printer creates high-tech treats Candy printed on the ChefJet Pro (Photo: Tricia Smith) 3D printing for foodservice is still in its infancy, but the high-tech process captivated attendees who flocked to the Show’s 3D Printing Zone to see 3D Systems‘ ChefJet Pro in action. The company’s creative directors of food sat on a panel about the technology with Tom Vaccaro, dean of baking and pastry arts for the Culinary Institute of America, which is partnering with the 3D printing company to discover new culinary applications for the technology. Attendees could sample rainbow-colored candies made by the printer. 3D Systems plans to have a larger presence at next year’s Show, with a more interactive exhibit following the commercial release of the ChefJet Pro, Marketing and Events Manager Sandy Villetti said. __________________________________________________ If you enjoyed this article, join SmartBrief’s email list for more stories about the food and beverage industry. We offer 14 newsletters covering the industry from restaurants to food manufacturing. Related Posts: 3D printing offers wide range of culinary possibilities Datassential: Food trends to watch in 2015 Infographics: The Food Waste Reduction Alliance releases analysis of food waste by industry Trend report: Americans are eating pizza, and a lot of it GMA, FMI, NRA collaborate on toolkit to reduce food waste across the industry Tea, Mediterranean cuisine, 3D sweets among top trends at NRA Show 2015 originally published by SmartBlogs

 SmartBlog on Education is shining a light on education technology innovations during May, exploring the latest products and tools and the hottest trends in ed-tech.  "My precious. My precious." You may recognize this phrase from "The Lord Of The Rings." It’s spoken by Gollum, the crazy creature who hides deep in the caves, and craves the one ring. It’s all he can think of. What if I were to tell you that this creature is real? What if I were to tell you that this creature exists in every school in the country? And what if I were to tell you that this creature, is you? Now, you probably aren’t some creature living in a magical land. However, while it’s not a pretty comparison, some of your students may view you much like we view Gollum. They sometimes view teachers as people who want nothing more than to hoard the student work and keep it for themselves. In today’s day and age, students are global citizens. They are on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and a whole host of other social media outlets sharing moments of their personal lives. These students have a global following before they leave elementary school, but therein lies the problem. When the students arrive at school, they see Gollum. In most classrooms around the country, students work on assignments for hours only to "share" their work with a single person. This isn’t good enough anymore. They’ve put time and effort into their work and there is a strong desire to share it with a wider audience. I started testing this idea in my classroom three years ago. I was introduced to a few tools that would allow my students to write and publish books for the world. One of the tools, Book Creator, is an iPad and Android app that allows for the easy creation of eBooks. The eBooks my students wrote for class were simple and effective. The students were laser-focused on their work because they knew it would be seen by more people than just their teacher. The fact that they were producing content for a global audience gave them more ownership of the writing process and created a buzz of excitement in the room. Fifty e-books and 32,000 downloads later, I can say with certainty that changing the audience from teacher to world makes a huge difference in the quality of work students do. This wasn’t an advanced class of high-school students I was working with either. I taught special education fifth- and sixth-graders for 12 years. Many of the 50 eBooks we’ve created were done with special-education students. Not only does it increase the quality of work, but it increases motivation. During one work session, I had to drag a kid out of my room to eat lunch. He was so excited about writing for the world that he didn’t want to stop working. I have also been the organizer of projects called #twima and #twima2. It stands for The World Is My Audience. This project has allowed me to collaborate with many teachers around the world to create a single e-book. They all tell me the same thing. Writing for the world has changed their kids. Teacher trainer Rushton Hurley once said, "When children create for the world, they make it good. When children only create for their teachers, they make it good enough." I love this quote and want everyone to understand that "good enough" isn’t good enough any more. In the last three years I have worked with kids in grades K-12 writing books, and I can say without a doubt that with a little effort and creativity you can help students say that "The World Is Their Audience." Jon Smith (@theipodteacher) is a technology resource teacher for Alliance City Schools and an Apple Distinguished Educator. Related Posts: Is tech helping you work smarter? Replacing print where it matters most: Textbooks Using next generation assessments to personalize learning, drive instruction The serious business of classroom fun Evolution of the "good" teacher The world is my audience originally published by SmartBlogs

SmartBlog on Education is shining a light on education technology innovations during May, exploring the latest products and tools and the hottest trends in ed-tech.  I want to think smarter. I don’t want to know more facts or spout more trivia. I don’t want to just work smarter, either. I want to actually think smarter. It’s a much harder goal to accomplish because I’m constantly evaluating not only what I’m doing, but how I’m doing it. I used to use an app called Any.do to manage a to-do list. Like most productivity apps, it synced across all platforms, and I really thought my productivity was going to jump because I would always have access to that list. I would end up ignoring notifications because I had either completed the task or I was being notified during I time when I couldn’t recommit my energy. I was using technology to try and work smarter, but I was actually working harder. I went back to a mix of pen and paper and strategically sending myself text messages, which has worked much better. Because I can now take the time to target — on my calendar — when to be notified to do something, I’m able to work smarter and more effectively. Working smarter doesn’t always involve an app doing something for us. What really matters is how we can use an app — or a hacked system of tools — to make it easier to work smarter. In his book "Smarter Than You Think," Clive Thompson explores this idea through the development of computer-aided chess. The question is simple: How does chess change when you play with your computer as a resource? The results are interesting, and I’ll let you pick up the book to read the whole story, but the short answer is that people played better. Not because they could research every possible solution or find a computer-suggested move with an algorithm, but because they could play more informed. Ideas and hunches could be tested and iterated quickly which would, in turn, inform their final decision. The ability to test ideas and make an informed play is an example of thinking smarter using technology. The same should be true in education. Technology is exploding in schools and districts, but often with strings attached. Rather than opening the doors to information and pushing students to make smarter decisions about what they’re learning, we’re canning information and delivering it in the traditional way with non-traditional tools. Technology affords us the opportunity to think smarter, but we’re packaging information and removing the thinking process altogether. To work smarter, you have to be able to articulate why you do what you do the way you do it. What is the goal you’re trying to achieve? Audrey Watters has a fascinating history of the development of the multiple choice test. It boils down to two main reasons: objectivity (presumably) and scalability. Scoring a test is simple: i\It’s a binary decision — you get each item correct or incorrect. Machines can do the scoring for us, which should help us think smarter because we can free up cognitive processes to analyze results rather than tally. Unfortunately, instruction is rarely informed and the students’ score, rather than a diagnostic, is now a report. Working smarter means making difficult decisions about the actual practice of teaching and learning. It means gathering information and taking action on that insight. It also means being critical about the technology you’re using to accomplish goals through action. I wanted to be more productive, but the technology I chose to do that wasn’t helpful, so I dropped it for something more effective. Working smarter is working critically and with an open mind, ready to shift if goals aren’t being met. When you’re working with students, think about the resources available and what goals you would like to achieve. Just because you can use an app to do something in class doesn’t mean you should. Don’t allow the push to "integrate technology" obfuscate the real reason for being in school — learning to think. Brian Bennett (@bennettscience) is a teacher at Elkhart Community Schools in northern Indiana. Brian also is a SmartBrief Education Editor’s Choice Content Award winner. Related Posts: The world is my audience Replacing print where it matters most: Textbooks Using next generation assessments to personalize learning, drive instruction The serious business of classroom fun Evolution of the "good" teacher Is tech helping you work smarter? originally published by SmartBlogs

