Hot Headline: Online Classrooms Connecting Cultures

Contrary to what may be popular belief, youth aren’t always wasting time and getting into mischief when engaging on social networks and online forums. In this Washington Post article “Students Without Borders” (6/24/09), students are actually building bridges between nations and breaking down stereotypes of each other through online global classrooms.

Some highlights of the article include ...

Teachers are signing on in record numbers to online forums designed to link students across the world through secure digital spaces.

Teachers, driven by a desire to help students navigate a world made smaller by e-mail, wikis and teleconferences, say lessons once pulled mainly from textbooks can come to life through real-world interactions.

Teachers see such exchanges not only as an exciting way to teach geography, history, language and science but also as a vehicle to forge connections that push children beyond cultural stereotypes.

In a speech this month to promote better relations with the Muslim world, Obama pledged to encourage student-to-student connections by creating "a new online network, so a teenager in Kansas can communicate instantly with a teenager in Cairo."

One student relates, "It's far more interesting to hear a person your age tell about the volcano than to read in a book about a volcano."

Topics Off Topic

In our Topics Off Topic posts we share links to interesting, noteworthy, thought-provoking or just plain entertaining things that we've come across recently.

Josh Thomas, Environmental Sustainability practice area leader, recently enjoyed a blog post by Holly Robinson titled "Teachers Don't Like Boys, Mom" in which she writes about the downfalls of teaching to the test instead of letting our youth learn outside and through hands-on experiences. She writes,

"What would a perfect school for boys be like? Classes would be small and held outside half the time. Boys of all abilities and temperaments would build, paint, draw, take things apart, play computer games and listen to music while reading if they felt like it. If they wanted to write about volcanoes instead of the weather, or study the Civil War in January instead of September, why not let them choose? And, if they wanted to do math standing up or run a few laps between exams, why not?

Oh, wait. Our boys couldn't do that. That would be breaking the rules."

He's also been fascinating with the use of twitter in the revolution in Iran. Saying it has reminded him of Katrina and the use of Flickr in unfolding story of New Orleans.

Phelps Sprinkle, Principal, has been working away while listening to some new tunes. He's especially enjoying November Blue by the Avett Brothers and The Roots - The Seed / Melting Pot / Web (Part 2) (thanks to @ngongang twitter feed).

Liz Barrett, Marketing & Communications Manager, is a fan of Slate's Cultural Gabfest podcast and wants you to be too. The 30 minute audio show features Slate.com personalities (amidst all their wit and snark) exploring different cultural topics from the previous week. She's also enjoying listening to podcasts from The Moth, a not-for-profit storytelling organization.

Hot Headine: A Novel Concept!

Think about if we allowed children to read what they want to read in an effort to instill a lifelong love of reading vs. forcing them to spend summer afternoons with must-read classics. It's a novel concept for some and one that makes perfect sense. If it comes down to children reading at all and not reading because the material doesn't interest them, wouldn't you want them to read something? That's the conclusion some schools in Milwaukee came to this summer when they recommended graphic novels, comics, magazines, websites, anything to get the students reading on their own and coming back for more!

Here at Topics, we design educational programs that contain relevant content for the target audience so they can relate to the material and go deeper into learning the skills. So if the point is to read and acquire skills that come from that, certainly we should let kids enjoy what they read and they'll likely do more of it. And then, when fall comes around, you can get back to the classics.

Full article, here.

Hot Headline: College-bound teen shares her story of homelessness

It’s that time of year again: graduation. Everywhere you turn graduates are stressing about finding the right college, meeting their roommate, decorating their new dorm room or apartment, and getting a good job. Of course, anxiety is natural whenever you undergo any transition, but recent high school grad Valencia McMurray has much bigger problems on her plate! Minnesota Public Radio recently broadcast this homeless girl’s unbelievable story about how she struggled against the odds to graduate high school. In these rough economic times, the number of homeless students is increasing, as those of us at Topics have witnessed from our experience mentoring at a neighboring high needs elementary school.

With a four-year college scholarship coming her way, Valencia’s story is an inspiring tale of overcoming obstacles. You can listen to her story, here.

This post was written by our summer intern, Izzy Burbank.

Social Media and Nonprofits (in 140 characters or less)

Social media seems to be permeating all aspects of life these days: Talking heads on network news stations quoting celebrity tweets; your neighborhood starting a Facebook group; a hilarious YouTube video brought to you by your favorite household cleaner; and blogs, blogs, and more blogs. Amidst all the noise there has been a notable migration of nonprofits to social media in an effort to generate awareness and raise money for their cause. And while many nonprofits have quickly adapted to the new media, many are asking, “what is it and should we be doing it too?” So for this article, we’ve brought together Topics Education employees Josh Thomas, Winn Maddrey, and Liz Barrett to discuss social media and nonprofits. In true social media fashion, they’ll be answering the questions in 140 characters, the amount allowed for each tweet.
Should all nonprofits use social media?
@jt_topics of course not. 1 size does not fit all and if your (or a potential) audience isn't on a channel, im not sure u need to be there either.
@wmaddrey No.Many nonprofits’ stakeholders will not align with social media;SM should match key groups&nonprofit’s profile.Aim@only correct targets.
@lizbarrett704 Should all businesses advertise in Food & Wine magazine?


