Welcoming Change ✨

 
LCG back to school enewsletter

Volume 36

And…Hello August! This month, many educators head back to school, and others try to soak up the last bits of summer and do their best to not talk about August​. As we all settle into a new routine, I’d like to talk about the sometimes impossible task of welcoming change. For some, this may seem like an oxymoron but these tips may not only help you welcome change but also help you to keep going when the change sets in.

First off, visualize. This tip sounds incredibly simple, but it can be oh-so powerful. As the school year approaches, start to visualize what success looks like. ​If you’re an educator​, ask questions like: “How do you show up? How do you collaborate with colleagues? What’s your routine like? How do your students engage with you?” If you’re in EdTech, how does your workflow change? How do you engage with educators? How will educators use your product or service? What will you and your team achieve? The more you can take the time to visualize and do something that captures this visualization (write it down, record a voice memo, post on social media, etc), the more likely this result will occur. This tip may seem a bit touchy-feely, but some of the most successful people​ use this technique and credit it for their success.

Then, stay present. With big changes, it can be easy to get sucked into a hole of anxiety. A meditation teacher once told me that there are two main types of people: those that live in the past and those that live in the future. The lucky get to enjoy living in the present. I think of this often as I notice my mind racing from the past to the future, leaving little time for the present. Although the habit of being present doesn’t change overnight, the first step is awareness. Where does your mind typically go? One way to take notice is to name your thoughts as they arise (say “past” & “future”) and gently end the thought. I’ve recently made a goal to sit and dedicate at least ten minutes every weekday to mindfulness. What’s your goal?

Although it's helpful to learn how to welcome change, it's equally important to develop habits that can help you thrive after the change and throughout the year. I recently learned about ​habituation​, which is "our tendency to respond less and less to things that are repeated or constant." As the new school year kicks into gear, we may be initially on high alert, whether it be excitement, anxiousness, or, more than likely, a healthy dose of both. But as time passes, things begin to normalize, and we react less and less. This can contribute to "feeling stuck," limit our creativity and innovation, and ultimately affect our stress and happiness levels. Try some of these tips to "dishabituate" to help you feel joy from the same things around you.

  • Take breaks. If you can, remove yourself from your environment — then come back. You’ll find you may have a fresh perspective and maybe even some gratitude.

  • Embrace variety. This can be something small like changing your route to work, trying out new recipes, or learning a new skill.

  • Value experiences over things. Make time for new experiences, like a book club, a concert, or even a trivia night with friends. We tend to reflect on good experiences, and they can continue to provide joy.

Hit “reply” and let me know how the new school year unfolds for you. Sending you love. ♥️

 
 
 
Made by LCG

Marketing/Community

  1. This post reveals a proven brand messaging framework to transform your pitch from cringy to confident. 

  2. Instagram has shared some new Reels tips to its Professional Dashboard in the app, with a listing of key pointers to help maximize your Reels content performance.

  3. Dive deep into the YouTube algorithm, exploring how it influences video suggestions and viewership to create high-performing video content. 

  4. Experts Reveal the worst (and best) advice on Using Generative AI in Content Marketing.

  5. This podcast episode covers balancing quality and quantity in video content marketing strategy.

Education

  1. This article explores a few case studies of AI in the classroom, acknoledging AI can’t replace teaching, but it can possibly make it better.

  2. Here are 10 recent studies that we think have something important to add to the field of education—and should be on every teacher’s radar. 

  3. This EdTech funder explains some of the traits or habits you've seen in the most successful founders of their portfolio companies. 

  4. Arkansas is having success solving teacher shortages by addressing barriers and combining several approaches. 

  5. Not everything has to be project-based. Choose a model that aligns with your standards. 

 

[BONUS] In the spirit of the olympics (Go USA!), these answers from teachers have us railing on the floor. 🤣

teacher olympic events would include...

  • Running to pee between classes

  • Who unjams the copy machine

  • Teaching with hair on fire!

  • Quickest eating lunch

  • Answering 3 to 4 students at one time that have different questions.

  • 100m dash to the staff room that has cake in it….

  • Writing in a straight line on the whiteboard

  • Identifying “What’s that smell”

  • Reading handwriting

  • Taking attendance and submitting it the fastest in a group of peers!

