learning circles – Extension Foundation

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Building Skills in Innovation, A Learning Series for eXtension Members

The Impact Collaborative’s Innovation Skill-Building Experience Online Series
Jan 16th, Jan. 23rd, Jan. 30th, & Feb. 6th
1 PM – 2:30 PM EST
Registration Deadline: January 14th, 2020

Led by Molly Immendorf & Annie Jones

Do you have a project idea that needs incubation, innovation, and ways to get to implementation and impact faster? Are you looking to learn about design thinking and lean experimentation combined with Cooperative Extension’s best practices for solving important community issues? Are you interested in becoming an Innovation Facilitator/Coach for future Impact Collaborative events and to support your institution’s teams and teams across the nation? Are you already an Innovation Facilitator or a team member who would like a refresher on the Innovation Skill-Building process?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then join us to explore the Impact Collaborative’s Innovation Skill-Building Experience (ISBE) in a whole new way. The ISBE Learning Series will meet weekly via Zoom over four sessions covering specific ISBE level building blocks to spark ideas, increase innovation, and turbocharge implementation to help create local impact.

Individuals and/or project and program teams are welcome to participate.

Register Here

Molly Immendorf
Impact Collaborative Lead Design Manager
eXtension Foundation

Molly Immendorf leads the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of the Impact Collaborative process. This includes all aspects and events related to the Impact Collaborative including the Innovation Skill-Building Kit, the Impact Collaborative Summit, and Engage and Empower Online. Prior to joining eXtension Foundation in 2017, Molly was the Instructional Design and Technology Specialist for almost 19 years at University of Wisconsin – Extension, Cooperative Extension. Molly has a M.S. in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in Educational Communications and Technology from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and a B.S. in Design and Merchandising from Drexel University.

Annie Jones, PhD
Facilitator Manager
eXtension Foundation

Annie Jones is Facilitator Manager for eXtension and also holds an appointment as Professor, Organization Development and Tribal Nations Specialist at the University of Wisconsin Madison, Division of Extension. Annie has worked with Extension for twenty-one years serving in a variety of capacities including Associate Dean, Special Assistant to the Dean for Strategic Directions and as a county-based Community Development Educator. Annie earned her PhD in Human and Organizational Systems with a concentration in Transformative Learning for Social Justice from Fielding Graduate University. While there, she also earned a graduate certificate in Dialogue, Deliberation and Public Engagement.

Annie’s areas of research include indigenous methodologies like the use of the Native American medicine wheel and cultural teachings to enhance planning and evaluation. Annie specializes in participatory and community-based action research.

Who Can Attend?:

This learning series is for eXtension members only as part of Engage & Empower Online. A list of eXtension members can be found here.

What Do You Need To Attend?:

This learning series will be facilitated through Zoom video conferencing. The link to the Zoom room for each Learning Circle will be sent to you after registration or available in the Engage & Empower Online Platform.

Additionally, components of this learning series will occur in the Engage & Empower Online platform. An account will be created for you and login details will be provided.

January 6, 2020/by Aaron Weibe

eXtension Announces Four New Learning Circles for October & November 2019

News, Newsroom

Brought to You By the Impact Collaborative’s Engage & Empower Online

Generated by the eXtension Foundation, Engage & Empower Online is an online co-learning community connecting local and regional Impact Collaborative projects across the U.S. for collective impact. Through public and private cross-sector partnerships with the Cooperative Extension System’s (CES) eXtension Foundation, Engage & Empower Online is a new resource designed to collectively drive innovation and action forward toward real and meaningful impacts.

Who Can Attend?:

These Learning Circles are for eXtension members only as part of Engage & Empower Online. A list of eXtension members can be found here.

What Do You Need To Attend?:

These learning circles will be facilitated through Zoom video conferencing. The link to the Zoom room for each Learning Circle will be sent to you after registration or available in the Engage & Empower Online Platform.

Working Remotely
October 10th, 2019
2 PM – 3:30 PM EDT
REGISTER HERE

Join Mark Locklear for a discussion on remote work, its benefits, and good virtual etiquette. Other topics that will be discussed are:

The benefits of remote work
How to manage a Remote Workforce
Setting up your remote workspace
Good Virtual Etiquette
The Virtual Golden Rule

Mark Locklear is a Web Developer at eXtension Foundation since 2014 and primarily focuses on eXtensions legacy applications as well as supporting eXtension staff internal tools such as Zoom and GSuite. Mark is also an adjunct community college instructor where he teaches web development and programming. He is passionate about mentoring and teaching others.

Advanced Features of Zoom
October 11th, 2019
2 PM – 3:30 PM EDT
REGISTER HERE

In this session Mark Locklear will share his experiences using the advanced features of zoom. Topics discussed will be:

Meetings vs. Webinars and when to use which one
Increasing interaction with polls, chat and breakout rooms
Use of Registration and reporting tools for followup and evaluation

Creating Thriving Family Farms
Oct. 28th, Nov. 4th, Nov. 11th, Nov. 25th
2 PM – 3:30 PM EDT
Led by Bonnie Braun, Maria Pippidis, & Jesse M. Ketterman
REGISTER HERE

What does it take to create a thriving family farm? Many things. To become and sustain a thriving farm takes an integrated approach to building and supporting farms and farm families over time. Key factors include implementing best management practices for production and individual and family resilience to effectively respond to farm and family stressors.

