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Emily Embury • 03-11-10
 This year’s CoSN Conference took place during a dynamic time in education. With two education policy initiatives about to be released, I had the opportunity to attend sessions regarding the National Educational Technology Plan and the National Broadband Plan.
National Educational Technology Plan
According to Karen Cator, director of the Office of Educational Technology for the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), the National Educational Technology Plan provides concrete goals to inform state and local educational technology plans, as well as recommendations to inspire research, development and innovation.
Since the conference, the DOE has released a draft of the National Educational Technology Plan, titled “Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology.” To download a copy of the draft, visit the DOE’s Web site: www.ed.gov/technology/netp-2010.
For more information, view this coverage of the National Educational Technology Plan:
Education Week: U.S. Ed-Tech Plan Prods K-12 to Innovate
eSchool News: Feds Release New National Ed-tech Plan
T.H.E. Journal: National Ed Tech Plan Advocates Radical Reforms in Schools
National Broadband Plan
 Authorized under the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the National Broadband Plan is designed to extend high-speed Internet access to all Americans. Steve Midgley, Education Director for the Federal Communication Commission (FCC), discussed the education chapter of the National Broadband Plan.
Midgley outlined three key education goals: upgrade the E-rate program, support and promote online learning, and leverage the power of data to improve instruction. The FCC will deliver a draft of the National Broadband Plan to Congress on March 17. In the meantime, visit the FCC’s Web site for more information: www.broadband.gov.
For more perspective, view this coverage of the National Broadband Plan:
Education Week: National Broadband Plan Delayed
eSchool News: Education Goals in National Broadband Plan Revealed
T.H.E. Journal: Broadband Plan Looks to Overhaul E-rate, Promote Online Learning
What are your thoughts on these two initiatives? Are the goals ambitious enough to have a positive impact on our students’ prospects for academic success? Do school systems have the resources and funding required to implement these recommendations?
Charlene Blohm • 03-05-10
Offering a grant or contest to honor innovators is a great way to boost your visibility within the education industry. Several members of the CB&A client family are showcasing best practices with recognition programs this spring with a mix of programs for teachers and vendors. ( kj4rvif5bn)
PBS Teachers Innovation Awards – March 12 deadline
 The PBS Teachers Innovation Awards will showcase best practices in support of the growth and advancement of the teaching profession. PBS and its local stations are calling all preK-12 educators who inspire and engage students through innovative classroom techniques to enter the program.
Ten of the most innovative teachers will receive a behind-the-scenes trip to the Annual PBS Showcase in Austin from May 17-20 to see sneak previews of PBS programs, meet producers, and attend premiere events. Forty winners will receive PBS gift bags that include best-selling and award-winning PBS programs in digital formats. All winners will receive free enrollment in a professional development course from PBS TeacherLine and will be invited to partner with PBS and local stations as leaders in classroom innovation.
For more information, or to enter, visit www.pbs.org/teachers/innovators/. Entries will be accepted until March 12. Winners will be announced on April 5. The PBS Teachers Innovation Awards are sponsored in part by Elmer’s Products, Inc.
Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge – March 15 deadline
 The Siemens Foundation, Discovery Education and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) are partnering to educate, empower and engage students and teachers nationwide to become “Agents of Change” in improving their communities through the “Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge.”
The second year of this national sustainability challenge – expanded this year to include an elementary category – encourages K-8 students to team up with their classmates to create replicable solutions to environmental issues in their classroom (grades K-2), school (grades 3-5) or community (grades 6-8).
Student and teacher/mentor prizes, which vary according to grade level, include savings bonds, school grants, exciting trips, TV appearances, and much more. Fostering learning, team work and problem solving around sustainability, the www.wecanchange.com site offers robust resource guides for standards-based lesson plans, and teacher materials to accompany each stage of the challenge. The submission deadline is March 15.
Innovation Incubator Program - March 22 deadline
 The Education Division of the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) is seeking applications for its Innovation Incubator Program. Developers of innovative educational products or services will be reviewed, and a select group will be invited to participate in the annual SIIA Ed Tech Industry Summit this spring.
The Innovation Incubator Program connects the developers of promising, new technologies with industry leaders, potential investors and established companies seeking partnerships or prospects for acquisition. The program is open to applicants from academic and non-profit institutions, pre-revenue and early-stage companies, and long-standing companies with newly developed technologies.
The deadline for applications is March 22. For more information about the Innovation Incubator Program, go to www.siia.net/etis/2010/incubator.asp.
Personalized Learning in Action – April 16 deadline
 “Personalized Learning in Action,” a new video contest from netTrekker, gives educators an opportunity to win one of two $1,500 scholarships to attend ISTE 2010 in Denver this summer. Additional prizes include five BrainPOP classroom subscriptions.
