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	<title>C. Blohm &#38; Associates, Inc. &#187; Blog</title>
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	<link>http://www.cblohm.com</link>
	<description>Public Relations for the Education Industry</description>
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		<title>On the Trail to TCEA</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2012/02/02/on-the-trail-to-tcea/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2012/02/02/on-the-trail-to-tcea/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:32:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Saul Hafenbredl</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TCEA]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.cblohm.com/?p=5075</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Our tour of the Sun Belt continues next week, as Charlene (@CharleneBlohm) and Emily (@EmilyEmbury) travel to Austin for TCEA 2012. Several CB&#38;A clients are also making the trip. While you’re on the show floor, keep an eye out for: PCI Education, Booth 407 Gaggle, Booth 1347 Capstone Digital, Booth 1743 eChalk, Booth 1636 Education2020, Booth 424 GradeCam Corporation, Booth 714 Key Curriculum Press, Booth 2387 Shmoop, Booth 828 VizZle, Booth 305 In addition to enjoying the obligatory margarita (it’s Texas, after all), the CB&#38;A team is looking forward to attending several sessions, chatting with industry leaders, catching up with friends from the ed trade media, and providing strategic assistance to clients. Other TCEA 2012 highlights include: Sessions from Gaggle: - “Not My Kid! Bullying, Sexting and More,” Wednesday, Feb. 8 from 10:30 am – 11:00 am in Room 19B - “Oh No! Teachers and Students Are Talking,” Wednesday, Feb. 8 from 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm in Room 14 - “A Day in the Lives of Connected Students,” Thursday, Feb. 9 from 3:45 pm – 4:45 pm in Room 11AB Other sessions: - &#8220;How to Survive an E-Rate Audit,&#8221; Thursday, Feb. 9 from 3:45 pm &#8211; 4:45 pm in [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Digital Learning Day 2012</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2012/01/31/digital-learning-day-2012/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2012/01/31/digital-learning-day-2012/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:09:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Lili Beck</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Digital Learning Day]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.cblohm.com/?p=5015</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Among education leaders, it’s no secret that technology is transforming how students communicate and learn; yet powerful digital teaching tools and resources are being underutilized in classrooms nationwide. On Wednesday, the inaugural Digital Learning Day, 36 states, 10,000 teachers, and more than 1.5 million students will join together to encourage technology use in the classroom. Digital Learning Day, “a nationwide celebration of innovative teaching and learning through digital media and technology,” was designed to explore and demonstrate how classroom technology can be used to improve student outcomes. Tomorrow, Feb. 1, a National Town Hall Meeting hosted by the Alliance for Excellent Education, will be held at 1 p.m., EST, in Wash. D.C., The event will celebrate participants across the nation and feature FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan in a special joint appearance. Additional participants include Bob Wise, president of the Alliance for Excellent Education and former governor of West Virginia, and Leon Harris, Emmy Award-winning journalist and news anchor for ABC7/WJLA-TV (Wash., D.C.) and former co-anchor of CNN Live Today. To participate in the event, guests can register to watch the event on Skype. Interested spectators and participants can also follow the conversation on Twitter, or use the hashtag #DLDay. [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Thumbs Up for Likable Social Media</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2012/01/27/thumbs-up-for-likable-social-media/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2012/01/27/thumbs-up-for-likable-social-media/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:38:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Lili Beck</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Public Relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Facebook]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.cblohm.com/?p=4804</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Studies consistently verify a fundamental truth about buyer behavior: a friend’s recommendation is more powerful than any advertisement. In the world of social media, your inner circle’s experiences and opinions can travel farther and faster than ever before. The question is, how can public relations professionals harness the incredible power of word-of-mouth marketing to transform a business? Are you utilizing the advantages of social media to the fullest? Successfully using social media for business purposes is not as easy as it sounds. I just finished reading Dave Kerpen’s book Likeable Social Media, a guide on how to delight your customers, create an irresistible brand, and become a Facebook superstar. What makes this particular social media book stand out? For starters, author Kerpen has the credentials to support his social media principles. Kerpen is the co-founder and CEO of Likeable Media, an award-winning social media and word-of-mouth marketing firm with revenue growth for 4 consecutive years. Kerpen has been featured on CNBC’s “On the Money”, ABC World News Tonight, the CBS Early Show, the New York Times, and accredited blogs. Likable Social Media covers such relevant hot topics as authenticity, honesty and transparency. In an attempt to present the best image possible, most [...]]]></description>
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		<title>You Gonna Be at FETC?</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2012/01/23/you-gonna-be-at-fetc/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2012/01/23/you-gonna-be-at-fetc/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:48:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Lauren Rothering</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FETC]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.cblohm.com/?p=4717</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This week, Charlene (@CharleneBlohm) and Kristen (@KPlemon) are escaping the harsh midwestern winter for the sunny embrace of Orlando for FETC 2012. While soaking up the sun, the CB&#038;A team is excited to attend sessions, chat with industry leaders and ed trade editors, and assist several of our clients who are attending the show. Here are some highlights we&#8217;re especially looking forward to: &#8211;Listening in on Carolyn Jacobs presentation, &#8220;Transforming Lessons with PBS LearningMedia,&#8221; Thursday, January 26, 10:00 am &#8211; 11:00 am in Room S230D &#8211;Visiting the booths of several of our clients, including GradeCam (booth 1037), PBS (booth 1236), Shmoop (booth 134) and Gaggle (booth 413) &#8211;Adam Bellow&#8217;s session, &#8220;The Tech Commandments: 10 ways to Revitalize Education with Technology&#8221;, Thursday, January 26, 2012 12:00 pm &#8211; 1:00 pm in Room S310A Check out our FETC news page for more information. Be sure to stop and say &#8220;Hiya!&#8221; if you see us around!]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.cblohm.com/2012/01/23/you-gonna-be-at-fetc/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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		<title>Top 7 Ed Tech Trends to Watch in 2012</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2012/01/06/top-7-trends-to-watch-in-2012/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2012/01/06/top-7-trends-to-watch-in-2012/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 06 Jan 2012 22:56:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Lauren Rothering</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Public Relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Blended Learning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cloud computing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[common core]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[edTech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mlearning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mobile learning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[online learning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PLNs]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.cblohm.com/?p=4277</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Compiled by CB&#38;A staff As a follow-up to our 2011 reflection post, the CB&#38;A team once again collaborated to identify what we believe will be hot topics in education for 2012. Do you agree with us? Let us know in the comments! 1. Mobile Learning You’re not experiencing déjà vu. We did, indeed, identify mobile learning as a hot trend in our 2011 reflection last week. But since trends don’t adhere to calendars, we expect the gathering wave of mobile technology in education to spill over into 2012 and beyond. More than three-quarters of teens own a cell phone – 40 percent own a smartphone. These percentages will only grow in 2012, and you can expect to hear a lot more about using mobile devices as educational tools inside and outside of the classroom. 2. Common Core As with mobile learning, Common Core was included in our 2011 reflection post, also gaining momentum moving into 2012, especially as more schools incorporate Common Core State Standards into their lessons and assessments. Check out what some educators are saying about Common Core, and what they believe the future might hold 3. Online Learning With four states requiring at least one online course credit [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.cblohm.com/2012/01/06/top-7-trends-to-watch-in-2012/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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		<item>
		<title>In case you missed it</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2012/01/05/in-case-you-missed-it/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2012/01/05/in-case-you-missed-it/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 05 Jan 2012 18:24:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Lauren Rothering</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Dairy Dispatch]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Public Relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christmas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[edTech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reindeer]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.cblohm.com/?p=4184</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Feeling a little glum after the holidays? Rekindle your Christmas spirit by reading the November/December issue of the Dairy Dispatch! In this issue, we tackle the history of reindeer and bring you the latest news from our client family. Read the entire issue here! Be sure to keep your eyes open for our first issue of 2012, set to release on February 1!]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.cblohm.com/2012/01/05/in-case-you-missed-it/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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		<title>2011: A Year to Remember</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/12/29/2011-a-year-to-remember/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/12/29/2011-a-year-to-remember/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 29 Dec 2011 22:47:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Lauren Rothering</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Knowledge Delivery Systems]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PBS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Public Relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SIIA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[StudyBlue]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[2011]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[college]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cyberbullying]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[highered]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[infographic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[university]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.cblohm.com/?p=4026</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Compiled by CB&#38;A staff At CB&#38;A, we’ve been talking a lot about collaboration recently, not only in our own office environment, but also in the education community. We saw tons of innovation and advancement in 2011, but through it all, collaborative efforts seemed to reign supreme. From everything we saw this year, here’s our take on the top seven trends of 2011: 1) Infographics Infographics can change the way we learn, and the way we interpret the information put in front of us. In 2011, one education trend was the increasing use of infographics to relay important data to students. A well-designed infographic can highlight important conclusions and study findings in a clear and concise way. For example, a successful 2011 infographic developed by StudyBlue®, a mobile and online study service for students, demonstrates several benefits for students who use their mobile device for study sessions. 2) Anything Free As schools and districts faced deep budget cuts in 2011, educators turned to free online resources, which proliferated this year. One example is the launch of PBS LearningMedia, a free nationwide service for teachers, parents and families. PBS, along with its member stations, debuted PBS LearningMedia in June to provide more than 14,000 high-quality digital learning [...]]]></description>
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		<title>There’s Nothing like a Road Trip to Get to Know Someone</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/12/22/there%e2%80%99s-nothing-like-a-road-trip-to-get-to-know-someone/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/12/22/there%e2%80%99s-nothing-like-a-road-trip-to-get-to-know-someone/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 22 Dec 2011 20:06:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Lauren Rothering</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Public Relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[co-workers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[office]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pitching]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.cblohm.com/?p=3809</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In November, the Account Coordinators attended a PRSA “Pitching Boot Camp,” presented by Michael Smart. We learned lots of tips and tricks on pitching and media relations, which have already come in handy for our several of our clients. The biggest lesson I learned, though, didn’t come from Michael Smart or any of the conference attendees, but from a dark booth at an Outback Steakhouse. Let me explain. The night before the seminar, we all piled into Saul’s car and hit the road to Chicago. The three of us had been working together for a couple months, but we learned pretty quickly there was a lot we didn’t know about each other. In between getting lost in Chicago on the way to our hotel and trying to track down a place to eat dinner, we bonded over stories of our college days and just how many nights a week we spend prowling State Street. By the time we sat down to dinner at Outback Steakhouse, there was a marked increase in the level of comfort we had with each other. This led to some great collaborative brainstorming over the next few hours, and into the seminar the next day. By [...]]]></description>
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		<title>How to Pitch Successfully</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/12/16/how-to-pitch-successfully/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/12/16/how-to-pitch-successfully/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 16 Dec 2011 20:49:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Lili Beck</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Public Relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pitching]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.cblohm.com/?p=3515</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Do you ever feel like your pitches are ignored? You’re not alone. Many PR professionals feel that their pitches are not well received by the media. Truth be told, journalists and top bloggers are quickly developing a reputation for having an aversion to public relations pitches. Considering the high volume of emails they receive on a daily basis, it’s quite understandable. Any email with “awesome PR pitch!” in the subject line is bound for a slam-dunk into the recycling bin.  Swoosh! While news coverage in top outlets is still a very powerful way to reach key audiences, the methods to reach out to these influential opinion leaders are continuously evolving in today’s digitally focused, and time constrained world. Several CB&#38;A team members recently attended a PRSA Pitching Bootcamp event in Chicago led by Michael Smart, principal of MichaelSMARTPR. Michael has been landing top-tier coverage for over 13 years, and has placed stories in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Time magazine, and NBC’s Today show. His work is impressive, and the 8-hour pitching workshop was very informative and worthwhile. Today, I would like to share a few of Michael’s techniques. This post will cover social media etiquette, the top complaints [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/12/16/how-to-pitch-successfully/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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		<title>Three Fatal Presentation Design Mistakes and How to Avoid Them</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/12/08/three-fatal-presentation-design-mistakes-and-how-to-avoid-them/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/12/08/three-fatal-presentation-design-mistakes-and-how-to-avoid-them/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 08 Dec 2011 18:54:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Saul Hafenbredl</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Public Relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pr]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[presentations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[public speaking]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.cblohm.com/?p=3392</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The first post in this three-part series covered how to create compelling content for your next presentation. Content is the foundation of your presentation, and this post provides some tips on how to build an engaging, visually beautiful set of slides atop that foundational content. You’ve done the hard work of developing meaningful ideas, so why not display them in the best possible light? This is the fun part. Avoid… Making your slides too complicated Avoid cluttering the slides with unnecessary bells and whistles. They’ll only distract your audience and detract from the message you’re trying to convey. The “less is more” cliché applies in this case. But you have all of that useful content, so what should you do with those data points and poignant examples?  Read on… Putting everything on one slide Ever notice how the audience suddenly springs to life and madly scribbles notes exactly when you switch slides? Then, after they copy the text from your presentation verbatim into their pads, they slump back into their chairs and zone out until they’re cued by a slide change to pay attention again. There’s a simple way to keep your audience on its proverbial toes: present at a [...]]]></description>
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		<title>A Formula for Creating Memorable Presentations [Part One of Three]</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/11/18/a-formula-for-creating-memorable-presentations-part-one-of-three/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/11/18/a-formula-for-creating-memorable-presentations-part-one-of-three/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Nov 2011 18:52:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Saul Hafenbredl</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Public Relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pr]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[presentations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[public speaking]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.cblohm.com/?p=3386</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We’ve all suffered through them before—presentations that lull us to sleep, fail to make a point, waste our time, and make us wish we could overthrow the presenter in favor of charades or an early Happy Hour. Then, on fleeting occasions, we’re reminded just how powerful presentations can be when they’re done the right way. The CB&#38;A team recently attended a webinar from BrightTALK on how to be a “presentation god” (or goddess), and we’ve picked out some key points that will help you deliver a killer presentation the next time you stand up in front of an audience. &#160; To make these tips easier to digest, we’ll feed them to you as a three-course meal: content, design, and delivery. This post will cover content, which happens to be the most important and most frequently overlooked step in crafting a presentation. Creating Effective Content Dan Schwertly, the webinar presenter, was emphatic about breaking everything down into groups of three, so we’ll do the same while discussing content. You need to consider three components in this stage:credibility, knowing the audience, and planning. Credibility Credibility is essential to the success of your presentation. If your audience doesn’t have faith in your status as a thought leader, [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Reputation Management</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/11/17/reputation-management/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/11/17/reputation-management/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Nov 2011 20:39:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Charlene Blohm</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Public Relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Books]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pr]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reputation management]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=3039</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#8220;Your reputation is no joke, it&#8217;s your superpower.&#8221; With those words from the title of a Forbes article, John Doorley owned the room at the PRSA International conference (#PRSAIcon) in Orlando last month. Doorley is co-author of &#8220;Reputation Management: The Key to Successful Public Relations and Corporate Communication,&#8221; and assistant clinical professor and chair of the New York University Master of Science Degree Program in Public Relations and Corporate Communication. Previously, he headed corporate communications at Merck, and was the lead speechwriter for the chief executive officer of Hoffmann LaRoche Inc. Recently, he worked with the leaders of corporate communication at Johnson &#38; Johnson to create and teach in the Academy for Communication Excellence and Leadership (ACCEL). Doorley encouraged attendees to ask what their organization stands for, which is your intrinsic identity.  He said research shows an organization can have several identities, but you can have just one central identity, which is your core value. He shared a formula for calculating and monitoring reputation: Reputation = Behavior + Communications X Authenticity with authenticity being the degree to which your organization lives up to its intrinsic value. Other notable comments from Doorley&#8217;s presentation: Actions that put you at risk are those [...]]]></description>
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		<title>&#8216;Excellent&#8217;: Tech &amp; Learning 2011 Award of Excellence Winners</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/11/14/excellent-tech-learning-2011-award-of-excellence-winners/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/11/14/excellent-tech-learning-2011-award-of-excellence-winners/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 14 Nov 2011 19:14:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Lauren Rothering</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Public Relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[excellence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[High School]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[History]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Movies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Teacher]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tech & Learning]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=3074</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When you think about your high school days, the mind wanders to many places: football games, Calculus class, homecoming. But mostly, I think of “Bill &#38; Ted’s Excellent Adventure.” As a petrified freshman in a new town, I wandered into my first-ever high school class, World History. Nervously straightening my bangs, I sat down and pretended to be immersed in reading the introduction of my textbook, trying to ignore my churning stomach and the fact that I did not know a single person in the entire class. Lucky for me, as the bell rang and my stomach dropped, my teacher flicked the lights off and pulled down the AV curtain. This could only mean one thing: a movie. Enter “Bill &#38; Ted’s Excellent Adventure.” Starring a baby-faced Keanu Reeves, the film is a reckless romp through history, wherein Bill and Ted travel back in time to try to save the future. Though I don’t remember much about the movie, I do recall laughing along with my classmates, making friends with my desk-neighbor by giggling at how silly Billy the Kid was, and by the end of class, thinking high school might not be so bad after all. This is excellence. [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/11/14/excellent-tech-learning-2011-award-of-excellence-winners/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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		<title>How are PR people like Disney?</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/11/07/how-are-pr-people-like-disney/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/11/07/how-are-pr-people-like-disney/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 07 Nov 2011 22:37:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Anne Smith</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Public Relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Disney]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Orlando]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PRSA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Soledad O'Brien]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[storytelling]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=3016</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Twitter. Facebook. YouTube. Foursquare. Tumblr. Huffington Post. Discussion forums. Podcasts. iPad apps. Blogs. In our quest to embrace all that is shiny and new, sometimes we forget a simple premise: as PR and marketing folks, we&#8217;re telling (or selling) a story. This year&#8217;s PRSA conference (#prsaicon) was held in Orlando, home of Disney, master storytellers themselves. CNN anchor Soledad O&#8217;Brien (@Soledad_OBrien) opened the conference reminding us to find the character in the story. &#8220;Show me the faces behind the facts,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Tell me the stories that will move me, not just the statistics.&#8221; Over the next three days, I heard this storytelling mantra repeatedly. Echoed by speakers from Chris Brogan (@chrisbrogan) and Joe Rohde (@DisneyParks) to Gerard Braud (@gbraud) and Michael Smart (@michaelsmartpr), it&#8217;s clear that for all the tools and tricks at our disposal, we have to remember that building personal connections by sharing stories about people is the value of what we do. Here are my top insights from the conference, all of which relate to focusing on the story, the message, the audience&#8230;not the channel! An authentic and emotive spokesperson is usually more effective than the most articulate person you can find. &#8211; Soledad O&#8217;Brien PRSA [...]]]></description>
