Wow it has been almost a month since I have written a blog post with good reason; see #NODA9, #NASPA11, and well #SpringInStudentAffairs.

During the first quarter of this year, I was given the gift of a PS3 and Call of Duty: Black Ops by my fabulous partner Robyn (@RKaplan13) and subsequently I haven’t watched TV much since the new year as a result of being sucked into this game.

Now, I beat the story mode (in one night!) so I wasn’t focused too much on that but what did suck me in was the Playstation network of gamers. Every night you could log in and immediately find yourself in a 10-12 player (6 on 6 or free for all) battle and if you invested in a headset you could talk with people from around the globe!

From my New Years Resolutions post, one of my goals for the year was to reach level 50 as an online player which ended up requiring almost 30 hours of game play. Upon reflecting on this, I was left asking myself was it the goal of reaching level 50 that motivated me? Was it competing online and constantly getting better with each round? Or was it being able to randomly (trash) talk with players from all over the globe?

Here is where Rosetta Stone comes into the equation. I was driven by the fact that I was competing, gaining skills/experience, and seeing my progress on the leader board after every match go from the bottom to the middle to the upper third. Reading my New Years Resolution post, you can see another one of my goals is to complete the Rosetta Stone Italian series – this has been a struggle. Why? There is no competition, there is no leader board, there is no community to participate with. This is where Rosetta Stone has already taken the first step with their Total-E product but the online subscription is $199 for 3 months. No young adult I know is willing to put down almost $65 a month to learn a language, that’s equivalent to their mobile phone bill, and believe me they want their phones more than they want to know a second language.

But let me finish my thought, if Rosetta Stone partnered with Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft and turned their Total-E product into a game that piggy-backed onto the online networks the three gaming giants have established – imagine what would happen to the landscape of the globe (specifically the USA).

When I powered up the PS3 and put Call of Duty in, I could play for hours on end because it was engaging, competitive, FUN! When I power up my PC and click on my Rosetta Stone software, I can “play” for about an hour because it is no longer engaging, I’m not competing, and the “fun” factor runs low because it is the equivalent to sitting in a silent room repeating yourself.

My suggestion – play your part as the world’s leading language software and shift your company values from teaching new languages to those who have the money to invest in such a program and start educating the next generation to learn more than one language. The next generation will need it more than ever, but a $199 price tag is going to prohibit more than enable.

Jim Henson had success in Sesame Street because he saw an opportunity (with research backing it) that young children were coming home and being put in front of the television so why not put something educational there.

You can do the same with just as big an impact – partner with these console/content creators – construct an online environment that rewards users with Rosetta Stone Points and will make young adults WANT to sign in and run through a lesson or two so they don’t lose ground to their friends. Instead of a $199 subscription for online content, sell a series of CDs ($40 each) or downloadable online “maps” ($20 each) that allow gamers to choose the environment they want.

“Want to speak Italian at a baseball game? Pick up our MLB version and learn all phrases for the field!”

“Thinking of going food shopping in Barcelona? Pick up our Grocery Grabber map and explore the aisles of our market to learn popular food item vocabulary”

If you want to try strategy out on someone, I’d be more than willing – I fit in the male 18 -34 market and I am currently grinding through your Rosetta Stone Italian Level 1,2,3 series of software. It isn’t fun. It isn’t engaging. It is comparable to sitting in class for 2 hours, alone. That is not the way people want to learn a new language.

That’s my idea/rant for the day -

Rock on,
Joe

Comment: Would you be more interested in learning a language if there was an online community and scoring system so you can compete with others as you progress through?

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…

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.

Do you practice reflection? The art of stopping and smelling the roses? The action of not doing anything else in a moment but living in that moment?

When’s the last time you walked outside in the midst of Orientation/Welcome Week and just observed the madness behind the method of starting up the school year?

Watching that Mother try to sneak the tissue our of her purse to wipe away a tear before her student sees it.

The Dad eying the other males in the building up and down as he puts the massive pink hamper and pink comforter on his daughter’s bed.

The siblings holding a folder that announces who they belong to, shouting out, “Hurry up! This thing says you have to meet the President in 5 minutes at the Auditorium!”

The Orientation Leaders smiling and running around on minimal hours of sleep and not wanting it any other way.

The Residence Life staff handing out keys, answering questions, and responding to roommate conflicts exactly 40 minutes into the operation.

The campus custodial staff, quietly, and unnoticed, emptying trashes, and maintaining a bright and shiny veneer of campus on day 1. They go along with the campus grounds staff who sit in the shade and watch their perfectly manicured lawns, mulch, and walk ways get trampled by the egress of 400 anxious teenagers heading to their next session.

