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

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: 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: 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.

Save the Date: OSU’s INNOVATE Conference + Extension Post-Conference Event

Save the Date for the 2016 Innovate conference + special Post-Conference Event for OSU Extension professionals!

May 11th & 12th 

 

From the Innovate Community blogWith Excellence as our theme for 2016, we’re sharing innovations that let educators re-imagine their instruction without sacrificing pedagogical quality and rigor. It’s fun to experiment and enjoy the novelty of cutting edge technologies, but a focus on excellence is what drives meaningful implementation.

Innovate is a time for bringing people together across disciplines and across adoption barriers. The conference is built with the educator in mind: you don’t have to be tech savvy to fully participate in this day of presentations, demonstrations and valuable dialog.

Innovate is The Ohio State University’s annual conference exploring teaching and learning with technology. The highly engaging one-day event is built upon six years of successful conferences: 95% of 2014 participants learned something that could change the way they think about or do their job, 96% reported they would like to attend a similar event in the future, and the repeat attendees every year support this number. Innovate is hosted by Ohio State’s Office of Distance Education and eLearning.

While geared toward OSU faculty, with participation numbers growing each year of the conference, so too have professional development sessions relevant to outreach education and Extension initiatives. And in 2016, the OSUE Ed Tech Unit will be hosting a post-conference event for OSU Extension on May 12th. Innovate will be held at the Ohio Union, while our Extension event will be hosted at the 4-H Center. More details can be found here.

To be updated when registration and other details for Innovate become available, you can sign up to receive email updates or follow @InnovateOSU on Twitter. We’ll also share updates here on the Ed Tech blog!

We hope to see many of our Extension colleagues this year at Innovate in May!

 

2015 Ed Tech Year in Review

Last week, the Ed Tech Unit shared a snapshot of data and other information from August – December 2015 with Administrative Cabinet members. Browse through the brief slide deck below to see how 2015 Tech Use and Skills Survey data was used to address the needs of the organization, how many OSUE professionals received assistance during this time period from an Ed Tech and the type of assistance they received, as well as Ed Tech initiatives for 2016.

The 2016 Organizational Tech Use & Skills Survey will be emailed January 29th!

Barnes & Noble Mini-Maker Faire Opportunity for OSUE Educators

All Barnes & Noble bookstores nationwide will be hosting Mini-Maker Faires November 6th-8th in partnership with Make Magazine. This event provides a unique opportunity for OSU Extension Educators to learn more about the Maker Movement or even host their own booth at the Faire to share STEM-focused project ideas or provide 4-H program information. Have a drone or 3D printer? Set them up at the Faire and let kids see them in action – then discuss how you use them in your Extension work. Or, bring your Lego League project information and share how they can get involved!

To further put Extension’s involvement in context, I interviewed Paul Hill, eXtension Maker Fellow and 4-H Assistant Professor at Utah State University, to gain some insight into the potential benefits of participating in the Mini Maker Faire:

Why should Extension participate?

It’s all about engaging a new audience that already aligns with the STEM goals of 4-H. Doing so will position 4-H to be more relevant in the 21st century. Makers need the structure of a 4-H club and the essential elements to truly create an environment of positive youth development. Making is considered cool now and it’s the perfect way to help youth gain STEM abilities. 4-H joining the Maker Movement would create a symbiotic relationship for both audiences. 

In your opinion, what potential exists if Extension gets involved in the Maker Movement?

By joining forces with B&N to support the Maker Movement in your county, 4-H can reach a new audience of clients and volunteers eager to learn by doing.

OSU Extension Educators are beginning to get involved in the Maker Community. Mark Light, 4-H Educator in Hardin County, received an eXtension innovation grant to create a maker space within the Hardin County OSU Extension office.  Dubbed the Spark Lab, this project will instill that inspiration or “spark” youth and adults need to learn, discover, and grow in a creative environment. It will be an overall center of innovation framed through the educational lens of a land grant university system. It will further have the potential to transform the Extension office beyond the traditional use into an innovative space by bringing entrepreneurship, university education opportunities, and a technology and maker space together in a dynamic and still to be explored relationship. The Spark Lab will create a physical space model that can be reproduced by Extension nationwide.  It will open in Hardin County in November 2015. If you have questions about the Hardin County Spark Lab, please contact Mark.

Interested Extension program staff are encouraged to contact their local Barnes & Noble store by submitting a information to participate at the B&N Maker Faire website.

 

Comment below with questions, or contact Jamie.

The eXtension #EdTechLN, One Year Later [Interactive Infographic]

The eXtension Educational Technology Learning Network is celebrating one year of learning, sharing, and collaboration this month. If you’re not familiar with the EdTechLN, it was funded and created by eXtension in 2014 to provide informal professional development, collaboration, and partnership opportunities focused on technology use in Extension programming, working differently, as well as fostering innovative ideas and concepts. While many individuals who engage with the EdTechLN are program staff, the Learning Network has attracted engagement from IT and Communications professionals, Extension Specialists, Faculty, and support staff; forming an ideal collaborative network that provides not just ideas and inspiration, but resources and support as well.

The EdTechLN is lead by Jamie Seger (Ohio State), Paul Hill (Utah State), Jerry Thomas (Ohio State), and Barbara Chamberlin (New Mexico State).

Anyone who is interested in the successful incorporation of technology into their work, or collaborating with like-minded Extension professionals are encouraged to participate in the EdTechLN! Some ways to get involved are described here. To date, Ohio leads the pack with more than 25 individuals engaging with the Learning Network in some fashion on a regular basis! The easiest way to get involved? Sign up to receive info and updates in your email inbox. And we hope to see you during the next TweetUp, they’re a lot of fun.

The infographic below is interactive, so by hovering your mouse over many of the charts and info boxes, you can see additional information. Click on hyperlinked images and text in the infographic to be taken to additional resources.

 

Digital Communications Strategy: Your Input Wanted!

Basecraft recently created TV and radio ads for the 2015 Ohio State Fair. The company is based out of Columbus and New York City.

Basecraft recently created TV and radio ads for the 2015 Ohio State Fair. The company is based out of Columbus and New York City.

CFAES College Communications has engaged with the Basecraft agency to help us improve and/or develop strategy around digital communications.  As part of the process, the agency is seeking input from a large group of stakeholders, including faculty, staff, students, alumni, media, and industry professionals.  This is where OSU Extension professionals like you come in, your input matters! To assist with this effort and provide Basecraft with sufficient input, we are asking two things:

(1)  Please complete this short questionnaire.

(2)  Share this opportunity, widely, with your colleagues, peers and stakeholder groups.

Only aggregate data will be seen and individual responses will be compiled by the staff at Basecraft as they utilize the data to formulate recommendations.

Why would I fill out this questionnaire? 

Digital communication strategy is incredibly important. It better connects us with our clients and encompasses much more than just web design (mobile strategy, user experience, content strategy, trend analysis, to name a few.) Your input helps Basecraft understand who we are, what we do, and what possibilities lie in our future. It’s a critical piece to completing the digital communication strategy puzzle. Once completed, this strategy has the potential to impact many facets of OSU Extension.

Questions? Contact Jamie Seger or Ryan Schmiesing.