Where Learning MEETS Laughter…

The blog of Louise Masin Sattler


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VANITY FAIR + INSIDER + OSCAR = An Educational Opportunity!


You may be perplexed by the title of this blog.  Why would the publication VANITY FAIR  alongside the TV  entertainment program – The Insider -  plus the Academy Awards aka Oscar equal to an educational opportunity?  Let me explain….

Last week I was an invited guest by Insider to represent their show as a CBS social media correspondent. I was not the only one (thankfully) and was very happy to spend the week with many other social media enthusiasts!   We were given full access to the lovely  WeWork   office space in Hollywood at this week long event and tweet-up hosted by VANITY FAIR.  Our “job” was to attend great Oscar related events and tweet, blog and post all about them.  In other words, I got to be a Hollywood yenta with social media moxie!

During the week I worked with amazing social media strategist and influencers. Hour after hour I would marvel at how they interconnected with people on social media with such finesse! The peeps from Instagram were all about algorithms and I learned quite a bit talking to them on how Google and other current trends in social media are now playing a role on HOW we do our jobs! My favorite panel was by far the predictors from traditional media who were frankly – not entirely accurate! (Yes, 12 Years a Slave DID win best picture award despite the panelist’s reasoning why it wouldn’t take home the Oscar!)

Additionally, I was  impressed and in tech envy of those who were sporting the latest and greatest in technology.  The WiFi  cameras were amazing, although I must admit that Rich Cruse  did post some of the best photos of the week  using his “old fashioned” digital camera.

My education continued by learning that many people with public social media personas could co-exist, be supportive of each other and thrive over many hours of intense tweeting.    Together we worked in tandem during the award ceremony broadcast with our efforts resulting in our trending on Twitter! (Until Ellen broke Twitter, that is.)  Our night was filled with furious tweeting and also amazing catering thanks to the generosity of Vanity Fair – thank you!  The photos in the collage below are not staged, we truly friends in addition to our role as the Insider Twitterati.

Lastly, I learned that it DOES take a village in social media, but you still have to work with an elected mayor. Bryan Moore  is the heart , soul and “mayor” of the Insider social media community! He is what others might say – “Good people”.

Whew- what a week.  My mind is full of new lessons learned and I guess I will end this post – I need a nap!

Have a groovy week~

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Genius Marketing by PUREX?


Earlier this week this poster, which was part of a PUREX campaign,  popped up on my FACEBOOK timeline again and again!  Is it genius marketing? It is a great reminder that we all need to remember we have a personal censor button and some subjects or personal conversations are meant to be conducted face – to – face and not online for all to see? Or perhaps it is a reminder that I have a ton of dirty laundry that needs to be washed – pronto!

Regardless of how you interpret this post – I say it is a simply brilliant and BRAVO to PUREX for this home run!   The curious me wants to know if PUREX did indeed see a bump in traffic with this viral post?  Share if you have knowledge!

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Olympics 2.0


Unknown-7I really am trying to be positive and enthusiastic about this years Winter Olympics. Afterall, the athletes, their families and coaches have all poured their heart and soul in to this opportunity of a lifetime.  Yet, I am less than enthused. Am I alone or do others share in my sentiment?

I love luge and figure skating.  I admire the athletes for their amazing talents – and yet I find myself going to HGTV or catching up on Downton Abbey instead.

 WHY?

I think it is because this year’s Olympics feel like a news story more than a sports story.  I keep waiting for some disaster to occur.  We have been warned of the many dangers for months and now I feel like I am waiting for “Breaking News” and it won’t be about any sport.  I hate feeling this way, but after conversations with others in my social circles I apparently am not alone.

So, what are your thoughts about this the Sochi Olympics?  And, while we are talking about Olympics consider learning  about a new “mental sport”  featuring  the #OlympicMoms and #OlympicDads. To learn more CLICK HERE. (and thanks to Wendy Young of KIDLUTIONS and Dr. Lynne Kenney, The Family Coach for sharing)


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Social Media- It is all about the dialog – RIGHT?


I often am asked to function as a social media strategist or manager.  I look for ways to engage the ever expanding and fickle audience in social media by using a variety of techniques.  Today, I wanted to start a dialog about which social media posting techniques do you find most desired by your readers? Which platforms work best for you?  What pearls of wisdom can you share with our readers? Your predictions for social media in the near future?

Let us begin… To start,  I will share a few of my strategies and would love for you to comment or add yours…

1- DIALOG - Social Media should never be a one way street.  The beauty of social media lies in the COMMENT or LIKE buttons.  Exchanging ideas and having a conversation is what I value in social media.

2- QUOTES , POSTERS and PHOTOS – Words are great but teamed with visual media is better!

3- VIDEO – It is no surprise that video (new media) is becoming an even greater presence in social media.  YouTube will soon be known as mainstream on every TV.