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		<title>The future of social media</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/10/21/the-future-of-social-media/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/10/21/the-future-of-social-media/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 21 Oct 2011 15:44:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Lauren Rothering</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Public Relations]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=3000</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[On Oct. 11, I attended the PR + Social Media Summit at Marquette University. In its third year, the Summit attracted almost 500 PR and social media pros from the Midwest and beyond. Among the featured presenters were social media experts from the likes of Pepsi, American Eagle, The Northface and more. This Summit was also my first experience with live tweeting, which I’ll describe as attempting to run a marathon in quicksand while juggling fiery torches. Okay, maybe that’s a bit dramatic, but between trying to listen to the speakers and take notes and catch up with industry colleagues and research the best place to grab lunch, live tweeting was a difficult task to master. Nonetheless, after a full day of presentations, I returned to CB&#38;A with a dead laptop, a battered stick-on nametag and a brain full of ideas, tips and tricks for our clients and our own agency’s social media efforts. Here are some highlights from the day, condensed into my masterful live tweet form: George G. Smith Jr. from Pepsi kicked off the day with this statement, which acted as quasi-theme for the entire Summit: the need for human communication isn’t a new concept, but the [...]]]></description>
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		<title>The Dairy Dispatch is back!</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/10/07/the-dairy-dispatch-is-back/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/10/07/the-dairy-dispatch-is-back/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 07 Oct 2011 17:42:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Lauren Rothering</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=2994</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The first edition of the 2011-2012 Dairy Dispatch is now available online! This issue, we celebrate October as National Caramel Month, as well as share news from our client family. Here are some highlights: The Siemens Foundation and Discovery Education Launch the Fourth Annual Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge Mobile App from eChalk Keeps School Communities Connected Kaplan’s Online Toolkit Guides Educators through Common Core Changes Schools Maximize Technology Investments with i21 zone from STI Funds For Learning Applauds FCC Order Updating Children’s Internet Protection Act Key Curriculum Press Debuts Sketchpad Explorer for the iPad PCI Education Announces 20th Anniversary Grant Shmoop Debuts Biology and Mythology Online Learning Guides Califone Expands its 21st Century Classroom Offerings CollegeSolved.com Gives College Hopefuls Get an up-close-and-personal Look at Campus Life KDS CEO Alvin Crawford Discusses Bringing Professional Development Into the 21st Century Time To Know Adds an Additional 25 Classrooms e2020 and Giant Campus Join Forces to Provide Comprehensive Online Offering for Career and College Readiness Editure Digital School Solutions Helps Teachers Better Integrate Technology in the Classroom SIIA is Accepting Nominations for the 2012 CODiE Awards CoSN Kicks Off its 2011-2012 Internet and Educational Webinar Series VizZle Implemented in Four [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Pondering the Sands of Time &#8230; and Education Award Winners</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/10/03/pondering-the-sands-of-time-and-education-award-winners/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/10/03/pondering-the-sands-of-time-and-education-award-winners/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 03 Oct 2011 21:58:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Saul Hafenbredl</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Awards]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EDDIE Awards]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Teachers' Choice]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=2985</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The last time we wrote about awards, we were preparing for a summer of beach outings. Now, our shoes full of sand, we contemplate the summer sun fading into the cool hues of OCTOBER, and realize it&#8217;s time to talk about awards once again.  Here&#8217;s a roundup of some of the most recent EDDIE and Teachers&#8217; Choice winners. The 2011 EDDIE Awards The 16th Annual Education Software Review Awards (EDDIEs), sponsored by ComputED Gazette, target innovative and content-rich programs and websites that augment the classroom curriculum and improve teacher productivity, providing parents and teachers with the technology to foster educational excellence. Winners are selected from titles submitted by publishers around the world. Some of this year’s winners include: Upper Elementary category Reading website: myON reader; Capstone Digital Language arts website: Fluency Tutor; Texthelp Systems Middle School category Science website: Discovery Education Science Techbook; Discovery Education Social studies website: MS Civics, Government and Economics; e2020 High School category Test tool website: On Demand: SAT; Kaplan K12 Learning Services Health website: Foundations of Personal Wellness; e2020 Multi-Level category Math tool: Geometer’s Sketchpad; Key Curriculum Press Teacher Tools category Digital library website: Discovery Education streaming Plus; Discovery Education For a complete list of [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Latest on the Learning Resource Metadata Initiative</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/09/29/latest-on-the-learning-resource-metadata-initiative/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/09/29/latest-on-the-learning-resource-metadata-initiative/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 29 Sep 2011 19:21:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Emily Embury</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AEP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Association of Educational Publishers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[creative commons]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Learning Resource Metadata Initiative]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[LRMI]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[netTrekker]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PCI Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Schema]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=2928</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Last week, we attended a webinar to learn what&#8217;s new with the Learning Resource Metadata Initiative (LRMI) from the Association of Educational Publishers and Creative Commons. Titled &#8220;Metadata Tagging in Education: What Every Publisher and Content Developer Needs to Know,&#8221; the webinar reviewed the reasons behind LRMI, the roles of the organizations involved, and the goals for this major initiative. Based on what we learned, it&#8217;s clear the LRMI will have a valuable impact on the way educators search for and use online educational material. For those of you who aren&#8217;t familiar with the LRMI, here&#8217;s a brief overview. In June 2011, the Association of Educational Publishers and Creative Commons announced a joint effort to establish a common vocabulary for describing learning resources. The LRMI, underwritten with grants from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Bill &#38; Melinda Gates Foundation, aims to create an industry-specific framework to make quality educational resources easily searchable for teachers and learners. LRMI is the first industry-specific initiative since the announcement of Schema.org by major search vendors Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft Bing. Schema.org aims to create a universal framework for tagging web-based content to provide a faster and richer search experience. Upon completion, [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/09/29/latest-on-the-learning-resource-metadata-initiative/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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		<title>Lessons Learned from Netflix</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/09/22/lessons-learned-from-netflix/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/09/22/lessons-learned-from-netflix/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 22 Sep 2011 06:13:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Emily Embury</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Public Relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Netflix]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Qwikster]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=2880</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[All companies, whether they are active in social media or not, should secure the online names that could be used to protect or promote their brand. Unfortunately for Netflix, the company is learning this lesson the hard way. As many of you know, Netflix recently announced the separation of its online streaming and mail-order DVD services. This week, CEO Reed Hastings shared in a blog post that the DVD service will now be known as Qwikster - a name chosen because it &#8220;refers to quick delivery.&#8221; But Netflix seems to have forgotten to secure the Twitter address of its new service. A guy whose name is listed as Jason Castillo has been tweeting from @Qwikster for months. And get this - his profile picture is a cartoon Elmo smoking a joint, and his tweets are filled with foul language and drug references. As said best by The Washington Post, &#8220;Hardly the first brand association that a company would like to make, and a major failure on the PR front.&#8221; Yikes. TechCrunch was the first to discover this PR blunder, observing that &#8220;The first thing many tech pundits do upon hearing industry news is check a prominent brand&#8217;s Twitter account to see if [...]]]></description>
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		<title>What Vendors Need to Know about Marketing to Educators</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/09/14/what-vendors-need-to-know-about-marketing-to-educators/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/09/14/what-vendors-need-to-know-about-marketing-to-educators/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 14 Sep 2011 15:42:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Lauren Rothering</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[#ISTE11]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EdNET11]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Twitter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[vendors]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=2871</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Back-to-school pop quiz: where do most educators go when they need information on a new product? a. Educational publications b. The teachers’ lounge c. Vendor websites d. None of the above Ready…pencils down! If you answered D, congratulations! You’re starting the school year off with an A+. Extra credit point: If not publications, nor teachers’ lounge, nor vendor websites, where? How about Twitter? At ISTE 2011, C. Blohm &#38; Associates and Winter Group held two focus groups consisting of teachers, technology specialists, librarians and curriculum directors. The focus groups touched on a variety of topics, but the findings boil down to one golden nugget of goodness that vendors can savor: For educators, personal learning networks (both physical and digital) are the pièce de résistance of decision-making. More educators turned to Twitter for information than to educational publications, vendor websites or conferences. When educators have a specific need, many push out a tweet asking for their followers to recommend products or services. Digital PLN’s such as Twitter prove to be an invaluable source of information and guidance in educator decision-making. Educators also admitted that they don’t research products (and don’t truly appreciate this type of information from vendors) until they have [...]]]></description>
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		<title>SIIA Webcast Highlights Education Industry’s Use of Social Media</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/07/29/siia-webcast-highlights-education-industry%e2%80%99s-use-of-social-media/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/07/29/siia-webcast-highlights-education-industry%e2%80%99s-use-of-social-media/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 29 Jul 2011 20:12:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Brittany Dorfner</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Public Relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[education technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education Vendors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SIIA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social media marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social networking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Software & Information Industry Association]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=2853</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#8220;Social networks can be used to provide educators with career-long personal learning tools and resources that make professional learning timely and relevant, as well as an ongoing activity that continually improves practice and evolves their skills over time.&#8221; &#8211; National Ed Tech Plan 2010 Earlier this month, the Software &#38; Information Industry Association hosted the &#8220;Social Media Marketing in Education&#8221; webcast, which highlighted the use and integration of social media in education companies&#8217; sales and marketing plans. Stemming from an online survey conducted in February, participants answered several questions related to their knowledge, use, and implementation of social media channels as part of their overall marketing efforts. More specifically, the questions honed in on how respondents use specific tools to build their brand, reach key audiences, and garner feedback. Looking at the final data, 35 percent of companies surveyed felt they have a social media strategy and plan, while 35 percent believed they are using social media, but don&#8217;t have a clearly defined strategy or plan. Most of the remaining participants responded that they were working toward social media use. For those in the research and development phases, one of the challenges they faced was, &#8220;convincing higher-ups to take a [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Top 10 Tools from Web 2.0 Smackdown</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/07/15/top-10-tools-from-web-20-smackdown/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/07/15/top-10-tools-from-web-20-smackdown/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 15 Jul 2011 06:23:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Emily Embury</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[#EBC11]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[#ISTE11]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EduBloggerCon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[LucidChart]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[oneword]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Qwiki]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Scoop.it]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Skloog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Storybird]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TagGalaxy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TheWeekinRap]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=2794</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[On the Saturday before ISTE 2011, the CB&#38;A team had the opportunity to attend EduBloggerCon in Philadelphia. Now in its fifth year, the all-day &#8220;unconference&#8221; is organized by Steve Hargadon, founder of Classroom 2.0, and designed for those interested in social media in education. Rather than determining the presenters and sessions ahead of time, the unconference is organized collaboratively in real-time by participants on-site. As an added bonus, EduBloggerCon is a free event for all. After attending fascinating sessions on hot topics such as mobile technology, flipped classrooms and digital textbooks, the Web 2.0 Smackdown offered participants the opportunity to present their favorite Web 2.0 tool to the audience in two minutes or less. More than 30 online resources were shared in less than an hour, many of which I was not familiar with. Here are a few of my favorites from the Web 2.0 Smackdown: Qwiki&#8216;s goal is to improve the way people experience information. The company delivers information in a format that&#8217;s quintessentially human - via storytelling instead of search. A recent article from EdReach called Qwiki the next best platform for digital storytelling. Qwiki highlights an &#8220;Education Qwiki of the Day&#8221; to support educators in the classroom. To [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/07/15/top-10-tools-from-web-20-smackdown/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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		<title>It’s Almost Here: ISTE 2011 is Approaching Quickly!</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/05/23/it%e2%80%99s-almost-here-iste-2011-is-approaching-quickly/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/05/23/it%e2%80%99s-almost-here-iste-2011-is-approaching-quickly/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 23 May 2011 15:51:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Lauren Rothering</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[#ISTE2011]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[#Philadelphia]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=2779</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In four short weeks, educators will gather in Philadelphia at the annual ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) conference. In an era where most educational conferences are experiencing a sharp decline in attendance, ISTE, which is in its third decade, has held strong with 12,000 to 14,000 attendees since 2004. This year, the conference consists of 700 immersive, interactive sessions, 145 special topic workshops, three keynote speakers and numerous informal networking lounges and cafes. With the variety of informational sessions, activities and other events that ISTE offers, educational professionals of all types attend. Most are teachers or faculty members (22 percent); technology coordinators (15 percent); and administrators (14 percent). About 25 percent of attendees are from the PreK-12 sector; 14 percent solely from secondary education; and 16 percent from elementary. In addition, attendees are both national and international, with the highest attendee percentage usually representative of the conference’s geographic region. Last year’s conference, held in Denver, had 24.5 percent of its attendees from the Mountain region, followed by 19.1 percent from the South and 17.9 percent from the Midwest. More than 13,000 national and international attendees will flock to Philadelphia for the June 26-29 conference. ISTE-goers will learn, network, [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/05/23/it%e2%80%99s-almost-here-iste-2011-is-approaching-quickly/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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		<title>Implementing the Barcelona Principles into PR Practice</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/05/17/implementing-the-barcelona-principles-into-pr-practice/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/05/17/implementing-the-barcelona-principles-into-pr-practice/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 17 May 2011 15:12:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Brittany Dorfner</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Public Relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Barcelona Principles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pr]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PR measurement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PRSA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social media measurement]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=2755</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In June of 2010, measurement industry representatives gathered in Barcelona, Spain and agreed upon seven principles. While these principles clarified some industry controversies, including the use of false multipliers and Advertising Value Equivalents (AVEs) and how to measure social media success, they left some unanswered, such as, &#8220;How do we implement these successfully?&#8221; To continue the discussion, public relations leaders gathered in London in November 2010 to address two questions: What do we use in place of AVEs, and how do we make sense of the approximately 300 suppliers of social media measurement? OneVoice (a combined agency of Omnicom companies) shares insight into implementing the Barcelona Principles, including: Budget for measurement up front: Figure 5 percent of your total PR spend, including fees and pass-through costs, for measurement services and internal resources. Talk the language of business: PR measurement has to talk the language of business to ensure executives see the value of public relations. Many companies keep track of how they&#8217;re doing with customers using a Net Promoter Score, even giving bonuses to staff members based on how they perform against that metric. Take one approach: Take one approach to measurement and stick to it. Continue ongoing maintenance and [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/05/17/implementing-the-barcelona-principles-into-pr-practice/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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		<title>Top Innovators in Education Technology Recognized by SIIA</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/05/11/top-innovators-in-education-technology-recognized-by-siia/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/05/11/top-innovators-in-education-technology-recognized-by-siia/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 11 May 2011 17:27:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Brittany Dorfner</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Public Relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education Talk Radio]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Innovation Incubator Program]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[personalized learning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SIIA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Software & Information Industry Association]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=2735</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Last week, the Software &#38; Information Industry Association (SIIA) announced 10 finalists for its Innovation Incubator Program. The Innovation Incubator Program connects developers of promising new technologies with industry leaders, potential investors, and established companies seeking partnerships or acquisition candidates. In addition, Karen Billings, vice president of the Education Division at SIIA, and Tasiyiwa Mapondera, program manager for the Education Division, joined Larry Jacobs of Education Talk Radio to discuss the history of the Innovation Incubator Program and the decision to focus the 2011 program on personalized learning. The full interview can be found online at: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/edutalk/2011/04/28/educational-technology-siias-innovation-incubator. This year, innovative K-12 and postsecondary technology-based educational products and services were reviewed and assessed on a broad range of selection criteria, including various characteristics of a personalized learning solution. The selected finalists will present their innovations during the Business Profiles Presentations and the Innovation Showcase &#38; Welcome Reception at the Ed Tech Industry Summit in San Francisco, May 22-24. Finalists include: &#8211; Cabanga &#8211; Coursification &#8211; Dynamic Whiteboard &#8211; GiftedSpeech &#8211; GoKnow &#8211; McGraw-Hill Spark! &#8211; myON reader &#8211; Neurocognitive Training for Reading Comprehension &#8211; Sokikom &#8211; Wowzers (Alternate: Pay-Per-Result at Learn that Word) The 10 finalists will vie for recognition as &#8220;The Most Innovative&#8221; and &#8220;The Most Likely to Succeed&#8221; in the ed tech market.  Additionally, lead Innovation Incubator Sponsor, Blackboard Inc., (Blackboard), will award one [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/05/11/top-innovators-in-education-technology-recognized-by-siia/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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		<title>Should Your Brand Be Mobile?</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/04/18/should-your-brand-be-mobile/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/04/18/should-your-brand-be-mobile/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 18 Apr 2011 19:59:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Brittany Dorfner</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Public Relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mobile marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pr]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=2717</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[With mobile marketing on the rise, many organizations are asking: &#8220;Should we invest in mobile communications?