The contest encourages teachers, with the help of their students, to create video clips illustrating how they use netTrekker (along with other resources) to engage students in a personalized learning experience. Submissions are due by April 16.
Contest details and links to submit videos can be found at www.nettrekker.com/pages/video-contest. For schools not subscribed to netTrekker, a no-obligation, 30-day free trial can be obtained by visiting www.nettrekker.com/pages/video-contest/extended-free-trial, enabling teachers and students to access and use netTrekker as part of their video submission.
Win a Wireless Lab Sweepstakes – May 3 deadline
 The “Win a Wireless Lab” sweepstakes is co-sponsored by CDW Government LLC (CDW-G) and Discovery Education. The program gives K-12 schools nationwide the opportunity to win one of three grand-prize 21st-century classrooms. Each classroom includes tablet or notebook computers, a notebook cart, interactive whiteboard, student response system, projector, printer, and document camera. The sponsors also provide on-site training to the grand-prize winners.
The 2010 program gives eligible entrants additional opportunities to increase their chances of winning via Twitter. After entering at www.discoveryeducation.com/cdwg, entrants who post about the program on their Twitter accounts can receive an additional two entries per day, for a total of three entries per day.
Entries will be accepted through May 3. In addition, educators can participate in the Win a Wireless Lab community online via Twitter and Facebook.
Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge – May 27 deadline
 Discovery Education and 3M are co-sponsoring the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge, the nation’s premier science competition for students in grades 5-8.
Ten finalists will be selected to receive an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City to compete in the final challenge in October. The winner will receive $50,000 in U.S. savings bonds ($25,000 cash value), a tour of 3M’s celebrated Innovation Center in St. Paul, Minn., given by some of today’s top scientists, and the title of “America’s Top Young Scientist.”
Evaluated by a panel of judges, all video entries for the 2010 science competition will be assessed on the basis of creativity, persuasiveness, classroom suitability, and overall presentation. Videos will not be evaluated on production skills and may be recorded on cell phones or simple digital cameras. All video entries must be submitted online at www.youngscientistchallenge.com no later than May 27.
Honorable Mention – Various Deadlines
 Califone International has hosted a wide variety of fun contests in recent weeks. For example, a Twitter contest in mid-February recognized that some of our nation’s greatest orators who have united and inspired us have been our Presidents. To celebrate President’s Day and to help educators convey their own messages, the week-long contest offered up to 10 PA25R megaphones to educators who tweeted about the contest. To learn about future fun contests, follow @Califone, monitor Califone’s blog, or become a Facebook fan.
Charlene Blohm • 03-01-10
America’s 14,000 public school districts function independently, but each sets its own schedule for the five principle elements of the buying cycle. The initial part of the buying cycle generally occurs in mid or late spring and is dedicated to determining the needs of the upcoming school year. Then, approximately four months are spent in planning and establishing the budget. The third phase encompasses the presentation of the budget to the board of education.
Upon the board’s approval, the bidding process begins, and selected publishers, manufacturers, facilities planners, and dealers are invited to submit bids for specific products. The final and longest portion of the cycle is devoted to reviewing supplier’s bids, studying each product or service, making final decisions, and issuing purchase orders.
 The Five Key Phases of the District Buying Cycle Source: District Administration
Some districts operate with no schedule at all, while others are unequivocal as to when one phase ends and the next starts. Regardless, year-to-year budget planning and purchasing cycles overlap.
However, most school districts do not consider their buying cycles untouchable. They often insert a new product or service into their planning, and if one product is considered roughly equivalent to another, they usually are free to make the substitution. The most frequently offered reasons for change are: product availability, manufacturer’s reputation, service capability, and price. Each site and school district’s buying cycle is unique.
It is important to consider the school buying cycle when marketing to school districts and their decision-makers. Oftentimes, catalog, product or e-campaign pushes throughout the early spring (January through March) receive the best response. If large purchase items are offered later in the year, orders may be postponed until the following year after administrators have incorporated the item into their budgets. Products intended for teachers are best marketed during the weeks following school closure, and the weeks before the next year begins.
In terms of education trade publications, many outlets produce combined summer issues because of the buying cycle, and the fact that most schools are closed. Also, it’s important to keep in mind that most trade publications are sent to the printers four months prior to the issue date. This means that when attempting to reach audiences in January, information should be provided to the outlet no later than October of the previous year.
Keeping the school buying cycle top-of-mind benefits your marketing and PR campaigns, and bolsters sales results.
Sandy Fash • 02-15-10
There are several award programs in the education industry that highlight organizations, products and services, and many call for entries in the early Spring. With this in mind, we wanted to share a few tips to help your company put its best foot forward throughout the application process.
1. Create a checklist or grid of all award programs that are appropriate for your company, and your products and services. This will help you keep track of deadlines, costs and application requirements.
