Schedule of Professional Development Opportunities

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Check this schedule for the listing of upcoming topics for professional development. These sessions are open to anyone in Extension, and you're all welcomed to participate!

If you have suggestions for topics that are not currently listed, please let Beth Raney know!

Contents

December 2009 Professional Development Opportunities

30 Minute Sessions

  • December 8 at 2:00 ET, a "30 Minute Session" on Using Video in Moodle, by Jennifer Jahedkar, Texas AgriLife Extension, Extension eLearning. Video can add a lot to an eLearning course in Moodle. Join us to learn about things to consider when using video in Moodle. We'll touch on things like... What format works best? How long should each video be? What low-bandwidth or accessibility accommodations need to be considered? What is the best way to insert the videos into the Moodle course? (for all Extension)
  • December 10, 2:00 ET, a "30 Minute Session" on Second Life - Customizing Your Avatar Part 1, presented by LuAnn Phillips, eXtension Virtual Worlds Coordinator. See the Second Life section below for Part 2.
  • December 14 at 2:00 ET, a "30 Minute Session" on the Ask an Expert Widget, Aaron Hundley, eXtension Software Engineer. How to use the Ask eXtension widget to receive and answer questions directly from your county Extension web site or Extension-related blog. This widget adds question asking capabilities to your site, but uses the power of the eXtension Ask an Expert and FAQ systems to assist you in answering. Take questions from your clients, and use the 40,000 questions in the FAQ system to assist you in providing a timely and accurate answer. Check out the widget tracking feature that allows you to name the widget and monitor questions coming from your site. Also learn about the widget routing capability that will allow you to have questions routed to you from your widgets. New this time is a demonstration of how the new Ask an Expert follow-up feature works. This session will introduce you to the Ask an Expert system, the Ask an Expert widget, show you the latest features developed, and will discuss what is necessary to begin using it immediately in your own county sites and blogs with helpful tips. (for all Extension)
  • December 15 at 2:00 ET, a "30 Minute Session" on Google Wave by Kevin Gamble, eXtension. This introductory session will discuss Google Wave and why it is the next big thing. It will include an introduction to the various components of the interface, creating new waves, organizing your waves with tags and folders, managing your contacts, and search. The session will also discuss how this technology fits in to the emerging flow of knowledge, and how it is has the potential to reshape communication, and learning. Attendees should have a Wave account. If you need one contact kevin.gamble@extension.org for an invitation. (For all Extension.)
  • December 16 at 2:00 ET, a "30 Minute Session" on New Features for Ask an Expert Question Wranglers by Aaron Hundley and Beth Raney, eXtension. If you are currently a member of the Ask an Expert Question Wranglers Community or are thinking of joining, please join us for a discussion on how AaE Question Wranglers can use the new features developed in the Ask an Expert application including re-opening questions and viewing completion percentages of AaE experts to better serve our audience and get a faster turnaround for getting questions answered. There will also be time planned for any other AaE Wrangler related discussion items that may arise. (For all Extension)
  • December 17 at 2:00 ET, a "40 Minute Session" on Introduction to Web Accessibility, by Luis Perez, Apple Distinguished Educator (ADE) Project Manager, Tech Ease for All, Florida Center for Instructional Technology, University of South Florida. This presentation will begin with a definition of web accessibility and address the benefits of web accessibility for everyone who uses the computer, not just for people with disabilities. The presenter will also share some quick tips that will help participants create more accessible content for the Web. (for all Extension)

Other Sessions

  • December 9 at 2:00-3:00 ET, ACE Seal of Approval, presented by: Faith Peppers, University of Georgia. ACE seeks to provide the highest quality professional development programs for members. To promote development and dissemination of valuable tools, workshops and programs, the organization created a program, the ACE Seal of Approval. This program will demonstrate to others in the profession that any product carrying the seal has been judged by peers to be of exceptional relevance and quality. We anticipate that this peer-driven program will lead us to develop a rich catalog of tools and programs built upon the best our membership has to offer. This program will help ensure that all programs offered to members endorsed by ACE will be of consistent, reliable value and quality. We aim for this collection to be a valuable asset to you as an ACE member and communication professional. In this session, participants will learn how to submit items they wish to nominate for the Seal and see how the approval process works. This session is offered in partnership with the ACE Leadership & Management SIG.

Second Life Sessions

Second Life is an immersive 3-D virtual environment, inhabited by over a million users from all over the world. You can learn to use Second Life to meet with colleagues, to create 3-D models that would be too expensive or impossible to make in reality, to provide guest speakers for a real life group, to teach using role play or group problem solving, to make content in your subject area available to a worldwide audience. This is an emerging and transformative technology, much like the early days of the Internet, and is expected to change the way most people experience web content within the next five years.

In Second Life, you will find that eXtension has a virtual fairgrounds, a model county office, projects in development on assistive technology, turf grass, pest management, and more. In Teen Second Life, we have Bailey Island available for any 4-H educator to use for programming. Each month eXtension hosts several community events in Second Life. It is best to spend two or three hours orienting yourself to the Second Life environment before attending an event. You should know how to walk, sit, chat, use voice, and teleport.

Instructions for entering Second Life are here: http://collaborate.extension.org/wiki/Cooperative_Extension_Second_Life_ Educators

LuAnn Phillips, Second Life educator, is available to assist you, and can be reached at luann.phillips@extension.org or by instant message to Thynka Little in Second Life.