For the past five years, bad weather, volatile markets, declining commodity prices, tariffs and regulations have contributed to financial and other pressures on farming enterprises and on the health and vitality of farmers and farm families. Those pressures are also felt by professionals who provide education and services for the farming population.

This Learning Circle will explore frameworks, assessment and teaching tools for professionals to use for managing their own stress and for working with their clientele. The Learning Circle will enable participants to explore an integrated approach to physical, mental, emotional and financial health and well-being of individuals, families and farms with the end goal of building farm enterprises that can face and address change, with accompanying stressors, effectively.

Objectives:

As a result of participating in this Learning Circle, participants will be able to explain:

Why an integrated framework is needed;
How to assess strengths and areas for improvement; and
What tools can be used to teach farmers and to inform decision and policy-makers.

Bonnie Braun, is Professor Emerita, University of Maryland School of Public Health and Extension. Her Extension career includes a post at the USDA. She holds a doctorate in adult education and rural sociology from the University of Missouri. Her expertise is in rural families and pubic policy.

Maria Pippidis works for the University of Delaware Cooperative Extension and provides education in Financial Management and Health Insurance Literacy. She has her Master’s Degree from Cornell University and a Bachelor’s from the University of Delaware. She is an AFC and FFC candidate.

Jesse M. Ketterman, Jr., PhD, CFC®, is a University of Maryland Extension Educator. He is part of the Farm Stress Management team. Jesse focuses on financial and health insurance literacy.

Heal, Repair, Recover: A Learning Community for Agents Leading Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace or Community
Nov. 4th, Nov. 11th, Nov. 18th
12 PM – 1 PM EDT
Led by Whitney Gherman & Johnnie Jackson
REGISTER HERE

Community organizers and educators leading or engaged in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work are generally highly committed but have odds stacked against them. The chance for social change can feel slim and the resistance we face can feel painful. Together we must take turns feeling what is happening to and around us, and letting our feelings guide us into solidarity action for systematic change in university and community settings.

eXtension invites you to participate in a Heal, Repair, Recover, a learning community that explores the gap between institutions’ symbolic commitments to diversity and the experience of those who embody or advance diversity in their communities. The series will be a brave space for conversations on interdependence, healing centered care, resiliency, and practices for emergent strategy. The learning community will place a special emphasis on racial diversity, equity, and inclusion in rural settings.

Whitney Gherman is an experienced intergroup dialogue facilitator, emergent strategist, pleasure activist, and a graduate of the University of Michigan. In her current appointment at Ohio State University Extension, she works in Marion County where her primary area of focus is community engagement, collective impact, coalition building, community accountable scholarship, and social equity. Grants have supported her work on bottom-up organizing and shared group leadership. In addition, she has received funding from the Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Grant Program (SNAP-Ed) to increase healthy food access through policies, systems, and environmental change.

Johnnie Jackson lives in Marion Ohio, the city of his birth. He is a Black male scholar doing scholarship and community engagements that centers critical race studies and the Black theories of social change. He is a PhD candidate in the Department of Educational Leadership at Miami University. He Bachelors and Masters degrees in Business from The University of Findlay. He has taught in American and Korean colleges of education. His scholarship can be read in The English Journal and Journal of Educational Studies.

October 2, 2019/by Aaron Weibe

Impact Collaborative Hosts Online Learning Circles for September 2019

News, Newsroom

eXtension’s Impact Collaborative is hosting three Learning Circles for eXtension members in September, 2019. For a full list of eXtension members, click here.

These Learning Circles are brought to our members through Engage & Empower Online. Generated by the eXtension Foundation, Engage & Empower Online is an online co-learning community connecting local and regional Impact Collaborative projects across the U.S. for collective impact. Through public and private cross-sector partnerships with the Cooperative Extension System’s (CES) eXtension Foundation, Engage & Empower Online is a new resource designed to collectively drive innovation and action forward toward real and meaningful impacts.

What Do You Need To Attend?

Some of these Learning Circles will be facilitated through Zoom conference. You will be able to access the Zoom room through your computer, through the Zoom mobile app, or by phone.

When you register for a Learning Circle, you will also be registered for eXtension’s Engage & Empower Online platform. The link to any Zoom conference room or Learning Circle materials are available in Engage & Empower Online, and all participants will have access to a group within the platform specifically for this Learning Circle for discussions and collaboration. After registering for the Learning Circle, you will receive instructions for accessing Engage & Empower Online within 24-48 hours.

