Quick back story: Over the past 18 months, I have been part of Bridgewater State University’s pilot mentoring program called Portfolio’s of Excellence (POE), serving as one of its five faculty/staff mentors.  This program is being funded by a grant from the Nellie Mae Foundation and Project Compass.  Last year, I earned a small stipend for my work, but this year, the grant is supporting my travel for two conferences: ACPA in Baltimore and SXSW Interactive in Austin.  Both conferences feature educational sessions that support the work I do with the POE program and foster the development of educational technology tools and formal technology education for these student populations.

Armed with my Droid X, iPad, Laptop, various chargers, spare batteries, and a “Talk Nerdy to Me” T-Shirt (thanks Rey Junco), I am ready and excited to be headed to Austin on Friday for SXSW.  It’s rare that I get an opportunity to attend a conference outside of the Higher Education ones I’ve typically attended.  I will be surrounded by so many who share similar passions in all things technology and want to use this experience to provide new technology education for all of you.  I will take advantage of each meeting, formal educational session, and networking opportunity to its fullest and have a three goals (or visions) I wanted to share with you all:

1.  Share The Latest Technology and It’s Possible Higher Education Applications
SXSWi is where many new ideas, services, and products are shared and as I come across them, I will share them with you.  I will do this via blog posts, impromptu Live Video Interviews, and Twitter via the #saSXSW backchannel.  Since we know that Higher Education is slow to adopt some technology, let’s get a head start together on the new, emerging stuff.  Who knows, maybe I will meet someone whose idea may have Student Affairs or Higher Education applications?

2. Grow My Connections Within the SXSW Community
There are so many fantastic communities within SXSW and my hope is to meet as many of the folks as possible. One of particular interest is the Boston SXSW community who I will get a chance to meet with ahead of time on Wednesday night this week and then again in Austin.  From here, I plan on connecting them with all of you Also, as I meet more Higher Education folks at SXSW, I will add them to my SXSW list  Stay tuned!

3.  Have an BLAST
I’m glad that some members of the Student Affairs community will be there as SXSW participants (Rey Junco, Liz Gross) and locals (Jeff Jackson, Brad Popiolek, Laura Pasquini, Marlena Hensarling, Laura Lambeth, Steph Wintling) to meet and hang out with and have our own mini-tweetup.  I am also excited to reconnect with my old Whuffaoke friends Tara Hunt, Karen Hartline, and finally get to meet Liza Sperling in person  I plan on having lots of FUN while in Austin, a place I have never visited before!

For those who have been to SXSWi before: Best piece of advice? What to wear in Austin?

For those who will be following us online: What are you interested in finding out more about?

@RKaplan13 and I received our bedroom set this week and as it turns out, the room and the furniture aren’t getting along too well. Our furniture is HUGE! Our bedroom, not so much.

As we looked, thought, fought, rearranged, looked, thought, fought, I couldn’t help but have a voice in the back of my head saying, “you know this can relate to student affairs right?” Sometimes I really dislike the voice, other times, I love the fact that my passion for student affairs is so deep that I can relate any everyday experience to it.

First off, we did NOT run into this issue (luckily).

Now let’s dig into the metaphor shall we?

Think of orientation, residence life, or any other large community/event on your campus that is looked upon as the cure-all for your campus woes or highlights. Every department/division wants a piece of it; they want to put their dresser, their love seat, their night stand into your room.

Wanting to be the collaborator on campus, you welcome and work the politics of wanting to make everyone support of your program while you support their causes. Here is where things can get sticky.

Some rooms (programs) simply are not equipped to fit everyones furniture (more programs).

Sometimes, a living only needs a sofa, love seat, coffee table, and desk. That’s what a living room mainly needs to be equipped with; it gives you a place to converse, relax, and enjoy company. A living room does not need a sofa, love seat, end tables, coffee table, recliner, TV, bookshelf, desk, ottoman, decorative flowers, art on the walls, fine carpet, and a sofa table. That is no longer a living room, it is a over crowded, cluttered, mess that no longer is a comfortable place to relax never mind attempt to live.

