Insights from the Best Conference I’ve Ever Attended

In October 2017, Jamie and I had the incredible opportunity to attend DevLearn in Las Vegas. DevLearn is an international conference on learning technologies and focuses on how to develop a top-quality workforce with effective learning and skills development opportunities. Jamie offered two scholarships to OSU Extension staff and after submitting an application, Cindy Folck and Ed Brown were selected to travel to Vegas with us for this amazing adventure. Below is a recap of our collective insights from the conference.

What was the most valuable thing you discovered or learned during DevLearn that you can apply right away?

Ed: As a result of attending the conference, immediately after returning to the office, I want back and changed several of my upcoming presentations. I had used these for many years and could now see many ways to improve them. It added a bit in the prep time, but will have long-lasting benefits.

Cindy: DevLearn was an opportunity to learn about new technology available for eLearning. I discovered new video enhancement content such as quizzes and bookmarks that I plan to explore to use on upcoming projects.

Jamie: That a definite movement toward social learning is gaining momentum – in organizations, businesses, and education. Learning is being redefined, and Extension can gain from adjusting to the needs of those we serve by joining others who are transforming learning experiences, both online and in-person.

Danae: The most valuable thing I learned, from a personal perspective, was how to create engaging communities through social leadership. Julian Stodd, with Sea Salt Learning, is a great resource to learn more about social leadership and social organizations. His work emphasizes the need to create communities of trust within organizations. I realized these communities need not be formal, but tend to work most effectively when they are informal and part of people’s natural work or life flow. I’m excited to apply his ideas to creating communities of trust next year!

As a result of attending this conference, what is one thing you will quit doing?

Ed: I will not immediately pull up my old PowerPoint to make the same presentation that I have made many times before. I will not always use the presentations that are sent to me for statewide topics, but take a look to see if there is a way to way to modify it in order to benefit the learner. I want to be learner centric, not speaker centric (I want a greater impact).

Cindy: I plan to stop waiting to begin evaluations of online and e-Learning. I’ll also stop waiting to create evaluations for static websites.

Danae: I will quit thinking that Extension is unique in terms of how we train and develop our staff. Employees in organizations across all industries need the same opportunities for skills and career development. We can learn from the successes of other industries to build an effective learning and development unit within Extension.

What were the benefits of attending a non-Extension conference?

Ed: It was great see educators from other industries and see how they approach teaching.

Cindy: The audience for the DevLearn conference included large corporations conducting employee-training with e-Learning. It was beneficial to hear their struggles with the same issues we experience in Extension. It is empowering to know we are on the frontier of e-Learning with these corporations and their consultants and not a step behind.

Jamie: I always try to attend at least one non-Extension conference each year to help me gain new perspectives and connect dots to partnerships with people, companies, and organizations that I may have never thought of before. Every time I attend a non-Extension conference, I realize that no matter how different our fields of study, business model, market, or audience, we often have similar challenges and opportunities and can learn from one another. “Me too!” moments always happen and lead to unique insights.

Danae: The single greatest benefit was learning that organizations across all industries are experiencing the same pain points as it relates to employee development. It was also immensely beneficial to learn that there are numerous resources we can tap into without having to recreate the wheel. I highly recommend stepping outside of Extension for an immersive professional development opportunity at least once every few years!

Can you share one (or more) resources or programs that you think Extension colleagues would enjoy learning about?

Ed: I think that it was important to learn how to think like a futurist. Also, I would like for Extension professionals to learn is that there are other ways to present a topic. Learning something like interactive video or the steps involved in presenting information through an eLearning platform could have the potential to reach traditional and non-traditional audiences in a new way. I am also encouraged to implement augmented reality into my program and hope that it can be implemented around the state.

Cindy: The world of analytics is developing and I think Extension needs to become involved with this evaluation tool for our programming. Analytics not only provide feedback, but measures current success and areas need improvement.

JamieHapYak for creating interactive, experiential videos.

Danae: I’ve love for folks to check out the interactive video LIFESAVER for a truly experiential learning opportunity with video. Now imagine teaching people about topics like food safety or safe handling and application of pesticides and fertilizers using this kind of immersive video! If you’re looking for something a bit more whimsical, download the Google Spotlight “Stories” app and watch a few immersive stories. My personal favorites are Duet and Buggy Night. HINT: You’ll want to watch the stories in a space that allows you to move around!

Please share a connection or networking contact you think Extension colleagues should follow on Facebook or Twitter.