&#8221; Before investing time and money in developing a plan, discuss these key considerations: How are your customers using mobile devices &#8211; what features or applications are most popular with your key audience? What devices are they using? A variety fit the definition of &#8220;mobile&#8221; &#8211; cell phones/smartphones, laptops, &#8220;phoneless phones&#8221; (e.g., MP3 player), networked gaming devices (e.g., Sony&#8217;s PSP), e-book readers and tablet computers. There are also several &#8220;flavors&#8221; of smartphones, (e.g., iPhone, Blackberry, Android-powered, Windows-powered), so don&#8217;t develop communications for just one platform. Thinking about creating an app? Ask yourself (and your team) how it can help enhance your brand, and decide how you will encourage people to interact. It&#8217;s also critical to come up with a real measurement and content strategy: What&#8217;s your primary goal? How do you refresh content? Determine the value of a like or share. Are 10K downloads worth it? Look at downloads AND usage to establish benchmarks. Develop key performance indicators (KPIs) to determine the campaign&#8217;s success. Providing the means to reach audiences in a new and different way is part of mobile&#8217;s big draw. Today, mobile communication [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/04/18/should-your-brand-be-mobile/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>A Winning Season in the Education Industry</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/04/13/a-winning-season-in-the-education-industry/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/04/13/a-winning-season-in-the-education-industry/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 13 Apr 2011 20:49:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Brittany Dorfner</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Awards]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BESSIE Awards]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CODiE Awards]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EdNET's Best]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SIIA]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=2704</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Spring is finally upon us, and along with it comes an exciting industry awards season. Over the past few weeks, we&#8217;ve learned the winners of the 17th annual BESSIE Awards, sponsored by the ComputED Gazette and Computer Learning Lab, finalists in the education technology categories for the Software &#38; Information Industry Association&#8217;s (SIIA) 26th annual CODiE Awards, and finalists selected as &#8220;Leaders to Watch&#8221; in MDR&#8217;s first EdNET&#8217;s Best Awards. We&#8217;re pleased to recognize our clients and friends who were honored in one or more of the awards programs. The 2011 BESSIE Awards &#160; The BESSIE Awards target innovative and content-rich programs and websites that provide parents and teachers with the technology to foster educational excellence. Winners are selected from titles submitted by publishers around the world. &#160; Some of the 2011 winners include: &#160; Early Elementary category - Reading website: myON reader, Capstone Digital Science website: PebbleGo, Capstone Digital Middle School category &#8211; Social Studies website: MS Civics, Government and Ecomonics, e2020, Inc. Science website: Discovery Education Science Techbook, Discovery Education Language Arts website: English Language Arts 9, e2020, Inc. High School category &#8211; Math website: Algebra 1, e2020 Environmental Science website: Environmental Science, e2020, Inc. Multi-Level category &#8211; [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/04/13/a-winning-season-in-the-education-industry/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Steps to Developing Your Organization’s Social Media Policy</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/03/07/steps-to-developing-your-organization%e2%80%99s-social-media-policy/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/03/07/steps-to-developing-your-organization%e2%80%99s-social-media-policy/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 07 Mar 2011 15:39:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Brittany Dorfner</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Public Relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[brand awareness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crisis communcations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pr]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=2661</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[If you haven&#8217;t already integrated social media into your communications, marketing or public relations efforts, 2011 is the year to do it. As you begin to develop (or re-develop) your social media strategy, keep a few things in mind, including employee access to internal or external social networks and who to include in the development process. When forming your social media team, its important to remember that those involved come to the table for different reasons &#8211; every group has different goals and objectives. As PR professionals, it&#8217;s our job to help summarize everyone&#8217;s needs into one policy. It&#8217;s also critical to do your research first by asking questions &#8211; where does your organization or brand communicate now, what are the messages, and where do executives and employees want to see the organization moving forward? As you address these questions, keep the 3 &#8220;R&#8221;s in mind &#8211; respect, responsibility and representatives. Identify employees who can accurately address questions from your customers, members, the media, bloggers, etc., and incorporate them into the social media process. Additionally, you may want to break up your social media policy into two sections: internal and external. This will help ensure that you&#8217;re successfully reaching both [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/03/07/steps-to-developing-your-organization%e2%80%99s-social-media-policy/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>SIIA’s “Don’t Copy That 2” Encourages Fair Use of Print &amp; Digital Content</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/02/28/siia%e2%80%99s-%e2%80%9cdon%e2%80%99t-copy-that-2%e2%80%9d-encourages-fair-use-of-print-digital-content/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/02/28/siia%e2%80%99s-%e2%80%9cdon%e2%80%99t-copy-that-2%e2%80%9d-encourages-fair-use-of-print-digital-content/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 28 Feb 2011 18:54:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Brittany Dorfner</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[anti-piracy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[copyright laws]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[creative commons]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[digital fair use]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[digital literacy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Don't Copy That 2]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[education technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[edWeb]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[intellectual property protection]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[intellectual property rights]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[International Society for Technology in Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ISTE]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SIIA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Software & Information Industry Association]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=2674</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Do you remember 1992&#8242;s classic video, &#8220;Don&#8217;t Copy That Floppy&#8221; (DCTF)? As part of the Software &#38; Information Industry Association&#8217;s (SIIA) ongoing effort to help teachers educate K-12 students about the ethical and legal use of copyrighted materials, the Education Division has revamped the sequel to DCTF with &#8220;Don&#8217;t Copy That 2 &#8211; School Version&#8221;. Don&#8217;t Copy That 2 &#8211; School Version is a fun-to-watch rap music video that addresses the dangers of engaging in piracy and the importance of respecting the creative output of others. SIIA also has developed accompanying classroom resources that include support materials for the video, lesson plans for middle and high school teachers, a glossary, and other helpful resources for educators teaching these complex and important concepts. The course materials include many of the same concepts for both middle and high school students, but use age-appropriate methods.  In addition, the lesson plans serve as models that educators can customize to their students&#8217; needs, and the learning materials have been designed as a series of presentations, discussions and student activities. &#8220;With piracy levels reaching all time highs, it is essential that the younger generation understand both the risks of piracy and the value of respecting and [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/02/28/siia%e2%80%99s-%e2%80%9cdon%e2%80%99t-copy-that-2%e2%80%9d-encourages-fair-use-of-print-digital-content/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>DonorsChoose Helps Bring Technology to America’s Classrooms</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/02/25/donorschoose-helps-bring-technology-to-america%e2%80%99s-classrooms/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/02/25/donorschoose-helps-bring-technology-to-america%e2%80%99s-classrooms/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 25 Feb 2011 15:57:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Brittany Dorfner</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[charitable donations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[citizen philanthropy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[classroom giving]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DonorsChoose]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DonorsChoose.org]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=2666</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[As a &#8220;thank you&#8221; to media who attended CB&#38;A&#8217;s Media Central or Media Day, participating clients have made donations to local schools in the city of each conference (e.g., FETC, TCEA, ISTE) via DonorsChoose.org. If you&#8217;re unfamiliar with DonorsChoose, here&#8217;s how it works: public school teachers across America post classroom project requests on the organization&#8217;s website. Then, visitors can browse project requests and give any amount to a project of their choice. Once the funding goal is met, DonorsChoose delivers the needed materials to the school. Once the requesting teacher receives the materials, donors receive photos of the project, a thank you letter from the teacher and a cost report showing how each dollar was spent. If you give more than $100, you also receive hand-written thank you letters from the students. To date, DonorsChoose has raised $75,728,050 and helped 4,555,635 students through donor contributions &#8211; pretty amazing if you ask me. Recently, we were able to read letters from Orlando students who benefited from a donation made on behalf of the media who attended FETC 2011 Media Day. Their teacher received two GPS units from the donation, and the students were able to use the units during a geocaching [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/02/25/donorschoose-helps-bring-technology-to-america%e2%80%99s-classrooms/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
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		<title>Video Interviews 101 &#8211; Three Tips for Creating an Engaging Video</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/02/22/video-interviews-101-three-tips-for-creating-an-engaging-video/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/02/22/video-interviews-101-three-tips-for-creating-an-engaging-video/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 22 Feb 2011 21:14:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Brittany Dorfner</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Public Relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[#socialmedia #eventmarketing #marketing #PR #tradeshows]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=2653</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[After TCEA 2011, I felt inspired to write this post after recording a series of video announcements during the conference. If your organization has considered recording videos for its website (or news releases), or has already done so, I hope these few tips prove helpful. 1. Provide honest messaging. While preparing a script never hurts, resist the temptation to memorize and recite it verbatim. Your audiences want to see the &#8220;real&#8221; you and will appreciate a more natural, honest message. 2. Interact with your audience. Make eye contact with the camera and smile &#8211; many times interviewees get so caught up in remembering what they want to say that they forget about the viewer. Although you&#8217;re looking at a camera, you&#8217;re really having a one-on-one conversation, so it&#8217;s important to be enthusiastic and try to connect with your audience. 3. Stay calm. Even the most confident, charismatic person can freeze up in front of the camera. Be real, transparent and relatable. If you have great talking points, but look nervous, that&#8217;s all people will remember, so take a breath and relax. Finally, here&#8217;s a good tip from a member of our own client family: if you have to speak in [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/02/22/video-interviews-101-three-tips-for-creating-an-engaging-video/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Building a Successful Social Media Strategy</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/02/18/building-a-successful-social-media-strategy/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/02/18/building-a-successful-social-media-strategy/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Feb 2011 18:13:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Brittany Dorfner</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Public Relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[#socialmedia #socmedfored #PR #marketing #visibility #brandawareness]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=2641</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[One thing&#8217;s for sure &#8211; social media gives you the ability to tell your story anywhere, at any time. Last month, I attended the Lands&#8217; End Speaks Out on Social Media presentation, hosted by Social Media Breakfast &#8211; Madison, with information provided by Eric Gohs (@ericgohs), Lands&#8217; End (@landsendchat) senior manager of social media and mobile marketing. During the presentation, Gohs emphasized the importance of social media and offered advice and examples on how any organization could build its own successful social media strategy. He began by acknowledging this key point: social media is all about content. In order to grab your audience&#8217;s interest (and keep it), you have to share content that is useful and of value to them. Equally important, you should know where your audiences (customers, members, stakeholders) are engaging &#8211; are they active on Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, all of the above? After you&#8217;ve identified the networks your audiences are frequenting, include those tools in your overall social media strategy. Using these networks allows your organization to maintain a connection with customers, and provide live, real-time customer service. In turn, you can provide your customers with a voice and help amplify their story. Aside from maintaining regular [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/02/18/building-a-successful-social-media-strategy/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
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		<title>QR Codes, Public Relations, and You</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/02/03/qr-codes-public-relations-and-you/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/02/03/qr-codes-public-relations-and-you/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 03 Feb 2011 23:41:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Nate Towne</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Public Relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HCCB]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[High Capacity Color Barcode]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mobile tagging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[QR Code]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Quick Response Code]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[scanner]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[smartphone]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=2583</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[They&#8217;re popping up everywhere. Little squares of pixilated flotsam and jetsam that at first glance don&#8217;t look like much. But looks can be deceiving! These unassuming little squares, called QR Codes – short for Quick Response – are packed full of valuable information to those in the know, almost like a digital version of the TARDIS on &#8220;Doctor Who.&#8221; (Apologies for the geek reference.) They provide a new way to reach target audiences with your public relations messaging. Let&#8217;s take this in &#8220;byte-sized&#8221; chunks, shall we? A QR Code is a matrix barcode (i.e. a two-dimensional code), readable by QR scanners, mobile phones with a camera, and smartphones. Like all barcodes, when scanned, a QR Code provides the scanner with access to data at high speed. This data can take myriad forms, but we&#8217;ll get to that. While a popular QR Code format consists of black rectangles arranged in a square pattern on white background, other variations exist, notably the High Capacity Color Barcode (HCCB) developed by Microsoft, which uses clusters of colored triangles instead of the square pixels traditionally associated with 2D barcodes. Each format has its backers, but so far there is no &#8220;universal standard.&#8221; The QR Code [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/02/03/qr-codes-public-relations-and-you/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
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		<title>White House Hosts State of the Union Education Roundtable</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/01/26/white-house-hosts-state-of-the-union-education-roundtable/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/01/26/white-house-hosts-state-of-the-union-education-roundtable/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 26 Jan 2011 23:03:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Patrick Terry</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Arne Duncan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PBS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[President Obama]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[State of the Union]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=2622</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In his 2011 State of the Union address, President Obama emphasized the critical importance of investment in education and technology to spur innovation and economic growth.  In the President&#8217;s words: “Over the next 10 years, nearly half of all new jobs will require education that goes beyond a high school education.” To discuss education issues in greater depth with the public, the White House is hosting the State of the Union Education Roundtable with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan tomorrow, Jan. 27. The event takes place 3:15 – 4 p.m. EST at the White House, and will be streamed live. During the Roundtable, Secretary Duncan will answer selected questions submitted by viewers. Because of its nationwide reach, and network of stations active in local communities, PBS has been asked to solicit questions from educators. Teachers are encouraged to submit questions by 12 p.m. EST, Jan. 27, or vote for their favorite questions. To do so, click here. You can watch the Roundtable live at http://www.pbs.org/teachers/stateoftheunion/.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/01/26/white-house-hosts-state-of-the-union-education-roundtable/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Paper.li: Read Twitter and Facebook as a Daily Newspaper</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/01/05/paperli-read-twitter-and-facebook-as-a-daily-newspaper/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/01/05/paperli-read-twitter-and-facebook-as-a-daily-newspaper/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 05 Jan 2011 18:36:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Patrick Terry</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Facebook]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Paper li]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Twitter]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=2569</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Paper.li is a Swiss website that presents Twitter- and Facebook-linked content in an easy-to-read, newspaper-style format. Once a day, Paper.li aggregates the top news on these popular social networking sites, encompassing just about any topic you can imagine. Head to the website and see all of the cataloged news for yourself; it&#8217;s like a buffet for the mind.  Here&#8217;s a sample from the TopRankMarketing.com Daily of last October, featuring a Halloween post by yours truly: You can subscribe to any &#8220;papers&#8221; you like, and share them via other social networking sites. In return you&#8217;ll receive an RSS feed of top news regarding the topics you selected. Every good newspaper has archived, searchable content, and Paper.li is no different. Search for content from previous editions simply by browsing the calendar featured on each paper. Have you ever wanted to create your own newspaper? Now you can &#8211; Paper.li allows you to customize your page, including its name and custom avatar, and publish it in different languages. Just login through your Twitter or Facebook page, and away you go! It is up to you to set the parameters that dictate the content to be included on your paper; they can be as [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.cblohm.com/2011/01/05/paperli-read-twitter-and-facebook-as-a-daily-newspaper/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Multimedia News Releases: Grabbing Your Reader’s Attention</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/12/29/multimedia-news-releases-grabbing-your-reader%e2%80%99s-attention/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/12/29/multimedia-news-releases-grabbing-your-reader%e2%80%99s-attention/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 29 Dec 2010 21:14:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Patrick Terry</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Public Relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Multi media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Multimedia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[news release]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[press release]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=2558</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[With the dramatic increase in media consumption and multitasking in this digital age, people want their information as quickly as possible and aren&#8217;t always interested in reading long, text-only stories, no matter how well written. Would Twitter be necessary if we all had long attention spans? Would there be eight Harry Potter movies if everyone had the time to read the books? How do you grab, and keep, a reader&#8217;s attention? Liven things up. Almost everything we read online is enhanced by links and information presented in various media formats. At C. Blohm &#38; Associates we do our best to replicate this experience with our news releases. The goal is to make them a &#8220;one-stop-shop&#8221; for media, bloggers and other interested parties to quickly access all the information they need. For several years, we&#8217;ve been providing our clients with &#8220;multimedia news releases&#8221;(a.k.a., social media releases). Here are some releases we&#8217;ve done for Lightspeed Systems and Shmoop that incorporate video, downloadable PDFs of the releases, images, links to background information, and social-sharing features. Here are some ideas for incorporating more media elements into your online releases: Videos &#8211; Feature an executive or customer affiliated with the story, do a product demonstration, [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Happy Holidays from CB&amp;A!</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/12/23/happy-holidays-from-cba/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/12/23/happy-holidays-from-cba/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 23 Dec 2010 22:57:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Patrick Terry</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Holiday Greetings]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=2541</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It&#8217;s a busy time of year here at CB&#38;A. We office elves, along with Santa (Charlene), have been busy all year making lists (writing news releases), checking them twice (editing), and finding out who&#8217;s naughty and nice (not sure). In our recent holiday e-mail blast, we encouraged all you creative and talented folks out there to dress up your own snowman and add it to the collection. We received plenty of submissions, all of which were very original, and we&#8217;d like to thank everyone who participated.  Here are two office favorites: Have a safe and happy holiday season, and may 2011 bring you much success! How about a poem to wrap things up? Frosty my friend, why are you so down? You&#8217;ve no sparkling smile, just a sad charcoal frown. It&#8217;s the thick of winter; we&#8217;ve chilly days ahead, so lift up your face, you&#8217;ve no reason to dread. &#8220;Must message my friends while I still can, in a fast warming world, Life&#8217;s short for a snowman.&#8221; Fearing his shape won&#8217;t much longer keep, Frosty grabbed his Snowberry and began to tweet: &#8220;@toutlemonde Ssns Grttngs, Hppy Nw Yr! LOL in 2011&#8243; &#8211; Frsty th Snwmn]]></description>
