Web Technologies at Fall Conference

by Rick Koelsch

Fall Conference will be modeling use of internet technologies in an educational environment. Please plan to show up at Fall Conference with the ability to use technology to interact with speakers, other conference participants, and your networks back home.  And for those who cannot attend Fall Conference, there will be opportunity to connect with the keynote presentations and professional development sessions.

Every conference participant should be prepared to carry along their laptop, I-Pad, or smart phone to fully participate in Fall Conference.  Don't have one of these technologies? Indicate that need when registering for Fall Conference or let Sheryl Burbach (sburbach2@unl.edu) know of your need to borrow an I-Pad for Fall Conference. Have an extra I-Pad or laptop that you could share with an Extension colleague at Fall Conference?  Please let us know and we will attempt to match you up with a colleague in need.

Here are a few of our plans:

• Registration is hosted via EdMedia's new conference registration services.  These services provide you with a full service, reasonably priced option for promoting and registering your educational programs and conferences.


• Leslie Fisher will present Technology Time Machine  for a humorous look at what used to be considered technology and how those items have morphed and turned into even cooler things today and tomorrow that can change the way in which UNL Extension faculty and staff teach. 


• Technology Café will help us grow our technology skill set with work stations for setting up a Twitter account, expanding your Adobe Connect skills, exploring electronic newsletter options, and others.


• All keynote presentations and workshops will be accessible and recorded on Adobe Connect. Office staff and faculty unable to attend can participate in all Fall Conference presentations.


• Twitter will be our "official" social media for interacting with speakers and peers through out the conference and sharing important insights with your networks back home. We want everyone to leave Fall Conference being Twitter literate.


• Cloud sharing...we will not be handing out paper at fall conference.  Workshop ppts, handouts, meeting notes and minutes, agendas and schedules will all be found in a cloud environment (more information later).

In addition, we invite all faculty using technology in cool ways to search out opportunities to share your experiences over meals and at breaks.  Our Extension faculty and staff are using technology in many really cool ways.  Use Fall Conference as an opportunity to share your technology skills and pick up a new tool or two for your own toolbox.

Fall Conference will be a unique opportunity for both the technology high achievers and the technology challenged people (including myself).  Come prepared to learn new skills, experience education in a technology world, and share what you are learning with others.

Sharing Extension TV with Clientel

by Rick Koelsch

UNL Extension recently released Extension TV, a technology product that provides a new and exciting opportunity to share the University's research and science in a format preferred by many clientele. So how do we get our clientele turning to Extension TV?  And how are you using Extension TV as a resource to answer clientele's next question?

Extension TV is an example of innovation by UNL Extension (see August 14, 2013 blog). Take advantage of opportunities to proudly share this resource with peers, clientele, and friends. Here are a few ideas of how.  Please post a comment to this blog with your own examples or ideas.

• Do a little homework on Extension TV.  Review the one minute introductory video at http://ExtensionTV.unl.edu, play with the search engine to find content on topics of interest, or attend the archived webinar (https://connect.unl.edu/p8a3y4crisk/).
• Share the Extension TV graphic (jpeg is at http://go.unl.edu/us33 ) or the August 14 Rick's Ramblings blog through your social media networks, newsletters, or as a hard copy at your office entrance (pdf -  http://go.unl.edu/extensiontv-handout).
• Use your next radio, social media, or newspaper media release to  recommend a video from Extension TV that illustrates a concept you are addressing.
• Keep Extension TV web link close at hand for the next client that walks through the door or calls with a question.  Search Extension TV for an answer to their question.
• Host your next webinar on Extension TV. The TV screen on Extension TV can house a graphic linking to web presentation. Linda Temple will set up the link to your Adobe Connect or Google Hangouts session in the TV screen.  The link to your future webinar can be promoted as http://ExtensionTV.unl.edu.
• Draw upon your 4-Hers to promote this resource to friends, parents and grandparents.  The Extension TV video of the experiences of 37 Saline, Gage, and Jefferson youth at Washington DC Focus trip might be shared by these young people with friends and family.
• Re-purpose one or more slides from Introducing Extension TV (http://www.slideshare.net/rkoelsch1/extension-tv-webinar-aug-19-presentation) to a future presentation, pre-meeting Extension promotion, or other display.

Extension TV must not be another best kept secret.  Proudly help our clientele discover the rich content found on Extension TV.

Agency Communication on Natural Resource Education – Part II

Rick Koelsch

How well are we communicating with our natural resource education opportunities to agencies and organizations addressing water, soil and nutrient issues?  Part I introduced this topic in a June 5 blog (found below).  Do all of us have responsibility for the answer to this question?  A few of my thoughts as to how we can each contribute to future communications with agency staff follow…

 UNL Extension’s outstanding educational programs provide rich professional development opportunities for agency staff, especially our federal partners challenged with significant budget cuts. The upcoming Physical, Chemical and Biological Properties of Soil and Water CMDC, West Central Water and Crops Field Day at the Big Spring Water Resources Lab and the range management programs at the Gudmundsen Laboratory are excellent examples of educational experiences beneficial to our agency partners.  Here are a few ideas on how we improve our communications with natural resource agencies.

