innovateExtension in Your Words

It’s been over a month since innovateExtension and as we begin to peruse through evaluations, we wanted to share some of your thoughts on why you loved the event. Your constructive feedback has been invaluable to helping us shape future events. Plans are already underway for next year’s event in Ohio as well as similar events throughout the country! It’s great to see that innovateExtension has been an inspiration to Land Grants across the nation. You all helped in making the event a great success and we extend a huge THANK YOU!

We recently published a blog post on the #EdTechLN Blog with reflections and lessons learned about the event. Check it out here!

innovateExtension infographic

The innovateExtension Playlist!

We have received several requests for the song list from last week’s innovateExtension event. Here it is in all its amped-up glory! Many of the songs can be downloaded for free for Amazon Prime members.

Songs picked for the playlist were chosen to inspire creativity and teamwork. Use this playlist when you want to recreate the enthusiasm and pumped-up atmosphere from innovateExtension, or just want to have a fun, carefree day in the office. Enjoy!

 

innovateExtension Recap: An Energizing, Innovative, and Inspiring Day

The inaugural innovateExtension event was held May 12th, 2016 on Ohio State University’s campus. Twenty-two teams and more than 140 participants vied for funding for their ideas, projects, prototypes, and concepts. 

The following teams were awarded 3D-printed innovateExtension trophies and will work with OSU Extension Director Roger Rennekamp to secure funding for their innovative ideas and projects:

 

Honorable Mention: Dayta Dreamers (Debby Lewis, Amy Elhadi, Kim Showalter, Suzanna Windon | Coach: Kevin Gamble) Pitch: Hiring a web developer, housed in the PDE unit, to design a “data portal”.  The portal would be able to accept various types of data and generate multiple types of reports based on the data that will be accessible by a broad range of employees.

3rd Place Team: Live Healthy Live Well (Pat Brinkman, Michelle Treber, Lisa Barlage, Joanna Rini, Beth Stefura | Coach: Alice Henneman) Pitch: Expansion of the Live Healthy Live Well social media programming into a text-based message campaign, also including brief YouTube videos and hashtag creation and use.

2nd Place Team: Team GMO (Emily Adams, Lee Beers, Mary Griffith, Peggy Hall, Dianne Shoemaker | Coach: Hunter McBrayer) Pitch: A three-part plan to help Extension professionals excel with critical issues. Critical issues are not limited to controversial issues. They also include issues and situations that arise quickly and Extension personnel must address in a very timely manner. 1) Educator Training, 2) Identify Critical Issues at Annual Conference, and 3) Development and Implementation of a Protocol for Critical Issues

1st Place Team: Critical Conversations (Jackie Kirby-Wilkins, Jeff McCutcheon, Cindy Torppa, Lisa Siciliano-Miller, Laura Fuller, David Crawford, Debbie Brown | Coach: Daphne Richards) Pitch: Extension professionals are faced daily with having critical conversations with a variety of stakeholders (e.g., funders, elected officials, consumer, community  partners, and families/friends). These conversations include relationship building, networking, collaborating, facilitating, mediating, and innovating. Critical Conversations provides a variety of resources (including Tool Kits and Skill Building) and strategies for developing competencies, comfort, and skills for addressing critical conversations.

 


 

Didn’t catch the Periscope’d live stream footage from the event? Watch all of them on the OSU Extension Ed Tech YouTube channel.

 

 


 

Finally, participants were encouraged to post to Twitter and Instagram throughout the day utilizing the #innovateOSUE hashtag. Below is a compilation of just some of the pictures, videos, and comments shared:

 

Innovate Extension May 11th & 12th: How Do We Participate?

This is the fourth post in our series detailing the upcoming innovateExtension event May 12th. You can view other posts in the series here

How Do We Participate?

Registration for innovateOSU is now OPEN. Go here to register. This conference will most likely sell out, so we highly suggest you register as soon as possible!

Registration for innovateExtension will be available very soon – keep an eye out for updates!

Participants will be required to register in teams, so start thinking now about who will be on your team and what your team name will be (have some fun with it!) Some examples of groups that may be interested in participating as a team:

  • Program Area or Design Team (i.e. 4-H STEM Pathways Design Team or FCS Healthy Relationships Team)
  • Curriculum or Signature Program Team (Dining with Diabetes, Local Food)
  • County Team
  • Team made up for the event itself (collaboration across program areas is encouraged, as more diverse groups lead to the most creative ideas)
  • Individuals who do not have a team, but want to participate (we’ll do the leg-work to match you up with others who need team members)

Will Our Team Have to Do Any Work Before the Event?