  • Seeing how many things you can accomplish in your thirty-minute lunch

  • Getting the trash can to the kid before he/she throws up on the floor.

  • Eating a donut w/o students noticing

  • Classroom object Dodgeball


Read them all in this Facebook group.

[BONUS bonus] Last month marked a very special anniversary for LCG’s Director of Joy, Porter Palmer. Porter has spent six years with LCG (and LCG is only 7 years old!). If you have not yet had the pleasure of meeting Porter, head on over to LinkedIn and read about all of the ways Porter shows up for LCG. 

 
 

Midyear Check-In: Gratitude and Goals 🌟

 

Volume 35

Wow! We’re officially halfway through the year. 🤯 Midway points like this before the back-to-school storm offer a perfect time for reflection. What’s working? What’s not? How well are you pacing towards your goals? Are you prepared for the 2024-2025 academic school year?

Although this line of thinking can be very practical and logistical, I personally like to weave in elements of gratitude and compassion as I reflect. This helps me not overly obsess about the things that didn’t get done or didn’t work and focus on the bigger picture. I mean, how truly lucky are we that we get to work in an industry as impactful as EdTech? Although it certainly has its challenges, I can’t think of another place I’d like to roll up my sleeves and do great work. Educators and students need our help more than ever.

Perhaps I’m more grateful than normal because of ISTE’s annual conference, which just concluded in Denver. This was my 14th ISTE, and seeing all of the educators and EdTech brands I’ve collaborated with over the years still gives me goosebumps. We get to collaborate and learn from some of the most inspiring and innovative people.

We felt so much support, kindness, and humor from so many folks in education at ​our 5th annual party at ISTE​. You all continue to fuel me to do even more in EdTech. This is true for educators as well. Many tell me that after spending time at ISTE with other innovative educators, they felt more recharged and ready to tackle another school year.

For those of you who didn’t attend ISTE, many EdTech trends that we saw at the start of the year continued to stay at the forefront. Although there continues to be a huge amount of attention centered around AI, I’ve noticed a welcomed shift. More and more people are asking critical questions about why and to what end AI is being used. Data privacy, standards alignment, and intentional integration into learning popped up more and more. AI sessions that just catered towards prompt engineering and what I call “shiny object syndrome tech” were met with educator critique. Emerging extended reality technology also seems to be here to stay, with more XR/VR companies exhibiting. It’s still early days, but I’m intrigued by the promise of the technology as more companies begin to provide curricula aligned to standards. Robots were also a common sight at ISTE, and the closing keynote highlighted a ballet dancer's passion for programming robotic dance partners.

Some of our team had the opportunity to visit the Molly Brown House Museum while in Denver, and I can’t think of a more inspiring person to end this letter with than Margaret Brown. She was known as a heroine of the Titanic and a philanthropist, and she famously said, “It makes no difference to me where I go. I am ready to go anywhere I am needed.” Thank you to all of you who continue to go where you are needed to help improve education.

I hope many of you continue to take a much-needed break for this holiday week, Elana

 
 
 

PS: Reply back to this newsletter to tell me about your ISTE experience. What trends popped out to you? What are you thinking about differently now?

[Download] The Extended EdTech Marketer's Planner​

Reach your content, social media, and event goals with ​our 2024 EdTech Marketer’s Planner​, packed with templates, strategies, and editable calendars.

Made by LCG

Marketing + Community:

💰 [Bonus] This conversation about content management + project management will revolutionize your content process. 

Education

 

[Bonus] Did you know that the word "Robot" comes from the Czech word “robota,” or forced labor, as done by serfs. Its Slavic linguistic root, “rab,” means “slave.” 🤯

 
 

We are more than just what we do for work.

 
An out of office message on a screen, saying "thank you for your message but I am currently out of office"
 
 

I recently shared on LinkedIn​ about a trip to Disneyland to celebrate my birthday. Many folks reached out to me and said they admired me for taking time off, especially when I ran a company. I simply replied, "The busier you are, the more time you should take off.”