Ed: I would encourage educators to follow some of the people in eXtension EdTechLN that are looking at ways to use technology in our everyday teaching opportunities

Cindy: The opportunities for webinars and training session through the e-Learning Guild membership is something I’m looking forward to exploring. I think these learning and professional development options would be beneficial for Extension colleagues involved with e-Learning.

Danae: I highly recommend following Julian Stodd on Twitter! Julian has written a handful of books on Social Leadership and its importance within organizations. His insights about how to strengthen and develop organizations is simply brilliant. I’m currently reading his Social Leadership Handbook and I’m infatuated!

Innovation in Extension

Ohio State University Extension has been at the forefront of transforming our organizational culture in Extension. From the creation of a first-of-its-kind Extension Educational Technology unit, to serving on national committees charged with tackling systemic challenges and opportunities in innovation, OSUE has been involved every step of the way since 2012.

Innovate Extension

In May 2016, the Ohio State University Extension Ed Tech Unit hosted the first Innovate Extension event as an Extension-only post-event to OSU’s Innovate Conference. This hackathon-style event was an opportunity for faculty and staff to network, discuss, and develop innovative ideas for Extension’s greatest challenges and opportunities. Extension professionals at all levels of the organization were invited to develop small, cross-programmatic teams and “hack” their way through an idea. From ideation to pitch, event participants had a dedicated work session to develop and refine their ideas before pitching a proposal to OSU Extension administration for potential funding. The response was overwhelming. During our first year, nearly 150 people joined together across 24 teams. OSUE administrators awarded more than $34,000 among the top three teams to continue idea development and deployment.

Since then, Innovate Extension events have been hosted in three additional states – North Dakota, Utah, and Oregon – with an additional event being planned in Delaware for October 2017. These events have been funded, in part, by the eXtension Foundation. Additionally, Ohio State University Extension hosted their second Innovate Extension event in May 2017 with the event theme UrbanX. The UrbanX theme was selected to allow participants to focus on Ohio’s unique urban challenges and opportunities that intersect across all communities, rural and urban alike.

Event recaps for each state are below.

Ohio State University Extension

2017 Innovate Ohio State University Extension event recap

2016 Innovate Ohio State University Extension event recap

North Dakota State University Extension

2016 Innovate North Dakota State University Extension event recap

Utah State University Extension

Oregon State University Extension

2017 Innovate Oregon State University Extension event recap

Learn more about how Innovate Extension events are providing real impact in work and program development throughout Extension.

 

Other Innovation Initiatives and Projects

We Don’t Have Time for Innovation 2017 Keynote Series (coming soon)

eXtension Educational Technology Learning Network

ECOP Innovation in Extension Task Force

Extension Horizon Report 2016 – 2021

Questions about the OSUE Ed Tech unit’s involvement in innovation in Extension? Contact Jamie or Danae.

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Marketing Zoom Webinars Recording Now Available

If you missed our monthly Zoom training on marketing, promoting, and increasing ROI for Zoom webinars and meetings, you can check out the recording below!

Don’t forget to visit the CFAES Zoom portal for all your Zoom needs including signing into your Zoom Pro account, downloading the Zoom desktop and Outlook clients,  requesting a webinar license, or accessing the basic and advanced Zoom trainings.

Questions or comments? Contact Danae or Jamie.

Innovate Extension Provides Real Impact

OSU Extension hosted the very first Innovate Extension event in May 2016. Since then, the reach and impact of our Innovate Extension events has grown. North Dakota State University Extension, Utah State University Extension, and Oregon State University Extension have each hosted their own Innovate Extension event funded, in part, by the eXtension Foundation. Additionally, Delaware State University Extension will host their inaugural Innovate event in October 2017 and other state universities like Michigan State, Missouri State, and Texas A&M have each expressed interest in hosting similar hackathon-style events in the near future.

Our 2017 Innovate Extension event in Ohio attracted new Extension participants and created the opportunity for teams to work with the most innovative community and business leaders from throughout the Columbus region. The integration of innovators from outside Extension was a huge hit and created lasting impact for our teams as they ideated, designed, and pitched their projects.

Check out the videos below from our 2017 Innovate Extension coaches and judges to learn about the impact of these hackathon-style events.

What is a Hackathon?

How Has Innovate Extension Benefited You?

Our Innovate Extension events focus on cross-programmatic collaboration, creativity, and innovation. Here are a few ways your OSU Extension colleagues are thinking and working differently as a result of attending an Innovate Extension event:

How has Innovate Extension changed the way you identify or develop programs?

“I seek out input from others more. I ask people what they think; often they will see something I don’t.”

“More time, research, and group discussion are part of developing a program.”

How has Innovate Extension changed how you approach teamwork?

“We recognize individual differences and strengths of coworkers and seek everyone’s ideas before proceeding.”

“I try to encourage all voices on the team, especially from ones normally more quiet.”

Describe how participating in Innovate Extension has allowed you to be more creative or innovative in your Extension work.

“Participating in the program helped me think outside the box and encouraged the development of some creative programming ideas.”

“We are working on integrating more technology into our program, which has been successful. We will be doing an IRB and research study to see what differences it makes.”

What else would you like to tell us about your Innovate Extension experience?

“This session was just the start of what we need to do to change the culture of innovation within our system. Good job on getting it started. Let’s do even more next time!!”

How Can We Be More Innovative in Our Work?

Listen to what OSU Extension Director, Roger Rennekamp, had to say about how we can be more innovative in our work.

Check out what event participants had to say about their 2017 Innovate Extension experience:

2017 Innovate Extension Infographic

We are excitedly gearing up to plan and coordinate our 2018 Innovate Extension event. What would you like to see happen in 2018? Let us know by email or in the comments!

Questions or comments? Contact Danae or Jamie.

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Do More with Zoom Meetings: Workflow for Recording and Posting

 

Getting more mileage out of your Zoom meetings is easy. Video-sharing services like YouTube make it a breeze to share meetings and webinars with a wide audience which helps Extension broaden and deepen impact while increasing ROI for time spent on digital programming. As OSU Extension faculty and staff become more comfortable using Zoom, we are getting more questions about how to upload and share recorded meetings and webinars. I wanted to share some basic workflow options for recording, uploading, and sharing Zoom recordings.

Finding Your Recorded Meetings

You have two main options for where to save your recorded Zoom meetings. You can choose to have all files saved to the default Zoom documents folder or you can select a custom location. If you use the default Documents/Zoom folder, you’ll be able to easily access and convert your files from your Zoom desktop client. (Please note, if you move your video file to a location other than the original location in which the file was saved, you will not be able to access you recordings from the Zoom client as the “recording path” will be altered.)

I have my own workflow for saving and editing my recorded Zoom meetings, so I have selected to have all meetings saved to my desktop where I can easily find the files. From there, I edit the videos, upload them to YouTube for sharing, and save the original file in an appropriate folder on my computer or Box Sync. If you’d prefer to change your default settings, open the Zoom desktop client (visit the CFAES Zoom Portal to download the desktop client) and open settings.

Zoom Settings Image

From the settings window, click the “record tab” and choose a new location to save your recordings. You can also select the option to choose a location for your recorded file when your meeting ends.

Zoom settings

Immediately following a recorded Zoom meeting or webinar, your meeting will begin to save in your chosen location.

To get a usable video format, you’ll need to “convert” the video file. From the Zoom desktop client, select “convert” under the recorded meeting you’d like to convert. If you access the file directly from your computer (as opposed to through the Zoom desktop client), click the file and it will automatically begin the conversion process.

To learn more about recording Zoom meetings and accessing the recorded files, visit the Zoom help page.

Editing Your Recording

For many of my recorded meetings, I like to add a properly branded intro or outro. To do this, I use Adobe Photoshop to create a branded graphic to play at the beginning and end of my video (see video below as an example). You can use tools like PowerPoint or Canva to easily create branded graphics. Save the image as a JPG or PNG.

To add graphics or edit your video file, you’ll need an appropriate video editor on your computer. Macs come standard with iMovie, which is my video editing program of choice. We recommend Pinnacle for PC users for its ease-of-use. With video editing software, you can cut parts of your recording, trim dead space at the beginning or end of the recording, combine multiple recordings into one file, add graphics, titles slides or music, and much more.

Uploading Your Recorded Meeting

When you’re finishing editing your file you’ll want to save it in a file format appropriate for uploading to the video-sharing site you plan to use. The Ed Tech Unit uploads our videos to YouTube since most people are familiar with the platform. YouTube is intuitive, easy to use, and offers various privacy settings for videos.

To upload videos to YouTube, you’ll need to sign in with a Google account and create a YouTube channel. Learn more about creating a YouTube channel here. Once you’ve created a YouTube channel, you can begin uploading and sharing your recorded Zoom meetings and webinars. Learn more about uploading your videos here. While YouTube accepts multiple video formats, we tend to use MP4. For a list of additional acceptable formats, check out YouTube’s list of supported file types.

When you upload a new video, you’ll have the option to create a title, description, and tags, all of which help others find your video content in a YouTube or web search. You can also select one of three privacy settings.

