I got a preview of Lehmann’s remarks at the Special Interest Group Innovative Learning Technologies’ forum, “I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Innovation!.” He said technology should be like oxygen – ubiquitous, necessary and invisible. “You know you’re there when technology becomes invisible.”
Lehmann’s passion is palpable:
We’re not about raising test scores. We’re about raising kids.
And forget about waiting for Superman. Lehmann prefers to wait for the pizza deliveryman to feed the parents who come together on Saturdays to talk about teaching and learning.
Lehmann brought along a small group of SLA students, including Rashaun Williams.
Rashaun described Lehmann as his teacher and mentor. He’s applying the lessons he’s learning at SLA to the nonprofit organization he co-founded, Phresh Philadelphia:
Phresh Philadelphia is an organization focusing on making Philadelphia a better place to live. Our approach to making this dream a reality is through building a solid foundation in the Philadelphia communities by teaming up with local programs, volunteers, and city officials, ultimately to bring neighborhood plans of a Greater Philadelphia into action.
To get connected with Phresh Philadelphia, complete a short survey and as Rashaun says, make it happen.
I started out Day Two of the International Society for Technology in Education’s annual conference in the Exhibit Hall. Four hours later, I had visited less than half of the exhibitors.
I was a member of the coalition that advocated for affordable telecommunications and Internet access for schools and libraries, the E-Rate, in the Telecommunications Act of 1996.
In the era of Web 2.0, Internet access alone is not enough. I took this photo in the ISTE Press Room.
As I looked out over the Exhibit Hall, I got the blues knowing that classrooms with high concentrations of underserved students have access to few, if any, interactive tools and solutions.
This week, I am attending ISTE 2011, the world’s premier conference for education and technology.
As I watched this video at the kickoff celebration, I thought about how much I loved school and the teachers, particularly my 6th grade teacher Mrs. Williams, who unlocked my potential.
The walls of the classroom are coming down. Teachers have an obligation to help students see new possibilities.
Advocates similarly must help students unlock their potential. That’s why I am committed to producing an interactive video to promote STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) literacy among underrepresented students.
I go to a lot of hearings, policy briefings and summits on Capitol Hill. The information and ideas presented oftentimes feel like a scene from “Groundhog Day.”
Last night at Microsoft’s second annual Capitol Hill Family Game Night, I saw the future, Kinect Star Wars, which will be available Christmas 2011. No controller is required; instead, the lightsaber is wielded by facial and body recognition.
Fred Humphries is Vice President, U.S. Government Affairs, Microsoft.
Humphries said:
This is an exciting time for growth and innovation. Families and friends of all ages are embracing innovative technologies that change how we come together, play and experience entertainment. With Kinect, your voice and gestures put you in control, and you can share those experiences within your community and around the world.
Humphries underscored the importance of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) literacy:
We need talented people to continue to make these products.
Talented people like the members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington, the next generation of innovators. The young people have developed games for Xbox 360 using Kodu Game Lab. There were some technical difficulties so I wasn’t able to play their games.
Dan Rauzi, Senior Director of Technology Programs for Boys & Girls Clubs of America, observed:
It’s so important we provide our young people with real-world experiences that will help them build a great future. Through our partnership with Microsoft we are able to introduce our members to technology in a fun, meaningful way.
Indeed, game-based learning helps give STEM a much-needed makeover. So let the games begin.
Earlier this month I attended the Laurence A. Baiada Center for Entrepreneurship’s conference, “Building a Fan Base: Lifting Your Business to Stardom.” The conference was held at World Cafe Live so I assumed it would be a different kind of party.
And it was. The mash-up of music and a panel discussion made me want to shout.
The moderator, Mark Loschiavo, executive director of the Baiada Center, posited “jazz as a metaphor for entrepreneurship.” He drew parallels between musicians and entrepreneurs. To grow a business worth shouting about, entrepreneurs must move beyond customers to a fan base. Fan is broadly defined to include partners, investors, suppliers, mentors and advisers.
Between playing classics like Elton John’s “Your Song” and Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind,” the band members panelists, Stephen M. Goodman, Bruce Kaminsky and Bob Wilson, shared their insights about the rhythms of business and the performance aspect of a successful pitch.
The panelists said an entrepreneur needs more than a good product or service offering. They underscored the importance of repetition, accessibility, entertainment and emotion.
Repetition: A key component of composition, melody and rhythm is repeatability. It’s the thing that makes music work. In marketing, it’s about consistency. Successful businesses create a repeatable experience around the brand or business that consumers grow to trust. Think FedEx, eBay and McDonald’s. But it’s not about having a huge advertising budget. Instead, it’s about establishing a message and repeating it.
Accessibility: Successful musicians and businesses like the Grateful Dead and Apple create a sense of community. It’s about openness, accountability and communication.
Entertainment: As technology and the culture changed, there has been a shift from the music to the show. Think Steve Jobs. If you have your stuff together, you don’t have to, say, wear a caveman outfit to be entertaining. If you’re on top of your game and have an achievable business plan, that’s entertaining to early investors.
Emotion: Create the emotion and then tie the emotion back to the brand or entrepreneur. Think Folger’s Coffee.
The message in the music resonated as I read this pitch advice from Business Insider:
Know the people you’re pitching. Rothrock said that entrepreneurs should know everything about the VCs they’re pitching to -- where they live (“as long as you don’t drop by”), their dog’s name, their hot button issues. Senkut agreed -- do your research and try to make personal connections.
Entrepreneurs should also know what music the VCs like. When a white male is on the stage, a VC sees himself, his son, brother, Best Man, etc. But there is no instant connection with minority and women entrepreneurs. It bears repeating that people like doing business with people they know.
With limited time to make their pitch, minority entrepreneurs should use music to overcome conscious and unconscious biases and stereotypes, and make an emotional connection.
The bottom line: Your pitch doesn’t mean a thing, if it doesn’t swing investors to your fan base. If you want investors to get jazzed about your startup, add a little music.
Two of the masters of the Katrina disaster, former FEMA Director Michael Brown and former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, are on book tours.
During his appearance on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” Nagin said that in addition to peddling his self-published book, he’s “doing disaster consulting.” Stewart LOL.
A new report by the U.S. Conference of Mayors found that most metro areas will have high unemployment for years to come. Some findings:
By the end of 2011, 75 metros will have double-digit unemployment rates, and 193 metros (53%) will have rates higher than 8%.
Unemployment rates are expected to exceed 10% in 69 metros; 9% in over 100 metros; and 8% in 173 metros until the end of 2012.
At the end of 2012, 311 metros will have unemployment rates above 6%; 173 metros will have rates above 8%; and 69 metros above 10%.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, said:
It’s time for Congress to get on with the serious business of legislating short and long-term solutions to our jobs crisis…. We need to stand for a new world order in federal spending. It’s time to bring our investments back home. We can’t be building roads and bridges in Baghdad and Kandahar, and not Baltimore and Kansas City. Not when we spend $2.1 million on defense every single minute. Not after nearly $1.2 trillion spent and over 6,000 lives lost in Iraq and Afghanistan.
