Friday, October 30, 2009

Southern Region Newsletter

The October, 2009 issue of the Southern Region Newsletter is available at: http://nacaa.com/ecountyagent/SRnews_fall2009.pdf

In this issue:

  • NACAA AM/PIC in Portland, Oregon
  • From the Southern Region
  • Certification and Member Change
  • Website Needs
  • Early Career Development Committee
  • President Phil's Perspective
  • State Meeting Schedule
  • 2009 NACAA Communications Awards - Southern Region Winners
  • 2009 NACAA Southern Region DSA & AA Recipients
  • NACAA AM/PIC Dates
  • and more...

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Create a Winning Poster

The professional Excellence Committee held an Elluminate session Tuesday July 7th. The recording is at:
http://slms.delta.ncsu.edu/play_recording.html?recordingId=1245439433118_1246980100709

This training was provided for advanced presenters and was conducted by Betsy Greene, one of last years national winners Henry Dorough, and Gary Zoubek, Professional Excellence Committee National Chair.


Information was provided about developing posters, how to prepare them, the scoring guide we've developed along with a Question & Answer session. Betsy has also made a video "Beginning Poster Building" that highlights the basics of preparing posters using PowerPoint.

If you want to test to make sure you have the required software, go to: http://www.elluminate.com/support - or contact John Dorner.

Poster requirements can be found at: http://www.nacaa.com/awards/2009_forms/poster_requirements.pdf This plus the judging criteria are available from the awards page at: http://www.nacaa.com/awards/

If you want to see some of last years posters they can be viewed at:
http://www.nacaa.com/ampic/2008/posters.html

In Portland, poster will need to be setup on Sunday Sept. 20th between 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. We'll be judging them on the 21st!

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Early Career Development on Facebook!

The Early Career Development Committee has established a discussion group on Facebook. You are invited to join the "NACAA - Early Career Development Group".

Our goal is to use Facebook to facilitate discussion and interaction of NACAA members, particularly those with 5 years or less experience in Cooperative Extension, on relevant topics related to their careers, daily work, and programming. We also will post upcoming events such as the Annual Meeting/Professional Improvement Conference's educational sessions, business meetings, etc. All are invited to join regardless of career stage.

To see more details and confirm this group invitation, click on the following link: www.facebook.com/p.php?i=1035534726&k=R5ATPY64S44M5BD1QB64Y4SRSRG

If you are new to Facebook, you can register at http://www.facebook.com/ or click on the “Sign Up” button when you connect to the group’s page. It's free and anyone can join.

In addition, you can always check out our wiki on the NACAA web site http://nacaa.pbworks.com/Early+Career+Development+Committee for more information about our committee – regional and state contacts,the committee's goals and objectives, and educational materials and opportunities you can participate in.

NACAA Early Career Development Committee
Daniel Kluchinski, Chair
kluchinski@njaes.rutgers.edu

Friday, June 12, 2009

Audience Response Systems – What are they? How would I use it?

At the NACAA AM/PIC in Portland in September the Turning Point audience response systems will be used for everything from selection of door prize winners to evaluation of sessions thanks to a partnership between NACAA and Turning Technologies. While many of you are already using this technology in your program development, others are asking what it is and how you might use it to enhance your programs. We hope to provide answers for you through this and other releases as well as through the demonstrations at AM/PIC.


What is it and how does it work?

lg_response_cards_RF.jpgThe audience response system we will use will work with special software that you download onto your computer, a receiver and a responder card. When you check in at AM/PIC you will be assigned a responder card which you will use during the conference and then return prior to your departure. Computers with evaluations already loaded will be used in each of the sessions. You will simply use your responder card to answer the questions that will appear as part of a PowerPoint presentation. It’s as easy as using your television remote. Committee chairs will receive training during the committee luncheon on Sunday in preparation for their workshops.


How is it beneficial?

Audience response systems allow you to receive immediate feedback. They are frequently used in large classroom settings to conduct “attendance” quizzes. They can be used to gauge an audience’s understanding of the topic so you know whether the message is getting across or to provide other input during a presentation. You may use them as a simple ice-breaker to get the audience involved in a presentation and keep them involved throughout the presentation. At past AM/PICs you may recall the paper evaluation you completed at the end of each workshop. The committee chairs collected these and then tabulated the responses by hand and entered them into a spreadsheet. With this system, the tabulation will be complete and the responses will be stored in a spreadsheet before the last participant leaves the workshop allowing our committee chairs more time to spend addressing programmatic issues.


For more information, visit the Turning Technologies website at http://www.turningtechnologies.com/. In our next article we will share ideas from educators who have audience response systems on ways to incorporate it into your educational program.