A national conversation has been brewing on the topic of alternative digital credentials. The media and members of the education community often use the shorthand "badges" in reference to graphic representations awarded digitally for skills earned through a learning experience. But the term can be a hindrance — especially if you have some personal experience with, for instance, Brownies or Boy Scouts — if your goal is to understand the more serious potential of new credentials, beyond cute graphics. Badges can have all kinds of uses and instantiations on the web. A year after we started issuing our first badges at MOUSE, I came home to my then 3-year-old son angry over a software glitch on the iPad that was keeping him from seeing a badge on his profile in Chuggington, a popular Disney app. In that instance, badges appeared like gold stars, a mere indicator that a task (or level of the app, in this case) had been completed. You couldn’t use that badge to look back on his performance, it didn’t carry metadata to help understand more about the context in which it was earned, and importantly, he had no agency to curate the badges in a shareable way that might help him demonstrate what he knows to others. It’s important to get past the idea that "badging" is merely the gold star of the web. Train your mind to supplant patches with portfolio data. Wonder to yourself what it might be like to give your students new ways of demonstrating digital-age and workforce-ready skills. Dream a little about school models like IowaBIG, where students receive school credits for answering the question, "What is something that you hate?" with projects that impact their local or global communities. Consider new ways badges can help students provide evidence of their skills and knowledge future colleges and employers. Badges offer great potential and opportunity for today’s schools. Let’s keep the conversation going. Marc Lesser is the senior director of learning design at MOUSE, a New York City-based organization that trains under-served youth to become digital media and technology experts. ***** Tech Tips is a content collaboration between SmartBrief Education and GreyED Solutions. Have a tech tip to share? Contact us at techtips@greyedsolutions.com Miss a Tech Tip? Visit our Tech Tip archive. ***** Related Posts: No Related Posts Tech Tip: Digital badges aren’t gold stars for the Web originally published by SmartBlogs

Chris McGrath/Getty Images Imagine yet another meeting to discuss the new building you’ve been hired to design or construct. But, instead of just sitting around looking at 2D plans and trying to "see" what it will look like, you all take out your tablet or smartphone. You fire up an application, point the camera at the plan and immediately are able to visualize a 3D building information model of what the building - or building component — looks like from your perspective. Augmented reality construction technology Move the camera around a bit to look at the roof or through the windows. Strip off the cladding and see the structural steel, the heating and ventilation conduits and then decide the best locations to run the networking cables to avoid clashes. And do it all from the comfort of a climate controlled room instead of the dusty plot of land where the building will be. Do all your planning, let owners, architects, engineers and contractors see that building, add input to the design process and gain a real understanding of what will be before even putting a shovel in the ground. That’s what James Benham, CEO of JBKnowledge spoke about last week in a webinar hosted by BIMForum. His company has developed an application that renders a model onto your tablet or smartphone. You simply point your device at the plan, the camera see its and the app recognizes it and then overlays the 3D building information model on it. You can even see how this works at SmartReality.co, a website of Benham’s. Cameron Spencer/Getty Images Carry the augmented reality a bit further and bring your tablet into the now-completed structure. Point it at a QR code or sensor in a door jamb, for example, to bring up a geo-based laser scan of the as-built area, so you can determine exactly where to open a wall, ceiling or floor to add or remove a particular element or use it to pull up the user manual for a particular piece of equipment that needs maintenance. Or, let the heavy-equipment operators use it. They can strip away the building to its foundation and footprint and know exactly where to start digging. Or let project managers manage their projects, see the progress and highlight any issues. Virtual reality construction technology Robyn beck/AFP/Getty Images Now, go even further into this real-life StarTrek scenario, and add a piece of wearable technology. Strap a pair of large, weird goggle-like glasses to your head and bring the model up to full scale. Real reality is gone and you’re transformed into the model, where you can see, sense and feel. You can "walk" through the building, open a door, look out a window, and experience how large or small a room is. You might decide your concept doesn’t work. Others might decide it’s not exactly what they had in mind. Or, perhaps you’ll blow them away. Benham: Construction technology components with the most promise Structure Sensor SoftKinetic LeapMotion iBeacons Matterport Project Tango Skycatch Microsoft Hololens Daqri Smart Helmet The takeaway for AEC pros StephenLam/Getty Images "Remodeling will be fundamentally transformed," says Benham. "The ease of use to create documentation will be staggering … and a lot of [what you need] will be passively collected images and video. We will have terabytes of collected data of 3D models, photos and videos, all Geo-referenced." "Taking model from workstation to a mobile device democratizes BIM in a big way," Benham concludes. Related Posts: BIM benefits outlined by building industry pro Bimbo Bakeries USA exec: Bringing diverse cultures together for quality assurance Broadridge’s Daly: The future of Wall Street is technology Morningstar relatively bullish on Highway Trust Fund and road, bridge construction through 2024 The strategic CFO Star Trek-like construction technology originally published by SmartBlogs

SmartPulse — our weekly nonscientific reader poll in SmartBrief on Leadership — tracks feedback from more than 190,000 business leaders. We run the poll question each week in our e-newsletter. How well do you push your own thinking before involving others? Very well — I advance ideas as much as possible before relying on others: 59.4% Well — I could stand to do a little more thinking though: 36.32% Not well — I’m overly reliant on others to advance the thinking: 3.42% Poorly — I rarely advance the thinking before involving others: .85% Think Then Think Some More. Investing time thinking through your ideas is worth the effort. It increases efficiency as you’re not wasting a stakeholder’s time by having them think through something you can figure out. It builds your skills in terms of creativity and anticipation. It also improves your reputation as a more strategic thinker. So the next time you’re about to involve a stakeholder in your thoughts, pause and ask yourself if you’ve thought about the issue as much as you can. If the answer is no, keep thinking. Mike Figliuolo is managing director of thoughtLEADERS, author of "Lead Inside the Box: How Smart Leaders Guide Their Teams to Exceptional Results" and "One Piece of Paper: The Simple Approach to Powerful, Personal Leadership." Related Posts: How effectively do content marketing efforts (blogs, white papers, etc.) drive action by your customers? Where does the biggest threat to your organization come from? How important is a SWOT analysis in your strategic planning efforts? How well do you recognize when something will "trigger" you in a negative way? How involved are you with "more senior" conversations? How well do you push your own thinking before involving others? originally published by SmartBlogs

