Posted by SPMG Media on May 21, 2013 under Educational Technology, News | 
“Simple Tech Solutions for Creating Community on Campus” by Courtney Buell first appeared on Edcetera.
When students are involved in on-campus activities, they are more engaged in their lessons, they develop friendships that bolster them through their challenging courses, and they feel a sense of ownership over their school and the experiences they have there. Community colleges in particular struggle to help students feel included and involved in the campus community beyond attending classes. Without on-campus housing and big sports teams to bring students together, it’s not uncommon for them to feel isolated.
Chances are, your school is already creating clubs and hosting events on campus regularly, but getting the word out to the students that need to hear it might be a problem. This is where a few simple tech tools can really make a difference.
Social Media
If it hasn’t already, your school should establish a presence on Facebook and Twitter. Both are free, and students are already using them all the time. Have your department of student life manage the accounts, and encourage students to follow the pages when they enroll, then they can get their school news in the same place as their social news. Avoid over-posting though, or you run the risk seeming spammy and making students want to hit “unfollow.”
Badges
Foursquare and Mozilla both use badges for various education-related online and real-life accomplishments. Your school can use ready-made badges online, or create their own like Seton Hall University and award them for anything: visiting the library, attending an event, completing campus orientation, or even joining a club. Take it a step further by incentivizing your badge system with special invites to cookouts or movie screenings on campus.
Forums
Online forums are a fantastic place for like-minded people to ask questions and find new information about common interests. Many larger universities, like University of Iowa, have forums that are dedicated to discussions about their sports teams, but if your school doesn’t have a big team that doesn’t preclude it from creating a thriving forum for another topic. In fact, many of the sports forums end up hosting discussions about anything from books to video games – it all depends on what the participants decide to talk about and what strikes a chord. The result is an active online community, full of fun and interesting conversation that bleeds over into campus life. READ MORE
Posted by SPMG Media on under Education Leadership, Educational Policy, National Policy, News |
PALO ALTO, Calif. — Most public school teachers feel unprepared to teach math and reading to the Common Core standards that are rolling out in 45 states and the District, according to a poll of 800 teachers released Friday by the American Federation of Teachers.
The new standards, written by a group of states and embraced by the Obama administration, set common goals for reading, writing and math skills that students should develop from kindergarten through high school graduation. Curriculum is left to the states. The standards emphasize critical thinking and problem solving and are supposed to encourage students to think deeply about fewer topics.
While a clear majority — 75 percent — of teachers surveyed by the union said they support the Common Core, less than one-third said their school districts have given them the training and resources to teach to the new standards.
Many states have begun implementing the standards. All participating states are expected to have them in place by 2014, when students will take new standardized tests based on the Common Core. READ MORE
Posted by SPMG Media on under Community Action, Educational Policy, Leadership, News |
by Merdies Hayes (OurWeekly)
They cite pressing issues—jobs, housing, racial profiling—among African Americans
A panel of political, labor, educational and clergy leaders are demanding that elected officials establish and maintain a high level of accountability in providing services to and improving the standard of living in the African American community.
The Black Community, Clergy and Labor Alliance (BCCLA) convened a summit Monday morning at the African American Cultural Center in the Crenshaw District, specifying to liberal-democratic officeholders and candidates that the Black vote will no longer be automatic.