That being said, when it comes time to plan your course, living learning community, orientation, or even your floor program – just remember what the purpose of your program is and stick to it. Simple rooms often say more than rooms that have it all.

In the meantime, we must find a place for our second night stand.

Rock on,
Joe

I’ve been testing out 3 web-based social media apps. Built to leverage the API’s of sites like Twitter and Facebook, these apps are web-based and can be accessed from any net enabled computer. TweetDeck (Chrome only), HootSuite, and Seesmic are all amazing in terms of functionality. I tested them all out using Google’s Chrome browser. This was mostly due to the fact that TweetDeck is only available as a web app via Chrome.

Aesthetically speaking, I really like the look and feel of Seesmic. It’s been my favorite Twitter app on Android and the web-based version doesn’t disappoint. It’s feature-rich and integrates the following social media services: Twitter, Foursquare, Google Buzz, Facebook, and LinkedIn. TweetDeck works almost as well as the desktop version. HootSuite has long been a popular alternative to TweetDeck. However, I find it’s interface to be less intuitive and quite a bit more “clunky” than Seesmic or TweetDeck. The API connection that TweetDeck leverages in Chrome is impressive. Tweets stream into your web browser almost as fast as they are posted. This makes it very easy to participate in Twitter-based chats using “ChromeDeck.”

In terms of social media listening / engaging, I would recommend that you try out all 3 apps to determine which one works best for you. I’ve been using TweetDeck in Chrome for fast-paced Twitter chats and Seesmic works really well in Firefox. HootSuite offers up a paid, Pro service for folks who want access to a larger feature set. It will be interesting to see how these app providers can continue to provide such amazing apps while at the same time covering their operating costs. While these apps are certainly not as powerful as the social media listening stations that Gatorade and Dell launched last year, I’m certain that you can do quite a bit with a browser, a connection to the Internet, and one of these web-based social media apps.

Which of these 3 apps do you use? Do you use something else?

Hootsuite – (Works in Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, and Chrome)

Seesmic – (Works in Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, and Chrome)

TweetDeck – (Chrome browser)

I read Daniel Pink. I love the Pink Blog. I love Drive. I think his studies and TED talk on motivation are interesting, moving, and a hot plate for new research in higher education. Personally, his mention of “grit” in Drive has led to a small campus project revolving around what could possibly make my institution’s students stand out amongst superior business school students.

Along with this blog, I also try to do a small quote of the day e-mail to a group of people who first showed interest in it 2 years ago when I started it. Since I have taken over a director position, it has been extremely difficult to keep up and maintain it. However, I try at least once a week to send the small group a quote, a story, or a link to a blog post I found interesting. The last one I sent the group was a series of questions that Daniel Pink wants us to ask ourselves at the end of our day. Here they are:

How did the day go? What success did I experience? What challenges did I endure?

What did I learn today? About myself? About others? What do I plan to do — differently or the same — tomorrow?

Who did I interact with? Anyone I need to update? Thank? Ask a question? Share feedback?
Read them again. If you are Jesuit trained having worked at an institution and/or have been educated at an institution that is affiliated with the Jesuits, you could see this:

How did the day go? (Contemplatives in Action) What success did I experience? (MAGIS: Striving for Excellence) What challenges did I endure (Contemplatives in Action, MAGIS)

What did I learn today? (Care for the Whole Person) About myself ? (Contemplatives in Action) About others? (Being Men & Women for Others)

Who did I interact with? (Being Men & Women for Others) Anyone I need to update? Thank? Ask a question? Share feedback? (Contemplatives in Action)

So while Mr. Pink may not have been educated by the Jesuits, it certainly sent a message that fits right into their values. Or…perhaps it wasn’t his education or his thought process in making them. Maybe it was my own education and “lens” of processing that has led me to see things in light of the Jesuit values.

Either way, those series of questions are important and interesting to ask yourself – even just once a week. Try it out and see what your answers are…were you surprised?

Rock on,

Joe

Special thanks to Deb Cady Melzer, life coach, mentor, and former supervisor for pointing out the Jesuit message in every day occurrences and surroundings.