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		<title>PR in an Integrated Marketing Plan</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/12/20/pr-in-an-integrated-marketing-plan/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/12/20/pr-in-an-integrated-marketing-plan/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 20 Dec 2010 21:22:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim Lum</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Public Relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Strategy]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=2416</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Integrated marketing is a high-level strategic issue that involves all marketing channels, including public relations and media relations.  And it begins with the marketing planning process.  Marketing plans usually start with overall organizational goals in mind – in the next year, we want to increase revenue by a certain amount, or we want to launch a new product, or set of products.  Whatever the overall goals, marketers develop a strategic plan to address those objectives and allocate resources – money, person-power, time – to accomplish them.  At the planning stage, it is critical to think about those targets in terms of the various marketing channels and how they will work in concert to achieve success.  If you&#8217;re not thinking about integration during these foundational planning stages, it is unlikely to happen during the execution of your marketing efforts. PR is a vital tool in an integrated marketing plan.  Because PR leverages and extends your organization&#8217;s branding and reinforces the messaging, it needs to be considered as part of the overall strategic planning process.  Rather than simply thinking about press releases and media communications as a separate part of the &#8220;to do&#8221; list, smart marketers consider how PR can serve the [...]]]></description>
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		<title>You Want Me to Invest in What?</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/12/14/you-want-me-to-invest-in-what/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/12/14/you-want-me-to-invest-in-what/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 14 Dec 2010 09:33:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Charlene Blohm</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech Business Forum]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ETBF]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[K-12 Investment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SIIA]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=2418</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Ed Tech Business Forum (ETBF), sponsored by the Software &#38; Information Industry Association (SIIA), was jam-packed with excellent sessions, and &#8220;You Want Me to Invest in What? A View from the Financial Community&#8221; was among my favorites. The session was moderated by Robin Warner of Atwood Advisors, Inc. (formerly Quayle Munro, Inc.), and featured three panelists: Sari Factor, Managing Director &#8211; Education, Weld North Chad Johnson, Managing Director, Cherry Tree &#38; Associates, LLC Sita Vasan, Director, Intel Capital Factor shared an excellent list of questions company executives should be prepared to answer when they meet with potential investors.  Interest in her remarks was very high during the Ed Tech Business Forum &#8211; rarely have I seen so many executives working so fast to write down everything a presenter said.  Given that high interest, here are some of my notes from Factor&#8217;s presentation: 10.  What is your business model? 9.  Can you do a product demo?  &#8220;Not your product development person but you, the CEO,&#8221; Factor said.  &#8220;If it&#8217;s too hard for you to demo, it&#8217;s too hard to understand.&#8221; 8.  How do you know your product is effective?  Factor said hopeful investors should be prepared to share information related [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Don’t Miss Your Chance to Vote for the 2010 Edublog Awards</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/12/09/don%e2%80%99t-miss-your-chance-to-vote-for-the-2010-edublog-awards/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/12/09/don%e2%80%99t-miss-your-chance-to-vote-for-the-2010-edublog-awards/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 10 Dec 2010 02:31:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Patrick Terry</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[edublog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Edublog Awards]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Edublog Awards 2010]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=2450</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The yearly Edublog Awards recognize the achievements of edubloggers, Twitter-folk and podcasters, as well as the contributions online communities, education wikis, and other Internet-based resources make to education. These dedicated men and women deserve recognition for the work they do, and the conversations and ideas they encourage in the education community. After passing the figurative hat around the office, I compiled this list of the CB&#38;A nominees for the 2010 Edublog Awards: Best individual blog: The Innovative Educator Best individual tweeter: @ShellTerrell Best group blog: Tech &#38; Learning Best new blog: The Nerdy Teacher Best resource sharing blog: Free Tech for Teachers Most influential tweet/series of tweets/tweet-based discussion: #edchat Best teacher blog: Cool Cat Teacher Best librarian/library blog: Never Ending Search Best school administrator blog: Drape&#8217;s Takes Best educational tech support blog: The Edublogger Best e-learning/corporate blog: Edutopia Best educational use of video/visual: Fugleflicks Best educational use of a social network: Classroom 2.0 Best webinar series: Classroom 2.0 Live Best educational use of a virtual world: ISTE &#8211; SIGMS Best use of a PLN: The Educator&#8217;s PLN Lifetime Achievement: Steve Hargadon Be sure you vote for your top choices in all of these categories, and do it soon! Voting closes [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Walking in a Winter Wonderland, Indeed!</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/12/09/walking-in-a-winter-wonderland-indeed/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/12/09/walking-in-a-winter-wonderland-indeed/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 10 Dec 2010 00:20:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Patrick Terry</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[#CB&A]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[#contest]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[#snowfall]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cottage Grove]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[snowfall contest]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[winter]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=2435</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[To follow up an earlier post about the CB&#38;A &#8220;First Snowfall&#8221; competition, we are naming two official winners. Since no one guessed both the correct date and amount, we went with the two people whose estimates were closest to the mark in each category. Nate won for the closest date, Friday, Dec. 3, a controversial choice since there was some debate as to when it started snowing. Was it Friday night or very early Saturday morning? Regardless, heck of a guess. Charlene won for the closest snowfall total, predicting 5.1 inches. The official total according to NOAA amounted to 5.6 inches. We salute our winning prognosticators for their excellent foresight! Who knows what these two Nostradamuses (Nostradami?) have in store for us next? I&#8217;m hoping they predict a Badger Rose Bowl win! Anyway, that&#8217;s all for (s)now.]]></description>
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		<title>Congratulations to the Hall of Fame&#8217;s Class of 2010</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/12/03/congratulations-hall-of-fame/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/12/03/congratulations-hall-of-fame/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 03 Dec 2010 20:49:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Charlene Blohm</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AEP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hall of Fame]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Leadership]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Publishing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=2403</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Association of Educational Publishers has inducted three new members into the Educational Publishing Hall of Fame: Marilyn Burns &#8211; Founder, Math Solutions Rachelle Cracchiolo &#8211; CEO, Teacher Created Materials Diane Trister Dodge &#8211; Founder and President, Teaching Strategies, Inc. It&#8217;s hard to believe it&#8217;s been only a year since Nelson Heller, president of EdNET and host of the annual EdNET Conference, brought people in the Waldorf-Astoria ballroom to tears with his acceptance speech!  Sadly, due to complications with travel and business schedules, I wasn&#8217;t able to join in this year&#8217;s celebration, the first I&#8217;ve missed in nearly a decade. A special shout out goes to Fred Johnson, former president of Sundance Publishing, one of CB&#38;A&#8217;s first clients, whom I&#8217;ve enjoyed seeing at this event each year.  In September Fred was kind enough to ferry me (and Liz Strauss, formerly of Sundance, now head of SOBCon) from the airport in Boston to our hotel for the EdNET Conference.  What a sweetheart!  We were able to visit for a few minutes at the hotel and thereby managed to keep our annual face-to-face visits going – nearly a 20 year run! And a second shout out to Bill Evans of Evan-Moor Educational [...]]]></description>
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		<title>AEP Awards Honor Exceptional Products and Excellent Promotions</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/12/01/aep-awards-honor-exceptional-products-and-excellent-promotions/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/12/01/aep-awards-honor-exceptional-products-and-excellent-promotions/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 01 Dec 2010 22:44:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Patrick Terry</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AEP Awards]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech Industry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[excellence]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=2373</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[For more than four decades, The Association of Educational Publishers (AEP) has honored the very best in several areas of the Education Industry. This year is no exception, with the entry deadline for the 2010 awards closing on Jan. 14, 2011. There are three distinct award categories: Distinguished Achievement Awards, Golden Lamp and Beacon Awards. The Distinguished Achievement Awards (DAA) recognize a range of best products and resources in four categories, including Curriculum, Periodicals, Professional Development, and Technology. But wait, there&#8217;s more! Each category comprises subcategories that recognize outstanding products from particular industry niches. I could spend an entire blog post describing each subcategory, but prefer to use a metaphor in lieu of actual description: basically the DAA are a scrumptious layer cake of industry-wide recognition. The Golden Lamp Awards, though fewer in number, are equally prestigious. They are given to the &#8220;gold standard for educational products.&#8221; Only four are handed out each year, and the categories are the same as for the DAA: Curriculum, Periodicals, Professional Development, and Technology. Finally, there are the Beacon Awards, which recognize excellence in education marketing. Like the DAA, these cover several subcategories, ranging from e-mail marketing campaigns to brochures to social media, and [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Rocking This Year’s SIIA Ed Tech Business Forum</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/11/26/rocking-this-year%e2%80%99s-siia-ed-tech-business-forum/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/11/26/rocking-this-year%e2%80%99s-siia-ed-tech-business-forum/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 26 Nov 2010 10:19:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Patrick Terry</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech Business Forum]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SIIA]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=2357</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Next week, Charlene Blohm, president of C. Blohm &#38; Associates, will be attending the 2010 Ed Tech Business Forum in New York, Nov. 29-30. &#8220;Reinventing Business Models&#8221; is the theme of this year&#8217;s conference, which offers the opportunity to network with business and finance executives, as well as attend a variety of educational sessions for those with a vested interest in the ed tech industry. If you&#8217;re making the trip to The Big Apple, be sure to connect with Charlene (she&#8217;s normally by the coffee). Otherwise, you can follow Charlene on Twitter for live updates from the event. The Ed Tech Business Forum is sponsored by the Software &#38; Information Industry Association (SIIA) and has been running strong for 10 years now. It&#8217;s the place to be for ed tech companies that want to learn how to boost revenue and profit, transition business models, license products on the &#8220;cloud,&#8221; or find channels for mobile products. The in-person event is sold out, but those who are still interested are encouraged to harness the power of technology and participate in the Online Ed Tech Business Forum, which will provide access to many of the sessions. We will soon be planning for the [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Walking in a Winter Wonderland?</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/11/23/walking-in-a-winter-wonderland/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/11/23/walking-in-a-winter-wonderland/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 23 Nov 2010 16:24:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Patrick Terry</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=2334</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It seems as though descent is a recurring reference in weather terminology. In the spring, rainfall gives plants new life. In the summertime, sunrays beam down on us. We even have a season that is informally referred to as fall. And here in Wisconsin as in many other states, we tally snowfall as though it is a game of one-upmanship with neighboring states. It&#8217;s unlikely one will find a place in Cottage Grove where the first snowfall is as highly contested as it is at C. Blohm &#38; Associates. We have an annual snowfall contest in which the gang at CB&#38;A each pick the day and total number of inches (or feet, if you&#8217;re the courageous type) that the first substantial snowfall will be. Around here, substantial is rigidly defined as a snowfall that requires shoveling. (Note: As I am writing this, it is  63° and there is a Tornado Watch until 7:45 tonight. You know what they say about Wisconsin weather &#8211; at least if you didn&#8217;t before, you can probably venture a guess now &#8211; it&#8217;s unpredictable!) Since we&#8217;re still awaiting the arrival of snow, the dates and amounts estimated are: Emily &#8211; Nov. 26, 2 inches Martha [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Tech &amp; Learning Awards of Excellence</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/11/18/tech-learning-awards-of-excellence/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/11/18/tech-learning-awards-of-excellence/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 18 Nov 2010 20:01:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Patrick Terry</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=2312</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The winners of the 28th Annual Tech &#38; Learning Awards of Excellence were recently announced and we are proud to say that four of our clients were honored. The awards are sponsored by Tech &#38; Learning magazine. This year 78 educational hardware, software, network, and web products and services were recognized for their enriching contributions to learning. The products were tested, and winners selected, by more than 30 educators, members of the New York City Department of Education, faculty from the University of Michigan, and top Tech &#38; Learning advisors. Each year, nominees are organized into two awards categories: New Products and Best Upgraded Products. Among the &#8220;rookies of the year,&#8221; or New Product winners, are: AutismPro, for its eponymous, flagship product, AutismPro. A suite of online tools, AutismPro, provides online professional development, case management, and evidence-based classroom resources to help educators and school staff members effectively manage and teach a district&#8217;s increasing number of students with autism. Discovery Education, for its online service Discovery Education Science for Oregon, Middle School and Discovery Education Science for Oregon, Grades K-5/6. Featuring up-to-date, standards-based videos, virtual labs, simulations, ebooks, text passages, and more, Discovery Education Science covers the physical, earth and space, [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/11/18/tech-learning-awards-of-excellence/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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		<title>And Now Here’s Something We Hope You’ll Really Like: Nate Towne and Patrick Terry</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/11/12/and-now-here%e2%80%99s-something-we-hope-you%e2%80%99ll-really-like-nate-towne-and-patrick-terry/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/11/12/and-now-here%e2%80%99s-something-we-hope-you%e2%80%99ll-really-like-nate-towne-and-patrick-terry/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 13 Nov 2010 01:22:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Patrick Terry</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Public Relations]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=2295</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[You may have noticed CB&#38;A blog posts, tweets and other correspondence from a couple of unfamiliar chaps in recent months so we figured it&#8217;s high time to introduce these mysterious figures. The reality is that we are growing faster than a toothing toddler, and in light of that, the CB&#38;A Team has expanded so that we can continue to offer the highest quality service to our clients. That said, we give you our new Account Executive, Nate Towne and our new Account Coordinator, Patrick Terry. Nate originally hails from Boston; after earning his Masters degree in Integrated Marketing Communications from Emerson College he made the pilgrimage to Madison and now calls the Midwest home. (Rumor has it he moved for the cookies though that&#8217;s yet to be confirmed.) A social media devotee and passionate PR practitioner, Nate likes to flex his strategic communications muscles to develop integrated public relations programs that achieve results for his clients. He enjoys learning through osmosis at CB&#38;A and finds the education technology industry to be a fascinating and wonderfully complex organism chock-full of surprises. If Nate isn&#8217;t developing a strategic communications plan, pitching the next great education publishing widget to the press, or guest [...]]]></description>
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		<title>&#8216;Do As I Say, Not As I Do&#8217;</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/11/11/do-as-i-say-not-as-i-do/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/11/11/do-as-i-say-not-as-i-do/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 11 Nov 2010 22:56:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Charlene Blohm</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[customer relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[E-Rate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[erate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FCC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Funds for Learning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Policy]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=2289</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We live at a time when increasing emphasis is placed on oversight and transparency, with technology that allows us to scrutinize and regulate behavior in the public marketplace. In spite of this, there still are improprieties in the way business is done. It&#8217;s easy to use a broad brush and say that something is always right or always wrong, but reality is rarely black and white. Do individual circumstances matter? A recent blog post by our friends (and client) at Funds For Learning speaks to this issue, and got us thinking about how a vendor donation might influence a school district when it comes time for that district to consider doing business with the vendor. What constitutes a gift? What constitutes &#8220;influence?&#8221; The recently announced ban on gifts by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) could have serious implications for schools seeking E-rate funding for their school. Verlyne Jolley&#8217;s blog post describes this confusing ethical landscape succinctly, and poses some questions that defy easy answers. Appearances are Everything November 4, 2010 By Verlyne Jolley One has to ask with the recent shift and focus of the USAC 2010 Fall Applicant Training sessions how often schools are bribed by service providers with [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Mobile Students, Mobile Learning: Is Your Business Smartphone Friendly?</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/11/04/mobile-students-mobile-learning-is-your-business-smartphone-friendly/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/11/04/mobile-students-mobile-learning-is-your-business-smartphone-friendly/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 04 Nov 2010 22:09:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Nate Towne</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Blackboard K-12]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[iPad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[K-12]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mobile]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mobile learning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[online education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Project Tomorrow]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[smartphones]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=2264</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It seems you can’t open an education publication these days without seeing a headline about the latest use for the iPad in the classroom, the newest education app for the iPhone, or how the big educational publishers are ramping up production of digital textbooks here in the U.S. While it’s easy to dismiss these education technology trends as “bleeding edge” and assume that today’s students aren’t prepared or interested to go mobile with their learning experience, the kids tell a different story. They’re not alone, either – their parents, who pay big bucks for your products and services, are in complete agreement, and ready to support their students’ technological wishes with cold, hard cash. According to new research by Project Tomorrow and Blackboard K-12, more than 60 percent of 6th-12th graders report that allowing them to use their own mobile devices would improve the use of technology in schools. Not surprisingly, this number rose to 78 percent among students with smartphones. In addition, a surprisingly high number of parents – 62 percent &#8211; indicated they would “likely” be willing to purchase a mobile device for their child’s educational use. CB&#38;A president Charlene Blohm doesn’t see this as a surprise. “This [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/11/04/mobile-students-mobile-learning-is-your-business-smartphone-friendly/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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		<title>The Need for Open Leadership</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/11/02/the-need-for-open-leadership/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/11/02/the-need-for-open-leadership/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 02 Nov 2010 06:01:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Emily Embury</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Public Relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[#PRSA_IC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Best Buy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Charlene Li]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dell]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Groundswell]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Open Leadership]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PRSA]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=2232</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[According to the Nielsen Company, we each spend, on average, nearly five and a half hours per month on social networking sites, up two hours from last year.  During the PRSA 2010 International Conference, Charlene Li addressed the challenges company leaders face as a result of this dramatic adoption of social media.  She began with this question: &#8220;How do you get comfortable with this sense of being out of control?&#8221; Li became an industry name with the 2008 publication of &#8220;Groundswell,&#8221; which she co-wrote with Josh Bernoff.  In the book Li emphasizes, &#8220;It&#8217;s really not about the technologies, it&#8217;s about the relationships.  The one constant is relationships.&#8221;  As the use of social media continues to rise, she&#8217;s encouraging company leaders to enter the conversation, strengthening these relationships by improving efficiency, communication and trust. In her new book, &#8220;Open Leadership: How Emerging Technology Can Transform the Way You Lead,&#8221; Li presents a new approach she thinks company leaders must adopt to maintain a competitive advantage.  Traditionally, business is based on the concept of control, yet the growth of social media demands openness.  Li outlines how companies can thrive in this new, transparent world, and how they can leverage these tools to [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Annual CB&amp;A Pumpkin Carving Extravaganza</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/10/29/the-annual-c-blohm-associates-pumpkin-carving-extravaganza/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/10/29/the-annual-c-blohm-associates-pumpkin-carving-extravaganza/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 29 Oct 2010 22:05:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Patrick Terry</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Halloween]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=2218</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[On an eerily windy day in the snug village of Cottage Grove, the CB&#38;A team gathered to carve pumpkins in droves. The temperature was chill and the shutters were a-batted, the pots were all stirred, and the cats, they were a-patted. After the blades were sharpened, chaos ensued! One couldn&#8217;t believe a sight so crude! Pumpkin innards spilt to the floor, splattered the wall and covered the door. We hooted and howled until we could no more. Madness indeed, a sight to behold, on an October&#8217;s eve so wicked and cold. Sorry, I got a bit carried away there, Halloween does that to me. The thing is, Wednesday was our annual CB&#38;A pumpkin-carving contest and it was really quite the competition this year. The line-up was stacked with wily veterans and a couple of first-timers (full disclosure: I am one of said first-timers). There were some truly fantastic, creative carvings. Several categories were considered, each with its own particular nuances. In picking the winners, Judge Gavin was stern but objective, handing down just ruling after just ruling. Without further ado, they are: Favorite pumpkin &#8211; Patrick Funniest pumpkin &#8211; Charlene Happiest pumpkin &#8211; Aaron Scariest pumpkin &#8211; Paul Best animal [...]]]></description>