“We no longer can give our vote and not have accountability from our political leaders,” said the Rev. Eric Lee, president of the BCCLA. The group announced a Black Community Candidate Covenant to achieve policy and political goals that are mutually beneficial to the officeholder and their constituency. READ MORE
Tags: A Dialogue with Black LA, African American, BCCLA, Black Community Candidate Covenant, Black Community Clergy and Labor Alliance, Black leaders, Community, Crenshaw District, Dr. Chris L. Hickey Sr., Each One Teach One Alliance for Academic Access Achievement and Success, LA Mayoral race, Rev. Eric Lee, SPMG Media, Starlett Quarles
Posted by SPMG Media on under Community Action, Community Influence on Education, Education Leadership, Leadership, Mentoring Youth, Parent Involvement |
Wednesday night’s show on Hot Topics Talk Radio with host Toni Breedlove featuring special guest Dr. Chris L. Hickey Sr., Executive Director at Each One – Teach One Alliance for Academic Access, Achievement and Success in Inglewood, Ca. proved to be well worth the wait for those of us in the Eastern and Central Time Zones of the country. An eclectic mixture of simmering anger, resentment and hope all found their way into the conversation pot producing in some instances relief for those seeking a bowl of venting soup or a forum for those raising their hands with possible ingredients for remedy, but without a doubt a gumbo of genuine concern and compassion for those touched by this epidemic. Surprisingly and certainly cutting against the grain of resigned to notions which stereotype men as the problem in this crisis, Mona Lishey, one of the show’s co-host raised the specter that perhaps some responsibility for the absence of fathers be attributed also to women. A notion I might add, Dr. Hickey as well as other males present agreed with, albeit with nervous trepidation. READ MORE
Posted by SPMG Media on May 17, 2013 under Community Action, Education Leadership, Leadership, Mentoring Youth, News |
Dr. Hickey was featured in an article by Jay Arrington of the Maryland Daily Examiner , discussing Hot Topics Radio show with host Toni Breedlove and the topic: ‘Fatherless Sons and Daughters: Healing the Gap. The episode, inspired by Oprah Winfrey’s recent series, “Life Class – Fatherless Sons”, featured Dr. Chris L. Hickey Sr., Executive Director at Each One – Teach One Alliance for Academic Access, Achievement and Success in Inglewood, California, as special guest. The show emphasized the impact of fatherlessness in the lives of children, the impact on the child and society at large, and techniques to move both child and father towards healing. READ MORE . Listen to the episode here – CLICK HERE
Tags: Abandonment, Fatherless daughters, Fatherless sons, Fatherless Sons and Daughters: Healing the Gap, Hot Topics Radio, Hurt, Jay Arrington, Maryland Daily Examiner, Oprah, Oprah Life Class, Toni Breedlove
Posted by SPMG Media on under Community Influence on Education, Education Leadership, Educational Reform, Leadership, Mentoring Youth, National Policy, News |
Dr. Hickey (pictured here with Tyrone Howard, Executive Director, UCLA Black Male Institute) recently attended the 5th Annual Black Male Think Tank, hosted by the Los Angeles Urban League, UCLA Black Male Institute and the California Community Foundation, Thursday, May 9, 2013.
The theme of this years’ event was ‘Solutions Not Suspensions’. This event was billed as a collaborative effort to promote positive behavioral interventions and supports. The goal of this event was to:
- Highlight best practices, programs and policies that reduce punitive school discipline practices and policies
- To facilitate dialogue and collaboration across various sectors in order to accelerate efforts that reduce school discipline
- To establish ongoing collaborative connections between multiple sectors to reduce school discipline.
Posted by SPMG Media on under Community Action, Leadership, Mentoring Youth, Parent Involvement |
Dr. Chris L. Hickey, Sr., Executive Director of
Each One – Teach One Alliance for Academic Access, Achievement and Success, participated on the panel,
‘It Takes A Village”: Single Mothers Raising Their Black Sons. This powerful event was held Saturday, May 4, 2013, at
USC Marshall School of Business, Hoffman Hall, Edison Auditorium.
Dr. Sharoni Little, Educator and Author, moderated this event. Other panelists included Ms. Beneca Ward, TV Executive, Author and Entrepreneur; Mr. John Nelson, Psychotherapist ; Ms. Nefertiti Austin, Author and Adjunct College Professor.
Dr. Hickey visits with Author and Speaker
Fluke Fluker, founder of The Village Nation. Mr. Fluker participated in the event, addressing the young men.