If you already have access to Engage and Empower Online, simply login and navigate to Events & Learning Circles. Please register for the Learning Circle to ensure you are assigned to a group corresponding to the Learning Circle.

Learning Circles Available

Diversity & Inclusion in Youth STEAM Education

Starts: September 3rd, 2 PM EDT (Initial Zoom Meeting)
Duration: Three Weeks
Registration: Click here.
Registration Deadline: August 30th, 2019
Description: This is a 3 week, asynchronous learning group centered around youth STEAM education, diversity and inclusion issues. The group will start with a Zoom video conference meeting*, followed by weekly emails with links to relevant videos, articles and other resources. Participants are encouraged to reply and share what they learn with others in the group either by responding to the group emails or using eXtension’s Engage & Empower Online platform.

*NOTE: A part of the initial Zoom video conference meeting will not be recorded and available live only in order to encourage people to talk freely and candidly without worrying that their comments and discussion will be recorded. The facilitator will indicate when the video is being recorded and when it is stopped. Because of this, we highly recommend participants to join the live launch video conference to make sure they do not miss some of the important conversations.

Led by Victor Villegas, Oregon State University

Victor Villegas is the Technology & Media Support Coordinator for Oregon State University Extension Service. He is an avowed technology geek who loves teaching people how to use technology to better their work and improve their lives. He also does STEM/STEAM outreach and engagement with 4-H youth, K-12 students and educators and is known as an innovative educator who uses drones, music, humor and puppetry to reach under represented kids. Victor is fully bilingual and bicultural, with a passion for serving minority communities. As one of OSU Extension’s Diversity Champions, he works to promote diversity, equity and inclusion and helps to ensure Extension is providing accessible, culturally sensitive and audience appropriate communications and learning opportunities for all.

Teaching Adult Learners, Facilitating Effective Professional Learning Experiences

Starts: September 4th, 2 PM EDT (Initial Zoom Meeting)
Duration: Three Weeks
Registration: Click here
Registration Deadline: August 30th, 2019
Description: Explore a variety of ways that adult learning principles can inform and enhance professional learning experiences. Create a vision of adult learners today and develop ideas on how to engage adults in the learning process. Learn ways to enhance your skills as you teach adult learners through the use of different types of engagement strategies (e.g., brain breaks, grouping techniques, share and learn).

This Learning Circle will be asynchronous over the course of three weeks. An initial zoom meeting on September 4th will begin this Learning Circle. Following the meeting, participants will use the Engage & Empower Online platform and post discussions and comments in the assigned group.

Led by Teresa Byington, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension

Teresa Byington is a full professor/specialist in Early Childhood Education with the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension. She is actively involved in training, coaching and facilitating Communities of Practices for leaders, trainers, coaches and teachers. She enjoys presenting at local, state and national conferences. She is the author of the book, “Lose the Lecture: Engaging Approaches to Early Childhood Professional Learning.”

EthicalOS Toolkit Learning Circle

Date: September 12th, 1:30 PM – 3PM EDT
Registration: Click here
Registration Deadline: September 10th, 2019
Description: The eXtension Foundation has membership with the Institute for the Future: Future 50. Through Engage & Empower Online, we are able to provide exclusive access to publications and presentations from the Institute for the Future: Future 50 to eXtension members. This Learning Circle will be an opportunity to connect and discuss the Ethical OS ToolKit publication from the Institute for the Future.

As technologists, it’s only natural that we spend most of our time focusing on how our tech will change the world for the better. Which is great. Everyone loves a sunny disposition. But perhaps it’s more useful, in some ways, to consider the glass half empty. What if, in addition to fantasizing about how our tech will save the world, we spent some time dreading all the ways it might, possibly, perhaps, just maybe, screw everything up? No one can predict exactly what tomorrow will bring (though somewhere in the tech world, someone is no doubt working on it). So until we get that crystal ball app, the best we can hope to do is anticipate the long-term social impact and unexpected uses of the tech we create today.

The last thing you want is to get blindsided by a future YOU helped create. The Ethical OS is here to help you see more clearly. If the technology you’re building right now will some day be used in unexpected ways, how can you hope to be prepared? What new categories of risk should you pay special attention to now? And which design, team or business model choices can actively safeguard users, communities, society, and your company from future risk?

Led by Danielle Hautaniemi, Cornell Cooperative Extension

Ms. Hautaniemi holds an appointment as a field operations & governance specialist with Cornell Cooperative Extension, working with 14 county associations in upstate NY. She has worked in extension for over 18 years as an educator, team coordinator, county-level executive director and several times as an interim executive director. Her background is in land use planning, community economic vitality and community development, primarily in upstate NY although initially in Chicago. She holds a BA from Smith College in Architecture & Italian Language & Literature, a Masters in Regional Planning from Cornell University, and is a member in good standing of the American Institute of Certified Planners. Ms. Hautaniemi lives near Ithaca, NY with two mostly-lovely teenage children, three mostly-good dogs, a surly cat and a tag-along lizard.

August 27, 2019/by Aaron Weibe