After attending Blog World Expo in Las Vegas this past weekend, I can say with full authority that bloggers come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. They write about politics, religion, education, books, health, life as a parent and a myriad of other topics. While the technology that facilitates communication is important, it is the writers’ points of view and clarity of expression that make blogs compelling reading – or not.

No matter the topic, bloggers are encouraged to write with passion and honesty. Authenticity and transparency are the currency in the blogosphere, and there are those who define success by the size of their readership or their ability to connect with others of like mind. Successful monetization is the Holy Grail for many as they look to turn their passion into profit. Influencing the conversation is sufficient reward for others. Spreading the gospel, whether biblical, political or something in between is a function of creative and original content supported by insightful commentary from readers. Read the rest of this entry »

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Originally, the video posted below  was a presentation for high school students. Since it’s first showing in 2006, it has been seen by millions of people around the world thanks to the viral nature of video sharing. The new version updated last year has been seen by several million people as well and both versions continue to circulate on the Internet.

It is thought-provoking, awe-inspiring and a little bit scary. This 2.0 version is 2 minutes longer than the original but there is no fluff. Among other things, it puts the impact of rapidly growing technology in easy-to-understand terms. Whether you are a K-12 publisher, a K-12 educator or just an interested party, there is plenty to chew on here.

After you watch the video, check out the Shift Happens website wiki for some excellent follow up questions. These are terrific questions that can apply to work teams, strategic planning, education reform, curriculum design, municipal green initiatives, you name it.

We talk a lot about teaching students 21st century skills. These skills are more than just technology skills. The ability to think critically and work collaboratively on a business or social problem will be part of a citizen’s basic toolkit moving forward. Watch this video and you’ll understand why.

What do you think should be in a 21st century toolkit?

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The K-12 publishing market has different drivers than the trade market, no question, but as trade book publishers have been  struggling for some time with dramatic shifts in their sales channels, in some ways they are well ahead of education publishers in learning how to best communicate with their readers online.

In a  recent post at Booksquare, a blog about the book industry, Kassua Krozser has this to say on one our favorite topics - why publishers should add blogs to their websites:

While there is no way for publishers to control the message about their books — the discussion is happening in too many places on too many levels — publishers can participate in more proactive ways. Rather than worrying about the future of reading, why not use today’s technology to entice readers and remind yourselves why you joined this business in the first place?

In educational publishing, the quality most of us share whether publisher or educator is a fundamental excitement about helping kids learn. Perhaps one way to overcome any reluctance about blogging as a K-12 publisher is to push beyond the discussion of the product to the reasons why we do what we do for a living and check our view of the world from a higher altitiude.

We all believe that in some small way we are contributing to the educational journey of teachers and students in this country. What gets you up every morning?

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Co-written by technology evangelists Robert Scoble from Microsoft and Shel Israel, a Silicon Valley tech guru, this book is a primer for those interested in understanding how blogs are changing the conversation between producers and consumers.

Fundamentally, blogging interferes with traditional corporate communications in that it is no longer possible for a company to ‘control’ their message. The book shares many examples of how this happens and presents case studies of companies who have handled the change well and those who haven’t. And then there are those who have been standing on the sidelines waiting to see if blogging just goes away.

Well, it’s not going away and the faster companies realize this and adapt to it, the stronger they will be. One of the key points of Naked Conversations is that customers and prospects now have a potentially global audience and will talk about you whether you participate or not. Read the rest of this entry »

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We have been talking about building online communities around specific websites where educators can share their teaching experiences and resources. Yesterday, PBS Teachers took this concept to a whole new level when it unveiled a new online community  that has the functionality of many of the popular social networking sites.

PBS Teachers Connect describes it this way:
“PBS Teachers Connect is an online community of teachers exchanging ideas, resources and instructional strategies on the integration of digital media and technology.”

In many ways it is a blueprint for what K-12 publishers can and should do to build vibrant, purpose-filled online communities. Read the rest of this entry »

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