4. RELATIONSHIPS – I have had the privilege to meet many of my friends from TWITTER and FACEBOOK “in real life”.  I am not disappointed as for the most part they are true to their online presence. (Although there have been one or two exceptions, but nothing dramatic)

I love when connections are made, networks are formed and the opportunities to help each other, our communities and the world in general is a collective goal.  Social media can be empowering, life changing and life saving!

5- INFORMATION SHARING- There are times when a tweet is simply a tweet.  Or, a post is simply a post.  No bells and whistles;  just information for those seeking it. (And, don’t forget to use the hashtag)

Below I have a poster from @LoraJaneInteractive .  I used it a while back in a post and it the readers went a bit “crazy” for it.  I’d like to know what you think-

In closing, while many use social media to help enhance SEO for ROI which hopefully will translate in to $$$ – I like to think of it as the door to opportunity – with no guarantees, but you never will know if you don’t try.

Respectful discussion welcome below!

Thank you for reading-

~Louise

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When Smoke Gets in Your Eyes- The Glendora /Colby Fires


2013 and 2014 has been exceptionally dry years here in California – resulting in drought conditions throughout the state. And, where there is a drought there is bound to be high potential for fire. So it was no surprise when fires did erupt,  due to careless human misconduct, throughout the area known as Glendora- Colby.  I live more than  thirty miles away from where these fires started and I can tell you that in my “neck of the woods” smoke got in my eyes! Ash dropped like snow flurries on to cars all throughout the South Bay area and everyone seemed to be able to smell the essence of smoke and cinder for miles.

I captured the impact of the fire on our skies Thursday, January 16th and Friday, January 17th.  You can see how the skies over Torrance, CA were almost the color of caramel just hours after the fire began.  In Palos Verdes there is a distinct line of demarcation between “clear skies” and the smoke.

As always I like to provide an ounce of education for those who read this blog. Read more about fire safety and disaster preparedness here: National Fire Protection Association

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Why ASL IS a foreign language!


The times they are a changing!  Back in the day when I started taking American Sign Language (ASL)  classes at the University of Delaware  it was considered a non-required course.  But, I LOVED it, so I made room in my schedule for not one, not two but three sign language classes.  Fast forward… if I were a student at that same university today I would receive  foreign language credit for the  ASL  classes AND more than likely could have had ASL as my foreign language requirement  in HIGH SCHOOL!

It makes sense that the fourth most commonly used language in the United States  now gets the “credit” it deserves! Knowing that student’s all across America are seeking these courses, majoring in Deaf and ASL education and/or becoming ASL interpreters makes me very, very happy!

                           First, let’s learn what makes ASL a LANGUAGE and not a gestural form of English!

- ASL has a specific grammatical structure. When you sign in ASL you are more than likely using sentence structure like French than English?  Why? Because the roots of ASL are not in the US, but in France. Read more about ASL history here.  Some people think that ASL also resembles closely Japanese.

-ASL has its’ own idioms.  While English idioms like “It is raining cats and dogs” may not translate well in ASL, there are many, many idioms that are specific to the language itself.

- ASL is a visual -spatial language that is natural and not developed clinically. There were no scientists that put together this language and then set it out in to the Deaf community. This is not a visual form of computer language.

- The Deaf community in the United States is rich in culture, which includes the use of ASL.  Cultural aspects are important in defining that a language is “alive”.

- ASL is not universal.  The sign language used in the United States is much different that the sign language used in England, despite both countries having English as their spoken language.

-ASL includes an alphabet (the photos above are spelling out ASL ) and numbers.

- Signing concepts is important in ASL  Interpreters  and students of ASL learn through much study and practice that ASL is not a word for word translation.

To learn more about ASL and which higher education institutions  accept high school credit go to this list.

To learn more about sign language please feel free to visit SIGNING FAMILIES website or Facebook page!

I hope that you will continue the discussion about ASL and include below any resources you have found useful or wish to share. Thank you!

#ASL #SignLanguage


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So you think you can teach?


 

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Recently, I read an Op Ed piece in a local monthly periodical about the state of education and teachers in Los Angeles.   The writer wrote that collectively all LA teachers are awful and the school system is in effect horrendous.  Some of you may be nodding your heads in agreement.  BUT... I kept thinking to myself wile reading this very emotionally charged missive, while there is no doubt that our educational system is broken, are there  NO redeeming qualities to discuss?  Are we talking about putting the entire LA Unified school district on notice or “in the trash”?

Later that morning, I turned on the television and lo and behold  on the screen was the LA Unified School District Marching Band walking the five miles of the Rose Bowl parade. Each student brimming from ear to ear with pride as they passed the reviewing stand.  The band was an amalgam of various schools and students.  Obviously some LA Unified  teachers have been excellent at their jobs as these students rocked the parade with great music  and marching precision!

Anyone who reads this blog knows that education is the backbone of my online presence.  I always strive to promote a respectful forum here on Where Learning MEETS Laughter. 

So, I ask (and hope you will answer)… What can we do starting TODAY to help our local schools, including our teachers, support staff and students?

Looking forward to your constructive comments – added bonus points if you use humor or add urls to great articles.

~Louise

 

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