Public: Anyone can see and share video

Private: Only the users you select can see your video

Unlisted: Only users with video link can see your video

If you record and upload a meeting and do not want the video to be searchable or viewable by a wide audience, I recommend selecting the “unlisted” privacy option and sharing the video link with the appropriate audience. Learn more about privacy settings here.

Sharing Your Recorded Meeting

Whether you’re sharing through email, social media, or otherwise, it’s vital that you grab the “share” link to properly share a YouTube video. To grab the share link, click “share” under your uploaded YouTube video and copy the link. It’s important to use this share link, as opposed to copying and pasting the URL from the web browser. You can also use the embed code to embed the video directly into a webpage or use the email link to email the video directly to someone’s inbox. When sharing videos in a u.osu.edu blog post, you do NOT need to use the embed code. Simply copy and paste the share link in your post and WordPress will do the rest!

Arrow pointing to share link on YouTube Video

The above is a brief outline of how our OSU Extension Ed Tech Unit records, uploads, and shares our web-based programming. There are numerous programs and video-sharing platforms that you may wish to use, just be sure to follow University branding guidelines and keep in mind that not all meetings are meant to be publicly accessible. It’s always a good idea to let meeting participants know the meeting will be recorded and shared!

Questions? Contact Danae or Jamie.

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New Zoom Office Hours with Ken Kulka

Computer with mouse and coffee mug

It has been three months since the CFAES IT Services unit introduced Zoom, and the response has been outstanding.  Over 2,000 of you have signed up for a Zoom account and are using it every day!  Some of you may have questions about how to use Zoom or may not be aware of all the features.  Now is your chance to get those questions answered.  Join Ken Kulka for his “Zoom Office Hours” session every other Thursday at 1:30 p.m. starting this week, August 17.  Ken will be on hand to answer your questions about using Zoom and will cover new Zoom features each week. Click this link to join:

https://osu-cfaes.zoom.us/j/6142922012

If you have not signed up for your Zoom Pro account, go to the CFAES Zoom portal https://osu-cfaes.zoom.us/.

Questions or comments? Contact Danae Wolfe or Jamie Seger.

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Zoom Account Setup Recording Now Available

If you missed our session on Zoom account setup, you can check out the recording below! Please note, the information on closed-captioning in Zoom was incorrect. A meeting or webinar participant must be assigned to type real-time captions during the live event, or a third-party captioning provider may be used. Zoom does not appear to offer real-time voice-recognition closed captioning at this time. For more information, visit the Zoom support page on closed-captioning.

To access Zoom basic and advanced trainings, request a webinar license, or download the Zoom Client, visit the CFAES Zoom Portal.

Questions? Contact Jamie or Danae.

Zoom Q&A Recording Now Available

If you didn’t get a chance to hop onto our Zoom Q&A meeting last week, the recording is now available! During the meeting, we reviewed a variety of Zoom features including Zoom Chat, screen share, annotate, and breakout rooms. We also showed participants how to upload a profile photo in Zoom, how to share computer sound while screen sharing, and how to submit a request for webinar license. Check it out below!

Questions or comments? Contact Jamie or Danae.

Zoom Tips and Tricks (2)

Video conferencing can be frightening for those who aren’t accustomed to seeing themselves on camera. During the last year of testing and using Zoom, we’ve encountered numerous situations where meeting participants awkwardly covered their webcam with a post-it note or finger after realizing their webcam automatically started when they joined a meeting.

You can easily avoid these cringe-worthy encounters!

When you create a meeting, you have the option of turning participant video off. This will, by default, allow meeting participants to join the meeting with video turned off. Participants will have the option to turn their video on after joining.

If you would prefer for participants’ video to be turned on when joining a Zoom meeting, we highly recommend alerting your colleagues that they will join the meeting with video. This lets people know they should be camera-ready when joining a Zoom meeting.

In addition to individual meeting settings, Zoom account holders have the option of defaulting to disabled video when joining a Zoom meeting as host or participant. In the settings menu on the Zoom Client, navigate to “Video” then select the box that says, “Turn off my video when joining a meeting.”

With all this said, we highly encourage OSU Extension faculty and staff to use video during meetings. Zoom is a wonderful video conferencing tool but it’s most effective when you can see and interact with meeting participants just as you would in a face-t0-face meeting.

For those without a webcam, CFAES IT recommends the Logitech C930e model available here.

For more information or to access Zoom trainings and resources, visit the CFAES Zoom Portal.

Questions or comments? Contact Danae or Jamie.