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		<title>The Role Education Plays in Fighting World Hunger</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/10/27/the-role-education-plays-in-fighting-world-hunger/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/10/27/the-role-education-plays-in-fighting-world-hunger/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 27 Oct 2010 18:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Emily Embury</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[#PRSA_IC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PRSA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Red Cup]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[United Nations World Food Programme]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=2165</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#8220;Almost a billion people are going hungry every day around the world,&#8221; according to Bettina Luescher, chief spokesperson for the United Nations World Food Programme.  During the PRSA 2010 International Conference, Luescher shared powerful stories of providing hunger relief to children and families devastated by war or natural disasters, including recent efforts in Haiti, Pakistan and Afghanistan.  She asked the audience to ponder the reality of famine: &#8220;We&#8217;ve never felt true hunger &#8211; it&#8217;s like having bleach in your stomach.&#8221; The United Nations World Food Programme is the world&#8217;s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide.  In 2010, the organization aims to reach more than 90 million people with food assistance in 73 countries.  &#8220;Hunger is a huge issue around the world,&#8221; stated Luescher.  &#8220;Hunger today still kills more people than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined.&#8221; In addition to sharing how the United Nations handles communications during a crisis, Luescher reflected on the crucial role education plays in combating world hunger.  She declared with confidence: &#8220;Education is the single most important investment a country can make.&#8221;  The World Food Programme advocates for education through the organization&#8217;s school meal food programmes. Besides providing vital nourishment, school meals act as a safety net [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/10/27/the-role-education-plays-in-fighting-world-hunger/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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		<title>A Growing Communications Channel: Best Practices for Mobile Marketing</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/10/25/a-growing-communications-channel-best-practices-for-mobile-marketing/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/10/25/a-growing-communications-channel-best-practices-for-mobile-marketing/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 25 Oct 2010 16:28:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Brittany Dorfner</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Public Relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[apps]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mobile marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mobile media capabilities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mobile websites]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=2147</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Hosted by the Association of Strategic Marketing, the Apple OS and Mobile Marketing: Best Practices for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch webinar began with this question: can you imagine living without mobile? Apparently, the world can&#8217;t live without it – 5+ billion people have mobile subscriptions, with 277 million in the U.S. alone. Why is mobile such a worldwide necessity? It&#8217;s universal, personal, contextual and interactive – all of which allows for intimate and direct engagement with consumers. Mobile is the third most used medium per week at 13.1 hours, behind computers (19.5 hours) and TV (16.2 hours). With its ability to host a multitude of media capabilities, including SMS (short message service), MMS (multimedia messaging service), e-mail, voice, content, apps and proxy channels (Wi-Fi and Bluetooth), it&#8217;s obvious why mobile has become so widely used. By 2014, it&#8217;s estimated that more people will be accessing the Internet via mobile devices than traditional broadband Internet connections. The other popular draw? Mobile devices obtain whatever information we deem relevant – making our favorite brands more accessible, and augmenting our purchasing capabilities with pricing information and reviews available at our fingertips. Given its benefits, mobile websites and apps become popular ways for [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Video Streaming: the News Release of the Future?</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/10/20/video-streaming-the-news-release-of-the-future/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/10/20/video-streaming-the-news-release-of-the-future/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 20 Oct 2010 21:15:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Patrick Terry</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Livestream]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ustream]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[video streaming]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=2088</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Live video streaming is becoming a popular platform for companies to make announcements. (For those unfamiliar with this technology, imagine a TV screen embedded in your Web browser window showing a video feed of an event, announcement, etc. taking place in real-time.) Online news organizations have taken to video streaming in a big way. Last week, for example, millions around the world watched live feeds of the Chilean mine rescue. But it&#8217;s a highly effective public relations tool as well. Streaming a new product announcement via your company&#8217;s website is a great opportunity to showcase how technically savvy your company is. It adds a new dimension to the traditional news release. There are some well-designed, easy-to-use websites from which you can stream live video. Most offer the basic service for free, with the option to upgrade at a cost. Two examples: Livestream &#8211; allows the creation of live, scheduled and on-demand broadcasts that can be viewed anywhere on the Internet using the service&#8217;s single-player widget. Users can offer video content via their own channel, and link to the feed from their Twitter and Facebook pages. Ustream &#8211; uses a &#8220;one-to-many&#8221; model that allows the user to broadcast to an audience of [...]]]></description>
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		<title>The PR Lesson in NBC’s Education Nation = Know Your Audience</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/10/19/the-pr-lesson-in-nbc%e2%80%99s-education-nation-know-your-audience/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/10/19/the-pr-lesson-in-nbc%e2%80%99s-education-nation-know-your-audience/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 19 Oct 2010 15:27:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Brittany Dorfner</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Public Relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education Nation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[education reform]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pr]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[teachers]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=2101</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[As a PR professional, it&#8217;s critical to know your audience &#8211; for your agency, organization, or client. As NBC&#8217;s recent TV special titled, &#8220;Education Nation&#8221; ended, I read a number of tweets, blog posts and articles from educators expressing their disappointment in the week-long summit dedicated to education reform. NBC&#8217;s intentions were good – a larger emphasis should be put on the needs and challenges facing America to improve education – but based on educator responses, I think they fell short in understanding their audience. Many of the teachers reported feeling &#8220;disappointed, depressed, and insulted&#8221; over the outcomes of the summit. Many said there was no teacher voice, and as I reviewed the lineup of &#8220;education experts,&#8221; the absence of teachers was highly evident. In its announcements, NBC recognized the importance of including teachers and parents in the week&#8217;s discussions, but many didn&#8217;t get the opportunity to expand on their opinions and ideas. In his blog, Outside the Cave, Stephen Lazar writes about his experience participating in the Teacher Town Hall, describing his initial excitement at the prospect of sharing his thoughts with a national audience. To his disappointment, however, he was given barely enough time to finish a sentence. [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/10/19/the-pr-lesson-in-nbc%e2%80%99s-education-nation-know-your-audience/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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		<title>2010 PRSA International Conference</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/10/15/2010-prsa-international-conference/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/10/15/2010-prsa-international-conference/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 15 Oct 2010 22:20:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Patrick Terry</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Public Relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pr]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PRSA]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=2048</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The PRSA&#8217;s annual conference is upon us once again, Oct. 16-19. PR professionals from across the globe will converge on Washington, D.C. to hone their craft through keynote presentations, breakout sessions and case studies, and to do some good old-fashioned networking. Sponsored by the Public Relations Society of America, the conference will focus on the value of public relations, with the theme &#8220;Powering PRogress.&#8221; We&#8217;re looking forward to learning from these thought leaders: Bettina Luescher, chief spokesperson of the United Nations World Food Programme (Sunday) Jim VandeHei, executive editor and co-founder, POLITICO (Sunday) Bill Tancer, author of &#8220;Click: What Millions of People Are Doing Online and Why It Matters &#8211; Unexpected Insights for Business and Life&#8221; (Monday) Jeffrey Hayzlett, author of &#8220;The Mirror Test: Is Your Business Really Breathing?&#8221; (Monday) Charlene Li, author of &#8220;Open Leadership: How Social Technology Can Transform the Way You Lead&#8221;, and co-author of &#8220;Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies (Tuesday) During the conference, be sure to follow the CB&#38;A team on Twitter, as Charlene, Emily, Kristen and Nate post live updates about what they&#8217;re learning. Watch this space in coming weeks for posts that delve into some of the key takeaways from the [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Innovate to Educate: A Symposium on [Re]Design for Personalized Learning</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/10/14/innovate-to-educate-a-symposium-on-redesign-for-personalized-learning/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/10/14/innovate-to-educate-a-symposium-on-redesign-for-personalized-learning/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 14 Oct 2010 18:20:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Brittany Dorfner</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ASCD]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CCSSO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[curriculum development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[educational practices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[innovations in education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[personalized learning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personalized Learning Symposium]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SIIA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[student-centric learning]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=2069</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In early August, the Software &#38; Information Industry Association (SIIA), in collaboration with ASCD and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), hosted Innovate to Educate: A Symposium on [Re]Design for Personalized Learning.  Held in Boston, the event aimed to accelerate the evolution of the current, mass production education model to a student-centered, personalized learning model that will engage, motivate and better prepare students for life, meaningful work and citizenship. Focused on creating common definitions and highlighting best practices, the event brought together more than 150 high-level, visionary K-12 educators, national thought leaders and senior technology executives.  It also served as the catalyst for an ongoing initiative to support policies that will reshape educational practices and curriculum development to support personalized learning. Participants, including Sara Brown Wessling, National Teacher of the Year, and Karen Cator, Director of the Office of Education Technology at the U.S. Department of Education, reflected on the evolution of the education industry and discussed how innovative policy and new industry practices can reform the future of education.  As an example, Steve Nordmark, VP of Solutions Management and Development for netTrekker, shared one discussion focused on schools&#8217; willingness to incorporate outside or student-owned devices as a [...]]]></description>
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		<title>CoSN Award Nominations Due By October&#8217;s End</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/10/04/cosn-award-nominations-due-by-octobers-end/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/10/04/cosn-award-nominations-due-by-octobers-end/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 05 Oct 2010 00:10:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Patrick Terry</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Awards]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CoSN]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[education leadership]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=2037</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[October brings a chill to the air in Wisconsin, and another deadline nipping at our heels. Oct. 30 is the final day for CoSN members to submit nominations for two particularly notable awards, the Withrow CTO Award and the TEAM Award. Nominees for these awards are not required to be CoSN members. (kj4rvif5bn) Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) is the premier professional association for school district technology leaders. The organization helps these leaders use technology effectively to enhance instruction and knowledge-sharing in the classroom. The Withrow CTO Award for educators is given annually to someone who has been a strong advocate for education technology in K-12 schools, whether they have served in a school, or elsewhere in the education industry. The TEAM Award recognizes strong group leadership in applying technology to education in bold, new ways, through work either at a school or at an outside business. Nominees are judged on the following criteria: their leadership, their work toward community development, the innovative and effective means by which they have applied technology in education, the influence their work has had, and the relationships, with the public and/or private sector, their work has fostered, as well as the service to education [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/10/04/cosn-award-nominations-due-by-octobers-end/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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		<title>Proving Social Media’s ROI through Consistent Measurement and Listening</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/10/01/proving-social-media%e2%80%99s-roi-through-consistent-measurement-and-listening/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/10/01/proving-social-media%e2%80%99s-roi-through-consistent-measurement-and-listening/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 01 Oct 2010 09:29:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Brittany Dorfner</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Public Relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[community engagement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[online conversations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[online coverage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[online listening]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[online measurement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pr]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social media measurement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social media ROI]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=2014</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[While most people recognize the potential worth of social media as a public relations tool, the big question remains: How do you prove its return on investment? A deeply committed organization may hire a Community or Brand Manager, creating larger long-term costs for social media management and a greater need to demonstrate its value. In terms of monitoring, media content analysis should be supplemented by web and search analytics, sales and CRM data, survey data, and other methods. While there&#8217;s no comprehensive tool deemed the one to provide a detailed report of an organization&#8217;s social media activity (and resulting engagement), there are a number of free and subscription-based tools that can help to aggregate and analyze online coverage and social media mentions. These include: Google Alerts, Technorati, Tweet Reach and Radian6. In addition, measurement must focus on conversation and communities, not just coverage. While understanding reach and influence is important, experimentation and testing are key to developing a successful formula for social media analysis. As part of Ragan&#8217;s PR Daily webinar, The Biggest Trends in PR Measurement and ROI, David Rockland and Jennifer Fravel of Ketchum Communications outlined Ketchum&#8217;s Media Algorithm, which extends basic content analysis to include quantitative assessment. [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/10/01/proving-social-media%e2%80%99s-roi-through-consistent-measurement-and-listening/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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		<title>Help Out a Great Cause: eduTechers Change the World</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/09/29/help-out-a-great-cause-edutechers-change-the-world/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/09/29/help-out-a-great-cause-edutechers-change-the-world/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 29 Sep 2010 05:22:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Patrick Terry</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Adam Bellow]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Change the World]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[eduTecher]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=1988</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Fall is a time of year that represents change &#8211; the changing of the seasons and, even more important this year, the change in your pocket. From Friday, Oct. 1 until Thursday, Nov. 25, 1 cent will be donated to charity for every unique visitor to eduTecher, a free website that helps educators integrate technology effectively into their classrooms. eduTecher offers links to hundreds of web tools and sites, and provides information on how these tools can be used in the classroom. &#8220;eduTechers Change the World&#8221; is the brain-child of Adam Bellow, the founder and president of eduTecher, who has also guest-blogged for us on occasion. &#8220;I truly believe that everyone, including eduTecher and all of the eduTechers around the globe, can make a real difference with this new initiative, and I urge all people to stop by the eduTecher website and lend a helping hand,&#8221; said Bellow. Adam is pushing the campaign via social networking sites. It&#8217;s as simple as going to the eduTecher website and clicking a tab. If you choose to submit your e-mail address, you&#8217;ll receive a message once the campaign is over, prompting you to vote for one of five selected charities. Help to drive [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/09/29/help-out-a-great-cause-edutechers-change-the-world/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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		<title>Submit Your SIIA CODiE Award Nominations Soon!</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/09/27/submit-your-siia-codie-award-nominations-soon/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/09/27/submit-your-siia-codie-award-nominations-soon/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 27 Sep 2010 18:49:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Patrick Terry</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Public Relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[education technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SIIA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=1975</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Autumn has arrived, the leaves are turning; which means it&#8217;s time to turn in your CODiE nominations. The CODiE Awards, sponsored by the Software Information Industry Association (SIIA), recognize the very best in business software, digital content and educational technology. Knowledgeable industry veterans review the nominated products, making this a great opportunity to see how your entry stacks up against the competition. Submissions are narrowed to a list of finalists, from which the winners are chosen. Just being named a finalist brings benefits, including a comprehensive media outreach program, and the opportunity to be seen as an ed tech industry leader. Your company and product have a lot to gain from the elevated visibility, both industry and mainstream, that comes with qualifying as a finalist, or winning a CODiE. Nominations for the 2011 CODiE Awards are due by Friday, Oct. 1, 2010. Nominees will be accepted October 2-15, but a late fee will be assessed. SIIA will announce the CODiE Award finalists on Dec. 13, 2010. Winners in the Education Technology division will be announced at the SIIA Ed Tech Industry Summit, on May 22-24, 2011 in San Francisco. Winners in the other division will be announced at the following [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/09/27/submit-your-siia-codie-award-nominations-soon/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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		<title>Your Chance to Win: SIIA Innovation Incubator</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/09/23/your-chance-to-win-siia-innovation-incubator/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/09/23/your-chance-to-win-siia-innovation-incubator/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 23 Sep 2010 22:22:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Patrick Terry</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Awards]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[education technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SIIA]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=1958</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The SIIA Innovation Incubator awards present a unique opportunity for education technology companies to put their products and services in the industry spotlight. Entries are being accepted from: pre-revenue companies existing companies with revenue non-profit groups academic institutions research and development agencies For submission details and other information please visit:  www.siia.net/etbf/2010/incubator.asp Finalists will be selected by SIIA’s Education Division Board of Directors, Innovation Working Group, and Summit Steering Committee. The judges’ will nominate two or three products/services/ideas from each of these categories – existing companies with revenue, companies considered pre-revenue, and non-profit/R&#38;D/education agencies. The reviewers also will select applicants so that the innovations represent a diversity of use, users and market levels. The finalists will present their product/service during the Innovation Incubator Program at the SIIA 2010 Ed Tech Business Forum. Being named an Innovation Incubator is a great visibility opportunity, so now is the time to grab the bull by the horns! The deadline for SIIA Innovation Incubator awards is fast approaching; Monday, September 27. Best of luck!]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Three Years in a Row! And a Double Winner at That!</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/09/21/three-years-in-a-row/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/09/21/three-years-in-a-row/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 21 Sep 2010 14:20:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Charlene Blohm</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Public Relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Awards]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pr]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PRSourceCode]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=1932</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The CB&#38;A team takes great pride in delivering exemplary results for the members of our client family.  And I guess it shows. For the 3rd year in a row, the CB&#38;A team was recognized in the Top Tech Communicator survey conducted by PRSourceCode.  More than 800 information technology and business journalists participated, sharing their opinions about the IT industry&#8217;s top PR agencies, corporate PR departments and individual PR professionals. And not only was this the 3rd consecutive year to be cited in the survey, but the results indicate CB&#38;A was a double winner this year: I was recognized as a Top Tech Communicator, the 2nd time in three years (blush). And CB&#38;A was honored as a runner-up in the Small Agency category, also the 2nd time in three years that the agency as a whole was tapped for recognition. Wow (double blush). We come to work every day because we love sharing interesting stories about interesting people doing interesting things in interesting classrooms.  And we are inspired by our wonderful client liaisons, who are true partners in the PR process.  We are passionate about kids and the learning process, about schools and classroom best practices, and about teachers and the hard [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