This post is sponsored by Infocomm. InfoComm 2015 has it all: the lights, the sounds and certainly the action. Most of that flashy stuff happens in prime time — exhibition days on the show floor. So you may be asking yourself, "What is there to do before then?" Decent question. The answer is pretty straightforward - plenty! From education sessions to networking events, there are many things you can do prior to the opening of the exhibit hall. A great way to spend pre-exhibition time in Orlando (other than enjoying the warm Florida sun) is to learn, learn and learn, and with InfoComm University, you can take the next step in becoming a better AV pro. Learn things that you will find useful in your everyday job or fortify your foundation. According to industry professionals, nearly every student who has taken a class with us found that the training was useful and was handy in real world application. So what’s holding you back? It’s time to rise up to the challenge, hit the play button on the training montage music and get motivated! With InfoComm University’s Three-Day Courses taking place from Saturday, June 14 to Monday, June 15, you can spend the aforementioned number of days learning new things or preparing yourselves to attack any situation that may arise. Let’s take a look at some of the courses that will be available: New for 2015! How to Effectively Manage AV Spaces and Staff Join John Arpino, CTS-D, of George Washington University for this new session. Discover how to create SOPs, develop onboarding tools, train and develop your direct reports, engage end users, and manage AV/IT incidents more efficiently. Gain fresh ideas, practice training techniques and examine real-world practices that will help you knock out everyday responsibilities with ease. Essentials of AV Technology Are you an AV newbie and looking for a great introduction to our great industry? Look no further than the Essentials of AV Technology course. Justin Watts, CTS of Apache Corporation and Joel Rollins of Everett Hall Associates give you a crash course on the cool parts of our industry. Explore microphones, cameras and displays, digital and analog signals, future trends and everything AV. You can also use this course as a review session for the InfoComm-Recognized AV Technologist Test, a certificate program to help you prove your AV knowledge. CTS Prep Many people who attend the show take their CTS Exams onsite, but if you aren’t quite ready to take the next step, you can always prepare for the next round. CTS Prep will ease your nerves and boost your confidence about the CTS exam by combining instructor-led guidance, collective group work and self-assessment. Networking Technology Learn about the fundamentals of networking tech in this core knowledge class for all AV professionals. Networking Technology teaches the basics of information technology and IP networking. You’ll learn to perform basic troubleshooting on the network that supports your AV system. All About Audio Gordon Moore, CTS of Lectosonics, Inc. provides a hands on training opportunity for those interested in learning more about audio. Troubleshoot audio issues by applying acoustical theory to live sound demos, sound memory labs and real-world scenarios. If you are new to the industry, don’t miss this primer. This is just a few of many of the three-day sessions available. So why not come visit us a little early this year and power through some valuable training on your way to seeing the coolest technology that the pro-AV industry has to offer? Get a sneak peek at the training opportunities available at InfoComm 2015. Be sure to register for InfoComm 2015 soon with VIP code BLOG and while you are at it, take on some great three-day classes as well! Narin Nara is the multimedia communications manager at InfoComm International in Fairfax, Va. Related Posts: No Related Posts Infocomm 2015: Cue the Three-Day Training Montage originally published by SmartBlogs

Every education conference features sessions about schools using technology to support teaching and learning in creative, interesting ways. But are schools and districts really nurturing innovative thought and practices? We polled SmartBrief on EdTech readers this month to take a pulse on whether or not innovation is a primary concern for their schools and districts. As it turns out, schools are split down the middle on this issue. When asked if their schools encourage them to think of out-the-box ways they can use technology, 50% of readers responded "yes" and 50% responded "no." Different barriers stand in the way of ed-tech innovation. Topping the list are tight budgets at 47%. Other obstacles include lack of time, tedious approval processes, limited tech-savvy educators and poor leadership support. But educators do want to know how their peers are pulling off these projects. When asked what kinds of information they’re interested in, 56% of readers said they want details on the how - the nuts and bolts of the plans - from idea to deployment. Thirty-four percent want to know how schools are getting funding for these projects. Here’s a full look at the poll data: Most — if not all — schools are using some form of technology to support learning and instruction or operations. But has your school made a priority of encouraging out-of-the-box ed-tech initiatives?  My school/district encourages us to think of creative — but productive — ways we can use technology. 50% No, for many reasons, such as tight budgets, lack of knowledge and low support for tech. 50% What barriers typically prevent your school or district from getting creative with technology? Tight budgets. 47% Lack of time. 17% Approval processes (getting ideas past my IT and legal departments) are tedious. 10% Limited number of tech-savvy educators. 17% Lack of leader support for tech initiatives. 9% Seeing how other schools and districts are getting creative with tech initiatives can be a great inspiration and knowledge source. What kinds of information do you want to see? Tell me where they got the money for the program. 34% Buy-in. How did they sell it to their stakeholders? 9% The plan. How they did it, from idea to deployment. 56% Is your school making innovation a priority? What kinds of creative ed-tech projects are happening in your classrooms? We want to hear! Drop us a line or leave a comment in the space below. Related Posts: No Related Posts Are schools encouraging ed-tech innovation? originally published by SmartBlogs

(Photo: Whitehall Lane Winery) It is nearly impossible to be taken seriously as a brand without establishing a social media presence. This holds true in the food and beverage arena — brands are expected to communicate and connect with their consumers online through social media in order to stay relevant. According to Razorfish, 64% of consumers have made a first purchase from a brand because of a digital experience, and more than half of consumers use the internet before making a purchase in shops. One St. Helena, Calif.-based winery, Whitehall Lane, understands the value and necessity of doing social media effectively. Katie Leonardini, vice president of retail sales for Whitehall Lane, created social media pages in 2008 and saw immediate benefits in the way these accounts allowed the brand to connect directly with its audience. She decided social media was worth the effort, and began a working relationship with The Abbi Agency to manage Whitehall Lane’s social media content. We have worked with Whitehall Lane to hone its techniques to a tight-knit strategy and have grown social channels to a collective more than 12,000 fans. With Leonardini’s goals of quality customer engagement and retention in mind, we have developed countless campaigns and worked to strengthen the winery‘s social accounts. We’d like to share some best practices we’ve strived for in our social media success: 1. Learn and follow legal guidelines First, and arguably most important, a company promoting alcohol-related products must learn the specific rules of what they are allowed to do online. Facebook has strict guidelines about promotion of alcohol, and requires posts about alcoholic products to be specifically targeted to an audience of a legal drinking age. The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau does not allow us to give away any alcohol, or encourage engagement from those who are not of legal drinking age. These guidelines affect our daily social posting and overall strategy, but ignoring them would be detrimental to Whitehall Lane. 2. Encourage and use user-generated content We’ve found that one of the most effective ways to connect with fans through Whitehall Lane’s social media is by highlighting authentic brand experiences with user-generated content. We use and repurpose content posted by Whitehall Lane customers almost daily to each of our outlets. Before you can leverage user-generated content, you must find it. We started by establishing a clear brand hashtag that users could post to. To encourage use of our hashtag, we regularly host photo contests and work with Leonardini to offer non-alcoholic prizes, such as fun merchandise with Whitehall Lane’s logo. Sometimes these prizes will include tastings at the winery, other times we’ll work with another local business to give away a package or cookbook. We’ll also use Instagram locations to search through geo-tagged photos on Instagram and interact with people who have physically visited and tagged the winery. In reaching out to them, we’ll encourage them to participate in our hashtag and request explicit permission so we are able to share their content. Once your audience begins to participate in providing photos and other content featuring your brand, share it everywhere! We re-share content from Whitehall Lane fans on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and even as blog content. It has allowed us to feature passionate fans of our brand while also highlighting real experiences of the wine and winery. 3. STOP. Collaborate and listen While it seems counter-intuitive to use your online channels to promote other brands, we have found great success in partnerships on social media. By working with complementary brands that are either near Whitehall Lane geographically or have products that fit with the overall message, we have been able to grow our following and engagement through sharing targeted audiences. One of our most successful social media campaigns has been #MerlotMe, which was created by a dozen Napa Valley wineries in 2013 to promote appreciation for Merlot. With many other brands and users interacting with the hashtag #MerlotMe, we were able to capitalize on our use of the tag to create unique, branded content that fit with the overall conversation. 4. Reward loyal fans Whitehall Lane frequently hosts contests and giveaways through social media to increase user-generated content and newsletter databases. But, we also use these contests as a way to drive brand loyalty by rewarding faithful customers. We have never aimed to drive high numbers of fans, but instead to grow a quality fan base of followers who genuinely like our brand. This mentality stems from Whitehall Lane’s overall brand identity, but also is extremely effective on social media. An intimate fan base gives us the ability to interact more with our followers and reward them for following us. And, a fan who we call out or award prizes to feels appreciated and is more likely to share our content. Win-win. 5. Know and find your audience Whitehall Lane has a presence on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest and has engaged audiences on each of these platforms. To develop these fanbases, we’ve learned what type of audience we have on each platform and have tailored our content directly to each one. Before expanding to a new social media platform, brands must spend time researching demographics and popular content on new platforms. This will inform posting strategies and assist in fan base growth. We are also always on the lookout for new places to reach our audience. Wine reviewing apps, such as Vivino and Delectable, have recently spiked in popularity, and we’ve worked them into our overall strategy. While we cannot directly respond to users on the apps, we search for Whitehall Lane reviews that have been shared through Twitter and thank users directly. In our work with Whitehall Lane’s social media accounts over the last couple of years, The Abbi Agency has developed a cohesive strategy across social media channels. Through contesting, development of original content, fan interactions and our work with user-generated content, we’ve been able to grow the overall social following by more than 9,000 fans and create more than 60,000 genuine interactions with individuals. Allegra Demerjian is the digital communications manager for The Abbi Agency, where she leads a digital team to create and implement cross-channel social media engagement strategies for brands. To keep up with her online happenings, follow her @allegradem. __________________________________________________ If you enjoyed this article, join SmartBrief’s email list for more stories about the food and beverage industry. We offer 14 newsletters covering the industry from restaurants to food manufacturing. Related Posts: How Whole Foods Market uses social media to keep its marketing fresh Pairing wine with social media Live at #BMA15: How B2B marketers must adapt Running scared when failure occurs How to create a WOW customer experience 1 winery’s best practices in social media originally published by SmartBlogs