Please consider joining the Facebook group "Cooperative Extension Second Life".

November 2009's Professional Development Opportunities

Special Topic: The Liveability House: Exploring an Immersive Environment

November 19, 2009

Have you ever wondered what Second Life is all about and what the possibilities might be for its use in Cooperative Extension? This session will introduce one collaborative project currently underway: the LiveAbility House. The LiveAbility House is a virtual home designed to teach people about assistive technology and universal design features that enable a person to live at home despite physical or mental challenges caused by aging, illness, or disability. The developers will share their vision, discuss their reasons for using Second Life, highlight the home's capabilities, and provide a tour of this interactive learning experience. Presenters include Deb Sellers and Larry Havenstein-Kansas State, Sarah Kirby-North Carolina State, and LuAnn Phillips-eXtension.

This session will be broadcast and use your computers speakers for audio, not your phone. Audience interaction will include opportunities to use built-in chat capabilities. Plan to join the session 5 minutes before the starting time. The session will be held at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time (1:00p.m. CT, 12:00p.m. MT, 11:00 a.m. PT, 10:00a AT; 8:00a HT) (for All Extension)

30 Minute Session: Connecting with Online Communities: The Seaman Knapp Model of Engagement. Give us 30 minutes and we'll teach you something useful! These sessions will be held at our Web Conferencing Center at http://connect.extension.iastate.edu/learn and your telephone. Plan to join the session 5 minutes before the starting time. Each session will be held at 2:00 Eastern Time (1:00p CT, 12:00p MT, 11:00a PT, 10:00a AT; 8:00a HT) unless otherwise noted.

  • November 24 at 2:00 ET, a "30 Minute Session" on Connecting with Online Communities: The Seaman Knapp Model of Engagement. The Seaman Knapp model for online communities starts with the premise that your communities already exist and are engaging online. This session will focus on helping you to unearth existing networks in your areas of expertise, monitoring community conversations, and sensing emerging issues. A special focus will be placed on real-time search and

trending topics. The session will concentrate on the tools and techniques for living in the flow. (for all Extension)

Other Sessions

  • November 6 at 11:00 a.m. -12:00 noon ET, Search Engine Optimization. Presented by: Wright Frazier, Webmaster for Purdue’s Agriculture Communications Service. Search Engine Optimization. What does it mean? Why is it relevant? Who is my audience? Join us as the answers to these mystifying questions are unveiled. He'll discuss search engine optimization concepts, the importance of subjects and bylines, using keywords, originality of text, and tools for measuring success. He’ll also help you ask your Webmaster the right questions to better understand what is going on. (for all Extension) This Professional Development session is offered in partnership with the ACE Media Relations SIG.
  • November 9 at 2:00 pm - 3:00 p.m. ET, The New Ask an Expert "Follow-up" Feature, Demo with Discussion . Presented by: Aaron Hundley and Beth Raney. This session will be a one hour demonstration and discussion focusing on the new recently launched "Follow-up" feature in Ask an Expert. Everyone who has used the AaE system is encouraged to attend and learn how the follow-up feature works and the implications it has on experts who are actively working in the system. (for all Extension)
  • November 10 at 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. ET, Successes and Challenges of a Statewide Ask an Expert Widget Implementation. Presented by Rhonda Conlon, Kyleen Burgess and Adrian Gaskins. North Carolina Cooperative Extension is well into a statewide effort to implement the eXtenson Ask an Expert widget on all of their county web sites. This session will discuss the steps taken to obtain administrative support for the project, enable adoption by field faculty and staff, and provide on-going training, support and motivation for using the Ask an Expert widget. (for all Extension)
  • Thursday,November 12th, Second Life Roundtable 2:30-3:30 ET -- web conference, meet at http://connect.extension.iastate.edu/learn Getting started in SL, tips and resources. eXperienced users encouraged to become mentors!
  • November 18 at 3:00-4:00 p.m. ET, (2 p.m. CT; 1 p.m. MT; Noon PT; 11 a.m. AT; 10 a.m. HT), Intro To Pachyderm: Interactive Multimedia on the Web. Presented by: Jeff Hino, Lifelong Learning Leader, Oregon State University. This presentation will demonstrate Pachyderm-- an open source web-based, media-rich interactive flash presentation and authoring system. Pachyderm allows the construction of online nonlinear learning objects and modules that can incorporate video, audio, graphics and text in a template-driven user-friendly environment. (for all Extension) This Professional Development session is offered in partnership with the ACE Information Techology SIG.

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  1. Go to: https://people.extension.org/communities/learn
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How to Participate in eXtension Professional Development

  • No registration necessary.
  • Five (5) minutes before the announced time of a session, go to the learning space URI listed for the topic. Most of the Special Guest and "30 Minute" sessions will use web conferencing (Adobe Connect) technology. Go to http://connect.extension.iastate.edu/Learn
  • Enter as a Guest.
  • When prompted, enter your name followed by your institution. (ex: Beth Raney, Penn State)
  • Once you enter the learning space, you'll have the opportunity to have the system call your phone for the audio portion of the session.
  • We look forward to having you for joining us!

Recorded Professional Development Sessions

For a list of the Recordings for all sessions using Connect (formerly known as Breeze), go to Recordings of eXtension Professional Development Sessions.

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