Reaching Agencies Statewide

NRCS has identified three contact points for communicating UNL Extension programs with NRCS staff:

·         Renee Hancock (Water Quality Specialist) – lead contact for all UNL Extension communications and programs specific to Nutrient Management. 402- 437-4064 or Renee.hancock@ne.usda.gov

·         Corey Brubaker (State Conservation Agronomist) – lead contact for UNL Extension programs specific to Soil Health.  402 -437-4164 Corey.brubaker@ne.usda.gov

·         Jacob Robinson (Acting State Water Management Engineer) - lead contact UNL Extension programs specific to Irrigation Water Management.  402-437-4030 or Jacob.robison@ne.usda.gov

I will be watching for educational opportunities to share with these individuals.  Faculty are welcome to do the same.  Please copy me on topics that you share so I can avoid duplicating your efforts.

Katie Pekarek, Extension Water Quality Educator, has agreed to be the point person for communicating opportunities with Natural Resource Districts and Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality.  Please share educational opportunities of interest to these agencies with Katie.

Local Agency Connections

There is nothing better than a direct phone call, email, or mailing from a local educator to our agency peers. Your local relationships and invitations are essential to welcoming agency staff to our educational programs.  Do you know who these key individuals are locally?  If not, these resources may help you locate agency staff serving your region.

Natural Resource District:  Staff can be located for your local NRD by starting from http://nrdnet.org/find-your-nrd.php .  The NRD manager and the Information & Education Coordinator are two names that should become a part of your local network.

Natural Resource Conservation Service: You network of local contacts should include the District Conservationist (aligned with Natural Resource District regions) and the Resource Conservationist found in each of the Field Offices.  These individuals can be identified through the NE NRCS Employee Directory found at http://www.ne.nrcs.usda.gov/contact/directory/index.html  or ftp://ftp-fc.sc.egov.usda.gov/NE/Outgoing/Directory/6-24-2013_NRCS_NE_DIRECTORY.pdf .  The first link will also inform you of the priority “Resource Needs and Concerns” identified for your NRD region.

Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality:  NDEQ maintains its field people at its main office in Lincoln and its six regional field offices in Omaha, Norfolk, North Platte, Holdrege, Scottsbluff, and Chadron (http://www.deq.state.ne.us/Gen.nsf/Pages/OffInfo ).  Another option for finding NDEQ field specialists in your region is to contact the Agriculture Compliance Assistance (402-471-8131 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting) or Water Quality Program Assistance (402-471-4220) hotlines.

Nebraska Department of Natural Resources:  DNR maintains field offices in Norfolk, Ord, Lincoln, Cambridge, and Bridgeport (http://dnr.ne.gov/division/division2.html ).  Field Office staff can be located at http://dnr.ne.gov/docs/dnrstaff.html#division .  DNR Field Office Supervisors should be a part of your local network.

What Else Can Be Done?

Have you:

___ Invited these local contacts to coffee at your office to get better acquainted.

 

___  Shared a recent edition of CropWatch, BeefWatch, Acreage, or other electronic newsletter and invited agency staff to sign up to receive these products via their email?

___  Placed your events on the Extension calendar and tag them so they show up on the most appropriate umbrella web site such as http://water.unl.edu? The first place I point individuals to is our Extension calendar system.

Growing Your Professional Development Audience

by Rick Koelsch

Last November this blog discussed the use of Learn (http://Learn.eXtension.org) for accessing a wide range of professional development weginars. In the next week there are 15 professional development webinars targeting Extension faculty on topics suchs as "Helping Children Adjust to the Return of a Military Parent", "Modern Livestock Production Trends and Vulnerabilities", "Use of Surveys in Extension for Program Development and Evaluation", and "County Fairs and Zoonotic Diseases" to name a few. Increasingly, our peers from around the US are coming to this site for their professional development. Participation increased from 3,400 in 2011 to 25,500 in 2012 with another  big jump expected in 2013.

Can our peers around the US find UNL Extension professioal development webinars in eXtension's Learn site?  If not, consider investing 5 minutes to announce your next professional development within Learn in addition to your own typical promotion efforts.  Here's my top 5 reasons for "Why UNL Extension professional development should be found on Learn:"

• #5. Learn maintains a Log of every professional development I Attend, Present, and Follow (click on "Activity" option) that can be quickly used for the next Activity Insight annual report.
• #4 Learn provides a professional looking web page for both promoting and archiving each individual professional development session.
• #3 Learn provides our participants the opportunity to access  handouts, powerpoint slides, and evaluation tool.
• #2 Learn provides us access to an audience from around the US consisting of your peers and other professionals.  Your professional development sessions are actively promoted twice monthly through eXtension newsletters to all Extension professionals registered with eXtension.
• #1 Presenters become recognized around the US for their expertise.

Add your next webinar for faculty professional development or clientele training to Learn.eXtension.org  to grow your reach, your recognition, your impact, and your professionalism.