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		<title>Tips for a Successful EdNET Experience</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/09/16/tips-for-a-successful-ednet-experience/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/09/16/tips-for-a-successful-ednet-experience/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 16 Sep 2010 07:10:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Kristen Plemon</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EdNET]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[education technology]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=1886</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[For more than 20 years, the annual EdNET Conference has been one of the must-attend events of the year for companies serving the education market. Attendees gain insight on the latest trends and forecasts for the industry, critical updates on federal policies and the state of education funding, and powerful networking opportunities for establishing strategic partnerships.  Over the many years that C. Blohm &#38; Associates has attended EdNET, we&#8217;ve learned many tips and tricks that contribute to a productive and cost-effective conference experience. After you&#8217;ve made the decision to attend, you&#8217;ll want to ensure that your professional or business development dollars are well invested. Here are some tips for having a successful EdNET experience. Fill your dance card, but leave room for a few new twists! Use the EdNET Networking Directory to find other attendees whose goals or interest areas match what you and your company have to offer.  Connect with them now to set up meetings during the conference.  While it&#8217;s tempting to pack your days with meetings, leave some time open for unexpected conversations. Answer the door, it&#8217;s opportunity knocking. Capitalize on the informal and scheduled networking opportunities available during the conference. The Business Networking Forum (followed by the [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
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		<title>The Dairy Dispatch has Moooooved Online</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/09/14/the-dairy-dispatch-has-moooooved-online/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/09/14/the-dairy-dispatch-has-moooooved-online/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 14 Sep 2010 23:02:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Patrick Terry</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=1900</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The inaugural edition of the online Dairy Dispatch celebrates National Chocolate Milkshake Day, a holiday very near and dear to Daisy&#8217;s gigantic bovine heart. In this month&#8217;s edition, we share some fun facts about milkshakes (e.g., did you know malted milk was made right here in Wisconsin?), as well as news highlights from our client family. Here&#8217;s a preview: ePals to Provide NYCDOE with Safe E-mail Learning Solution Early Learners Develop Information Literacy Skills with PebbleGo from Capstone Digital Discovery Education Offers New Content for Elementary, High School Students PCI Education, Morgan&#8217;s Wonderland, WeAreTeachers Sponsor Contest for Free Trip Shmoop Offers Free, Online Pre-Algebra Curriculum Califone and GradeCam Form Partnership to Promote Informed Instruction AASA and Lightspeed Systems Sponsor Award for Digital Learning The Geometer&#8217;s Sketchpad from Key Curriculum Press Now Bundled with Sketchpad LessonLink CoSN Announces Nominations Open for Annual Awards PBS TeacherLine 2010 Fall Course Term Now Open for Enrollment John A. Logan College Offers Scholarships for Enrollment in PBS TeacherLine Courses STI&#8217;s InformationNOW Helps Oklahoma District Increase Parental Involvement and Improve Student Learning We hope you enjoy the new, improved online version of the Dairy Dispatch. To view the full version, visit cblohm.com/dispatch/2010/sept. Look for our next [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/09/14/the-dairy-dispatch-has-moooooved-online/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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		<title>Ten Core Elements of Facebook Marketing Success</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/08/16/ten-core-elements-of-facebook-marketing-success/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/08/16/ten-core-elements-of-facebook-marketing-success/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 16 Aug 2010 18:19:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Brittany Dorfner</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Public Relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Facebook]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Facebook for business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Facebook page]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=1878</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Just behind Google, Facebook is the most trafficked website in the world, according to Alexa.com. With such powerful appeal, it&#8217;s important to consider Facebook in overall marketing plans. Facebook can be used to leverage and build upon your existing customer relationships through engaging content. Creating a Facebook page will expose your organization to fans&#8217; networks, garnering more visibility and potentially new business. During a recent webinar hosted by Mike Stelzner and Mari Smith, they shared nine case study examples of organizations with engaging Facebook pages.  Taken from those case studies, here are 10 core elements of successful Facebook pages. 1.     Create a strategy for your brand &#8211; By creating a strategy before building your page, you&#8217;ll be able to focus your efforts on the message you want to share, and how you&#8217;ll engage fans. 2.     Create a custom tab to highlight products or services &#8211; Have you recently launched a new product or added a service to your business? Give your fans the most important details by creating a custom tab with specific information about the new product/service. Additionally, consider using this tab as your landing page so fans are immediately directed to it. 3.     Ask fun, interesting questions to [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/08/16/ten-core-elements-of-facebook-marketing-success/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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		<title>Social Media Success Summit &#8211; Part Four</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/07/30/social-media-success-summit-part-four/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/07/30/social-media-success-summit-part-four/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 30 Jul 2010 20:54:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Brittany Dorfner</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Public Relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[#smss10]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[future of social media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social media success summit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Steve Rubel]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=1841</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The final post in this four-part series addresses the future of social media, as discussed during the Social Media Success Summit by Steve Rubel, SVP, Director of Insights for Edelman Digital. Since technologies are always evolving, Rubel suggested it&#8217;s wrong to ask what&#8217;s the next Twitter or Facebook. To illustrate his point, he shared a 2006 slide listing a variety of social media technologies, many of which no longer exist. If you&#8217;re looking to learn more about social media, or you&#8217;re just getting your feet wet, Rubel recommends testing the technologies before executing a plan. It&#8217;s useful to talk to people who know a lot, or even a little, about social media to learn more about current trends, and to generate ideas for your organization&#8217;s optimal strategy. The key is to understand trends and evaluate their success before testing the technology. In today&#8217;s world, we&#8217;re snacking all day long on content delivered by e-mail, Twitter, Facebook, etc., sorting through the clutter to choose what we read, listen to, and absorb. It&#8217;s essential that organizations have a good understanding of which strategies engage their audiences most effectively, and craft attention-grabbing messages to build a following. To break through the everyday clutter, [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/07/30/social-media-success-summit-part-four/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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		<title>Social Media Success Summit &#8211; Part Three</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/07/29/social-media-success-summit-part-three/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/07/29/social-media-success-summit-part-three/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:44:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Brittany Dorfner</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Public Relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[#smss10]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Foursquare]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Groupon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social media success summit]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=1834</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[As noted in a previous post, some tech experts dub Foursquare as &#8220;the next Twitter.&#8221; During the Social Media Success Summit, Tristan Walker (@tristanwalker) of Foursquare and Andrew Mason (@andrewmason) of Groupon shared tips on how to bring satisfied customers repeatedly back to your business. If you don&#8217;t know what Foursquare is, check out our post titled &#8220;Why You Should Check Into Foursquare.&#8221; By encouraging people to explore their cities and frequent local businesses, Foursquare has proved to be an effective tool in gaining customer information for businesses both large and small. Using the service, business owners can learn who is visiting, how often, during what time of day, etc., and leverage the information to increase sales and their customer base. To illustrate this point, Walker cited the experiences of two small business owners: Monique&#8217;s Chocolates - Running specials via Foursquare (e.g., if a customer bought one truffle and checked-in at the store, they received one truffle free), Monique&#8217;s saw 60+ promotion redemptions, while local newspaper ads garnered no results. AJ Bombers - After learning how to successfully unlock the &#8220;Swarm&#8221; badge (50 or more people checked-in to a location at once), the restaurant chose to host a &#8220;Swarm Badge [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/07/29/social-media-success-summit-part-three/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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		<title>Social Media Success Summit &#8211; Part Two</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/07/27/social-media-success-summit-part-two/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/07/27/social-media-success-summit-part-two/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 27 Jul 2010 23:18:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Brittany Dorfner</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Public Relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[#smss10]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social media measurement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social media success summit]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=1830</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In my last post, I addressed the importance of setting goals when considering a social media campaign, and shared tips on how to monitor conversations, build your following and find potential customers via Twitter. Moving away from implementation, today&#8217;s post focuses on Jason Falls&#8217; (@JasonFalls) presentation &#8220;Five Ways to Measure Social Media Success,&#8221; zeroing in on how to measure social media efforts and identify the ROI. So, you&#8217;ve finally gotten the C-Suite on board for your social media campaign, but now you have to prove it&#8217;s effective (and worth the organization&#8217;s time and money). After establishing goals and selecting the tools, set measurable objectives and strategies as part of your campaign &#8211; how will you use the tools to achieve your goals? Potential strategies include: &#8211; Develop an incentive to get people to follow you via Twitter, or to like your page on Facebook. &#8211; Advertise your incentive. &#8211; Reach out to people you know regarding your incentive, and invite them to link to your pages, effectively broadcasting your content across other networks. &#8211; Create content that encourages a new follower/fan to come back. With strategies in place, set realistic benchmarks against which to measure your campaign outcomes. Doing this [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/07/27/social-media-success-summit-part-two/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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		<title>Social Media Success Summit &#8211; Part One</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/07/26/social-media-success-summit-part-one/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/07/26/social-media-success-summit-part-one/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 27 Jul 2010 03:11:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Brittany Dorfner</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Public Relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[#smss10]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social media success summit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Twitter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Twitter as a Marketing Weapon]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=1822</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In May, I was an online participant in the 2010 Social Media Success Summit (#smss10). Over the course of the Summit, I sat in on sessions that covered topics useful for organizations at every stage of social media use. I&#8217;ll summarize some of these in four posts that address beginners (using tools like Twitter and Facebook) and intermediate users (introducing Foursquare and Groupon), metrics, and the future of social media. The first post focuses on tips from Guy Kawasaki&#8217;s (@GuyKawasaki) keynote presentation: &#8220;Using Twitter as a Marketing Weapon.&#8221; When considering a social media campaign, the first step is to define your goals. What are you trying to achieve? Are you trying to build brand awareness, or improve customer service? Do you want to learn more about your key influencers, and build better relationships with those influencers through engagement? With goals established, determine which networks will best help you achieve them. Identifying two or three key social networks will make your efforts more powerful; joining too many will diminish your engagement. Successful network management allows you to follow key audience(s), monitor their conversations, and engage the thought leaders influencing the market. From my experience, I suggest using Twitter and/or Facebook to [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/07/26/social-media-success-summit-part-one/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>The Life and Death of Web 2.0</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/07/15/the-life-and-death-of-web-20/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/07/15/the-life-and-death-of-web-20/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 15 Jul 2010 19:45:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Emily Embury</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Adam Bellow]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[eduTecher]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ISTE]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Web 2.0]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=1803</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Edublogger Adam Bellow held a memorial service for the term &#8220;Web 2.0&#8243; at the 2010 ISTE Conference as part of his session titled eduTecher&#8217;s 10 Web Tools To Make Your Classroom Rock.  In support of his effort to &#8220;bury the term once and for all,&#8221; Adam contributed this guest post to summarize his ISTE presentation for our readers. An Abridged History of &#8220;Web 2.0&#8243; The term &#8220;Web 2.0&#8243; was first coined in 1999, more than ten years ago.  A lot has happened since then.  For instance, we were introduced to a little Web company named &#8220;Google.&#8221;  To think of it another way - &#8221;Web 2.0&#8243; was coined before the first iPod was introduced.  However, while the term was first kicked around in 1999, it wasn&#8217;t until 2003-04 that &#8220;Web 2.0&#8243; took on its current meaning and gained popularity. When originally coined, the term meant something because the predominant number of websites simply informed.  Company Web pages, and basic information tools such as dictionaries and reference sites, provided data and static information with minimal user interaction (social or otherwise).  These &#8220;read-only&#8221; websites came to be known by the moniker &#8220;Web 1.0.&#8221; In the beginning, &#8220;Web 2.0&#8243; was cool.  It was the new [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/07/15/the-life-and-death-of-web-20/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Personalized Learning and the Five Monkeys</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/07/13/personalized-learning-and-the-five-monkeys/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/07/13/personalized-learning-and-the-five-monkeys/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 13 Jul 2010 17:03:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sandy Fash</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CoSN]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GlobalScholar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ISTE]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[personalized learning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SIIA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=1769</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[What a successful ISTE 2010 in Denver! Reflecting on that week, we learned about a number of exciting new initiatives, trends, product launches, and more, emanating from the conference and the trade show floor. One of the most interesting sessions we attended was a Feedback Forum hosted by the Consortium of School Networking (CoSN) and the Software &#38; Information Industry Association (SIIA) on Tuesday morning. The two organizations hold Feedback Forums at several conferences throughout the year, giving vendors the opportunity to hear directly from educators and administrators about various topics. This forum focused on personalized learning, and it was fascinating to hear the perspectives of the ten panelists. The general consensus was that if we compare our current educational system to the business world, we are using a mass production model to deliver education, and we need to move to a system of mass customization. Where differentiated learning relies on teachers to be the primary instruction-givers, personalized learning draws the student into the learning process through engagement and interest-focused activities. Panelists agreed a paradigm shift was needed – reforming teacher-led instruction practices to emphasize student-focused learning. Later that day, we had the opportunity to connect with our good friend, [...]]]></description>
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		<title>And Our Foursquare Winner Is …</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/07/09/and-our-foursquare-winner-is-%e2%80%a6/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/07/09/and-our-foursquare-winner-is-%e2%80%a6/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 09 Jul 2010 06:00:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Brittany Dorfner</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[#ISTE10]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Foursquare]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Groupon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ISTE]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=1749</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Back from ISTE 2010, we&#8217;ve determined the winner of our Foursquare contest (mentioned in an earlier post, &#8220;Why You Should Check Into Foursquare&#8221; ).  That signal honor goes to Kevin Hogan, editorial director of Tech &#38; Learning! Kevin managed to check in more times than anyone else, earning him the prestigious title of  &#8221;Mayor&#8221; of CB&#38;A&#8217;s Media Central at ISTE. As our winner, Kevin will receive a $25 Groupon gift card to use on a daily deal of his choice. Thanks to all who participated in Media Central at ISTE 2010, and to those who checked in to our Foursquare venue!]]></description>
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		<title>ISTE 2010: Exploring Excellence</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/06/26/iste-2010/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/06/26/iste-2010/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 27 Jun 2010 05:30:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Emily Embury</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Califone]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discovery Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ePals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Funds for Learning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GlobalScholar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GradeCam]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ISTE]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lightspeed Systems]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[netTrekker]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PBS TeacherLine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PBS Teachers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Shmoop]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SIIA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[STI]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=1712</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The CB&#38;A team has traveled to Denver for ISTE 2010 – the conference formerly known as NECC.  The theme of this year&#8217;s most comprehensive educational technology event is Exploring Excellence.  Nearly 20,000 teachers, technology coordinators, library media specialists, administrators, policy makers, industry representatives, and students from around the globe have gathered in the Mile-High City. Whether you&#8217;re attending the conference in person or virtually, bookmark www.isteconnects.org or follow ISTE Connects on Twitter for the latest news, events and commentary from ISTE.  In addition, follow Charlene Blohm, Kristen Plemon, Sandy Fash, and Emily Embury on Twitter as they tweet daily updates of interesting articles, client news and helpful tips.  Also be sure to follow CB&#38;A at CBlohmAssoc, led by Brittany Dorfner. News from clients exhibiting at the conference&#8230; Califone (Booth #1189) Providing all students the opportunity to clearly hear their teachers and audiovisual media in the classroom, Califone showcases its upgrade Infrared Classroom Audio System as well as the company&#8217;s new Assistive Listening System.  For more information, visit www.califone.com. Discovery Education (Booth #628) Discovery Education announces new agreements with several organizations, including BBC, Smarterville/Reading Rainbow and CBS News, to further expand the content libraries of the company&#8217;s curricular services.  For more information, [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Flags and Bridges</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/06/26/flags-and-bridges/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/06/26/flags-and-bridges/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 26 Jun 2010 21:41:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sandy Fash</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Public Relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bridges]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Flags]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Interviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ISTE 2010]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Media]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=1703</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[With ISTE 2010 right around the corner, it may be a good idea to brush up on your media training skills. Whether you have meetings already set up with members of the education trade press, or you just want to be prepared in case someone stops by your booth for a quick interview, it can’t hurt to review the basics. Handling tough media meetings, or any interview for that matter, can be uncomfortable even for the most veteran company spokespersons. Beyond remembering to stay calm and professional, however, there are a few tricks that can help you stay on message while still answering the reporter’s more abrasive or probing questions. The real key to handling tough media meetings is realizing that you are always in control. Using your verbal prowess, you can focus the discussion on what you want to talk about. There are two techniques that can help when it comes to answering interview questions – transitional phrases known as “flags” and “bridges.” Flags You may say a lot of things during a meeting, but to emphasize the points that you truly want to get across, you will want to use “flags.” Flags are verbal signals that cue the [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Learning?  There’s an App for That!