I write about Twitter perhaps more than I should. I could write about my 52 books in 52 weeks journey that many others are also doing. I could write some responses to some of the articles in my Gmail from the Chronicle of Higher Education because they are usually good for starting ideas. I could write about what is it like to live in a house with two 100lb dogs, 3 cats, and 1 ferret. I could write movie reviews. I could, I could, I could…but I choose Twitter because there is just SO much that comes from this service that you can talk about.

Today I have a few simple words: community, growth, gratitude.

I’ll elaborate briefly on each because if I don’t limit myself, this would turn into an e-book of cliches, raves, and analogies.

Community

I use Tweetdeck and currently have about 15 columns on the desktop application. When I open it I immediately see feeds for #SAchat, #StudentActivites, #highered, #edtech, #saLEAD, amongst a few others. My favorite part about this is that Twitter went from being a professional development and news delivery service to something resembling a block party. No longer is it necessary to wait for a regional/national conference to discuss higher ed with colleagues. No more is there the need to stalk Facebook to start conversations or catch up on what is going on in your colleagues lives.  No more is there a need to count on the newsletters from professional organizations to hear about the latest practices in the field. Twitter is now an on-demand, at your desktop, come and get it venue for all of those! When I open Tweetdeck…it is like opening my front door to see the neighbors and say hello. While we may not see their faces or some may not follow you back, people are sharing, teaching, and learning. I can’t help but think that sometimes looking at the #SAchat feed is like Tim Allen on Home Improvement walking into his backyard to talk to Wilson, the sage who never showed more than his eyes from behind the fence.

If you want to see this community in action, watch some of the self made hashtags some have created to support each other including: #saGrow #saDOC and a much smaller, more focused one that is great to follow to keep some #saDOCs going with support, #statsjail.

Growth

Watching Twitter and a following some of the thought leaders (@ReyJunco, @EricStoller) and social media celebrities (@EdCabellon, @StacyLOliver, @The_SA_Blog) in higher education has led, to what I think, has been the most developmental year in my professional career. I joined Twitter as an #saGrad when it first arrived on campus but did not know how to use it. I became engaged with 2 years later Twitter while in a position that had allowed me the time to explore this realm of social media. Since then, I have moved into director position at my alma mater which is a huge opportunity with lots of responsibility and an obvious need to growth professionally with my approach, thinking, and presence. Twitter has been my advisor throughout this entire process. As I continue to grow in my position and expand my reach on Twitter as well as other social media avenues – it has been those that I follow that have served as my coaches. In addition to those already mentioned, following the likes of @Kathy_Petras @OberBecca @DebraSanborn @CarolynGolz @CindyKane @jefflail @tbump and…well I could go on for a while with all of the followers that have taught me something since day 1 but remember I said keeping it brief. The point is this, Twitter has become the watering hole for professional development due to the community I follow and participate in. Twitter has become the backchannel for the larger conference that takes place in Higher Education, it’s called “everyday in the office.”

Gratitude

As I have already given shout outs to many Twitter users that show up on my stream and whose tweets I constantly favorite to read later, I must give thanks. I am a better professional, communicator, creator, writer, contributor, participant, supervisor, student, mentor, coach, advisor, presenter, and person for the growth, support, connections, network, skills, advice, role models, and opportunities that Twitter has afforded me.
And it should come as no surprise that the catalyst for all of this was stumbling upon 6 letters and 1 character: s-a-c-h-a-t and #.

Thanks for reading. I hope this post encourages you to reflect today if you are sitting at home on this snowy/icy day away from the office.

Cheers,

Joe

Any individual who has dedicated more than a couple of years to a career in Student Affairs understands the power of resiliency. I was reminded of this during our weekly discussion with the Student Affairs Collaborative on the topic of “Duties as Assigned”.

In student affairs, evening and weekend duty are par for the course. Emergency calls and student crises in the middle of the night are routine. In my own career, I have had my position eliminated during financial challenges and once endured seven different supervisors over a five-year span. I have mourned the loss of students, including one killed on campus by a drunk driver (another student). And of course, I have juggled work commitments while spending time away from my family.