In a word, no. We’ll have a pre-event training on Creative and Innovative Thinking available to all event participants on April 28th, and provide some information about the event at that time. However, there is no commitment necessary in regard to your team needing to come to the event with topics or issues in mind. Teams can simply show up and see where the event takes them!

How Much Will This Cost Me?

Nothing! That’s right, it’s free! Our Ed Tech unit has been working hard to make sure this is a cost-free event available to all Extension staff. innovateOSU is also free.

Event Objectives:

  • To provide a day-long work session for innovative program planning.
  • To provide a fun environment conducive to creative thinking.
  • To inspire teams and individuals to update programs, change the way they work, or develop solutions to organizational challenges.
  • To provide Extension staff an opportunity to present new ideas and solutions to colleagues and administration.

Attend innovateOSU on May 11th to be inspired and learn how others in academia are creatively solving age-old dilemmas and finding new tools to strengthen their work. 

Attend our post-innovate event just for OSU Extension on May 12th to put these ideas and inspiration into practice.

Alright, I’m In! But I Still Have Questions…

Leave us a comment below with any questions you may have. Or, feel free to send questions directly to Jamie or Danae.

First Friday Coffee Break with an Ed Tech: Carmen Connect

In case you missed the First Friday Coffee Break this month on Carmen Connect, the recording is now available.

What You Missed:

  • Carmen Connect best practices
  • How to create a meeting room
  • How to add an audio profile to a meeting room
  • Tips and tricks for getting the most out of virtual meetings and webinars with Carmen Connect

Click here to view the recording.

 

Our next First Friday Coffee Break with an Ed Tech will be Friday, April 1st (no joke!). Topic TBD.

If you’re dying to learn about a particular ed tech topic, let us know! We’re looking for ideas for future Coffee Breaks! Contact Jamie or Danae or let us know in the comments!

Ed Tech Survey Results Infographic

Thank you to everyone who took time to complete our 2016 Extension Tech Use and Skills Survey. Your input is valuable in helping us determine what Ed Tech topics to focus on in the coming year. The survey results also allow us to take a deeper look into the content you feel is important in improving your Extension impact and reach.

We gained a lot of valuable insight into our organizational tech use and skill set. We have staff at all points along the tech spectrum–from folks who integrate technology into their daily work to folks who have little to no interest in technology and still those who are yearning to learn more but aren’t sure where to start.

Take a look at some of the most notable survey data in the infographic below.

No matter your current skill level, the Extension Ed Tech Unit is available to help. We are deeply interested in meeting people at their current skill level and navigating them to their end goals. From social media strategy to blogging (and everything in between) we can help. Don’t hesitate to reach out! Take a look at our workshop offerings to get some ideas of how we can help you. If you don’t see exactly what you’re looking for, let us know what you’re thinking and we can probably create a one-of-a-kind program to meet your needs or the needs of your office or team.

Question or comments? Contact Jamie or Danae.

Innovate Extension May 11th & 12th: What Resources Will Be Available?

This is the third post in our series detailing the upcoming innovateExtension event May 12th. You can view other posts in the series here

 

This All Sounds Really Exciting, But a Bit Intimidating!

Don’t worry – we’ve got you covered! A pre-event webinar on Creative & Innovative Thinking facilitated by the OSU Leadership Center’s Beth Flynn [Save the Date = April 28th @ 9:00am] and other resources will be offered to participants to help you prepare for May 12th. innovateExtension itself will be all about developing innovative ideas and solutions in a fun environment… not necessarily about hard work with a lot of preparation leading up to the event.

We will also have coaches on hand during the event! Each participating team will be assigned a “creative coach” to help them during their work session and pitch development. Our creative coaches are experts in thinking outside the box and helping folks stay on task! Who are they? Our Ed Tech Unit has hand picked eXtension Ed Tech Learning Network innovation gurus to serve in this role – our OSU Extension ETIT (Extension Technology and Innovation Team) members will be assisting as well!

Creative Coaches

 

Bradd Anderson: University of Missouri State 4-H Youth Development Specialist, Genius Behind FilmFest 4-H

 

 

 

Bob Bertsch: North Dakota State University Web Technology Specialist / Ag Communications, Genius Behind Working Differently in Extension Podcast 

 

 

 

 

Alice Henneman: University of Nebraska – Lincoln Family & Consumer Sciences / Dietitian, Genius Behind UNL Pinterest and CookItQuick.org

 

 

 

 

Michele Walfred: University of Delaware Ag Communications, Genius Behind Social Musings and UDEL on Periscope

 

 

OSU Extension ETIT Members: Mark Light, Amanda Rysz, Carmen Irving, Andy Londo, Heather Gottke, Vickie Snyder, Stephen Heppe, Brian Raison, Jerry Thomas, Ken Martin, Danae Wolfe, Jamie Seger

 

Event Objectives:

  • To provide a day-long work session for innovative program planning.
  • To provide a fun environment conducive to creative thinking.
  • To inspire teams and individuals to update programs, change the way they work, or develop solutions to organizational challenges.
  • To provide Extension staff an opportunity to present new ideas and solutions to colleagues and administration.