</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/06/25/learning-there%e2%80%99s-an-app-for-that/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/06/25/learning-there%e2%80%99s-an-app-for-that/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 25 Jun 2010 06:39:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Emily Embury</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discovery Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education Apps]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Handheld Devices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lightspeed Systems]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mobile learning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Shmoop]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[STI]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=1687</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[More than 75 percent of teens own cell phones, up from just 45 percent in 2004, according to Pew Internet &#38; American Life Project.  However, nearly 70 percent of schools nationwide ban mobile devices during the school day, according to a survey conducted last year by CommonSense Media.  But some districts are beginning to realize the untapped potential of handheld devices.  As best said by educator Lisa Nielsen, &#8220;It&#8217;s not a question of if, but when all schools will allow mobile devices for learning.&#8221; Handheld devices such as the iPhone® and iPod touch® are viewed by many educators and ed tech experts as a pathway to improved student engagement and personalized learning.  A recent study found that vocabulary improved as much as 31 percent in children ages three to seven who played with the popular PBS KIDS MARTHA SPEAKS app.  Smartphones have become increasingly popular among parents &#8211; their use is 12 percent higher in households with children than other households according to Nielsen. I Education Apps Review (IEAR.org), an online community of more than 500 educators, administrators and app developers, is taking a closer look at the educational value of mobile devices in the classroom.  Founded by Scott Meech, [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Denver Highlights for ISTE 2010 Attendees: Encore</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/06/21/denver-highlights-for-iste-2010-attendees-encore/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/06/21/denver-highlights-for-iste-2010-attendees-encore/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 21 Jun 2010 17:44:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Brittany Dorfner</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[#ISTE10]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Denver]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ISTE]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=1659</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[With ISTE just six days away, we&#8217;d like to share one more list of restaurants, shops and entertaining venues in and around Denver. With this and our previous three posts in hand, you&#8217;ll have no trouble navigating the city for good food and fun. Thanks to Jeanne Hayes, President of The Hayes Connection, Inc., Kevin Custer, CEO of AutismPro, and David Pendery, President of Crazy Poet Music Group, LLC, for their added suggestions on where to eat and what to do while in Denver. Restaurants &#8211; The Cruise Room Bar (located in the Oxford Hotel), 1600 17th Street, theoxfordhotel.com/the-cruise-room.html &#8211; My Brother&#8217;s Bar, 2376 15th Street, denvergov.org/AboutDenver/today_driving_beat_stop5.asp (Burgers/bar food) &#8211; Ship Tavern (located in the Brown Palace Hotel), 321 17th Street, brownpalace.com/dining/ships_tavern.cfm (Burgers/steak/seafood) &#8211; Maggiano&#8217;s Little Italy, 500 16th Street, maggianos.com (Italian cuisine) &#8211; The Broker Restaurant, 821 17th Street, thebrokerrestaurant.com (Steak/seafood) &#8211; Simms Steakhouse, 11911 W. 6th Avenue, Lakewood, Colo., simmssteakhouse.com (Steak) &#8211; ELWAY&#8217;S Downtown, 1881 Curtis Street, elways.com/downtown (Steak) &#8211; Steubens, 523 E. 17th Avenue, steubens.com (American cuisine) &#8211; The 9th Door, 1808 Blake Street, theninthdoor.com (Spanish tapas) Entertainment &#8211; Coors Field Tour, 2001 Blake Street, colorado.rockies.mlb.com/col/ballpark/tours.jsp &#8211; Golden Brewery Tour, located on 13th &#38; Ford Streets, millercoors.com/golden-brewery-tour.aspx [...]]]></description>
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		<title>CoSN Calls for Presentations for 2011 Annual Conference</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/06/18/cosn-calls-for-presentations-for-2011-annual-conference/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/06/18/cosn-calls-for-presentations-for-2011-annual-conference/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Jun 2010 22:51:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Keith Krueger</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CoSN]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Keith Krueger]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mastering the Moment]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=1673</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I’m very pleased to announce that we have opened our Call for Presentations for the CoSN 2011 Annual Conference, which will take place in New Orleans, La., March 14-16, 2011, at the Hilton New Orleans Hotel. The conference theme is “Mastering the Moment,” and we will focus on how ed tech leaders can find innovative ways to strengthen investments in technology during the economic crisis. Given New Orleans’ experience with recovering from a terrible natural disaster and making the most of limited resources to rethink and innovate in education, the city is a great location for the conference. From now until July 23, we’re accepting presentation proposals related to the “Mastering the Moment” theme. The call for presentations is open to both CoSN members and non-members, and proposals can be submitted in five presentation categories: Concurrent Sessions, Education Poster Sessions, Pre-conference Workshops, New! Great Ideas, and Birds-of-a-Feather Roundtables. To learn more about the conference and submitting a proposal, visit www.cosn.org/Home/2010CallPresent/tabid/6686/Default.aspx. For ed tech companies, we encourage you to reach out to your key customers.  Let them know about this important opportunity to submit a proposal showing how they are making a difference with the support of your products and services. We’re looking [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Why You Should Check Into Foursquare</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/06/10/why-you-should-check-into-foursquare/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/06/10/why-you-should-check-into-foursquare/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 11 Jun 2010 04:52:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Emily Embury</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Public Relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Add new tag]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Foursquare]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ISTE]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Media Central]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=1645</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dubbed &#8220;the next Twitter&#8221; by some tech experts, Foursquare is a location-based social networking website that tracks its users&#8217; whereabouts as they &#8220;check-in&#8221; on their smartphones from wherever they happen to be.  Users can then elect to share this information, along with comments on the places they visit, with friends and colleagues on Foursquare, or through personal networks such as Twitter and Facebook. Launched in 2009 with limited availability, Foursquare expanded in January to allow check-ins from any location worldwide.  The site has nearly 1.6 million subscribers, according to Foursquare CEO Dennis Crowley, and is adding 15,000 users per day.  Mashable noted recently that the site has recorded more than 40 million check-ins, almost double the 22 million total it reported just five weeks ago.  It&#8217;s not surprising that some think Foursquare is the next big thing on the social media playground. Foursquare doesn&#8217;t just share your location with your network; it also serves as a game, pairing virtual rewards with real activities, according to Social Media Examiner.  Users can earn badges by checking-in at different locations.  Visit a location more times than anyone else, and you become the &#8220;mayor.&#8221;  You can also add tips to a venue for other users suggesting great [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Denver Highlights for ISTE 2010 Attendees – Part Three</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/06/08/denver-highlights-for-iste-2010-attendees-part-three/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/06/08/denver-highlights-for-iste-2010-attendees-part-three/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 08 Jun 2010 15:14:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Brittany Dorfner</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[#ISTE10]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Denver]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ISTE]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=1621</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Our two prior posts covered dining venues in the immediate Denver area; our final post shares suggestions on other eating establishments outside of Denver: 240 Union, 240 Union Boulevard, Lakewood, Colo. (www.240union.com) If you take Route 6 to the mountains, stop by 240 Union for a perfect glass of wine, incredible service, and great food. Don&#8217;t let the strip mall location put you off &#8211; 240 Union never disappoints. Bang!, 3472 W. 32nd Avenue (www.bangdenver.com) In the Highlands neighborhood just west of Denver, Bang! serves up comfort food in a cozy, friendly environment. After dinner, wander up and down 32nd Ave., and check out the shops &#8211; ranging from a cheese purveyor to a Spanish language bookstore. Briarwood Inn, 1630 8th Street, Golden, Colo. (www.thebriarwoodinn.com) You know it is date night when you get an invitation to the Briarwood Inn for dinner! Tucked up against the foothills of the Rockies, the Briarwood delivers a memorable and delicious dining experience every time. Cherry Cricket, 2641 E. Second Avenue (www.cherrycricket.com) In the Cherry Creek area of Denver, the Cricket consistently wins raves for the best burgers in Denver. You&#8217;ll also find many cool boutiques and galleries in the area. El Rancho, 29260 [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Denver Highlights for ISTE 2010 Attendees – Part Two</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/06/04/denver-highlights-for-iste-2010-attendees-%e2%80%93-part-two/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/06/04/denver-highlights-for-iste-2010-attendees-%e2%80%93-part-two/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 04 Jun 2010 18:50:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Brittany Dorfner</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[#ISTE10]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Denver]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ISTE]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=1565</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Our second post in the series explores the eateries of central Denver (thanks again to Dodie Ownes, editor of SLJTeen, for the suggestions). Haven&#8217;t read the first post?  Be sure to do so &#8211; you don&#8217;t want to miss the great tips and dining suggestions for downtown Denver! The central Denver area is southeast of the convention center, so you may want to jump in a cab or take the Light Rail (see previous post), especially if it&#8217;s a cool evening. The Auraria/University of Colorado-Denver campus, just west of the convention center, is a good landmark to keep in mind when navigating the city. Speer Boulevard is on the west side of the convention center, and Colfax Avenue borders the south side &#8211; many of the restaurants below are in the area known as the Golden Triangle. If you have a little extra time at lunch, or time to explore at dinner, you will find any of these a wonderful choice. Buckhorn Exchange, 1000 Osage Street (www.buckhornexchange.com) Get a taste of the West at this classic Denver establishment. Game, fish and both kinds of oysters (those from the sea and the Rocky Mountain variety &#8211; ask a local for an [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Denver Highlights for ISTE 2010 Attendees – Part One</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/06/03/denver-highlights-for-iste-2010-attendees-%e2%80%93-part-one/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/06/03/denver-highlights-for-iste-2010-attendees-%e2%80%93-part-one/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 03 Jun 2010 13:59:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Brittany Dorfner</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[#ISTE10]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Denver]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ISTE]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=1502</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Thanks to our good friend, Dodie Ownes, editor of SLJTeen, we&#8217;ll be sharing a three-part &#8220;guide&#8221; to Denver for ISTE 2010 attendees. Over the next few days, we&#8217;ll provide some tips for surviving Denver, lists of area restaurants and information on other entertaining local venues. For any first-time visitors traveling from a sea-level location, keep these simple tips in mind for your initial days in Denver: Do not exercise heavily, or skimp on water intake! The mile-high altitude makes for arid conditions, and visitors can get dehydrated quickly. If you are going to the mountains, or just spending a day outside, put on sunscreen. It is easy to get a sunburn here (even in January). For travel outside your hotel or the Colorado Convention Center, the Light Rail Train Station located under the convention center parking garage will whisk you easily to most areas of Denver. Costs are reasonable, and the system is considered to be very safe for travelers. Staying downtown? The free MallRide travels through the heart of downtown Denver, making frequent stops within walking distance of the convention center and some of the city&#8217;s most popular tourist attractions. It connects with several Light Rail Stations too, if [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Are You Ready for Augmented Reality?</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/06/01/are-you-ready-for-augmented-reality/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/06/01/are-you-ready-for-augmented-reality/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 01 Jun 2010 15:36:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Emily Embury</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[augmented reality]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CoSN]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=1549</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[One of the newest buzzwords in the world of technology is a concept called augmented reality.  According to Wikipedia, augmented reality is a term for a live direct or indirect view of a physical real-world environment whose elements are augmented by virtual computer-generated imagery.  In plain English, augmented reality is the practice of blending real-world video with computer-generated graphics that provide additional information to the viewer. The 2010 Horizon Report: K-12 Edition named augmented reality as one of the six emerging technologies likely to have a significant impact on K-12 education in the next one to five years.  Produced by the New Media Consortium in collaboration with CoSN, the report indicated that augmented reality emerged from the convergence of three technologies – GPS, online video and pattern recognition.  Combined with mobile technology, augmented reality becomes a portable tool for discovery-based learning. In fact, last month eSchool News published an article about the use of augmented reality.  According to eSchool News, &#8220;a small but growing number of schools across the nation are turning classroom lessons into engagement experiences with augmented reality.&#8221;  Proponents of the technology say augmented reality differs from virtual reality in that while virtual reality aims to replace a [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Using Social Media for Crisis Communications</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/05/28/using-social-media-for-crisis-communications/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/05/28/using-social-media-for-crisis-communications/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 28 May 2010 21:11:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Brittany Dorfner</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Public Relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crisis communications]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pr]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=1507</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Recently, I attended Social Media Boot Camp, hosted by Ragan Communications. The all-day workshop focused on many aspects of social media, including its role in crisis communications. In a world of instant communication, it&#8217;s crucial to have a crisis communications plan that includes social media, and addresses the chain of command (i.e., who will respond, on what networks, etc.). With the growth of social networks, citizen journalism is altering the media landscape. Anyone with a mobile phone or camera can record an event, post the results to Twitter or Facebook, and share breaking news. Take Janis Krums for example &#8211; while traveling on a nearby passenger ferry, he used Twitpic to publish the first photo of U.S. Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River, and subsequently was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in Breaking News Photography. With easy access to social media, customers increasingly are in charge of your brand, and they&#8217;ll talk about you, both pro and con, whether or not you&#8217;re engaged. Why not take a proactive approach and interact with your audience? Building a presence on social networks like Twitter and Facebook allows you to humanize your company/brand, build customer relationships, and respond quickly during a crisis. Customers [...]]]></description>
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		<title>SIIA Announces Winners of 2010 CODiE Awards</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/05/25/siia-announces-winners-of-2010-codie-awards/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/05/25/siia-announces-winners-of-2010-codie-awards/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 25 May 2010 23:36:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sandy Fash</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Awards]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CODiE Awards]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ed tech industry summit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[education technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SIIA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[software]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=1488</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Last night during the organization’s annual Ed Tech Industry Summit, the Education Division of the Software &#38; Information Industry Association (SIIA) announced the winners of the 2010 CODiE Awards. Twenty-seven winners were chosen from more than 327 nominations. Originally called the Excellence in Software Awards, the CODiE Awards were established in 1986 by the Software Publishers Association (SPA), which is now SIIA. It was designed to allow the pioneers of the then-nascent software industry to evaluate and honor each other’s work. Since then, the CODiE Awards program has showcased the industry’s finest products and services, honoring excellence in corporate achievement. Holding the distinction of being the industry’s only peer-reviewed awards program, the CODiE Awards celebrates its 25th anniversary in this year. Congratulations to all the 2010 winners!]]></description>
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		<title>Ed Tech Industry Summit Preview</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/05/19/ed-tech-industry-summit-preview/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/05/19/ed-tech-industry-summit-preview/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 19 May 2010 21:59:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Charlene Blohm</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Capstone Digital]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ePals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[International Baccalaureate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lightspeed Systems]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[netTrekker]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SIIA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=1450</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Ed Tech Industry Summit, sponsored by the Software &#38; Information Industry Association (SIIA), is the industry conference for the K-12 and postsecondary education technology marketplace.  Here&#8217;s a sampling of the session topics and speakers for the conference, &#8220;Going Mobile and Global,&#8221; to be held May 23-25 at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. Trends in Mobile Learning on Monday, May 24, from 10-11 a.m. The mobile learning market segment is perhaps the most volatile area of the ed tech business today.  Half the devices in schools are mobile, from smartphones to laptops.  This session will provide actionable information about mobile devices, operating systems, applications, and business models to build upon data in the forthcoming Mobile Computing Trends Report from SIIA.  A panel that includes Scott Garrison, president of Lightspeed Systems, and Tom Greaves of the Greaves Group, will discuss key market drivers, adoption rates and a new class of applications that exploits mobile computing.  Bruce Wilcox of Digital Millennial Consulting will serve as moderator. Digital Rights and Education Rites &#8211; How Can They Coexist? on Monday, May 24, from 10-11 a.m. As the resources used in K-12 and higher education move toward digital media, we face some conflict between [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Celebrating Ed Tech Innovation</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/05/18/celebrating-ed-tech-innovation/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/05/18/celebrating-ed-tech-innovation/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 18 May 2010 23:55:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Charlene Blohm</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Awards]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lightspeed Systems]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SIIA]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=1458</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Celebrating innovation and growth in the education market, the Software &#38; Information Industry Association (SIIA) recently announced the finalists for the Innovation Incubator Program.  Participating organizations will be highlighted at the annual Ed Tech Industry Summit, sponsored by SIIA, May 23-25, at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. The Innovation Incubator Program connects the developers of promising, new technologies with industry leaders, potential investors and established organizations 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.  Twenty-eight applicants were assessed based on key selection criteria, including alignment to the conference&#8217;s theme, &#8220;Going Mobile and Global,&#8221; and SIIA&#8217;s Vision K-20 Benchmarks; 21st century tools; anytime/anywhere access; differentiated learning; assessment tools; and enterprise support. The finalists will begin their participation in the Business Profiles presentations on Sunday, May 23, followed by the Innovation Showcase &#38; Networking Reception. During the conference the finalists will receive industry-wide recognition, peer-to-peer mentorship, and access to hand-selected prospects for partnership, acquisition, financing, and veteran advice. Among the finalists is Lightspeed Systems for My Big Campus.  Offering a filter-integrated and monitored Resource Library along with collaboration tools, My Big [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Congratulations to the 2010 AEP Award Finalists!</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/05/14/congratulations-to-the-2010-aep-award-finalists/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/05/14/congratulations-to-the-2010-aep-award-finalists/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 14 May 2010 07:33:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Brittany Dorfner</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AEP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AEP Awards]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Association of Educational Publishers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AutismPro]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Capstone Digital]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discovery Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Distinguished Achievement Awards]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ginger Software]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Golden Lamp Awards]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Key Curriculum Press]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[netTrekker]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PBS TeacherLine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PCI Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Shmoop]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=1435</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[For more than four decades, the Association of Educational Publishers&#8216; (AEP) Awards program has honored companies that provide outstanding resources for teaching and learning. One of the largest and longest-running awards programs for educational products, the AEP Awards identify products that exemplify the highest standards of professional, quality educational content, give credit and recognition to the organizations who are leading the way in the field, and set benchmarks to which the rest of the industry can aspire. The Distinguished Achievement Awards recognize the year&#8217;s top educational products in four categories: Curriculum, Periodicals, Professional Development, and Technology &#38; New Media. Entries are judged only against other products in their entry category, subcategory, and grade level. Golden Lamps are awarded in the same categories, but just to one title in each, setting a &#8220;gold standard&#8221; for educational products. Golden Lamp entries are judged against products from all subjects and grade levels, raising the level of competition and distinction. This year, we&#8217;re pleased to recognize some of the 2010 AEP Award finalists in both the Distinguished Achievement Award and Golden Lamp categories, including: Distinguished Achievement Awards Curriculum Science Capstone Digital (PebbleGo), PRESCHOOL (Grades K-5) Discovery Education, Discovery Education Digital Science Solutions (Grades 6-8) [...]]]></description>