Registration for NACAA AM/PIC now On-line

The May 2009 edition of The County Agent has been mailed and on-line registration is now available for the 2009 AM/PIC. The early registration deadline is July 15, 2009 – so don’t wait to get signed up for YOUR Professional Improvement Conference. If for some reason you have not received your magazine, please contact the NACAA office to have one mailed to you – or find the link on-line for the registration forms (or the entire magazine). These are available in PDF format: http://nacaa.com/ampic/2009/registration_forms.pdf or http://nacaa.com/countyagent/2009-05.pdf

Registration can be found at http://www.peopleware.net/index.cfm?siteCode=2095

Just a reminder…in order to participate in activities at the AM/PIC – EACH individual must be a PAID registrant. This would include participating in Tour Day and all other activities. The Professional Improvement Tours are being held on Thursday, September 24, 2009 (a change from previous years) – so make your lodging plans accordingly. All Professional Improvement Tours will have a $20 fee to help defray the transportation costs of travelling across the great Northwest. Don’t forget to add that expense to your registration form if registering by hard copy.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Outstanding Young Farmers of America - Awareness Effort

One of the primary responsibilities of the Agricultural Issues & Public Relations Committee is to carry out NACAA’s responsibilities with the Outstanding Young Farmers of America program. Foremost of these responsibilities is the solicitation of nominations. I am pleased to report this past year an outstanding 80% of the nominations came from our membership. Thank you to everyone who nominated one of your outstanding farmers.

In an effort to increase nominations, the Agricultural Issues & Public Relations Committee will be hosting a teleconference explaining the program, how it benefits farmers, how it benefits our membership, and the nomination process. The procedures for participating in this teleconference are:

1. Regional vice chairs will forward this correspondence along with a PDF of the PowerPoint presentation (attached to this e-mail) to the appropriate state leadership within each Extension Region.

2. Interested parties are encourage to print off the presentation (or have it available on screen) for viewing when calling in for one of the interactive teleconference.

3. The teleconferences will be held on the following dates: June 18th, 3:00 p.m. central time, and June 25th 10:00 a.m. central time.

a. The call in number is: 1-866-503-5760

b. The conference code is: 2177943700#

The Outstanding Young Farmer Program is sponsored by Deere & Company, supported by the Outstanding Farmers of America Fraternity, and the National Association of County Agriculture Agents. The program is administered by The United States Junior Chamber of Commerce.

I hope each of you will join in for the teleconference. If you have questions or need additional information please contact your respective regional vice chair.

North East - Glenn Rogers, VT 802-524-6501, extension 210

North Central - Dan Downing, MO 573-882-0085

Southern - Jerry Clemons, AR 870-246-2281

Western - Norman Suverly, WA 509-422-7245

Nominations are due each year to the U.S. Jaycees National Headquarters no later than August 1st, 2009. Please take a moment to visit the Jaycees web site (OYF - U.S. Jaycees) and submit a nomination on behalf of one of your outstanding young producers.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

May Issue of County Agent is Posted

The May 2009 issue of The County Agent magazine is posted and available at: http://www.nacaa.com/countyagent/2009-05.pdf

This issue has all the information and the registration for the 2009 AM/PIC in Portland, Oregon.

You can get this and previous issues by clicking on "The County Agent Magazine" on the left navigation bar on the NACAA website.

Thursday, April 30, 2009

March Issue of the County Agent Magazine is Posted

The March 2009 issue of The County Agent magazine is posted and available at: http://www.nacaa.com/countyagent/2009-03.pdf

You can get this an issues by clicking on "The County Agent Magazine" on the left navigation bar on the NACAA website.

Monday, March 9, 2009

Please update your contact information

Members (and Life Members) PLEASE take a few minutes to log into the NACAA Database and make sure all of your contact information is correct.

Updating your information is especially critical for members who are applying for awards, presentations, posters or submitting journal articles. All of these online application forms are pulling your contact information from the database. If it isn't there or isn't correct, your application may be incomplete.

If you don't know your login and password, click on the red text on the login page where it says:
Don't know your login or password?
Click here to have it emailed to you.

You will be prompted to enter the email address that is in the database for you. If you don't know which email address (or if there is no email address) is in the database, ask another member to look your information up or contact the person in your state responsible for maintaining the state's information (See: Administrative Access Privileges) or contact John Dorner, Electronic Communications Coordinator.

Once you have logged in, you can change both your login and your password to be something you like and can remember. From the "Member Database" page, click on "Change Your Login and/or Password".

If you have any comments or suggestions for improvement to the database or the website in general, please send them to John Dorner.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

NACAA Group on Facebook

If you have a Facebook account, join the "NACAA - National Association of County Agricultural Agents" group. This will make it easier for us to find each other, share pictures, links, and more.

Also, if you ever brought your kids to the AM/PICs, they might be interested in joining the "NACAA Sons & Daughters" common interest - travel group. Sam Ferree created this group. The description he wrote for the group says it all, "We see/saw each other for one week in the summer almost every year."

Facebook can be a great communications tool, but be warned... it can become habit-forming.

Friday, February 6, 2009

Three Webinar Opportunities for NACAA Members

Listed below, please note three different online learning and participation opportunities that may be of interest to you in your quest for professional improvement. Details and enrollment information follows the event descriptions.