2. Begin the application process at least one month prior to the deadline to ensure all requirements are in place well before the due date.
 3. Visit the award program’s Web site to learn more about it and review its award categories.
4. Match your company, or its products and services, to the appropriate categories, carefully considering the cost and required resources.
5. Fill out the application forms. Many award programs require you to apply or nominate submissions online. Some offer a printable PDF to help you determine what will be needed when it comes time to complete the application online. Use this document to prepare before logging online to enter.
6. Most award programs ask for multiple copies of products. If your product is online only, many will ask for multiple login accounts. Use this to your advantage. With multiple accounts, you are able to monitor how many judges have logged in to review your product.
- Make sure your account information is valid for at least six months, unless the award program specifies that more time is needed for the judging process.
- Create simple login usernames and passwords that are easy to remember and use.
7. If your product must be shipped (i.e., software, videos), provide printed documentation of your submission (which usually still takes place online). We recommend including a letter to the award program coordinator highlighting what is in each box and how to contact you if needed.
8. Some award programs allow you to submit additional resources that support your nomination (either electronically, via fax or through the mail).
- If sending materials as e-mail attachments, or as uploads to a Web site, make sure files are clearly titled with your company and/or product name. Make sure the subject line of your note includes your company and/or product name, too.
- If sending hard copies, ensure your documents are well organized, and there are enough copies for each judge. Print all documents in color.
- All documents should showcase similar branding and styling. For example, be sure all documents feature the same logo and company tagline.
9. Items to consider sending along with your product/service:
- Instructions for how to use your product
- If a Web-based product, instructions for logging in to use the service
- Flash demos
- Reviewer’s guides
- Catalog information
- News releases or marketing information about the product/service
- Company background documents, including fact sheets, executive biographies and testimonials
- Positive evaluations from other reviewers
10. Some award programs allow you to offer judges a guided tour of your product (though judges usually are not required to participate). If this is the case, work with each judge to set up a time for a guided tour at his or her convenience. Remember, you are the one applying for the award!
- Keep the guided demo to less than one hour, preferably 30 minutes.
- Showcase the product as efficiently as possible, outlining key benefits and features.
- This is not a sales pitch, but an informational meeting. Use language that ensures the judge does not feel pressured or uninformed.
11. Determine how you will pay for your nominations, and have credit card information available when applying online.
12. For future reference, update your award programs grid after you have submitted each nomination to keep track of the programs and categories you entered. If you win an award, note this on your grid as well, as some award programs do not allow you to enter a winning product the following year.
Lastly, keep in mind that beyond the opportunity to win an industry award, you are creating the potential for a great public relations moment as well. If you are a finalist in the program, feel free to send employees, customers, potential customers, and media representatives a brief note highlighting this achievement. And, do so again when you win!
Charlene Blohm • 02-10-10
How much is it? That’s usually the first question out of our mouths when we read about a new, “must have” product. So why the growing trend to remove pricing information from Web sites, product flyers, catalogs, and news releases?
We always encourage our clients to include pricing in their news releases, but some companies have policies that make our request for pricing information difficult to fulfill. To shed some light on the topic, we’ve been polling editors at the nation’s leading education publications over the past six months. Speaking on condition of anonymity, several editors shared their comments on the subject.
Why Pricing Matters
 For administrators, getting price data saves time and facilitates decision-making. “As a K-12 education editor, I know price is very important to our readers,” said one editor. “We try to provide this information, if possible.”
Another editor put it this way: “Pricing is a key factor for administrators looking to compare and contrast products and services, and very important in their purchasing decision-making process.”
“Budgets are tight,” the editor continued. “If an administrator has to spend a lot of time tracking down a single product,” only to find that the district can’t afford it, “that’s a big waste of their time.”
Extra Steps Don’t Make for Happy Editors
Editors know what readers want, but have to jump through hoops to get it.
Our query hit a nerve with one editor, who observed that most submitted news releases don’t include pricing. “I have to write back to the PR person, who has to contact the product manager or executive in charge, who then spends time deciding what the pricing language should be, getting back to the PR person, who gets back to me…and I can end up waiting for a long time. Some companies have taken weeks, or never actually given me a final answer. The longer I wait, the less likely it will be that I’ll include the product in the magazine.”
Another editor said: “Few vendors do include pricing. I usually have to request it.”
Prices May Vary
Vendors prefer to be coy about pricing, but readers get impatient. And, the vendor may lose valuable exposure.
“I understand that some products need to be described as ‘pricing varies,’” one of the editors said. “But you can’t use that all the time, and for everything; it frustrates the reader because it provides no useful information.”
This editor’s final comment: “It may seem like a small thing, but I think it develops trust with readers, giving them the feeling that this information really cuts to the chase and tells them what they need to know.”