I truly believe this, and since I'm in EdTech, I came prepared to prove my point with data. :)

Above all, time off can help you explore who you are BEYOND what you do for a living. There -- I said it. I know this is almost a travesty for all of us who work in EdTech or classrooms, but listen to me when I say, "We are more than just what we do for work." When you can tune out external noise and pay attention to your true self, you can reacquaint yourself with the essence of who you really are. What do you really want in life? Who are you apart from what you do for a living? These are big questions, but in my experience, when you get to explore these essential questions, you come back to work more grounded, centered, and confident.

As summer approaches, many of you educators, administrators, and EdTech folk may have the opportunity to take time off. My advice: Seize it and do not feel guilty at all. Listen to exactly what you need to recharge. Your body will tell you -- listen to it.

For those of you who admire those who take time off and haven't yet made it a habit, I want to share what a wise person said to me that made me pause: "What we admire in others is usually untapped potential in ourselves."

Send me your vacation pics or join me in normalizing taking off time and tag me in a LinkedIn post about your vacation.

 

PS: If you are in a leadership position and have a workplace culture that doesn't take much time off, consider forcing your team members. LCG is officially closed for the entire week of the 4th of July, for example. Just sayin'. 


PPS: Just taking a walk (even if it's inside on a treadmill) significantly increases creativity. If you’re an educator, join us for a “Mile a Day” challenge in June in our Nourished Teachers Facebook Group.

Join LCG in Denver

Our legendary ISTE party is back and better than ever! Join LCG in Denver for an epic camp-themed outdoor bash. Mingle with the coolest folks in EdTech, enjoy great vibes, and make unforgettable memories. Space is limited – RSVP today.

Made by LCG

Marketing + Community:

  • Robert Rose argues that brands should focus on creating engaging, ephemeral content that captures attention in the moment and drives users to owned media channels for further interaction.

  • Ever wonder how LinkedIn predicts virality? Check out this chart. Also learn helpful tips like adding only 3-5 people tags per post and maintaining a minimum of 12 hours between posts.

  • Although it’s all about Reels on Instagram, brands are experimenting with things like photo dumps, text posts by creating a flip-through carousel series, and other innovative tactics.

  • [Spoiler Alert] LinkedIn Data shows LinkedIn median social media interactions have increased by 76%, while median interactions on Facebook are down 80% (womp womp).

  • Learn email-marketing packed with myth-busting facts like open rates are not dead (they still have value as directional metrics) and that landing in the Offers tab is actually good! 

Marketing + Community:

  • COSN’s 2024 survey revealed that the overwhelming majority of EdTech leaders (97%) see benefits in how AI can positively impact education and over a third (35%) of districts report having a generative AI initiative.

    Reach Capital just released these Edtech Playbooks that are a wealth of topic-organized founder resources on things like fundraising and market research. 

 

When we can't begin to imagine things you are experiencing, we share memes. 🙂 Enjoy these light-hearted memes about what the end of May is like for teachers.

Exhausterwhelmulated (adj): 1. The feeling of being exhaused, overwhelmed, and overstimulated all at once. Also see Teachers, May..

These TikToks that made us smile:

 
 

Because of One Passionate Teacher

 

Volume 33

I've been fortunate to spend 16 years in EdTech. What keeps me excited to continue to devote my career to this industry? Quite simply, the teachers. Many may cite the impact on students, and while, of course, that's important to me, it's the teachers who have my heart and have fundamentally altered my life trajectory.

Teachers wield a power like none other in our lives. Teaching is the profession that creates all other professions. The average teacher affects over 3,000 students during their career, and 83% of students say teachers have boosted their confidence and self-esteem (Source: NCES).

Like many of you, a lot of who I am and what I do is because of one passionate teacher who took the time to believe in me. I'll never forget how my fourth-grade teacher, Mr. Follett, would look at me with a hint of challenge and intense belief in his eyes when he asked me to do something. I tear up even now writing this because it had such a monumental impact on a kid who was on a path full of self-doubt, non-belief, and apathy. Every time I pick up an interesting rock, identify a bird call, or figure out a challenging problem, I think of Mr. Follett and how my life would be fundamentally different if I didn't have his positive influence on me.

In my role at LCG, I'm lucky to talk to and hear from teachers every single day. Teachers are some of the most humble, dedicated, passionate, curious, and inspiring humans I've ever met. Ask a teacher to get something done with little time, no budget, and a mountain of challenges, and before you’ve finished asking, they'll already be halfway through the task. Their humor, grit, and intelligence are something I aspire to.

As May draws near, I urge you to do whatever you can to celebrate the remarkable humans that teachers are. Explore ​our gift guide​ for thoughtful appreciation ideas, and check out our popular post on ​what EdTech brands should try to avoid for Teacher Appreciation Week​.

And because we like to always lead by example, ​our Foundation​ is donating over $25,000 directly to teachers in the ​Latinos for Education​ teachers in honor of Teacher Appreciation Week.

Take care,
Elana

 
 
 

PS: If you're an educator reading this, reply to this email for a token of appreciation from our Foundation. 

​Updated 🌟 The Extended EdTech Marketer's Planner​

Download our newly-updated Extended Planner to help you easily create marketing and content plans that generate leads. It includes proven templates, strategies, editable calendars, and more that save countless hours of planning time.

Made by LCG
 
 
 

The Art of Imperfection

 

Volume 32

March is typically one of the busiest months of the year in EdTech. ​A majority of conferences happen​ (SXSWEdu, MACUL, CUE, NSTA, ASCD, and so many more), and EdTech companies are busy conducting demos and webinars and creating helpful content to ensure they are on any school or district's radar, as purchasing decisions are being made for the following school year this summer.

Although educators may have had spring break, they may now be busy preparing for standardized tests and continue to face ​chronic absenteeism​. Education administrators are doing everything they can to retain, cut, and purchase the right amount of technology and services to ensure a successful 2024-2025 academic year ​within their first year of no ESSER funding​ (known to many as the ESSER cliff). On top of that, administrators begin to look at staffing for the upcoming school year while being faced with a ​continued teacher shortage​.

March plays a critical role in EdTech purchases, and it’s also an opportune time to set yourself up to end the year strong. But the question remains: What do you do when you have too much to do?

I can tell you what you cannot do: Give into any of your perfectionism tendencies. Many studies have concluded that not only are a ​majority of people affected by perfectionism​, but ​it's also on the rise​. It can lead to high levels of anxiety, overall inaction, and ultimately burnout. And especially in this fast-paced month, where it's necessary to do a lot – and quickly – perfectionism can sink even the most confident swimmer.

In my twenties, I learned a valuable lesson about perfectionism that helped me navigate high-intensity times like this, which I'd like to share with you. ⬇️

I have always had a love for creating ceramics. I used to spend hours trying to craft the perfect vase, plate, or bowl, and when it wasn't perfect (which was most times), I'd feel like a failure and stop creating. I expressed my frustration to a good friend, who explained the Japanese concept of ​Wabi Sabi​. She told me that the Japanese liked to keep and even cherished their imperfect pieces of pottery, as they were unique, unlike the sea of identical pottery objects.

This concept of embracing imperfection is beautifully illustrated through a Japanese art called ​Kintsugi​, where broken or imperfect objects are repaired with gold to celebrate their imperfection and illuminate the "flaw" as a unique part of the object's journey that adds to their beauty. (Check out ​this Pinterest collection​ to see it come to life!)

These concepts initially fueled me to keep creating. Although I still wasn't necessarily celebrating my less-than-perfect outputs, I was able to give myself grace and accept that whatever was created represented my journey. Ironically, the more I created, the more I became better.

I challenge you to look back at everything you did in March. While not everything may have unfolded flawlessly, perhaps there's a moment to embrace the beauty in those missteps and press on. When you begin to doubt yourself, lose confidence, and revert to being a perfectionist, remember the art of Kintsugi.

Take care,
Elana

 
 
 

[Free Download] Social Media Conference Checklist

Conference season is upon us! ​This checklist​ lists the many things EdTech brands can do on social media to gain brand awareness, engagement, and sales from every conference they attend.

Made by LCG

​The EdTech Marketer's Planner - Extended Edition​

​​Our first-ever Extended Planner​ was created to help you easily create a marketing and content plan that generates leads. It includes helpful templates, strategies, editable calendars, and more.

P.S.: Our early bird pricing just ended, but you can use the code PLANNER10 at checkout to get a 10% discount (expires March 9).​

[Bonus Education Opportunities]

Funding

  • New Schools is awarding funding for groundbreaking ideas that reimagine the role of educators, empower students with learning differences, or improve literacy and math outcomes.​ Apply by April 3​.

  • The Learning Accelerator is offering $150,000 in flexible grant support for applications for its Exponential Learning Initiative, which seeks to advance the scaling of high-quality, virtually supported approaches to K-12 learning acceleration at the core of learning. ​Apply by May 5​.

Student Contests

  • Get high school students to team up and learn about and use AI tools to design solutions for real-world problems. The top three teams will be flown to Denver to present at ISTELive 24. ​Apply by April 12​.

  • ReadWorks’ Earth Day Illustration Contest is a fun opportunity to get your 2nd - 5th-grade students to celebrate the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF)’s birthday! ​Submit entries by April 26th, 2024​.

 

[BONUS]

[Cool science alert] The next ​total solar eclipse​ to visit North America will be April 8, 2024. The duration of totality will be up to 4 minutes and 27 seconds. It's almost double the eclipse duration from the previous 2017 record and has a greater viewing area than was accessible back then. Let us know if you go see it!

 
 

Beyond the Inner Critic

 

Volume 31

Before we say hello to March and longer days (this TikTok trend that counts down the days until 7 p.m. sunsets made me smile), I wanted to take a moment and celebrate our agency’s 7th anniversary. In many religions, 7 is a holy number that symbolizes completion or perfection. And while I’m incredibly proud of our team and everything we’ve accomplished, we are not even close to being complete or perfect. Funny enough, as I look back, I’m the most proud of our imperfect moments and how they helped us innovate the most with our clients and growing team. 

When people congratulated me on LCG’s anniversary, I found myself listening to my inner critic as it whispered thoughts like, “You could be doing more” or “You should be further along in your path.” I bring this up not to discount LCG’s impact in EdTech (which has been HUGE), but I bring this challenging topic up because I know I’m not alone, and perhaps some of my reflections may help some of you. 

I’ve worked hard to become aware of when my critic rears its ugly head, but it doesn’t disappear just because we become aware of it. Over time, I’ve realized that no matter what you accomplish in life, the inner critic has the ultimate power to undermine your happiness. 

Perfection is an impossible ideal. It fuels thoughts that tell you that you are not doing it right. The most important thing that’s helped me in all of the years of hustling to grow an agency in EdTech is that we all do the best we can with the information we have at any specific moment. Repeat this with me – it’s empowering. 

As we near the end of the first quarter, take some time to reflect on everything you did with the information you had. This slight reframing can bring more joy and gratitude into your everyday life in this wonderful world of EdTech.

Take care,
Elana

 
 
 

The EdTech Marketer's 2024 Planner - Extended Edition

Our first-ever Extended Planner was created to help you easily create a marketing and content plan that generates leads. It includes helpful templates, strategies, editable calendars, and more.

Made by LCG
 

[BONUS]

Some of our team just got back from ​Social Media Marketing World​, and one major theme was how to use AI to increase efficiency. Here are some tools we’re excited to try:

Let us know if you try any of these and what you think about them!

 
 

AI, AI, AI (but at what cost?)

 

Volume 30

Wow! We’re officially halfway through the year. 🤯Midway points like this before the back-to-school storm offer a perfect time for reflection. What’s working? What’s not? How well am I pacing towards my goals? Am I prepared for the 2024-2025 academic school year to begin? 

Although this line of thinking can be very practical and logistical, I personally like to weave in elements of gratitude and compassion as I reflect. This helps me not overly obsess about the things that didn’t get done or didn’t work and focus on the bigger picture. I mean, how truly lucky are we that we get to work in an industry as impactful as EdTech? Although it certainly has its challenges, I can’t think of another place I’d like to roll up my sleeves and do great work. Educators and students need our help more than ever. 

Perhaps I’m more grateful than normal because of ISTE’s annual conference, which just concluded in Denver. This was my 14th ISTE, and seeing all of the educators and EdTech brands I’ve collaborated with over the years still gives me goosebumps. We get to collaborate and learn from some of the most inspiring and innovative people you will ever meet. 

How fortunate we are was so obvious as LCG hosted our 5th annual party at ISTE. Feeling the support, kindness, and humor of so many folks in education continues to fuel me to do even more in EdTech. This is true for educators as well. Many tell me that after spending time at ISTE with other innovative educators, they felt more recharged and ready to tackle another school year.

For those of you who didn’t get to attend ISTE, many EdTech trends that we saw at the start of the year continued to stay in the forefront. Although there continues to be a huge amount of attention centered around AI, I’ve noticed a welcomed shift. More and more people are asking critical questions about why and to what end AI is being used. Data privacy, standards alignment, and intentional integration into learning popped up more and more. AI sessions that just catered towards prompt engineering and what I call “shiny object syndrome tech” were met with educator critique. Emerging extended reality technology also seems to be here to stay, with more XR/VR companies exhibiting. It’s still early days, but I’m intrigued by the promise of the technology, as more companies begin to provide curricula aligned to standards. Robots were also all over ISTE, and a closing keynote featured a ballet dancer who loves to program robots to dance with.

Some of our team had the opportunity to visit the Molly Brown House Museum while in Denver, and I can’t think of a more inspiring person to end this letter with than Margaret Brown. She was known as a heroine of the Titanic and a philanthropist. She famously said, “It makes no difference to me where I go. I am ready to go anywhere I am needed.” Thank you to all of you who continue to go where you are needed to help improve education. 

Take care,
Elana

 
 
 

The EdTech Marketer's 2024 Planner - Extended Edition

Our first-ever Extended Planner was created to help you easily create a marketing and content plan that generates leads. It includes helpful templates, strategies, editable calendars, and more. P.S.: Our early bird pricing just ended, but you can use the code PLANNER10 at checkout to get a 10% discount (expires March 9).

Made by LCG
 
 
 

One of My Favorite Days of the Year

 
Giving Tuesday

Volume 30

Today marks one of my favorite days of the year, Giving Tuesday. I love it because it provides an opportunity to pause amidst the holiday gift-giving and give to your favorite charity or cause. LCG has always had a passion for improving education, but two years ago, we took it even further and created the LCG Foundation to support U.S. K-12 educators financially. We respect educators above anything else, and it broke our hearts to learn that most grants available to educators were time-consuming, restricted, inequitable, and didn't meet the ever-changing needs of educators.

A teacher we talked to reflected, "It's a shame that teachers have to beg, steal, borrow, and write grants. We all know we should receive funding for everything we do with students."

To date, the LCG Foundation has partnered with corporations to give over $375,000 to K-12 educators, and our Foundation has directly given over $85,000 to educators and education organizations supporting educators. And today, we've announced our continued partnership with Meta to distribute grants to Chicago educators on Giving Tuesday.

Despite this giving, it'll never be enough and always bittersweet. We experienced this firsthand when we helped clear $51,000 of items off educators' lists during Teacher Appreciation Week.

We all know the K-12 system is broken, and I'm not naive enough to believe that a small foundation giving grants to less than 1% of U.S. teachers will transform this system. However, I do hope our small, incremental efforts can inspire others over time. James Clear, in Atomic Habits, said it best, "All big things come from small beginnings. The seed of every habit is a single, tiny decision. The seed of every habit is a single, tiny decision. But as that decision is repeated, a habit sprouts and grows stronger."

This Giving Tuesday, we urge you to find ways to give to educators. You can support educators by:

Take care,
Elana

 
 
 

​Teacher Appreciation Gift Guide​

Looking for the perfect gift for educators during the holiday season? Our team has spent decades listening to educators, and we’d like to share some of our wisdom with you. Hint: It’s not a mug. ;)

Made by LCG
"educator voices," with some text bubbles
 
 

Some of the top comments:

  • It should also include observing each other.

  • Administrators shouldn't be the only ones giving feedback.

  • The evaluator should stop by the teachers' classrooms more than once.

  • We need to remove student standardized test scores from teacher feedback.

  • Assets-based instead of deficit-based- the same way we should be assessing our learners.

 

[BONUS]

Our team saw this tweet this week and had to investigate some of these tools. Have you tried any?

Some of the tools mentioned:

Don't miss this cool list of Chrome extensions created for educators by an educator.