Rick Gibson, NACAA President

THREE WEBINAR OPPORTUNITIES
1. Ethics in Today’s Extension World
Tuesday, February 10, 2009, 2 – 3 pm Eastern Time

2. ANREP and NACDEP Association meetings – South and East Region
Wednesday, February 11, 2009, 1:20 pm – 5:00 pm Eastern Time
  • Change Brings Opportunity: What’s Up at CSRESS and What It Means to Our University Partners
  • Estate Planning or Do I Need a Will?
  • ANREP – NACDEP Open Discussion

3. ANREP and NACDEP Association meetings – Central and West Region
Thursday, February 19, 2009, 1:20 – 5:00 pm Western Time
  • Change Brings Opportunity: What’s Up at CSRESS and What It Means to Our University Partners
  • Beyond Just Talking about the Weather: Climate Science Extension in Arizona
  • ANREP – NACDEP Open Discussion

Webinar details

Ethics in Today’s Extension World
February 10, 2009 , 2 – 3 PM Eastern Time
$25 Registration fee – Participants will receive the url and connection information via email.
Print the registration form found at: http://www.jcep.org/images/JCEP09Registration.pdf and fax it to 704-333-6927 or register online at: http://www.jcep.org/workshops.htm

Dr. Albert C. Pierce, Professor of Ethics and National Security at National Defense University
Dr Pierce has conducted highly regarded seminars on ethics for senior leaders as part of the National Defense University’s Capstone program for New Flag and General Officers. This presentation is a part of the Joint Council of Extension Professionals Regional meetings. The webcast may be cancelled if participation is not sufficient to cover costs.

ANREP and NACDEP Association meetings – South and East Region
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Times listed are Eastern Time zone
URL: _http://connect.extension.iastate.edu/jcep/
1:20 pm Log-on, Welcome and Introductions
1:30 pm Change Brings Opportunity: What’s Up at CSRESS and What It Means to Our University Partners
Eric R. Norland, Ph.D., CF National Program Leader, Forest Resource Management
USDA Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service

The 2008 Farm Bill requires CSREES to transition into the National Institute for Food and Agriculture. Hear an update on the progress toward the National Institute, new programs that will result, and expanded opportunities for the Cooperative Extension System to participate in new competitive grants programs. Additionally, the new science organization in USDA will be discussed as well as the Department’s new Research, Education and Extension Office.

2:15 pm Estate Planning or Do I Need a Will?
Robert A. Tufts, PhD., J.D. Attorney and Associate Professor, Auburn University
School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences

Many states offer extension programs that include estate planning. Robert A. Tufts is both a forester and attorney. Robert’s teaching and research includes the areas of estate planning for landowners, business entities and property law issues for landowners. Learn why you should have an estate plan and what three documents constitute the estate plan. Discuss with Robert
questions you have about teaching these classes in an extension setting.

3:45 pm Opportunities for Collaboration – An Open discussion
ANREP President Mike Reichenbach and NACDEP President Ed Jones

Discussion will focus on current and potential areas of collaboration between JCEP associations. One example is the JCEP sustainability initiative. This is your chance to interact with ANREP and NACDEP members.

ANREP and NACDEP Association meetings – Central and West Region
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Times listed are western time zone
URL: _http://connect.extension.iastate.edu/jcep/

1:20 pm Log-on, Welcome and Introductions
1:30 pm Change Brings Opportunity: What’s Up at CSRESS and What It Means to Our University Partners
Eric R. Norland, Ph.D., CF, National Program Leader, Forest Resource Management
USDA Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service

The 2008 Farm Bill requires CSREES to transition into the National Institute for Food and Agriculture. Hear an update on the progress toward the National Institute, new programs that will result, and expanded opportunities for the Cooperative Extension System to participate in new competitive grants programs. Additionally, the new science organization in USDA will be discussed as well as the Department’s new Research, Education and Extension Office.

2:15 pm Beyond Just Talking about the Weather: Climate Science Extension in Arizona
Michael A. Crimmins, Ph.D.
3:45 PM Opportunities for Collaboration – An Open discussion
ANREP President Mike Reichenbach and NACDEP President Ed Jones

Discussion will focus on current and potential areas of collaboration between JCEP associations. One example is the JCEP sustainability initiative.

This is your chance to interact with ANREP and NACDEP members.

Webinar instructions:
1. Test your computer for compatibility a day or so ahead of the meeting. Go to the url listed for the seminar you wish to attend. Click on the troubleshooting link to make sure that your computer has all that is needed to participate in an Adobe Connect meeting.

2. For the meeting, you will need speakers connected to your computer to hear the audio.

3. You will be able to send questions during the meeting via the chat function. Type your questions and comments and click on the button to send.

4. When entering the meeting, enter as a guest. Type you name as you would like others to see it. You may add your association abbreviation following your name. For example, Mike Reichenbach ANREP

Questions call Mike Reichenbach 218-726-6470
Mike Reichenbach
University of Minnesota Extension
Regional Office Cloquet
179 University Rd
Cloquet, MN 55720

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

County Agent Magazine Available Online

If you've misplaced your hard copy of the County Agent Magazine or want to look at back issues (starting with the December, 2008 issue) they are now available online. There is a link in the green navigation bar on the NACAA web site or directly at: http://www.nacaa.com/countyagent/