Engaging Students: Modes of Communication: Text, Type or Skype

Engaging Students Series:

Talk, Text or Skpe?

Reaching the

Connected Generation

Your Hostess

Cyndy McDonald- Middle school and high school counselor

- Experience working in college access program

AVID

- Founder of HECA, MyCCA.net and co-founder

of GuidedPath

- Launching Military non-profit organization

- Passion for education

- First generation college student

Webinar Agenda

Agenda for the meeting

The Connected Generation

How can

you keep

your sanity

amidst the

chaos?

Think about the virtual

world you live in…

Your students

definitely live in a

virtual world.

How will you connect

with them?

Research Uncovers Universal Motivation

“We’ve seen the emergence of a generation with

fundamental commonalities that transcend borders.

The same 3 motivations are ranked highly in every

country:”

“Technology……is the great global unifier; it is the glue that binds this generation together and fuels the three motivations…”

JUSTICE

The need for social or

personal justice, to do

what’s right, to be an

activist

AUTHENTICITY

The need to see things

as they are

COMMUNE

The need for

connection,

relationships &

community

The Truth about Youth | McCann Worldgroup | May 2011

Generation C- Global Views

1. Technology as a 5th Sense-intrinsic & fundamental

2. The Social Economy

-definition of self based on social connections

3. The Truth Hunters

- seeking substance & authenticity

4. Justice

Re-Imagined- quest to do right thing

Technology- Embraced

“Youth see technology as Plah-Doh –

something they use in an utterly

malleable and instinctive way. Older

generations start with ‘what will this

box allow me to do?’ Whereas this

generation starts with ‘what do I want

to do? Where can my imagination take

me?’

Technology enables young people to

sense the world and make sense of the

world. It is this deep relationship with

technology that is shaping their

attitudes towards community and truth

and allowing them to re-imagine justice

for a new era.”

The Truth about Youth | McCann Worldgroup | May 2011

How will this redefine “confidentiality”?

• Col lege search & compar isons

• Persona l i ty /Career Assessments

• TEXT/emai l

• Bus iness management too ls

• Col lege Affordab i l i ty

• Essay quest ions & suppor t

• Test Prep

How many online tools do you use

for college planning ?

GuidedPath

has it all in

ONE

place

•I t he lps you:

•B e c u r r e n t / c u t t i n g e d g e

•M a r k e t yo u r p r a c t i c e

•S t a y o r g a n i z e d

•B e p r o f e s s i o n a l

•P u t yo u r s t u d e n t s o n t r a c k f o r a d m i s s i o n s s u c c e s s

•C o n n e c t w i t h b u s y s t u d e n t s & p a r e n t s

•E x p a n d yo u r s e r v i c e s

As an online tool, GuidedPath.net helps you

connect using technology…

It is a user friendly online tool for users

at all levels of online experience

Connecting to Gen C

How does this connect to the 4 global motivations?

Focus on College Process

Learn about thyself

•Surveys

•Test scores & test prep

•Prioritize

Search & Compare

•GuidedSearchusing results from surveys

•Review College Profiles

•Use FISKE Guide

•Use college videos

Build College List

•Balance with CSQ’s (Competitive Student Quotient Gauges)

• Include SOCIAL experience from profiles

•Determine BEST fit schools for academic, social, financial & emotional health

Create a Plan

•Decide on Application TYPE

•Organize milestones

•Start on college essays

• Identify KEY milestones

•Communicate with push notifications & TEXTS

Execute a Plan

•Manage college application process

•Set appointments

•Set assignments

•View progress

•Add in Decisions

•Use Calendar

Top 5 Tips for Creating Dynamic College Lists

1. Learn about Thyself

Surveys

• Find My Spark

• College Affordability

• College Match (coming

soon!)

• Custom Surveys

• (Surveys Session link)

Students LOVE doing self

surveys. Connect with them

using an ONLINE survey

1. Learn about Thyself

Test Scores

• Create testing schedule

• Set up PUSH Notifications by

TEXT

• Alert to Missing Scores

• Use test scores in Search

Test Prep• Jed Applerouth Test Prep

• Other Test Prep

• Online is trend of the future

(Method Test Prep)

2. Search & Compare

Perform GuidedSearch

using results from the

surveys

Review college profiles

Use FISKE college guide

Use College Videos

3. Build College List

Balance with CSQ’s

Include Social Experience from profiles

Determine BEST fit schools for academic, social, financial &

emotional health

4. Create a Plan

Decide on application

TYPE

• Early Action, Early Decision, REASC, etc.