And then there is you. The master of your domain whether it be handing out keys, hot dogs, t-shirts, lanyards, folders, name tags, hugs, or handshakes. You own your responsibility, you watch others do take charge of theirs. Whether you are a cog in the machine, or the operator of the machine take a step back and watch the production that you get to play a part in.

Realize the act of the welcoming hundreds to thousands of new members of your community. Reflect on how you may become part of their story while they are learning at your institution.

Orientation/Welcome week is a busy time in student affairs. Don’t let it pass you by without having a moment in the middle of the madness to realize the value in what is it that you do, and are doing in that moment.

I ask again…

Do you practice reflection? The art of stopping and smelling the roses? The action of not doing anything else in a moment but living in that moment?

Try it right now. It doesn’t take long. In fact, it can be as short or as long as an experience that you want.

Take a deep breath. Shut your monitor off. Go outside. Walk outside and don’t look at your watch, phone, or the ground. Look up. Listen to the birds (or the stampede of new students heading your way). Feel the wind and the sun. Realize what it is you do that will make an impact on your campus community and those within it.

That’s my idea for the day – and I say it CAN happen.

Rock on,
Joe

There are few things I love more than a good cooking-themed reality television show. Combining my love of cooking with the creativity of rising to assigned challenges, these shows inspire me to kick things up a notch in my own kitchen… and even in my office. Inevitable, each season competing chefs are challenged to reconceptualize the classics. Faced with staples like pigs in a blanket and tuna noodle casserole, they are forced to refine them to meet today’s palates.

The campus resource scavenger hunt has been a staple of staff training for years. While it can be a fun way of ensuring that staff members are able to locate appropriate offices and departments on campus, it can quickly become redundant and dull – you know, the same casserole you had for dinner every Thursday night as a kid.

When I pulled out our training schedule this year, I immediately began dreading the resource scavenger hunt. If I was dreading it, how did our student staff (particularly our returning staff members) feel about it? I looked at the learning outcomes that I first wrote for the activity on this campus in 2008 and wondered if those outcomes were still relevant. We can broadly assume that many of our staff members have already encountered most student services offices or, minimally, could find the location of an office by looking it up on the university website.  What I really hoped to accomplish is that student staff are able to make appropriate referrals and better understand the services offered by other departments.

And so I’m changing the recipe this year with the support of the involved departments and my supervisor.

Instead of being handed rhyming clues that will lead them from office to office where they would simply take a brochure, the Resident Assistant staff will participate in a more practical application of the activity.

They will be escorted by a professional staff member who will lead them through a series of short case studies. During the case study debriefings, they will discern which campus office is the most appropriate referral for the students involved. It may be one office or several offices. After the group collectively decides which offices and departments are most relevant, they will be introduced to the staff of the departments they choose. Departmental staff members will explain to the Resident Assistants what their role in helping the student will be. In some cases, they may be the best choice for immediate resolution. In other cases, they may refer the student elsewhere. It’s my belief that this will also help educate student staff that what they sometimes perceive as “getting the run around” or “red tape” is simply helping students find the best place to assist them.

Our scenarios will take them everywhere from parking services to the Vice-Chancellor for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management. I’m optimistic that face time with staff combined with decisions of making actual referrals will lead to more confident use of campus resources throughout the year. Our post-assessment will ask factual questions about offices, but also include opportunity for staff to rate their comfort level with referrals after the activity.

How are you reconceptualizing the tuna noodle casseroles on your training schedule this year?

The Pomodoro Technique™ was created by Francesco Cirillo in 1980s after a long search to improve his own study habits. While attending college in Rome, he had a difficult time staying focused and concentrating on his work. He grabbed the familiar kitchen timer in the shape of a tomato (a pomodoro in Italian) and used it to set short term deadlines for himself. Essentially, he would set the timer and work without interruption until it went off.

The Pomodoro Technique™ is deeper than just setting a timer and going to work. The whole purpose is to change your mindset about time and work. It’s not just a silly idea,
but it’s synthesis of concepts proposed by Steve McConnell, Tony Buzan, Hans-George Gademer and Tony Gilb in a variety of areas and disciplines.

It’s built around three basic assumptions:

First, that you will come to see time differently. It’s not the enemy. By changing your view of time from “becoming” (the abstract, dimensional use of time), you eliminate the
anxiety associated with working under a deadline.

Second, that better use of the mind results in a higher level of consciousness, clarity of thought, and more effective learning.

Finally, that using simple tool like a timer reduces the complexity of applying the technique and makes it more effective and efficient.

Of course, there is a website that explains it all. And, while there is a book, you can download it free.