Other editors shared similar observations. Even if a publication doesn’t have a formal pricing policy, the editors strive to include pricing information, especially in sections of their publications that focus on new products. One editor said: “We don’t mandate pricing with product news, but again, price is always on the short list of product questions in the K-12 market.”
Another editor said that if information about a new product is received at the magazine without pricing, that product is simply not included in that magazine’s new product section.
Pricing May Change
If a vendor can’t name the price, at least describe the ballpark. A simple “pricing starts at…” statement is a good place to start, and
We queried one of the editors we’d surveyed about this suggestion, and received this reply: “I think this is a big issue with K-12 — if the school can’t afford it, or if they have to spend a lot of time trying to figure out if they can afford it, they may be less likely to consider the product for their schools. Some may interpret ‘contact for pricing’ as ‘too expensive.’”
Product prices can change, and discounts may be available. Thankfully, most publications include a link to a vendor’s Web site to learn more about the new products that are featured.
What approach has your company taken regarding its pricing policy?
Brittany Dorfner • 01-11-10
Looking back on 2009, was your company innovative in terms of online networking, or more of a social novice? If last year was your time to learn more about social media, then 2010 provides an opportunity to put your new-found expertise to the test.
As the new year begins, apply what you’ve learned towards planning the implementation of your social media strategy. Innovative networking tools are in the forefront of an ongoing revolution in how we share information, and you need to factor them into your company’s communications plan. To remain competitive with other forward-thinking companies in your industry, it’s crucial to start strategizing with social media now.
Here are three key concepts to guide your company’s social media planning:
1. Personalization
- Today, customers and key audiences are able to connect directly online with the organizations and institutions they value most. Case studies show customers respond positively to the personal connection available through social networks, as well as the rich interactive experience online platforms provide.
- Because of this positive response, it’s important to include personal elements in your company’s social networks. When setting up your company Twitter account, include a 2-3 sentence company bio, along with the name of who will maintain the account, and upload a customized background. On Facebook, share photos of company events or outings to give customers a glimpse behind your office walls.
2. Communication
- Obviously, communication is key. Once you’ve set up your corporate Twitter and Facebook accounts, set goals for yourself. Start with 3-4 tweets per day and at least one Facebook update a week. Share company updates with your followers, and useful or interesting articles on key industry topics. Your followers will appreciate receiving updates about your products and services, and the value you bring to their personal learning network.
- In addition to sending frequent updates, make it a point to initiate or contribute to conversations. Use Twitter and Facebook to resolve customer complaints, product issues, etc., and contribute your opinions to conversations relating to industry issues. Sharing your knowledge and opinions will not only broaden your follower base, but establish your industry expertise as well.
3. Quantification
- As seen in 2009, the big question for anyone building a social media campaign is how to quantify your company’s return on investment. As social media platforms have evolved, so have the tools used to track their statistics over time. Regarding Twitter, tools such as HootSuite or bit.ly can provide statistics useful for demonstrating your company’s social media success. Aside from mentions and retweets, these tools provide information for tweets with links, including Total Clicks, Referring Sites and Conversations to monitor engagement.
- In terms of Facebook, monitoring for comments is generally the best way to track your success – comments initiate conversation with you and other fans, increasing engagement and building interaction. Page Administrators can also view Insights to view Fans Over Time, Interactions and Quality of Posts.
If you’re just starting out on Twitter, and want more Twitter-specific information, check out the CB&A Slideshare account.
After contemplating these three “pillars” of social media deployment, would you consider your company a social media expert, or does your social media plan need work? If the latter, how will you implement these ideas in 2010?
Kristen Plemon • 12-21-09
Congratulations to all the 2009 Edublog award winners and nominees! The winners were announced in an online ceremony last week. Four of the edubloggers nominated by the CB&A team were among the winners, although all the nominees are winners in our book. You can view the list of winners, and the first and second place runners-up, at edublogawards.com.
We look forward to exciting new developments in the “eduverse” in 2010, and to next year’s awards. Thanks again to all the educators who are sharing their ideas, thoughts and projects with the world through social media; their voices are helping to improve education and take it in innovative directions.
Kristen Plemon • 12-08-09
Now in its sixth year, the Edublog Awards program celebrates the achievements of edubloggers, twitterers, podcasters, video makers, online communities, wiki hosts, and other Web-based users of educational technology. It’s a wonderful opportunity to recognize the hard-working, dedicated, passionate educators who are using the Web to share their vision and ideas, and to collaborate with colleagues and others in the education community. There are so many whom we’ve learned from and enjoyed getting to know this year that it was very difficult to choose just one per category, but those are the rules…
Group voting by the CB&A team yielded the following nominations for the 2009 Edublog Awards:
Thank you to Steve Hargadon and Classroom 2.0 for co-hosting the awards with Edublogs Campus!
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