• GuidedPath ONLY one with dates researched by our own team

• Organize milestones

• Start on college essays

• Identify KEY milestones

• Communicate with push notifications & TEXTS

HEART

Of

Guided

Path

5. Execute A Plan

Execute A Plan

-Manage college application process

-Set appointments

-Set assignments

-View progress

- Add decisions

- Use calendar

Take a paper process and make

it interactive by making it online

Empower students to participate

in the process

Authenticate the process by

inviting students to be actively

involved

Make the process more fluid

because it can change with the

flick of a mouse

College Planning with Gen C

Utilize technology as their 5th Sense!

5 Tips to Help You Stay Sane

1. Organize all

students Prospects

ACTIVE

Archived

• Save time by assigning students

in groups at once as ACTIVE

• ACTIVE students have most

access

• You only pay for ACTIVE students

• PROSPECTS and ARCHIVED are

free

Stay connected to all students –- communicate by email - add advisor notes & track information

2. Activate Student Accounts

Student Accounts

= Sanity

• Assign students and

parents online accounts in

GuidedPath

• Let them do more for

themselves using online

account in GuidedPath

• What they do for

themselves = less you

need to do for them

Mantra – “Use your account””

3. Communication is key

1. Organize

• Organize messages

and themes for

students

2. Calendar

• Schedule on calendar

• Use word document to

organize message

templates

3. Record

• Track messages in one

place

4. Calendar it!

Set appointments and assignments in

calendars

Doesn’t happen if not on calendar!

5. Make it crowd friendly

Use group mode to

• View

• Organize

• Plan

Tips for group mode:• Include student name at beginning of

appointments/assignments

• Create protocol for

appointments/assignments

• Generates automatic

reminders/notifications

Engage through more surveys

Juniors should:

1. Update Activity record

2. Do College Match

3. Update Course Plan

4. Do Design a College

5. Do Getting 2 Know U if not done

before

6. And other surveys as needed

(custom, Athletic, Find My Spark)

Students LOVE to do surveys and learn about themselves

Kaetlyn Tells It Like it Is

Getting 2 Know U.

Coming up with something to write about for the Common Application was particularly challenging for me, as the prompts are very broad. The Getting 2 Know U survey gets your brain rolling and ideas flowing. Any question within this survey is a great place to start when trying to write your Common Application essay.

Design A College.

I find the Design a College survey most useful in organizing my thoughts. For me, after visiting ten colleges I became unsure as to why I liked a college. I simply had a general feeling for each school. This survey helped me to focus on the specifics of a college, and gave me a general idea of my ideal college. This survey can be used both as a starting point when creating a college list, as well as a reminder when all of your potential schools begin to blur together.

Read all of Kaetlyn’s blogs at www.guidedpath.net

Recommended Test Schedule- Juniors

Test Dates Comment

Diagnostic test Ongoing Help students identify which test to concentrate

on in next 2 years: ACT or SAT?

PSAT Oct. NOT a practice test

SAT/ Int’l SAT Fall, Spring Take at least 2 x, no more than 3 x, finish by

June

ACT Fall, Spring Take at least 2 x, no more than 3 x, finish by

June

AP/IB May Schedule as appropriate

SAT Subject Test May or June Strong subjects, if not doing higher level.

Example: World History, Biology.

See 4 year Testing schedule at http://guidedpath.net/engaging-students-series-sophomores-a-guidedpath-best-

practices-webinar/

Testing: Sanity Tip

Students self-

enter scores

• Saves time

• Empowers students

• Improves communication

• Enhance counseling

• Generates automatic

reminders for : regular &

late registration: and prior

to test date.

Remember your mantra:

Put it in your account!

College Search & Lists

GuidedPath uses 4

search categories:

• General Information

• Academic

• Financial Aid

• Social Experience

Also includes:

• Organized tagged lists

• Comparison columns

• Filters

ACT did a search and found GuidedPath to

be the most comprehensive on the market.

Search Tips

Teach student

search tips

• Start broad

• Use COMPARE for

multiple columns

• Select only 1-2

filters

Infinite Search Combinations Possible

Professional – Precise – Piece of cake!

Waited for 5 years for technology to catch up with imagination

Reports

Individual

& Group

Reports

Coming Next: Engaging Juniors: Part 2

Agenda

• Using Advisor notes

• Using notifications & reminders effectively

• Finalizing lists

• Activities for essay brainstorming

• Understanding My Chances

• Group mode- more ways to keep your sanity!

• Special features for International Students

Register now! Feb. 12 10 am PST Details at

www.guidedpath.net/training

Check it out

Let’s log into

www.guidedpath.net

Sample student: Andy

Awesome

I am using Audry Apple

Support?

Knowledge

Base

• View articles

• Watch videos

• Do a search

• Submit a request

• support@guidedpath.

net

• Call us!

• 720.465.8555

Counseling? [email protected]