Your Complete Guide to the 2016 OSUE Annual Conference Tech Faire

This year, the OSU Extension Educational Technology Unit is proud to present an expanded two-day Tech Faire featuring a line-up of talks, workshops, and demonstrations focused on upcoming tech opportunities for our organization (Zoom) and Extension’s involvement in the Maker Movement

What is the Maker Movement?

The Maker Movement is inspiring communities of entrepreneurs, builders, and inventors to come together and share ideas and innovations. The movement, and makerspaces in particular, have been named as a top opportunity for Cooperative Extension by eXtension’s Horizon Report.

“Involvement in the Maker Movement is growing across the nation. Extension has an opportunity to engage with new audiences by applying the existing skills and knowledge found in the Cooperative Extension System.” – Paul Hill, eXtension Maker Fellow and Utah State University Extension Assistant Professor

Stop by the Tech Faire to learn more about the Maker Movement and how you can adapt current programs to tap into this new and exciting audience and way of working. Featured sessions during the Tech Faire include homebrewing, #Adulting, and even a visit from the largest makerspace on the planet, the Columbus Idea Foundry!

 


“Maker Fest at the Tech Faire” Schedule of Events

OSUE Annual Conference 2016

 


Tuesday  (December 6) 11:00am – 6:30pm

11:00am – 6:30pm: Zoom Information Station, Maker Movement Information, Q&A with SysTechs and Ed Techs

 

Demonstrations & Hands-on Learning Opportunities:

11:00am – 1:00pm: Zoom Station: Software, Equipment and Studio Demonstrations Randy Nemitz

Zoom is coming for virtual meetings and webinars! Are you ready? Drop in to see Zoom in action, test it out for yourself, check out recommended equipment, and experience OSU backgrounds and studio space ideas.

 

1:00pm – 2:30pm: Maker Fest Feature: #Adulting: Life Skills Workshops for Millennials Morgan Domokos, Melissa Welker, Katie LaPlant

Need a fresh way to get participants to your programs? Learn how to host a series of life skills workshops with an #Adulting theme to engage new audiences. Conceptualized by North Dakota State University Extension, #Adulting offers creative marketing and hands-on maker inspired events that utilize FCS and 4-H educational content. Learn how to make a no-sew hem and take your creation with you!

 

4:00pm – 5:00pm: Maker Fest Feature: Makerspaces as Entrepreneurial Hubs Columbus Idea Foundry

Makerspaces are one of the top opportunities for Extension within the next year, and we have the largest on the planet right here in Ohio! Learn about the Columbus Idea Foundry, dubbed a community workshop, learning center, and creative space, and how you can collaborate with them and other makerspaces around the state to engage with entrepreneurs and small businesses. Speak with local entrepreneurs who started their businesses at CIF and see their prototypes. You can even test out the HTC Vive, a virtual reality system that lets you sculpt and create 3D images.

 

5:00pm – 6:30pm: Maker Fest Feature: Homebrewing & Winemaking + Ohio Beer and Wine Tasting Brad Bergefurd, Todd Steiner, Brian Raison, Land Grant Brewing Company

Looking for creative engagement opportunities with local farmers, small-scale growers, and entrepreneurs? Ohio is home to a large homebrewing and winemaking population that is waiting to engage with Extension. In fact, our state is 9th largest in grape production and 7th largest in wine production. Speak with OSUE specialists and hear examples from Educators already working with this audience. Don’t forget to sample Ohio-made wines and beer from Land Grant Brewing Company before you leave!

 


Wednesday (December 7) 8:00am –  4:30pm

8:00am – 4:30pm: Zoom Information Station, Maker Movement Information, Q&A with SysTechs and Ed Techs

 

 Demonstrations & Hands-On Learning Opportunities:

8:00am – 10:00am: Zoom Station: Software, Equipment, and Studio Demonstrations Randy Nemitz

Drop in to see Zoom in action, test it out for yourself, check out recommended equipment, and experience OSU backgrounds and studio space ideas.

 

10:00am – 11:30am: Maker Fest Feature: 4-H Maker Fest Events Carolyn Belczyk, Mark Light

Did you know that making is linked to the 4-H “Learning by Doing” motto and is already part of nearly every 4-H project? Extension involvement in the Maker Movement is providing an opportunity to rebrand 4-H and maintain its relevancy in the 21st century, while continuing to provide authentic, hands-on STEM experiences for youth. Learn how OSUE Educators have hosted Maker Fests in their communities through collaborative, local partnerships and how you can get involved.  

 

1:30pm – 2:30pm: Maker Fest Feature: Gardeners as Makers Danae Wolfe, Ashley Kulhanek

Gardening is big business! The Green Industry in Ohio generates $4.9 billion in sales and $3.15 billion in payroll each year. Explore the many ways to incorporate the Maker Movement into your gardening and horticulture programming. Learn how to host hands-on workshops to make bee houses, insect hotels, and learn how to cultivate ideas for involving Master Gardener Volunteers in maker events in your community. Make and take your very own seed bombs!