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		<title>The Clock Is Ticking: Preparing Your Tradeshow Communications Plan</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/05/12/the-clock-is-ticking-preparing-your-tradeshow-communications-plan/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/05/12/the-clock-is-ticking-preparing-your-tradeshow-communications-plan/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 12 May 2010 19:25:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sandy Fash</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Public Relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Communications]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[education technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ISTE 2010]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tradeshow]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=1420</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The countdown has begun to ISTE 2010. Now in its 31st year, the annual conference for the International Society for Technology in Education boasts a variety of professional development and collaborative networking events, including more than 600 hands-on and formal sessions fostering the use of technology across the curriculum. As many of our clients exhibit at this highly-attended conference each summer, our office is busy with a flurry of pre-planning activities. With this boost of energy in mind, we offer a few communications tips to the developers and publishers gearing up for ISTE (or any other upcoming tradeshows, for that matter). First things first: brainstorm with team members and leadership your company’s goal for the conference. Is it to launch a new product? Boost a new brand? Highlight successful implementations of your product or service? Boost revenue by a set amount? Once your tradeshow goals have been determined, discuss how communications (both marketing and public relations) can support them. For example, if you plan to announce a new product, what steps should be taken to prepare for the launch? Consider a few items that should be on your to-do list: creating marketing collateral, designing booth graphics and displays, determining a [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Tweet for Ed Tech this Wednesday</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/05/10/tweet-for-ed-tech-this-wednesday/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/05/10/tweet-for-ed-tech-this-wednesday/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 10 May 2010 22:29:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sandy Fash</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Advocacy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ETAN]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[federal funding]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=1413</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[On Wednesday, May 12th, join ed tech advocates nationwide for a day of tweeting and blogging to support education technology.  Spearheaded by the Ed Tech Action Network (ETAN), this initiative aims to support ongoing efforts to advance the cause of education technology funding at the federal level. Funding for classroom technology is in jeopardy.  With the help of social media, ed tech advocates aim to urge Congress to fund the Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) program at $500 million for 2011. If you&#8217;re not sure what to write about, on Tuesday, May 11th, ETAN will share a number of sample messages that can be used on Twitter throughout the day.  Be sure to use the hashtag #EETT, and encourage friends and colleagues to do the same. For more information, check out www.edtechactionnetwork.org.  For a more general discussion of advocacy techniques, check out this earlier post.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/05/10/tweet-for-ed-tech-this-wednesday/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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		<title>The Tech Commandments: Ideas to Revitalize Education</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/05/04/the-tech-commandments-ideas-to-revitalize-education/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/05/04/the-tech-commandments-ideas-to-revitalize-education/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 04 May 2010 22:11:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Emily Embury</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Adam Bellow]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[eduTecher]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=1365</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[According to author Adam Bellow, The Tech Commandments are a reaction to what he has seen and experienced in schools over his several years as a technology training specialist.  We got connected with Adam through Twitter, and he graciously gave us permission to share a condensed version of these commandments with our readers. Training is Essential Providing training to staff is almost more important than the technology itself.  If a school spends its entire technology budget to buy &#8220;stuff,&#8221; but nothing on teaching and supporting the use of the &#8220;stuff,&#8221; it is a huge waste.  Training and support should be a top priority. Money Isn&#8217;t What Makes Educational Technology Work Buying an expensive camera doesn&#8217;t make you a good photographer.  It just means you spent a ton of money on a piece of equipment.  The same is true with educational technology.  A school may have an interactive whiteboard in every classroom, but that doesn&#8217;t mean the technology is being used successfully. Restricting Access is Too Extreme Students need to be kept safe from offensive areas of the web.  Hate speech, pornographic content and graphic violence should be blocked from students inside school and out.  However, students need to be educated [...]]]></description>
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		<title>CB&amp;A Looks Back: Top 10 Ed Tech Moments</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/05/03/cba-looks-back-top-10-ed-tech-moments/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/05/03/cba-looks-back-top-10-ed-tech-moments/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 03 May 2010 21:26:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Kristen Plemon</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Califone]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[digital projectors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discovery Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[document cameras]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[E-Rate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[education data management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[education technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EETT]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[erate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Funds for Learning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GradeCam]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Horizon Report]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[interactive whiteboards]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Key Curriculum Press]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lightspeed Systems]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mobile learning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[online assessment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[online learning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PBS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PBS TeacherLine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PBS Teachers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Realityworks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Shmoop]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[virtualization]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=1392</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Earlier this year, as the new decade began and the &#8220;Aughts&#8221; (2000s) faded, the CB&#38;A team, with the help of clients and colleagues, reflected on some of the key achievements in education technology during the last 10 years. It had been an exhilarating, tumultuous ride, marked by destructive natural and human forces (from hurricanes and flu pandemics to wars and recessions) as well as triumphant scientific and technological advances, and real social progress. Mirroring these overarching economic and societal changes, the education industry experienced formidable setbacks and disappointments, but many spectacular moments as well, which have improved teaching and learning, and steered us closer to ensuring every student realizes their full potential. Recently, these reflections came to mind as we started working with our clients to support a new project from the Software &#38; Information Industry Association (SIIA), the principal trade association for the software and digital content industry. For its 25th anniversary celebration, SIIA&#8217;s Education Division is compiling a timeline of significant moments in ed tech history. (If your company is an SIIA member, you can submit important events, such as the dates the company was founded and new products were launched, to Karen Billings by May 3 to [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/05/03/cba-looks-back-top-10-ed-tech-moments/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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		<title>Congratulations to the 2010 BESSIE Winners</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/04/27/congratulations-to-the-2010-bessie-winners/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/04/27/congratulations-to-the-2010-bessie-winners/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 27 Apr 2010 22:30:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Charlene Blohm</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[autism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AutismPro]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[award]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bessies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discovery Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ePals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Key Curriculum Press]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[netTrekker]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=1292</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This is the 16th year of the Annual Best Educational Software Awards (BESSIES), sponsored by  the ComputED Learning Center, San Diego&#8217;s leading computer education resource, and The ComputED Gazette. Targeting innovative and content-rich programs and websites that provide parents and teachers with the technology to foster educational excellence, the program selects winners from titles submitted by digital resource publishers from around the world. Middle School Thinking Skills: Tinkerplots Dynamic Data Exploration from Key Curriculum Press High School Math Tool: The Geometer&#8217;s Sketchpad from Key Curriculum Press Multi-Level Disaster Preparedness Website: Ready Classroom from Discovery Education Multi-Subject Current Topics Website: ePals TeamEarth from ePals, Inc. Science Website: Discovery Education Digital Science Solutions from Discovery Education Internet Resources Website:  netTrekker.com from netTrekker Teacher Tools Digital Library Website: Discovery Education streaming Plus from Discovery Education Multi-Discipline Collaboration Website: ePals Learning Space from ePals, Inc. Special Education Staff Development Website: AutismPro from AutismPro AutismPro also was highlighted in an &#8220;Awards Showcase&#8221; article written by the ComputED staff. Since April is National Autism Awareness Month, we&#8217;ll share their text here as well: One in 125! That&#8217;s how many children are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, according to some experts; and those numbers are predicted to [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/04/27/congratulations-to-the-2010-bessie-winners/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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		<title>Emerging Technologies Profiled in 2010 Horizon Report: K-12 Edition</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/04/22/emerging-technologies-profiled-in-2010-horizon-report-k-12-edition/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/04/22/emerging-technologies-profiled-in-2010-horizon-report-k-12-edition/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 22 Apr 2010 18:29:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Emily Embury</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CoSN]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Horizon Report]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[New Media Consortium]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=1342</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Last week, I participated in a webcast from the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) on Emerging Technology Trends in K-12.  The webcast previewed the 2010 Horizon Report: K-12 Edition, the second in a series of annual reports focused on emerging technology use in elementary and secondary education.  Produced by the New Media Consortium in collaboration with CoSN, the report identifies six emerging technologies that likely will have an impact on K-12 education in the next one to five years. Time to Adoption: One Year or Less Cloud Computing has transformed the way schools think about computing and communication, data storage and access, and collaborative work.  Many cloud computing solutions are available today, and being deployed by a growing number of schools. Collaborative Environments give students tremendous opportunities to interact with peers and mentors, to experience other worldviews, and to model work patterns that characterize many real-world professions. Time to Adoption: Two to Three Years Interest in Game-Based Learning has grown as research continues to demonstrate its instructional effectiveness.  Games for education run the gamut from single-player or small-group board games, to those involving multiple online players and &#8220;alternate realities.&#8221; Mobile Devices represent an untapped resource for reaching students, providing a [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Daisy Do</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/04/21/daisy-do/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/04/21/daisy-do/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 21 Apr 2010 21:32:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Charlene Blohm</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dairy Dispatch]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Daisy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Texas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wisconsin]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=1283</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Six years ago this month, we completed the process of relocating CB&#38;A’s offices from San Antonio, Texas, to our current location in Cottage Grove, Wis., just 10 miles from Madison. To note the occasion, “Daisy” became CB&#38;A mascot-in-chief as we shared news of our move with the ed trade press and members of our client family. The response to Daisy was overwhelmingly positive, so we kept her on the &#8220;hayroll,&#8221; so to speak, and assigned her the high-profile job of promoting our Dairy Dispatch newsletter, which debuted in the Fall of 2004 as a entertaining way to reinforce our new address and contact information, and to share news highlights from the client family. You can visit Daisy in her office on the  CB&#38;A home page, or click her nose to download the current edition of the Dairy Dispatch (PDF file, 736KB). The theme of the March/April issue is a celebration of Peeps, everyone&#8217;s favorite springtime treat and the subject of many a diorama. The 2009 winners of the diorama contest sponsored by the Washington Post are featured in the newsletter, and the 2010 winners can be enjoyed here.  You&#8217;ll enjoy the news from our client family as well; less fattening [...]]]></description>
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		<title>The Four P’s of Successful Online Customer Engagement</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/04/19/the-four-p%e2%80%99s-of-successful-online-customer-engagement/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/04/19/the-four-p%e2%80%99s-of-successful-online-customer-engagement/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 19 Apr 2010 06:19:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Kristen Plemon</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Public Relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[brand building]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[branding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[customer engagement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[negative comments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=1261</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When helping clients and colleagues to understand and navigate the world of social media, we suggest a three-step process: 1)  Listen to and learn from online conversations related to your business, industry and customers. 2)  Participate in online conversations with core audiences. 3)  Regularly measure the results to determine success, or to adjust strategies and tactics as needed. To carry out these steps successfully, it&#8217;s critical to build capacity within an organization and cultivate a work environment conducive to effective social media use.  Corporate social media use must be integrated seamlessly throughout the company (marketing, PR, customer service, product development), not &#8220;bolted on.&#8221; Everything a company does, whether online or offline, contributes to branding, so it must all be in sync. (Check out a previous post on building brands through social media for more information.) I recently participated in PRWeek&#8217;s webcast, &#8220;Foe to Friend: Turning Online Critics Into Brand Ambassadors.&#8221; The speakers succinctly summed up the principles of online customer engagement, and addressed the issues of capacity-building and company culture. The &#8220;Four P&#8217;s&#8221; are key to engaging customers successfully through social media, particularly when addressing complaints and negative comments: 1)  People - Listening and responding online to customers, and other [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/04/19/the-four-p%e2%80%99s-of-successful-online-customer-engagement/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>In an Era of Diminishing Returns: Advocate!</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/04/09/in-an-era-of-diminishing-returns-advocate/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/04/09/in-an-era-of-diminishing-returns-advocate/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 09 Apr 2010 20:58:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Paul Mamelka</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Advocacy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ETAN]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stephanie Vance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WEMTA]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=1239</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[According to Stephanie Vance, advocacy is not just the art of pleading for a cause, it&#8217;s the art of pleading effectively for a cause.  Vance brings more than 15 years of experience working for congressional legislators in Washington, D.C., to her current role as the &#8220;Advocacy Guru.&#8221;   She gives informative and humorous presentations outlining the key elements that inform a successful effort to get the attention (and support) of the Powers-that-Be (i.e., your state and national elected representatives).  Her message?  Government isn&#8217;t broken; you can work the system and beat the odds.  Why should you take her seriously?  &#8220;Nancy Pelosi has been in my car,&#8221; she jokes.  If that&#8217;s not enough, she&#8217;s written four books on the subject, and broadcasts her message at www.advocacyguru.com and www.advocacyassociates.com. In her presentation &#8220;Advocacy Directions&#8221; at the WEMTA Spring Conference&#8217;s &#8221;Digital Age Learning Leadership Summit,&#8221; Vance outlined a wide array of advocacy techniques.  Some are highlighted here. Know Thy Legislator Vance took pains to emphasize the importance of doing the research before approaching a Representative or Senator to seek support for your cause.  Knowing the issues and concerns that are important to him or her will help you frame an appeal that resonates.  Some [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/04/09/in-an-era-of-diminishing-returns-advocate/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Survey Update: Twitter Use in K-12 Education</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/04/08/survey-update-twitter-use-in-k-12-education/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/04/08/survey-update-twitter-use-in-k-12-education/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 08 Apr 2010 17:47:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Emily Embury</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ed Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CoSN]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Twitter]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=1222</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Last month I shared the results of a survey CB&#38;A conducted in conjunction with the CoSN Conference 2010.  To help inform a roundtable discussion that took place during the conference, CB&#38;A surveyed educators on the CoSN pre-registration list and analyzed replies from more than 50 respondents.  The survey explored two aspects of Twitter in K-12 education: educators&#8217; personal use of Twitter, and school system use of Twitter. Kathy Schrock, Director of Technology for Nauset Public Schools, contacted me after reviewing the survey results and asked if she could distribute the survey to her personal learning network.  Kathy sent the survey link to more than 5,800 educators on Twitter, and asked them to share the link with colleagues in their school and/or district, including those who do not use Twitter as well as those who do.  She received valid responses from 284 educators. Here is a slide show of the survey results: For more information, see Kathy&#8217;s blog post: Educators&#8217; Use of Twitter: Survey Results.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/04/08/survey-update-twitter-use-in-k-12-education/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Maximizing Marketing and PR Opportunities at Trade Shows</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/04/02/maximizing-marketing-and-pr-opps-at-trade-shows/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/04/02/maximizing-marketing-and-pr-opps-at-trade-shows/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 02 Apr 2010 20:44:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Kristen Plemon</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Visibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ISTE 2010]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[trade show]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=1176</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[While trade shows require significant financial investment and staff time, they can result in new sales and revenue, as well as critical intangible benefits (e.g., increased brand equity). It&#8217;s easy to get caught up in the trade show madness, so it&#8217;s important to maximize the opportunities available and manage the process wisely. This is especially true since the rapid rise in social media use has altered the trade show landscape. We&#8217;re in the midst of the spring education conference season, with hundreds of state, regional and national shows providing opportunities for education companies to market their products and services to administrators and educators. The largest educational technology conference is just around the corner &#8211; ISTE 2010 June 27-30. Your company&#8217;s trade show presence, and the conference activities you pursue, depend on factors such as business goals, staffing, news, product offering, budget, and location. (Lee Wilson offers a thorough analysis on calculating trade show ROI, and its value compared to Web marketing). In our experience, there are a few universal tips that can help every company have a successful conference. 1) Plan ahead. This may seem obvious, but companies often make the mistake of not planning their comprehensive conference strategy and tactics [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/04/02/maximizing-marketing-and-pr-opps-at-trade-shows/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Show Your Support on World Autism Awareness Day</title>
		<link>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/04/01/show-your-support-on-world-autism-awareness-day/</link>
		<comments>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/04/01/show-your-support-on-world-autism-awareness-day/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 01 Apr 2010 07:08:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Brittany Dorfner</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[students with autism]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cblohm.com/blog/?p=1178</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In 2008, the United Nations declared April 2 as World Autism Awareness Day. Since then, people and organizations around the world have used this day to build awareness of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and the growing number of children diagnosed with autism. As April 2 is nearly upon us, we&#8217;d like to encourage our readers to learn more about autism and its impact on the education industry. Consider these facts: According to the U.S. Department of Education, 80% of children with autism are in general education classrooms at least once a day. New CDC statistics, which show one in 110 children is diagnosed with an ASD, indicate that general education teachers will host more students with autism than ever before. There are approximately 500,000 students with autism in U.S. schools today, and over the next three years, it&#8217;s estimated that number will grow to more than 1,000,000. A member of our client family has created an Autism Teacher Capabilities Web site designed specifically for district use, to help administrators create a program that facilitates successful instruction of students with autism. The Web site includes tools to help administrators forecast the number of students in their district likely to be diagnosed [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.cblohm.com/2010/04/01/show-your-support-on-world-autism-awareness-day/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
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