Dr. John Grohol writes about 5 Steps to Building Resiliency. He provides great tips for growing your own reservoir of resilience.

1. Resiliency Means Accepting that All Things are Temporary
2. Self-Aware People are Resilient People
3. (Some) Adversity Helps You
4. Our Social Relationships Bolster Us
5. Goal Setting and Understanding Your Problems is Important

Student affairs professionals must be resilient to grow, advance and succeed in this field. This same resilience allows us to serve our students when they may be struggling. As you examine your strengths in preparation for an evaluation or interview, be certain to include the resiliency traits that you bring to the table.

Happiness is not the absence of problems but the ability to deal with them. ~H. Jackson Brown

Living in the backchannel has led us down a path of what it is like to connect with people before you leave for a conference, how the knowledge sharing in the backchannel could become overwhelming and fulfilling, and how contributing to the backchannel led to a more focused approach to note taking during sessions. Now, in the finale of the series, I will share with you what happens when the backchannel becomes a reality channel.

It started with the keynote speech during lunch which featured not only a panel including Dr. Susan Komives but a table including Chris Conzen (@clconzen), Becca Obergefell (@OberBecca), Fred Kuo (@FredjKuo), and Robyn Kaplan (@Rkaplan13). Immediately the smart devices came out and the others at our table were curious about what we were doing. They listened to our explanation of Twitter, how we used it, and how it was a resource. By the end of the keynote, they had signed up and started tweeting but the best was yet to come…

With the keynote coming to a close, the moderator offered up a Q &A session for the audience. This meant the opportunity to ask Dr. Komives a question and get the answer straight from her, IN REAL LIFE! I was overwhelmed, I had no questions. So I did what any Twitter savvy person might do…I went to the backchannel and the backchannel didn’t disappoint.

I stood up and addressed Dr. Komives, “Hi, this question is for Dr. Komives coming to you via Twitter actually from Cindy Kane at Bridgewater State….”  Snickering, she answered the question, commenting that she knew Cindy and that she didn’t know how to use Twitter but perhaps she would learn. I immediately offered to teach her if she’d like which was greeted with some subtle laughter from the audience. Nonetheless, it had happened, Twitter was brought to the forefront and people were now aware of the power behind it – the backchannel was in real life. (Social media side note: Dr. Komives mentioned that she knew Cindy because they are Facebook friends.) Still, the best was yet to come…

After updating my GoodReads account earlier in the week, I shared two book recommendations via Twitter for my higher education and student affairs colleagues. I’m sharing them again here so they’ll be more easily available and accessible. I’m hoping to make this a monthly feature.

Halfway Heaven: Diary of a Harvard Murder by Melanie Thernstrom

Thernstrom explores the murder of Vietnamese student Trang Phuong Ho by her roommate, Sinedu Tadesse, who subsequently committed suicide. Though the incident received little press outside of the Boston area, it’s been revisited in the years following in light of similar situations on campuses. Delving into issues of mental illness and standard of care, Thernstrom examines Harvard’s knowledge of Tadesse’s struggles as a student prior to the murder. Tadesse’s own journals are cited, offering a harrowing look at the times she sought help and was not taken seriously. The book contributes meaningfully to ongoing dialogue about universities’ responsibility in working with students with mental illness. This is a captivating glance at the shortcomings of the Harvard system and an opportunity to engage in discussion about your own institution’s current policies and practices.

The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner’s Semester at America’s Holiest University by Kevin Roose

Taking a semester off from private, liberal Brown University in Rhode Island, Kevin enrolls undercover at Liberty University, the private, conservative university founded by Jerry Falwell. Roose chronicles a semester of reframing what it means to be a college student, having to meet a different set of standards and trying to blend in on campus. From the classroom to the cafeteria and the church, Roose was challenged by his understanding of the Liberty culture. In an unexpected turn, Roose becomes the last member of the media to interview Jerry Falwell before the evangelist’s death. A captivating, easy ready, this book makes a wonderful foundation for discussion for student affairs professionals examining institutional culture and student development.