Posted by SPMG Media on under Uncategorized |
Posted by SPMG Media on May 16, 2013 under Community Influence on Education, Education Leadership, Mentoring Youth |
Success 4U Foundation’s Teen Leadership Program is a 16-week program designed to provide preparation, inspiration, nurturing and activities to empower girls (ages 13) from low-income families through group mentoring, life skills training, leadership training and family enrichment activities for them to be successful in their high school and college education. Success 4U Foundation, 31566 Railroad Canyon Rd., Suite 652, Canyon Lake, CA 92587. Phone: (951) 221-3000. Learn more at www.success4ufoundation.org. Email: byoung@success4ufoundation.org.
Posted by SPMG Media on April 2, 2013 under Community Action, Leadership, Mentoring Youth |
On Saturday, March 23rd I had the enthralling experience of doing my doctoral oral presentation in the presence of my family and close friends. Subsequently, I earned my Ph.D. in Leadership and Change from Antioch University. My dissertation topic was titled, “The Phenomenal Characteristics of the Son-Father Relationship Experience” where I asked the central question, “How is leadership development influenced by the emotional characteristics of the son-father relationship experience?” My enthusiasm for conducting this research revolved around my assertion of its applicability to youth leadership development programs, with respect to the potential to add an emphasis on Leadership values and practices that cultivate healthy sustainable relationships; consistent with responsible and effective parent involvement and planning; family leadership; and, community support.
While my research resulted in the acknowledgment of an anecdotal connection between how young men are (or should be) affected by the leadership qualities of their fathers, very little was specifically articulated about how the participants of my research felt their own leadership development was influenced by the relationship experience, particularly juxtaposed to the amount of attention the participants spent on describing their feelings and emotions about their son-father relationship experience. Clearly, the articulation of feelings and emotions on the topic is not only significant, but also provides a platform for further study and consideration. However, having had a brief time now to reflect on the implications of my research (without the pressure of having to prove my scholarship to my approving panel); I am particularly interested in the youth leadership development questions discussed with my participants. Moreover, I now find the requisite to continue my interest in Leadership development opportunities that facilitate the acquirement of values and practices that cultivate sustainable relationships and facilitates family and community uplifting.
I remain committed to my research on the connection between the son-father relationship experience and how men and boys articulate how it affects leadership development. However, I am now equally committed to understanding how those of us (men and women) who are credited as Community Leaders influence and affect Leadership development in the youth that reside in our community. With respect to this broader objective, I am asking of myself and other purported Community Leaders to begin reflecting on the specific values and practices we engage in that can be considered as directly influencing the development of Leadership in our youth. During our daily interactions with each other (and possible adversaries we seek to influence), what sort of Leadership example are we setting for the youth we advocate for? How are we involving youth in our advocacy? What are we learning from our direct relationship with them? Do we allow our youth a voice? Do we accept viable diverse positions from our youth, even if they differ from our own? I suggest that it is not enough to change to the social, education and financial condition of those we represent and advocate for, but moreover, the true and sustainable quality of our Leadership is found in how we affect observable and direct change in those we purport to lead.
In their text Youth Leadership: A guide to understanding leadership development in adolescents, Linden and Fertman suggest, “Leadership development emphasizes adults’ interaction with teenagers. Instead of fulfilling their traditional roles, counselors, employers, youth workers, principles, and teachers serve as facilitators and help adolescents augment their leadership knowledge, attitudes, communication, decision-making, and stress-management skills (p. 178). As Community Leaders, we are no less responsible for the development of such leadership skills in the youth that will be expected to take our place and assume various Leadership roles in our community. What is your commitment to Youth Leadership Development?
Dr. Chris L. Hickey, Sr. is the Founder and Executive Director of Each One – Teach One Alliance for Academic Access, Achievement and Success, an organization that focuses on efforts to heighten community awareness of the overwhelming importance of reforming educational practices targeting at-risk youth. He also serves as the Director of Instructional Technology Systems Consultancy, a firm that provides full service technology consulting, planning and implementation for hospitals; medical clinics; public, charter and private schools; and, other instructional settings.