 

3:30pm – 4:30pm: #EdTechLN MeetUp & Annual Conference After-Party

Come for the networking and prizes, stay for the fun! Before heading home, drop by the Tech Faire one last time to network with innovators and other “rogue” colleagues. The first 20 attendees will receive #EdTechLN Bluetooth beanie hats, and one lucky person will be chosen to win a Yeti Blue professional microphone package – perfect for webinars and podcasting!

 

Questions about this year’s Tech Faire? Contact Jamie or Danae.

Ed Tech Tools for Impact

With a growing number of tools and technologies available, how do you know which is best for you? The Ed Tech Unit has developed a list of tried-and-true educational technology tools that we feel are great options to include in your digital content strategy. We’ve organized the tools based on specific goals you may have for your county or program.

computer on table

We encourage Extension professionals to review the POST method for determining which tools to use for particular audiences you’re trying to reach and specific objectives you may have for each audience. It may be helpful to download and print this POST method worksheet for thinking through some of your goals before deciding which technology is best.

Goal: Improve Workflow, Productivity, and Communication

Be better organized
Box and Box Sync (cloud-based storage and syncing)
Evernote (capture and share ideas across devices)

Offer better communication with internal and external teams
Microsoft Lync (instant messaging – integrates with Outlook)
Slack (instant messaging and file sharing)

Communicate via text message to volunteers or program participants
Remind (mass texting)

Goal: Improve Audience Engagement During Live Programming

Gauge learning understanding
Kahoot (game-based learning)

Create adaptive programming
Poll Everywhere (live polling)

Goal: Diversify Communication Methods to Reach All Possible Audiences

Create content hub to create and store information
u.osu.edu (WordPress blogging platform)

Create an electronic newsletter
MailChimp (electronic newsletter platform – free for up to 2000 subscribers)

Create an alternative platform for communication with clientele
Twitter Chat (live chat via Twitter)
Facebook group (open, semi-private, or private groups)

Other Helpful Tools

Create branded graphics for sharing online
Canva (great for creating social media graphics)
Piktochart (great for creating infographics)

Create narrated PowerPoints
Camtasia Relay (screen and audio-capture software)

Keep in mind this is not an exhaustive list of all tools you could choose from. The above options are tools that Extension professionals in Ohio and beyond have found helpful. Jamie or Danae would be happy to discuss these tools and others in greater depth. Don’t hesitate to reach out with questions!

Content Cheat Sheet: Best times to post

Figuring out the best times to post content on social media can be puzzling. Research shows that businesses and organizations post most of their content during normal work hours (9am-5pm, Monday through Friday). However research also shows that the best times to post on social media for maximum engagement is actually outside normal business hours. Take a peek at the cheat sheet below (courtesy of TrackMaven) to gauge when may be the most appropriate times of day and days of week to post on your social media channels. Pay close attention to the “most effective” column on the far right. (Click the image for a larger view or to print).

Social media cheat sheet

While the most popular times to post on social media are well within the normal work hours, the best times to post content for engagement (likes, comments, shares) are before or after work hours during the week or on weekends. Interestingly, the best time to send an email newsletter is Thursday afternoon.

Keep in mind that Facebook page insights offers information about when your specific page followers are active online. To find out when your followers are on Facebook, go to your page and click on “Insights” along the top navigation menu. From there, click “posts” on the left hand navigation menu and you’ll see “When your fans are online” at the very top of the page. Here’s what it looks like:

When your fans are online

Use this information to decide when to post content on your social media channels. If posting on Facebook outside of normal work hours seems daunting, consider scheduling your posts. Simply click the drop-down arrow next to “post” when crafting your next post and choose “schedule” to decide on a future time/day for the content to be published.

Schedule post

Happy posting!

Questions or commnets? Contact Danae or Jamie.

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!

 

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.

Ed Tech Learning Opportunities at OSUE Annual Conference

This year’s OSUE Annual Conference theme, “Innovation in Action”, provides the opportunity to showcase the creative, innovative programming taking place across Ohio in Extension! The Ed Tech unit is excited to offer several breakout sessions this year, alongside our annual Tech Faire (formerly the “Tech Zoo”). We’ll also be announcing a few new Ed Tech initiatives for 2016.

Ed Tech – Led Focus Sessions:

Tuesday, December 8th

Wednesday, December 9th

Tech Faire

8:00am – 6:00pm: (Ohio Stater’s Room, 2nd Floor)

Marty McFly’s 2015 hat + other BTTF props await you at the Tech Faire photo booth!

 

 

What Focus Sessions are you presenting that showcase how you’re utilizing technology in your work? Add them in the comments below and we’ll see you at #OSUE2015!

Before You Blog Best Practices Checklist

Danae and I recently walked the Live Smart Ohio blog authors through an updated version of our blogging best practices tip sheet. It includes the useful rules of thumb below to check before you hit “publish” on your next blog post, especially if you submit your blog content for peer review.