I recently delivered a talk at an advancement conference on the topic of identifying and communicating a school’s unique qualities and mission. During the presentation, an issue emerged that sits at the forefront of the minds of many of the professionals who were in attendance. I spoke of the need for advancement personnel — development, admissions, recruitment/retention, communications, marketing, etc. — to connect deeply and continually with academic leadership. Too often, the two offices operate as independent silos, with each group focused almost exclusively on their respective domains without much awareness or interest in what is occurring across the hallway or elsewhere on campus. Part of this dynamic may come from each group’s familiarity and comfort level. Academic leaders are usually promoted from the classroom. They excel as instructors and instructional leaders and prefer to talk about pedagogy, to engage with teachers and students, and to deal with the kinds of tasks that are typically associated with school function — scheduling, supervision, curriculum, etc. Advancement personnel may not have any background as educational professionals; a sizable number of participants at my talk came to their current schools from the for-profit world and held degrees that were not education specific. As a former principal, I can also speak to the fact that many school leaders do not feel all that comfortable, or at least not all that motivated, to address advancement-related tasks and support their colleagues on the other side of the educational aisle. They see their jobs as "principal teachers" — the title that spawned the term "principal" — and view the business side of institutional function as necessary evils to ensure that the school can open its doors and fill its classrooms. This mindset can serve to erect formidable barriers between them and their advancement peers. To be sure, this "silo mentality" does not only exist amongst schools. Dr. Peter Hawkins recently delivered an online seminar to executive coaches on this topic. He spoke about how the days of the heroic CEO — the individual who single-handedly saves a corporation from falling over the fiscal cliff and restores it to past glory — are over. The team, he said, is the king of the 21st century workplace. And that is an issue because so many companies do not promote genuine teamwork, particularly across departments. Today’s challenges, said Hawkins, stem from the rapid rate of workplace change, as well as what he called the "unholy trinity": increased demands, increased expectations and decreased resources. Do more, at higher quality, and at a lower cost. To combat these challenges, Hawkins suggests that there needs to be lots of learning and deep connections, a continued flow of thoughts and ideas throughout organizations that bring people together to grapple with issues, identify solutions and build trust and efficacy. I believe that Hawkins’ suggestions work well in the school environment too. Change is a huge challenge for school-leaders today. Not only is technology and 21st century learning altering the way we approach classroom instruction and student learning, it also affects how schools connect with constituents and supporters. Principals and advancement personnel need to be in continuous contact to monitor progress and share information. They must come together to clarify their underlying mission, goals and objectives, and share information about their experiences, observations, successes and setbacks. This communication will help both sides in their work and promote consistent, complimentary messaging that is crucial to recruit and retain students and satisfy constituents. Are you a teacher? Would you like to strengthen school leadership? Take this short survey to add your voice to the conversation about how school leaders can best motivate their teachers to excel. Naphtali Hoff (@impactfulcoach) became an executive coach and consultant following a 15-year career as an educator and school administrator. Read his e-book "Core Essentials of Leadership" and his blog at impactfulcoaching.com/blog. Related Posts: Maintaining balance 4 R’s of summer school: Keeping the momentum going Is delegation a nasty word? How to go from "teacher" to "teacherpreneur" From classroom to boardroom: How to combine your passion for education and innovation Linking educational silos originally published by SmartBlogs