Have you read either of these books? Do you have a book discussion group on campus?  Share your thoughts in the comments!

Before reading you may want to make yourself familiar with what a backchannel is by reading the #SAChat transcript from the 12/9 chat on the topic.

#LEI10. That simple six character term has completely transformed my perspective of what it means to be engaged at a conference.  It is the Twitter hashtag for the 2010 Leadership Educators Institute. The conversation started in late October by @NASPATweets and Chris Conzen (@clconzen) with reminders for registration. The Twitter stream then went silent until the end of November when the conference was just a week away. Then December arrived and #LEI10 came alive.

Think about how you’ve connected with fellow conference-goers before a service like Twitter. Perhaps you posted it on your Facebook profile status or sent an e-mail to a listserv asking who else was going. In both of those cases, you were throwing up a signal flare in a forest and hoping someone not only saw it but responded to it. With Twitter, that hashtag becomes a lighthouse, or the North Star of the conference, not just a flash in the pan call for help. The hashtag serves as a beacon to guide participants to a place where lively discussions are happening in real time and, as a result, connections are breaking through the barriers of the virtual world and being made in real life. In the days leading up to the conference, Twitter allowed me to connect and be aware of what “tweeps” were going and who I’d get a chance to meet in real life. This may seem frivolous but you can’t tell me that when you go to a party and do not know anyone else that is going your anxiety level isn’t heightened just a bit. With Twitter, a conference where you are surrounded by strangers from all over the country became a conference where you and a group of your tweeps can meet up. This made the conference not only a professional development opportunity to learn new skills but also a chance to deepen friendships and strengthen your network. It is organized, sponsored, and supported by the association running the conference (in most cases) which adds legitimacy and purpose to the usage of it.

On the first day of the conference, the backchannel provided fellow tweeps a chance to locate each other right from the start of the keynote speech with tweets like this one from @LeslieMPage:

During the opening speech 55 tweets were sent responding to questions posed by the speakers, posting resources the speaker had shared, and sharing quotes that struck a chord. A perfect example from @OberBecca:

Now, I have followed a backchannel before for other conferences so I had an idea of what types of tweets would be most helpful and what would hopefully engage those, who are not in attendance, to contribute. What I did not expect was the amount of effort and time it takes! Contributing to a backchannel can turn into a part-time job while attending a conference. You can find yourself so involved in your tweets and other participants’ tweets that you forget that you are in the room with the person providing the information. My analogy for this is going to a concert and focusing on the screens on the side of the stage that give you a close up of the performer, rather than looking at the actual performer. How is that any different than watching the performer on TV? If you are in their presence, pay attention to them! With Twitter, your mobile device can turn into that screen at the concert right in your lap and in place of being a participant of a conference, you are now a bystander. So, as great a resource as this could be, remember to be mindful of the presenters and be careful not to be rude.  Educate conference-goers of what you’re learning by tweeting resources, quotes from the presenter, or questions posed by the audience. Do not tweet that the lunch spread looks delicious or that the room is chilly.

The first day of the conference backchannel rendered 152 total tweets of which I contributed 31. The backchannel had sucked me in. It was exciting, it was fun, it was leading to more connections, more resources, and had me more engaged in a conference that I had ever been before. I’ll get into my experience of the second day of the conference in my next post which will highlight the explosion of the backchannel (over 400 conference tweets!), what happened when my phone died resulting in being cut off from the backchannel, and an epic tweet-up.

Leslie Dare is one of my favorite student affairs techies. I remember reading Leslie’s call to action regarding the NASPA Technology Knowledge Community in 2006: “Technology in Student Affairs: Seeking Knowledge, Craving Community.” Having been present for the disbanding of the original KC, I was encouraged by Leslie’s leadership and insight into student affairs technology.

Leslie has created a poll that I think asks an important question for anyone who works in student affairs. This poll indicates to me that the relationship between technology and student affairs is complicated and emerging. Leslie and I would both love to know your answer to this question: