Welcome to reTHINK!

reTHINK What if you were the only one selling… but no one was buying?

reTHINK So many ways to get information… Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, RSS feeds, blogs, wiki’s, personal web sites, google, yahoo, TV, radio, podcasts, word-of-mouth… and even (occasionally) printed publications

reTHINK With so many ways to get information, but with more and more uncertainty about how accurate and helpful that information is… we need “gatekeepers” just like you to help us make sense of it!

reTHINK Rethinking your student media is about choosing fonts and grids, about cool designs and packages, of course… but rethinking is even more about re-imagining your content, your media “voice,” your approach to informing, entertaining and persuading your readers.

reTHINK Rethinking means finding ways to give readers something they can get nowhere else! And we’re just the school leaders to do that…

Seven Survival Skills for the 21 st Century Based on “The Global Achievement Gap,” by Tony Wagner, co-director Change Leadership Group, Harvard University reTHINK

1 Critical Thinking & Problem Solving Taking issues and situations and problems and going to root components; understanding how the problem evolved – looking at it from a systemic perspective and not taking things at face value. It also means being curious about why things are the way they are and being able to think about why something is important.

1 Critical Thinking & Problem Solving What do I really need to understand about this? What is the history? What are other people thinking about this? What frames and models can we use to understand this from a variety of angles, then come up with something different?

1 Critical Thinking & Problem Solving We need to approach problems and challenges as learners as opposed to knowers. We need to be curious versus thinking ‘I know the answer.’ Yesterday’s solution does not solve tomorrow’s problem.

2 Collaboration Across Networks & Leading By Influence Technology has allowed for virtual teams, people working in different rooms, even different continents. Learn from and work collaboratively with individuals representing diverse cultures, religions, and lifestyles in a spirit of mutual respect and open dialogue.

3 Agility & Adaptability We need people who can change all the time. We need to be flexible, change, and be adaptive, and use a variety of tools to solve new problems. We have to be able to take in all sorts of new information, new situations, and be able to operate in ambiguous and unpredictable ways.

4 Initiative & Entrepeneurialism Leaders today want to see individuals take more initiative and even be entrepreneurial in terms of the ways they seek out new opportunities, ideas, and strategies for improvement.

4 Initiative & Entrepeneurialism “I say to my employees if you try five things and get all five of them right, you may be failing. If you try ten things, and get eight of them right, you’re a hero.”

Effective Oral & Written Communication The biggest skill people are missing is the ability to communicate: both written and oral presentations. We need to communicate our thoughts clearly and concisely, but also need the ability to create focus, energy and passion.

5 Effective Oral & Written Communication While it’s obviously important to write and speak correctly, the complaints heard most frequently [from business executives] were more about fuzzy thinking and the lack of writing with a real voice.

6 Accessing & Analyzing Information “There is so much information available that it is almost too much, and if people aren’t prepared to process the information effectively it almost freezes them in their steps.” We need to be able to synthesize all that data.

7 Curiosity & Imagination We need to think in disciplined ways, but we also need a burning curiosity, a lively imagination, and the ability to engage others empathetically. We need to be engaged, interested in the world. Innovation should be our competitive niche.

reTHINK Student media stand alone in your school as activities that hit all 7 of the Essential Skills. What you do is important! And unique!

reTHINK This workshop is about knowing your audience(s) and finding ways to connect with them. It’s about grids. It’s about adapting (we never say “stealing”) from the professionals.

reTHINK This workshop is about developing and presenting coverage that your readers can only get from YOU. It’s about working in teams.

reTHINK This workshop is about making the most of your opportunities to develop and use all your skills (focusing on 21st Century Skills).