 

Attend innovateOSU on May 11th to be inspired and learn how others in academia are creatively solving age-old dilemmas and finding new tools to strengthen their work. 

Attend our post-innovate event just for OSU Extension on May 12th to put these ideas and inspiration into practice.

 

Next Up: How Do We Participate?

 

Want to know more? Have questions? Leave us a comment below. Or, feel free to send questions directly to Jamie or Danae.

Innovate Extension May 11th & 12th: Event Format

This is the second post in our series detailing the upcoming innovateExtension event May 12th. You can view other posts in the series here

 

What Will We Be Doing on May 12th?

Being innovative. Spending an entire day thinking of creative solutions to our often complex challenges in Extension. Perhaps even putting together the most non-traditional funding or idea proposal you have ever created.

Here is an overview of the event timeline:

  1. Reflection on things we learned at innovateOSU
  2. Team work session to utilize what you learned = brainstorm ways to update programs, ways of teaching/working, or just think of creative solutions to Extension challenges. The sky is the limit!
  3. Team “pitch” development. Using what resources are available to you during the event, your team will create a very brief presentation – or “pitch” – of your best idea, solution, or even prototype.
  4. Voting! All teams and others in attendance (including OSU Extension Director Dr. Roger Rennekamp and other administrators) will vote for the winning team(s) based on the pitch session.
  5. The winning team(s) will go home with awesome prizes – including potential funding to turn their amazing idea into a reality! And all participants will take home some cool swag items.

 

Event Objectives:

  • To provide a day-long work session for innovative program planning.
  • To provide a fun environment conducive to creative thinking.
  • To inspire teams and individuals to update programs, change the way they work, or develop solutions to organizational challenges.
  • To provide Extension staff an opportunity to present new ideas and solutions to colleagues and administration.

Attend innovateOSU on May 11th to be inspired and learn how others in academia are creatively solving age-old dilemmas and finding new tools to strengthen their work. 

Attend our post-innovate event just for OSU Extension on May 12th to put these ideas and inspiration into practice.

Next Up: What Resources Will Be Available?

 

Want to know more? Have questions? Leave us a comment below. Or, feel free to send questions directly to Jamie or Danae.

February First Friday Coffee Break with an Ed Tech: Social Media Image Templates

If you missed our First Friday Coffee Break with an Ed Tech this month, the webinar recording is now available!

What you missed:

  • Branded Social Media Image Templates
    • where to access
    • walk-through instructions demonstrating how to edit
  • Q&A on Ed Tech-related items and issues
  • InnovateExtension announcements
  • National eXtension Conference information

Click Here to View the Recording

 

Our next First Friday Coffee Break will be March 4th from 10:00am – 11:00am EST, topic TBD. Have a topic suggestion for a future Coffee Break? Comment below or email it to Jamie or Danae.

innovate Extension May 11th & 12th: Who should attend?

Have you ever wanted a day to plan new and innovative programs for Extension with no hidden agenda… and have fun networking with colleagues in the process?

We in Extension too often neglect innovative program planning because it’s difficult, it makes us uncomfortable, and because we simply have not devoted time to it. But we all need to be innovators. We all need to be change agents. It’s the backbone of Extension work.  Our Ed Tech unit is busy planning a great day for you. Over the next few weeks, we will roll out information about THE event you do not want to miss!

Attend innovateOSU on May 11th to be inspired and learn how others in academia are creatively solving age-old dilemmas and finding new tools to strengthen their work. 

Attend our post-innovate event just for OSU Extension on May 12th to put these ideas and inspiration into practice.

 

Who Should Attend?

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The short answer: Anyone! Our post-innovate event will welcome program teams and individuals interested in learning about new ways of teaching and working at innovateOSU, and then thinking creatively to apply what they learned to their Extension work. Whether it be updating a program, developing a strategy, or just applying a new tool to their professional toolbox. Teams may even develop a breakthrough solution to one of our organizational challenges! This event will encourage you to get your creative juices flowing and “think outside the box”.

Event Objectives:

  • To provide a day-long work session for innovative program planning.
  • To provide a fun environment conducive to creative thinking.
  • To inspire teams and individuals to update programs, change the way they work, or develop solutions to organizational challenges.
  • To provide all Extension staff an opportunity to present new ideas and solutions to colleagues and administration.

Next up: Event Format Details!

 

Want to know more? Have questions? Leave us a comment below. Or, feel free to send questions directly to Jamie or Danae.