You might think that it would be difficult to apply this in your own office, as it calls for working uninterrupted in 25 minute cycles. There are, however, ways to interrupt and to
keep track of those interruptions. And now — during the Summer when students are fewer and farther between — it might be a useful method of getting through that endless “To-Do” list we all face.

Part One Written By: Mike Hamilton, Complex Coordinator, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, @m1hamilton
Part Two Written By: Stacy Oliver, Assistant Director of Housing and Residential Life, Indiana University South Bend, @StacyLOliver

Part One

Origin:

As I was sitting through my fourth year of resident assistant group process at Worcester Polytechnic Institute I began to think, how could this be improved?  Now I have to admit that there is nothing wrong with out group process to begin with.  It is a standard 3 hour process where a professional staff facilitator gives the group activities to work on for a specified time while current resident assistants observe interactions.  It is very similar to resident assistant and orientation group processes I have worked with in the past that also worked really well.   However, I still like to look for ways to improve processes when possible.  So I started to think about removing the structure of the the program, particularly time limits and facilitation.  What I have noticed increasingly over the years is a reluctance to share opinions or be fully genuine in the process by candidates.  My thought is that this may be tied to the structure of the program and that there is a facilitator.   Within our process the facilitator does absolutely nothing but give the group activities to work on and keep track of time, however groups still seemed to direct their comments and discussion toward this person.  The question I started to ask myself was whether the structure limits the groups potential growth or the personalities of the individuals within the group.  Working under the assumption that group process is more about the group interaction than the outcome of the activities I believe that removing facilitation will create a more realistic depiction of group behavior. 

Theory:

The ideal setup would be to remove the facilitator and specific time limits from group process.  The group would enter the room and find a packet of activities ready for them.  The packet would explain that you have “x” amount of time to complete the enclosed activities.  My hope is that this process will show the basic level of leadership to the observers.  Who becomes the facilitators? Who watches the time?  Do they rush to complete activities or work to make sure everyone is heard?  With this process we are able to not only see how they work within the activities but also how they work to complete a common goal.  The one major risk I see is if a group completely implodes.  However I have seen this happen in a standard group process with a facilitator and the facilitator can not do much to resolve issues in a group process setting.  It would be interesting to see them try to resolve their own issues knowing that they are being observed and that there is a potential job on the line. While not necessarily realistic in the higher education setting, this process would be great to observe from behind a 2 way glass mirror.  Luckily I do not have to wait a full year to try this process.  A colleague in the field has agreed to help out by trying it this year with her process.

Part 2

Implementation:

When Mike shared his idea to remove the facilitator from group process, I was intrigued. Having worked with training and selection of student staff for six years, I’m always looking for ways to update processes. I like new challenges and, to be frank, I like challenging students in new ways. I offered to run this on my campus because we have a very small group process due to the size of our department. This minimized the risk and allowed for easier intervention if things went severely off-track.

We had nine candidates participating in group process. I identified the activities for the evening by determining which ones could be done with little facilitation while also allowing for students to demonstrate target skills of discussion, time management, consensus, and collaboration. I chose activities that I have observed before in a traditional group process setting so that I could more accurately compare the differences.

The current Resident Assistant staff acted as observers for the activities and provided guided feedback via an evaluation form on the following areas:

• Communication Skills
• Knowledge of Resources
• Problem Solving Skills
• Leadership
• Assertiveness

When candidates arrived, a current Resident Assistant led a brief teambuilder to get them acquainted and learn names. After the teambuilding activity ended, they were handed a packet with two activities and told that they had 40 minutes to complete both and all candidates must participate in both activities.

Activity One:

The first activity the group chose to complete was the consensus-reaching activity in which they were asked to hire a Resident Assistant staff based on brief biographies of candidates. The candidates allowed time to individually review the biographies. Within minutes of discussion starting, a self-appointed facilitator emerged from the group. I was pleased that this did not dissuade the rest of the group from fully participating. Conversation was lively and candid with several candidates taking on roles of pointing out gaps in logic. The self-appointed facilitator did an excellent job keeping the group on track and highlighting discussion points.

I found this activity to be true to my observations of it in previous group processes where there was a facilitator. There was the added benefit of seeing the group work through their own time management issues. This activity easily could have taken the entire 40 minutes allotted to the group [and nearly did!].

To Mike’s point of wondering if the group would interact more candidly, I believe that they did. It seemed that they lost awareness of the resident assistants who were sitting around the perimeter of the room. Without a faciltiator present or in their line of vision, they seeemed to completely forget that this was a piece of an interview.

Activity Two:

The second activity asked candidates to build the tallest tower possible with the provided supplies of spaghetti, rubber bands, coffee stirrers, gum drops, and construction paper. The instructions were left vague to allow the candidates’ interpretation of whether they were supposed to be competing to build the tallest tower between two groups or work as a large group. The candidates chose to work as a large group. I had no expectation for which they do, though I thought if they chose to divide into two groups, the element of competition would be an interesting dynamic without a faciltiator.