Does your post…

  • Have a good title that includes keywords?
  • Have less than 300 words in the body of your post?
  • Have a quality photo, image, infographic, or video included?
  • Have a few embedded links that readers would find helpful?
  • Have a call to action at the end? (information included that directs readers to local or statewide Extension / OSU resources)?
  • Include content that can easily be repurposed?
  • Cite your hyperlinked sources in the endnotes below the content?

More in-depth information and resource links for each tip in the list can be found in the slidedeck below.

 

We suggest bookmarking this post, or download and print the PDF to always have a copy in front of you.

Do you currently blog? Add your blog links in the comments below and tell us what you’ve been using your blog for!

10 Ways to Repurpose Content

Be Creative Image

Why Recreate When You Can Repurpose?

Repurposing content allows you to take your best content and make it available to multiple audiences in a variety of formats.

1. Expand Individual Ideas From Previous Content

Take an existing blog post or factsheet and expand on individual ideas presented. A listicle (an article presented in the form of a numbered or bulleted list) lends itself especially well to expansion.

2. Develop an Electronic Slide Set

Use a service like SlideShare to create visually stunning slide sets from PowerPoints, Word documents, PDFs, or infographics. Slide sets can be embedded on websites and blogs and shared on social media for maximum impact.

3. Create an Infographic

Blog posts, factsheets, or journal articles that are particularly data heavy can be repurposed into infographics and shared on social media or websites. Use online tools like Canva or Piktochart to create your infographics.

Infographic

4. Share Content on Social Media

Share your best content on social media including Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter. Since people use different social media platforms for different purposes, it’s important to compose unique messages for each platform. Find high quality and interesting images to accompany your posts and use online services like Canva to create content specific to each platform. Visit our blog post on royalty free images for image inspiration.

5. Send Electronic Newsletters

Use an online service like MailChimp to manage newsletter subscriptions and send your audience interesting content directly to their inbox. Be sure to include links to your most popular recent posts as well as content from other relevant sources and information about upcoming programs.

6. Create a Video Factsheet

Use a service like Camtasia Relay (free for all CFAES employees) to capture your voice and what’s happening on your screen to easily create video presentations that can be shared on social media and YouTube. You can also create short animated video clips with online services like Wideo (free and paid plans available). Check out the short Wideo I made about repurposing content!

7. Host a Webinar

Use a program like Carmen Connect to hose a webinar. Webinars allow you to expand on a topic and interact directly with your audience.

8. Host a Twitter Chat

­Create a unique and relevant #hashtag and host a Twitter chat with your audience. Choose a time and topic and invite people to participate in your Twitter chat by using your #hashtag. Encourage your audience to use a service like Twubs to curate content.

9. Repackage Content into an eBook or Guide

If you have multiple blog posts or factsheets revolving around a similar topic (e.g. sustainable gardening practices; canning vegetables; tips and tricks on managing finances), consider repackaging that similar content into a comprehensive peer-reviewed eBook or electronic guide.

10. Update and Republish Old Content

Consider updating and republishing your most popular content. This method of repurposing content works particularly well with topics that come up every year (e.g. maintaining a healthy weight around the holidays).

Be creative with how you repurpose and recycle your content!

Questions or comments? Email Danae or Jamie.

Announcing “First Friday Coffee Breaks” with an Ed Tech

The Ed Tech unit is very excited to announce a new “drop-in,” informal learning opportunity for OSU Extension professionals!

 

Beginning October 2nd, Jamie and/or Danae will be hosting virtual AMA (Ask Me Anything) sessions via Carmen Connect. These “First Friday Coffee Breaks with an Ed Tech” will be held the first Friday of each month from 10:00am – 11:00am.

Colleagues are encouraged to join the Connect sessions as needed throughout the hour to ask questions, get recommendations, offer suggestions, ask for resources… anything! This will be a regular opportunity to informally connect with an Ed Tech and get real-time feedback.

Use This Link to Participate in each First Friday Coffee Break

Questions? Let us know in the comments below or send Jamie or Danae an email.

 

Even Easier-to-Use CFAES and Extension Branded Images!

We have great news and not-so-great news this morning. Yesterday, we shared the link to a Buckeye Box folder that housed easy-to-use branded images. The not-so-great news: we’ve deleted this Buckeye Box folder. The great news? = the reason why! What we didn’t realize, was that this resource already exists! CFAES Communications now offers branded college and University background images, art, in addition to logos in .jpg and .png formats.

This 4-H Background image is one of many image resources available on the CFAES Communications site.

This 4-H Background image is one of many image resources available on the CFAES Communications site.

We apologize for the confusion. As we had mentioned in the previous post, if you have trouble using an image in it’s current format, do not see a desired image available, or just have a general branding question, please contact Jamie or Danae and we will help or contact the appropriate parties within the college.