What are the benefits of social media?
@jt_topics with so much noise out there, you gotta go to your audience where they are. u can't afford 2 wait for them to come to u b/c they prob won't
@wmaddrey Connect w/key players.Engage volunteers.Spread the word.Get news&info out.Multimedia.Cost not free,but cheap;try.Emerging/evolving.Fun.Live.
@lizbarrett704 you can make connections, build relationships and share useful information with people who would like to receive that information

What are the dangers of social media?
@jt_topics you look worse if you start a page/tweet/etc and don't use it regularly, than if you never had one to begin with
@wmaddrey Let’s see 1)Alienation 2)ditto @jt_topics = lost opportunity 3)Misalignment w/key stakeholders 4)Talk but say zero=noise 5)Unprofessional?
@lizbarrett704 wait, what’s the question, I was distracted by my childhood friend’s facebook photo album of her new cat?

How can social media help with fundraising?
@jt_topics it can alert new/bigger audiences of events (twitter/facebook/meetup/); can show what fun/success event was (flickr/youtube/fbook)
@wmaddrey Learn best practices, copy what works. Set $ goal. Go viral. Escape geographic/time boundaries. Create ambassadors/groundswells.
@lizbarrett704 get your “donate now” button in front of more people in more places

Who can we reach?
@jt_topics important to know audience you want & where they are. this isn't really a new concept; only destination is virtual not physical
@wmaddrey Age range = 18-50. Disposable income holders. Younger yet savvy. Cause-oriented/curious. Samplers/tryers.Wired nomads. Real.
@lizbarrett704 People pushing products. And young influencials who will champion your cause and help grow awareness. Just to name a couple.

How do you measure or determine success with social media?
@jt_topics friends/fans/followers/viewers/readers/subscribers is one way; stories picked by MSM another way; metrics determined by goals for outreach
@wmaddrey Start small. Many are watchers, not contributors. Incorporate it w/ other efforts and tie all metrics together (SM,web,email,etc.)
@lizbarrett704 Grow awareness, audience, and engagement. Bigger turnouts for events.

When does it make sense to contribute to the noise?
@jt_topics when you offer a unique and/or expert voice to the conversation AND when the audience matters (ie, they'd care about your opinion)
@lizbarrett704 When you see a plane land on the Hudson River and what @jt_topics said.
@wmaddrey Think. If you have something real to say,it’s not noise. When you write about nothing, that’s noise; stop.

How much time do you have to invest to create an effective outreach campaign?
@jt_topics 1st, outreach can't begin & end with soc media. It’s only 1 (multi-branched) channel but generally, AT LEAST a few hrs/wk
@wmaddrey Speed is important with SM; be fast & proactive & current & always keep it on your radar. Social media is a tool&time investmnt will depend.
@lizbarrett704 Upfront: lots. To maintain: 2 mins, 5 mins, 30 mins here and there daily. Attention Deficit Disorder here I come.


Where does the value come in?
@jt_topics value as trusted voice in conversation; in announcing events/vol opps/etc to current & potential new audiences; in sharing stories w/ MSM
@wmaddrey Intrinsic. Results may be vague; evaluation depends upon brand-building, traction, feedback (will take time). Keep team’s expectations n chk.
@lizbarrett704 follow my rule below and you’ll build trust and relationships and accumulate a posse of ambassadors for your cause

What is one rule I should be aware of?
@jt_topics be authentic. always be authentic. with good, bad and ugly news/events. always.
@lizbarrett704 engage with other people, listen and respond and do not simply be a product pusher.
@wmaddrey SM is 1 piece of arsenal; choose wisely. success relies on usage&execution. Use wrongly may=worse than not using. Use wisely may=far better.

How did you like having to respond to these questions in no more than 140 characters?
@jt_topics I liked it. Forced clarity and succinctness is a good thing
@wmaddrey For me, being concise is tough when I write.This exercise forced
consideration on each word.Inclusion & ommission were tugging @ each other.
@lizbarrett704 It's a lot easier than writing an essay about it.

Top Five: What We're Reading ...

It’s that time of year again and we'd like to share our annual list of what we’re reading, just in time for your summer vacations and lazy days in the sun...



Josh is reading
Born to Explore: How to be a Backyard Explorer
by Richard Wiese




Winn is reading
The Art of Innovation: Lessons in Creativity from IDEO, America's Leading Design Firm
by Tom Kelley




Phelps is reading
The Power of Unreasonable People
by Joel Elkington and Pamela Hartigan




Bruce is reading
The Parents We Mean to Be: How Well-Intentioned Adults Undermine Children's Moral and Emotional Development
By Richard Weissbourd



Scott is reading
Three Cups of Tea
by Greg Mortenson




Jenny is reading
Never Have Your Dog Stuffed: And Other Things I’ve Learned
by Alan Alda




Linnea is reading
The Kabul Beauty School
by Deborah Rodriguez and Kristin Ohlson




Billy is reading
New Ideas About New Ideas
by Shira P. White




Liz is reading
Unaccustomed Earth
by Jhumpa Lihiri

Topics Off Topic

In our Topics Off Topic posts we share links to interesting, noteworthy, thought-provoking or just plain entertaining things that we've come across recently.

Today our Environmental Sustainability Practice Area Leader, Josh Thomas, shares a blog post on the health benefits of going shoeless in "The Definitive Guide for Going Barefoot" and the trailer of Will Ferrell's guest appearance on Bear Grylls' Man vs. Wild show on the Discovery Channel.

And from our Creative Director, Billy Stephens, we learn 8 (Design) Mistakes You Should Avoid in Your Business Card as well as good.alltop.com, a website that aggregates "News About Doing Good."