Interestingly, this is an activity I have done in the past and the facilitator had a minimal role [e.g. declaring certain building materials "unsafe" and having the group remove them from the structure]. Whether it was the lack of facilitator or the time crunch that the group found themselves in after spending 30 minutes on the first activity, this activity was near-disaster. The group spent the bulk of their remaining time discussing and debating. So little time was spent building that there was no reason to issue them challenges, remove supplies, etc.

Of course, having spent much of their time on the first activity added a valuable observation opportunity — working under pressure — that may not have happened if they had simply been provided an allotted time for each activity.

They ultimately pulled it together at the end to construct a tower; however, I am glad that none of them are architecture majors.
 
Debriefing:

At the close of the second activity, I brought the candidate group back together to debrief both activities. I never told them that the facilitator was removed from the activities, but during the course of the discussion, I asked what would have made the activities either. No one mentioned or even alluded to wanting a facilitator. Their reflections focused on how they interacted and communicated with one another.

Summary:

Removing the facilitator did not change the outcome of group process. Mike and I never expected it would. Instead, we both hoped for a more organic look at the communication and collaboration process of these student leaders. It also contributed new methods of observing the behaviors we were assessing by putting the onus on the candidates to move through the process, gauge their own involvement, and manage the timed activities appropriately. I can’t say with certainty that it changed who we hired, but I can say it gave different clarity to the skill-set of certain candidates.

As far as accuracy and success in the hiring process? Check back with me in a year after the new staff have had their formal performance appraisals.

Thanks to everyone who participated in today’s #SAchat focusing on Creative Judicial Sanctioning. Each week, we continue to grow our numbers and today’s chats produced over 900 comments from over 100 student affairs professionals,  graduate students and undergraduates interested or working in the Student Affairs field!

In case you missed it, below is a quick recap. If you haven’t yet participated in an #sachat, learn more here.

Full Transcripts
DAYTIME:
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EVENING:
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Today’s Top Contributors

@The_SA_Blog
@reyjunco
@m1hamilton
@JGinese23
@jesstini85
@jpkirch
@BeccaFick
@beekayroot
@ericstoller
@HFIELDS33

Here’s to another successful set of #sachats!  What are some other topics you would like to see us cover?  Please let us know your ideas and feedback to keep #sachat growing strong.

Until we next week, (if you haven’t already done so) please make sure to join our growing Facebook Page, currently over 2,800 and adding new #studentaffairs friends every day!  Thanks for your continued support!

Thanks to everyone who participated in today’s #SAchat focusing on Creative Student Leadership Development.  Each week, we continue to grow our numbers and today’s chats produced over 1,200 comments from over 100 student affairs professionals,  graduate students and undergraduates interested or working in the Student Affairs field!

In case you missed it, below is a quick recap. If you haven’t yet participated in an #sachat, learn more here.

Full Transcripts
DAYTIME:
View as webpage
Download as PDF

EVENING:
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Today’s Top Contributors

@The_SA_Blog
@m1hamilton
@princeje
@edcabellon
@debrasanborn
@cindykane
@ARL275
@jollyjinster
@cleders
@thestacyface

Here’s to another successful set of #sachats!  What are some other topics you would like to see us cover?  Please let us know your ideas and feedback to keep #sachat growing strong.

Until we next week, (if you haven’t already done so) please make sure to join our growing Facebook Page, currently at 2,600 and adding new #studentaffairs friends every day!  Thanks for your continued support!

Thanks to everyone who participated in today’s #SAchat focusing on Professional Staff Development Strategies.  Each week, we continue to grow our numbers and today’s chats produced 936 comments from 87 student affairs professionals,  graduate students and undergraduates interested in the Student Affairs field!

In case you missed it, below is a quick recap. If you haven’t yet participated in an #sachat, learn more here.

Full Transcripts
DAYTIME:
View as webpage
Download as PDF

EVENING:
View as webpage
Download as PDF

Today’s Top Contributors

@ARL275
@edcabellon
@debrasanborn
@tomkrieglstein
@jmayojr
@cindykane
@princeje
@pereirap80
@MikeBreitner
@AndreaHart

Here’s to another successful #sachat! How do you like the new additional daytime chat? What are some other topics you would like to see us cover?  Please let us know your ideas and feedback to keep #sachat growing strong.

Until we next week, (if you haven’t already done so) please make sure to join our growing Facebook Page, currently over 1,400 and adding new #studentaffairs friends every day!  Thanks for your continued support!