Alejandro Cebado This post is sponsored by TraceGains. Everyone in an organization has a role in providing our customers superior quality products, says Alejandro Cebado, senior director of quality systems at Bimbo Bakeries USA. Bimbo Bakeries USA has become the nation’s largest baking company through a series of acquisitions, and now operates more than 60 bakeries across the country. Cebado says working in that kind of environment has enabled him to learn and grow from the influence of the various corporate cultures that have been melded together. "I have the privilege to lead the BBU Quality and Food Safety team in building, implementing and operating a comprehensive and effective quality system that will support BBU operations in delighting our consumers every day with safe and superior quality baking products," said Cebado. SmartBrief recently spoke with Cebado about his role at the company and his advice for young quality professionals. What are the aspects of your position that you are most passionate about, and why? As you probably know, BBU is the result of several consecutive acquisitions. Due to that, different sectors of the company have very specific cultural differences and different approaches to solve similar problems or to operate similar processes. It is a fascinating challenge to discover this multitude of alternatives, understand and learn from each of them and, at the end, build a scenario that best covers our company’s requirements. That is only one quarter of the job! Once the agreement on the new approach has been built, implementing it through an effective change management process is another quarter of the challenge. The remaining half is operating the system and driving improvement in both the operation and the quality system. What advice would you offer for up-and-coming quality assurance professionals? Think of quality as one of the most effective business strategies available to drive a sustainable company. Every company exists with the purpose to provide goods or services that a user or consumer wants, and by doing that, create value. If a company doesn’t have that, that company doesn’t have a business, no matter how efficient, how well distributed the product, what strong brands are behind the product or how competitive the price. If the product doesn’t satisfy consumers, there is no business. The product is first — all other aspects are characteristics and things that are necessary to add to a good product. Improving quality is about reducing variation in the process. That alone is a powerful productivity strategy to reduce waste, this also enables the possibility to implement solid continuous improvement processes in a more predictable environment. Promoting quality also helps to create a healthy culture in the company, a higher objective, our responsibility to consumers, our communities and our families. Active participation of people at all levels is focused in the common goal of improving their operation and their processes. People have the opportunity to grow as professionals at all levels of the company through applying creativity and hard work. What are the most important qualities for young quality assurance professionals starting out in the business? It is a necessity to have an open mind to learn the business they are working for. The theory behind Quality does not change. The trick is HOW you apply that theory, where you start and how the system needs to evolve. Quality needs to be learned and developed in a company. That learning is never random. It needs to be driven with specific actions. This is possible with a deep understanding of the business (operation, market and culture). A solid education, of course is also required to manage the process. Customer skills to facilitate the translation of consumers insights into actionable specifications in the product. Communication skills. Driving the evolution of a quality culture requires communication at all levels, in order to engage, train, follow up and motivate others to join the journey. Systemic approach and change-management skills. What are some of the key ways that human decision-making and technology intersect in your role with the company? Technology provides better information for decision makers, giving them the necessary information to make accurate decisions. Let’s just be aware that excess of data gives the illusion of information sophistication and creates functional nonsense. Information should be simple and crafted specifically for the decisions or behaviors it intends to drive. What are some of the ways that inter-departmental collaboration is important in quality assurance? Quality is a shared responsibility. There are very clear relationships, like the procurement department and its role in sourcing good quality raw materials for the production. Other areas are not so clear: HR, for example, needs to attract the talent to manage and operate the processes and make decisions. Finance should have the correct costing process to determine prices in the market correctly. Every single person in the company has a role in delivering quality to consumers. How have your relationships with suppliers evolved over the years? In a general way, it has always been collaborative. However, from the quality assurance perspective, there have been trends that appear to be present in several countries: During the ’80s and early ’90s, there was an emphasis on intensive testing. There was a laboratory in every location. During the late ’90s suppliers were considered reliable enough to stop supervision. Manufacturers relied on certificates of analysis with very limited or no supervision. After 15 years of that process, the lack of supervision caused materials to have greater variations. Since 2010 limited or focalized supervision has become common again. Technology enables manufacturers to use more efficiently all the information generated in this process, something that was not feasible some years ago. Taking advantage of this opens significant improvement possibilities for both our suppliers and our business. What do you see as the keys to maintaining good supplier relationships? The first is transparency. Leave nothing to imagination. Translating that into a procurement and quality assurance system for materials, requires a supplier approval process, contract, documented quality, food safety and logistics expectations, agreed consequences for both parties in case of deviations, a supervision system visible to all involved instances, risk assessment, periodic review of results at different levels, corrective actions to eliminate deviations or improve performance and technology development. Second, create a healthy competitive environment. Distribute the risk among several suppliers. Learn about the market conditions, competitors, technical background, the role of those materials in your process, associated trends for that industry, etc. Third, close follow-up. Review results and look for opportunities no matter how high is the compliance level: there’s always room for improvement. __________________________________________________ If you enjoyed this article, join SmartBrief’s email list for more stories about the food and beverage industry. We offer 14 newsletters covering the industry from restaurants to food manufacturing. Related Posts: Pinnacle Foods: The human element in supply chain quality assurance Star Trek-like construction technology Broadridge’s Daly: The future of Wall Street is technology The strategic CFO How the food industry is making sense of big data Bimbo Bakeries USA exec: Bringing diverse cultures together for quality assurance originally published by SmartBlogs

People love to joke that robots are going to someday steal our jobs. Don’t panic — nobody is being replaced just yet. You can put down your stapler. But don’t relax, either. Because it’s time to revolutionize the way middle management utilizes Big Data. The role of data collection and analysis commonly falls on the shoulders of middle managers. Given our increasing reliance on data, many business decisions are only made if they can be supported by data. This raises an interesting question: Do we still need middle management if Big Data is making all of their decisions for them? My answer: Yes and no. Big Data should replace some traditional management positions and help to evolve the roles of the remaining ones. Recite.com For example, Tom Montgomery, co-CEO of clothing brand Chubbies, explained that traditional marketing events were developed by managers who thought about the "why" behind their companies’ events — and an associate would make the "how" work. Today, Montgomery’s event planner can use her dashboards to track the sales and social media response from any given event, which allows her to make the call on not only how future events are held, but why. She doesn’t need a manager to validate her choices — she has data. Companies that use big data analytics are two times more likely to have top-quartile financial performance and five times more likely to make decisions "much faster" than the competition. If you’re not in this group, it’s time to start the evolution today. Evolving middle management It’s important to remember that this is not an all-or-nothing situation. This isn’t about replacing humans; it’s about redefining job descriptions. Big Data and your evolved middle manager positions should happily and productively coexist. Data analysis tools have become so efficient that managers can access real-time data and take informed action immediately. This means our evolved manager can be inventive and focused on the future. You should gradually bring together your data scientists, managers, and data tools to meet your unique business needs. You need to have a clear strategy so you can introduce this evolution without terrifying your team. Here are four tips to help: 1. Identify (and reap) the benefits. Replacing some middle manager roles with Big Data tools will shift your company’s mindset. It will free up time for your employees to focus on interpreting data to drive innovation. Big Data will make your company leaner and give you more bang for your salary buck. 2. Keep your employees in the loop. Some of your employees might feel uneasy when they learn their roles are going to change. You need to clearly explain how their jobs will be affected, what new opportunities they’ll have, and what tasks they’ll no longer need to complete. Be as transparent as you can and remind them that you are there to help ease the transition. 3. Research your tools. You have endless options to consider when developing your management structure. You’ll need to spend a lot of time plotting your infrastructure, identifying what you want your data to accomplish, and matching the capabilities of each tool to these needs. At the very least, your wish list should include data visualization, real-time collection and the ability to customize interdepartmentally. 4. Create a collaborative model. The only way that Big Data can effectively help you manage your company is if it’s incorporated into your employees’ roles. You can’t just leave it alone and hope it produces insights. There is still a necessary human element to the proper utilization of data. Go ahead and follow the Big Data trend. Trim the extra manager positions, but remember that you still need humans to steer the ship. Evolving your business to incorporate this deep level of data will empower your employees and put you in line with the most successful names in the industry. No robots in sight — yet. Asha Saxena is the president and CEO of Future Technologies Inc., a data management and analytics firm based in Plainfield, N.J. Contact Saxena to have her speak at your next event or conference. If you enjoyed this article, join SmartBrief’s e-mail list for our daily newsletter on being a better, smarter leader. Related Posts: Who’s the boss? It could be your team What parenthood taught me about being an empowering leader 9 ways to empower employees to be leaders Harnessing the power of your hidden leaders Celebrate mistakes: Creating a culture of forgiveness How to employ data to empower, not replace, your managers originally published by SmartBlogs

Rapid changes are occurring in the business-to-business space, and one of the takeaways at this week’s BMA15 conference is how marketers can - rather, must - adapt. The Chicago event by the Business Marketing Association, a division of the Association of National Advertisers, has brought together hundreds of companies from around the U.S. and countries from Japan to Saudi Arabia. The industries represented vary greatly, from transportation and publishing to health care and software solutions. But there is one common thread for all attendees: Changes are afoot, thanks to two trends in the B2B space. Technology, for one, is rapidly evolving and mobile is playing an increasingly important role in how B2B buyers make purchasing decisions. In fact, 42% of B2B searches on Google now happen through a mobile device, according to Google’s Jim Lecinski. And on LinkedIn - the primary B2B social network - half of unique visiting members are mobile visitors, added Russell Glass, head of products for LinkedIn Marketing Solutions. Those trends go hand-in-hand with the changing makeup of B2B buyers themselves: Millennials are increasingly becoming the decision makers in this market. They expect B2B purchasing to be as simple as ordering an Uber or an item on Amazon, the execs agreed. "Customers have come to expect these experiences and this relevance," Glass said. How can a B2B marketer adapt? Speak the language of your customers, said Kristi Lundgren, marketing executive for GE Transportation. Lundgren had a background in consumer marketing before she became part of GE’s team focused on railway technology, so she was surprised when she discovered that GE was still presenting its cutting-edge technology to customers on old-fashioned paper. She helped drive the digitization of the division’s marketing. "We put tomorrow’s technology in yesterday’s products, but really push to use today’s language," she said. Perhaps the most vivid example of how to implement such a shift came from Jesse Singh, senior vice president of marketing and sales for 3M. More than 80% of the tape and adhesive company’s customers are businesses. 3M technology helps build airplanes, combat helmets, respirators and, of course, the Post-it note. Singh said three guiding principles helped 3M communicate its complex and diverse product set in a way that resonates with customers: communicating a vision, being authentic, and connecting with customers in a relevant way. The resulting campaign, created with BBDO, focused on how 3M applies science to life. That vision drove the marketing effort. Incidentally, the most retweeted picture of the entire campaign was a selfie that Singh took with a colleague during the marketing roll-out, a fact he said speaks to how authenticity resonates. One way Singh and his team connected with customers is to take the marketing effort to South by Southwest, so that they could put social at the heart of their campaign and connect with millennials. They built an immersive "Life Lab" that demonstrated the ways that 3M technology is relevant to everyday life, from a station to swipe and measure the dirt on visitors’ cell-phone screens to a sewing space for people to make their own tote bags using 3M products. The effort goes to show how a 130-year-old company can resonate with tomorrow’s B2B buyers, Singh said, and it proves, "We’re anything but boring." For more insights from #BMA15, follow us on Twitter @SBoSM. And stay up to speed on social business and B2B news with our daily e-mail news briefs. We curate and summarize the day’s best stories. Related Posts: How wealth managers can attract Millennials Is the social media universe still expanding? How to improve social media marketing with video Live from #IFA: Prescriptions for plugging in from @TheDataDoc 4A’s Transformation 2015: Putting creativity and technology together to reach mobile consumers Live at #BMA15: How B2B marketers must adapt originally published by SmartBlogs

This month’s SmartBrief on EdTech Product Showcase roundup is running today due to the Memorial Day holiday. As the school year winds down, a number of new products are hitting the ed-tech shelves. Here’s what piqued SmartBrief on EdTech readers’ interest this month in Product Showcase: Bringing STEM to Light: Teaching about Light and Optics Educators can enroll to take a free online course this summer on the science of light. The five-week, self-paced class, Bringing STEM to Light: Teaching about Light and Optics, is designed for teachers with students ages 6 to 14 and will include a number of hands-on activities using Laser Classroom’s Light Blox Kit. The class begins June 22. Registration is open now for interested teachers. Online service delivers special education instruction PresenceLearning has launched a new service that enables students with special needs to receive live instruction from credentialed special education teachers. Schools can use the service for one-on-one instruction as well as with small groups. Summer STEM workshops for teachers Vernier is hosting a series of one-day training sessions this summer for science teachers. The sessions, which cost $99 each, are designed to help science educators integrate data acquisition technologies into their curriculum. Training specialists will be on hand to guide attendees through activities using Vernier’s probeware and handheld data-acquisition devices. Online platform lets teachers create and manage assessments for free EvoAcademics, a cloud-based assessment platform, enables teachers to build, share and grade tests and quizzes for free. The system includes a reporting function so teachers can analyze results. Authentication system helps establish identities for distance learners A new student authentication service is designed to help online learning programs prevent user fraud among students. Ucard, from ProctorU, uses a layered authentication process — webcam with live proctor, challenge questions and keystroke analysis software — to confirm students’ identities. A video walk-through of the system is available at the company’s web site. 3D curriculum teaches students how to prototype new designs Pitsco’s "3-D Printing: Design Solutions" curriculum aims to show students the process which engineers prototype new designs using 3D printers. The three-week program includes activities that teach students about copyrights, patents, trademark protection and simple modeling software. Students will also create and print out design projects, in teams of two, and present the projects with the class. Students pilot spaceships in new physics game Middle-school students learn about physics as they simulate piloting a spaceship in Motion Force, from Filament Games. Players practice adjusting propulsion and direction as they fly through the universe and get help from the Fuzzies, a quirky race of aliens that dole out advice on forces and motion. Partnership aims to help schools find qualified substitute teachers Kelly Educational Staffing, a branch of Kelly Services, has teamed up with TeacherMatch to create a new way for schools to find substitute teachers. The partnership gives KES access to TeacherMatch EPI, a platform that culls teacher data, where it can locate teachers that suit districts’ needs. Cloud solution offers safe home broadband access to students Wireless service provider Kajeet has created a cloud-based platform designed to help schools provide and manage students’ home broadband connectivity. The solution includes Kajeet SmartSpot, a mobile hot spot, and its Sentinel cloud portal. Sentinel includes features that allow IT teams and teachers to create time-based filters, manage access to content and monitor student traffic, among other functions. Mobile app aims to simplify on-campus job recruiting OneStop On Campus enables campus recruiters to manage their recruitment efforts from their mobile devices. The app, available for Android and iOS devices, includes features for finding and registering for career fairs; gathering resumes with QR codes; update notes in real time; rate candidates; and share data and notes with team members. The app requires a OneStop Campus Recruiter or Enterprise Recruiter account. Kaplan Univ. gives students access to personalized competency reports Students taking classes through Kaplan University can access a Competency Report. The report outlines students’ abilities to perform certain career tasks, based on the skills they have acquired through their classes. Mobile app helps bridge home-school divide Parents have a new way to stay on top of what’s happening with their children’s school life, right from their mobile device. Edmodo for Parents allows parents to see homework assignments (due and completed), teacher announcements, upcoming lessons and quizzes, and school events. The app is available at no charge from the iTunes and Google Play store. Make sure you’re staying on top of the latest and greatest tools breaking in education. Check out Product Showcase each Monday in SmartBrief on EdTech. If you’re not already receiving this brief, we invite you sign up today.     Related Posts: No Related Posts Ed-tech product roundup: May originally published by SmartBlogs

When it comes to leadership, is there such thing as too much of a good thing? There sure can be. In fact, just about any weakness can be attributed to one or more strengths that are overused. In a recent talent review meeting, the executive team was discussing the strengths and development needs of a promising up and coming leader. One of her greatest strengths was her customer focus. This was a company that placed a high value on customer service, so that strength had served her well. However, this leader was developing a reputation for breaking too many company policies and rules, alienating or bullying other departments, being too narrowly focused, and not strategic enough. Her passion for taking care of her customers at all costs was now truing into a liability. So yes, you can even be too customer-focused. Here are six other common leadership strengths that when overdone can turn into leadership weaknesses: 1. The results-focused leader. This is the leader that gets things done and delivers results. The downside? They often get results at the expense of others, leaving a trail of bodies in their wake. In the worst cases, they may even cut ethical and legal corners. 2. The courageous leader. This is the leader that’s not afraid to take a stand, makes the tough decisions, and stands up for what’s right. However, when overdone, can come across as dogmatic, uncompromising and overly critical, picking too many fights and burning too many bridges. 3. The caring, compassionate leader. Yes, you can be too nice, especially when the leader can’t deal with underperformers, avoids conflicts, and can’t make tough business decisions that have a negative impact on people. They can also be taken advantage of and be seen as naïve. 4. The empowering leader. This is the leader that gives lots of room and freedom, is comfortable delegating, and takes a hands off approach to managing others. When overdone, the leader may give too much responsibility to employees that are not ready for it, and not enough direction to those that need it. They may also be seen as others as avoiding doing any work themselves. 5. The motivational leader. This is the leader that knows how to rally the troops and which buttons to push to get people energized. Could there be a downside? Only if the leader pushes people beyond their limitations, burns people out, or be seen as showing favoritism in their attempts to appeal to what motivates each individual. 6. The visionary, brilliant leader. The Steve Jobs leader. They are the brilliant strategists, masters of their domain, often the smartest person in the room, and always one or two steps ahead of everyone. However, when overdone, they may disregard the views of others, be impatient, and have difficulty relating with those that may not be as smart as them (meaning just about everyone!). The lesson here is when strengths are overdone, they can turn into weaknesses. While it’s good to be aware of and leverage your strengths, don’t overuse your strengths to the point where they can have negative side effects. Be open to feedback and learn to "dial it back", especially when under pressure. Dan McCarthy is the director of Executive Development Programs at the University of New Hampshire and runs the Management & Leadership channel of About.com. He writes the award-winning leadership development blog Great Leadership and is consistently ranked as one of the top digital influencers in leadership and talent management. He’s a regular contributor to SmartBrief and a member of the SmartBrief on Workforce Advisory Board. E-mail McCarthy. If you enjoyed this article, join SmartBrief’s e-mail list for our daily newsletter on being a better leader and communicator. Related Posts: 10 ways to take charge of your leadership development How to be recognized as a young leader How to plan a great off-site meeting How to become an extraordinary leader What to get your boss for a holiday gift Beware of your leadership strengths originally published by SmartBlogs

How can educators, employers and government leaders work together to prepare students for today’s technically-sophisticated labor market? And what kind of skills route students to good, 21st-century jobs? Panelists addressed these questions and more during a May 21 conversation hosted by New America Foundation. Much attention has been directed to the "skills gap," or the challenges employers confront in sourcing workers with the right qualifications for today’s fast-paced economy. Here are some lessons stakeholders shared at the discussion: The U.S. is not alone in this fight There’s a lot of anxiety surrounding skills in the U.S., from both the supply side — students weighing which postsecondary track or college major will land them a job — and the demand side — employers who are struggling in their search for highly-skilled workers. It is taking today’s college graduates more time to find a job, and recent graduates are more likely to be underemployed, noted New America Senior Policy Analyst Mary Alice McCarthy, citing a report from the New York Federal Reserve. Both established economies, such as those in the U.S., Australia and South Korea, and emerging economies, such as those in Mexico and Vietnam, keenly feel this tension between the labor market’s supply and demand, according to a 2014 report by the OECD Directorate for Education and Skills. The study surveyed global approaches to career training and found that many countries are grappling with how best to resolve gaps in skills. "There’s something of an emergence of a global disillusion with the college-for-all approach…as a model for career preparation," said Simon Field, project leader of the OECD Directorate for Education and Skills. Many countries are now focusing on technical and vocational education and how to bridge the education and workforce worlds, Field said. Germany is sometimes touted as the crown jewel of economic systems that rely on work-based experiences to guide students to jobs, but it’s important to recognize that many institutions work together to support that model, he added. The U.S. could increase its competitiveness by integrating more work-based experiences into its education model, Field suggested. "There are innovations out there that can help," he said. "Workplaces are a great place to both learn the hard skills, like technology, and the soft skills. They’re also a key to partnerships with employers." Foundational academic skills are an important path to workforce It’s a false dichotomy to pit occupational learning against academic coursework, said Byron Auguste, managing director of Opportunity@Work, a civic enterprise based at New America. "Look at the complexity of the text for a technical manual for any kind of machinery," Auguste said. "The decoding, close-reading and analysis is an application of academic skills." Holly Zanville, strategy director of the Lumina Foundation, challenged the group to think about what words they use to describe foundational skills as they apply to education and training. "There’s more and more understanding of the application of learning in K-12 and postsecondary education," she said. "Communication, problem-solving and quantitative literacy skills…are an important on-ramp to many different disciplines." Connection can lead to change All the panelists highlighted the importance of education, industry and government collaboration to support innovation in the U.S. The Federal Reserve, for example, is not traditionally viewed as leader in the country’s workforce development efforts, said Todd Greene, vice president of Federal Reserve System of Atlanta. But full employment is an important factor in the country’s fiscal policy and the Fed is increasingly engaging with workforce stakeholders, according to Greene. The Atlanta Fed has launched an initiative to align local employers with prospective workers. It helps to convene representatives from technical colleges, employers, workforce development boards and county officials as a relationship-building exercise. All 12 Federal Reserve systems are similarly invested in workforce and community building, Greene said. For more on the discussion, visit SmartBrief’s roundup of social media shares from the event. Mina Dixon is an editorial assistant at SmartBrief, where she helps write and edit content across industries, including education. If you enjoyed this article, join SmartBrief’s email list for more stories about education. We offer newsletters covering career and technical education, educational leadership, math education and more.  Related Posts: How making expands students’ visions of themselves All’s well that ends well? You can’t spell "college and career" without CTE Educator innovation: Re-Making teaching and learning #SBSTEM Pathways: Q&A with Kimberly Tobey, NACCTEP How is the U.S. faring in the great #skillsrace? originally published by SmartBlogs

LinkedIn may be king of business-to-business social media, but don’t rule out Pinterest. The pinning site most commonly associated with consumer purchases and planning for events such as weddings is increasingly becoming a useful space for B2B brands, Pinterest Head of Brand Strategy Kevin Knight said during a presentation at BMA15 on Thursday. "B2B brands are part of the way people live on Pinterest," Knight said, which he clarified is less a social network than a tool for self-exploration. Brands interested in Pinterest should focus less on increasing their followers and more on creating content that others will share, he advised. One-third of all millennials in the U.S. are active on Pinterest, and many of them are using it to not just plan consumer purchases but to pin tips associated with running a small businesses or writing more compelling blog posts. Content created by brands comprises 67% of all pins, according to Knight. B2B brands such as Marketo Inc. and HubSpot have picked up on the trend and seized the opportunity to pin content for others to share. Pinterest offers an analytics tool for businesses to track what boards, or lists, users are pinning content to, offering insights into how content marketing resonates. Knight said brands interested in getting started with Pinterest should start by simply pinning content from their site. By promoting those pins, they can begin to gain traction and then analyze the results to optimize efforts. The key is to think of Pinterest as different from Facebook and Twitter, which capture what users are doing or thinking in the moment. "Pinterest is about the future," he said. "It’s a tool people use to plan their lives. Many millions are using it to make their careers better and make their businesses more successful." For more insights from #BMA15, follow us on Twitter @SBoSM. And stay up to speed on social business and B2B news with our daily e-mail news briefs. We curate and summarize the day’s best stories. Related Posts: Social media for the complex sale: Where should you start? Live at #BMA15: How B2B marketers must adapt How 2 distributors created a digital tools strategy Networld Media: How a "top-heavy" company’s leaders found their niches 3 points about Pinterest you positively must follow Live at #BMA15: Should B2B brands be on Pinterest? originally published by SmartBlogs

The Abbi Agency is in the middle of collecting data on the life of UGC. If you are a marketer, contribute your personal experience with UGC and tell us about campaigns you’ve worked with. Two survey respondents will be randomly selected to win $100 Visa gift cards. Across the Internet marketers are writing about the gospel of the good acronym, UGC (user-generated content). It makes sense — people are snapping a whopping 150 new photos on their smartphones every month, and 46 percent of the population is sharing these photos on social platforms as original content — why not harness all this creative consumer energy to promote your brand? Meanwhile, diverse audiences are swarming every social platform. Empty nesters ages 55+ lead the pack of new Facebook users. And don’t discount Gen Z — most of this population has already earned their social wings. A group that has grown up surrounded by technology, Gen Z kids have the tools to adapt quickly to changes and trends, and the will to blast their thoughts out and change the world. Conditions are ideal for companies to implement fan submission campaigns. Here are a few ways brands are strategically using UGC to glean long-term benefits. Real Stories Drive Commerce Audiences want to buy into brands that champion real stories. UGC can help you push your brand out there, establish a presence, and immerse your audience in a storyline that is timely and relevant. After noticing an absence of pictures on Instagram and Twitter that included both mom and child, Soap.com took on the challenge with their #GetInThePic campaign. The campaign launched in time for Mother’s Day, increasing sales by 15%. The Takeaway: Fans support messages that resonate with them. Use UGC to get personal and down to the core of what truly matters to consumers. Sharing your Brand Essence UGC campaigns are the perfect opportunity to share the values and attitudes that make up the essence of your product. When marketers pull this off well, audiences get those warm, positive feelings from memories of interacting with the brand. Natural beauty products brand, YES TO, created a campaign with the spirit of paying it forward. For every photo submission with the tag #YESTOSNACKS, they donated a snack to Blessings in a Backpack, a nonprofit that supplies healthy food to schoolchildren. The Takeaway: Fans want to know there is substance behind an end product that makes it worth spending money on. There are so many companies out there peddling similar products. Break through the noise with a unique personality that can be replicated through thousands of user submissions. Promoting Lifestyle Brand Awareness through Community Social communities unite folks on a common platform and motivate them toward an end goal, even going so far as to motivate lifestyle change. By encouraging fans to share content, we’re able to strengthen our online presence and build a movement to push important issues. Take Advocate Health Care, the largest healthcare provider in Illinois. To spark conversations about living well between patients and doctors, they created a series of UGC campaigns. In combination with a series of traditional ad campaigns, they saw a 26 percent increase in physician appointments. The Takeaway: When you build a UGC community, you fuel a common mentality and people begin to feel more comfortable with buying into your product. Constance Aguilar is the Director of Digital Experience for The Abbi Agency, an integrated marketing communications firm with offices in Reno and Las Vegas. Learn more at theabbiagency.com. Related Posts: How to keep your user-generated content out of legal hot water Andy’s Answers: How REI created a sustainable, user-generated content resource 4 smart social investments for the holiday season 3 social marketing tools that come with super powers 5 surprising stats about user-generated content 3 UGC secrets that drive sales, build brands and create community originally published by SmartBlogs

SmartBlog on Education is shining a light on education technology innovations during May, exploring the latest products and tools and the hottest trends in ed-tech.  The benefits of game-based learning are becoming more widely appreciated and utilized by educators. Well-designed and skillfully implemented learning games provide students with fun, memorable and positive experiences in the classroom. Playful learning through digital games can increase student motivation to learn and engage with academic content and skills. High-quality games create opportunities for authentic strategic thinking, problem-solving and meaningful collaboration. They deliver pacing that is tailored to student needs with instantaneous feedback, create safe places to fail and allow rapid iterations for learning through simulations that might be too resource-consuming or dangerous if executed in the real world. As a science teacher, I team-teach a project-based science, technology, reading, engineering, art and math (STREAM) class to seventh-graders with art and technology teaching colleagues. To bring the benefits of educational games into our lessons, we recently developed and tested a game-based, interdisciplinary Siege! unit that teaches Next Generation Science Standards for engineering and physical science. To begin the unit, each student completed a Google Forms content pretest. We then set up accounts for all 63 of our students to play Filament Games’ new engineering game, Backyard Engineers. The game facilitates a digital water balloon fight that teaches students about engineering tradeoffs and constraints, optimizing solutions for varying criteria and important aspects of catapult design and performance. To track each student’s progress, we used the integrated teacher dashboard through seven sessions of in-class gameplay, integrated with reflective writing activities and interspersed with lab activity days. The lab days addressed topics such as criteria and constraints, structural design, forces, velocity and acceleration and work and energy. We also examined the accuracy, precision and statistics of central measure using hands-on games, data collection, data analysis and close readings. Many students extended their learning by playing the game outside of class during and after our in-class gameplay, which demonstrated an added benefit of using game-based learning in teaching. To apply the content learned while playing games and completing labs, we developed a culminating event where students design, build and test catapults, towers and heraldic banners. We designed a hands-on, turn-based game, similar to students’ Backyard Engineers experience, where student teams attempt to defend their territory and destroy opponents’ towers and banners. On their turn, a team may choose to make repairs, move a catapult or launch a chosen projectile from a catapult. While completing these activities, students learn valuable collaboration, problem-solving and authentic critical-thinking skills. We witness students designing some catapults for accuracy and others for distance, damage potential or mobility as they discuss the tradeoffs between design features such as base size, arm length, energy source and transfer or projectile capacity. Students design towers within the given material constraints to withstand enemy fire by constructing heavy bases and rounded exposed surfaces to deflect incoming projectiles. Students also develop social and collaborative skills as they elect leaders to fill positions such as Production Manager, Materials Manager, Siege Commander, Assistant Siege Commander, Repair Technicians and Battle Recorders. After the siege, students participate in reflective writings and a Kahoot review game before finally completing a Google Forms post-test to assess their learning. All of the Google Forms, handouts and rubrics we have developed can be accessed and copied from this shared folder. I encourage you to try out these games with your students, and see them problem solve, collaborate and develop a deeper understanding of concepts than they would with a traditional curriculum. Digital learning games are a powerful tool to incorporate into any classroom. While labs and hands-on activities help solidify learning concepts, game-based learning brings an element of engagement that allows students to truly understand and encode concepts. Michele L. Huppert is a National Board certified physics and earth science teacher at Spring Valley Middle-High School in Wisconsin and a National Geographic Society Grosvenor Teacher Fellow. She has participated in several NSF Research Experience for Teachers programs, most recently as a Teacher Fellow with Filament Games in Madison, WI. If you enjoyed this article, join SmartBrief’s email list for more stories about education. We offer newsletters covering EdTech, Higher Education and more. Related Posts: Replacing print where it matters most: Textbooks Using next generation assessments to personalize learning, drive instruction Is tech helping you work smarter? The world is my audience Integrating game-based learning into the school year Siege! A game-based learning unit for NGSS standards originally published by SmartBlogs