Tagged With "Learning with laughter"
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eXtension Migrates Learn Platform to Connect Extension
Over the past few years, the eXtension Foundation has been migrating its custom technology platforms to commercial tools. This has resulted in providing Cooperative Extension professionals with better technology solutions that are consistent with industry standards and provides greater flexibility, usability, and marketability. To date, the Articles publishing platform (articles.extension.org) and its companion content-authoring platform Create (create.extension.org) where former eXtension...
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The Ins and Outs of the Learn Calendar on Connect Extension
I’ve received a number of GREAT questions about the Learn calendar here on Connect Extension. What is it? Who can use it? What’s the value in using it? I thought it would also be helpful to explain some of the things that are happening on the backend that many might not be aware of - and how you, as Cooperative Extension professionals, can take advantage of that with ease! First - who can use it? Anybody in Cooperative Extension can use it. You do not need to be a member of the eXtension...
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How To Find the Recordings for Past Events & Search the Learn Calendar Archive
Last week, I posted about the Ins & Outs of the Learn Calendar on Connect Extension, the different things that happen behind the scenes when you publish an event to it, and how eXtension helps to market those events for you. Another question I often receive is where can I access the recording of a recent event? The short answer : for eXtension-hosted events, we update the calendar items with the recordings. I typically remove the “Register Here” button and replace it with “Recording...
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Re: How To Find the Recordings for Past Events & Search the Learn Calendar Archive
This is so helpful. Thank you!
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Leadership: It's On You!
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Farm Biosecurity Education Goes Virtual with Discovery Learning Series
A new virtual learning experience is helping youth in agriculture discover biosecurity, the preventative measures that protect farm animals from the spread of infectious diseases. The Healthy Farms Healthy Agriculture (HFHA) Project’s Biosecurity Learning Module Series is for students in grades 6 to 12, FFA and 4-H participants, college students studying animal science, and other agriculturally related youth groups.
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Motivational Messages
Inspiration can come from anywhere at anytime. Words have power. Power to cause action. Action that causes change. Change that helps us transition to a preferred future state. This ripple effect takes place every day yet we know being the change begins with something between your ears. Have your words caused this chain reaction? Have others' words had a profound effect that caused you to act? While you ponder those questions, ponder the action that was inspired by these messages. "If your...
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3 Hard Things to Say
If you like sports at all you've likely seen or read something from this person. He's the simply smart & wildly witty Woody Paige ! A while back his chalkboard had this wisdom: Yep, you guessed it, we're going to unpack these a bit! I need help. When people don't feel safe enough to admit they need others to do their work, fear is dominating. When fear is present our brains are in flight/flight/freeze mode helping us make "survival" decisions. This works against us when collaborating is...
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Re: 3 Hard Things to Say
Worcestershire sauce is easier to say than "I need help" and "I am sorry". Being in a household which used the stuff, we always said "Wuss-ta-sheer" sauce. I think in the UK, they say "Wuss-ter" , named after the place in the England, or was that place in New England? I am So sorry! I forget from where the stuff originated. I do need help.
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Daily Habit!
Several years ago I started a habit of gifting myself a few minutes every day to read, watch or listen to something about leadership. It was rough at first as I fought off thoughts of how the time could be used for other things. It's been worth it though, I've learned so much. Here are just a few sources for a daily leadership content feed... The Marshall Goldsmith Coaching app gives you the ability to hear 3 weekly thoughts directly from the #1 Executive Coach in the world. Simple &...
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11 Free Courses Available for Disaster and Hazard Readiness
FREE online courses offer free continuing education credit, are self-paced and offer practical solutions to local problems regarding disaster and hazard readiness
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Navigating the Grocery Store Aisle and Creating a Food Marketing Game: An Extension Project Update
Navigating the grocery store aisle is challenging for many consumers—especially those who want to buy the most nutritious food. Food manufacturers and distributors cover their boxes, cans, and bottles of processed foods with labels like “organic,” “all natural,” and “no sugar added” to suggest that their food has certain health benefits. But these labels are intended to improve product sales, not necessarily help consumers make healthy food choices. And when food marketing labels seem to...
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Run the Experiment!
Remembering a venture into the Agile software development "pairing" concept. January 2018 After the holiday break, we found ourselves rested but in need of new focus. So naturally, we scheduled a meeting. The agenda was simple; bring your best ideas. After absorbing some of the wisdom inside Richard Sheridan’s " Joy, Inc." , my excitement had peaked for new possibilities. After all, the first quarter of each year is a great time to recapture momentum. Our small team procures, delivers &...
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New Extension Foundation Report Available: Technologies Impacting the Cooperative Extension System
The Extension Foundation , in partnership with a research team from Ohio State University, has released a new report on emerging technologies. The “Extension Foundation Report on Emerging Technologies Impacting the Cooperative Extension System” was supported by funding from the New Technologies for Agricultural Extension (NTAE) project. The report was developed by the research team in part through interviews with a panel of thirteen experts representing all five Extension regions, as well as...
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Unpeeled: The Case Files of Maya McCluen Game is Available for Extension Programs
Navigating the grocery store aisle is challenging for many consumers—especially those who want to buy the most nutritious food and stay within their budget. The University of Connecticut (UConn) Extension New Technologies in Agricultural Extension (NTAE) team developed an interactive learning activity (or game), Unpeeled: The Case Studies of Maya McCluen . Our team sought to clarify food marketing labels and empower consumers to make science-based decisions while shopping. We hosted a...
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Resolutions!
At this time our thoughts are often thrust into pondering meaningful ways to focus the upcoming year. We are bombarded with things others feel we should “value” but these decisions should be personal. A couple of years ago I shared my New Year’s resolutions with my wife & she in turn shared hers. At the top of her list was having more patience but the one that sticks in my mind is this… “I will love myself…..after I lose 5 pounds!” 🤣 Too funny, but telling at the same time. We often...
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Professional & Amateur gap
Developing our leadership is a lifelong pursuit. It takes constant learning about ourselves and awareness of the influence we have. If you're like me, you enjoy reading, watching, listening to something on leadership most days. It's a good habit for continued growth as we get diverse perspectives from everything we digest. One of the things we can do to help integrate new learnings into our lives is to take notes on what is important to us from these books, videos, articles and podcasts we...
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Leadership Priorities
"The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly." -Jim Rohn Strong Not Rude “Confidence is contagious. So is lack of confidence.” -Vince Lombardi Our strength is shown in relationships with others. Leadership is about effective relationships. It's about honoring people over process to unlock everyone's strengths! Kind Not...
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What I learned from a 5-day challenge...
These days it seems everyone is doing some kind of "challenge". Truthfully, these make me pretty skeptical and after they try to sell something to you for the first 20-minutes I'm out. This time I stuck with it! Just finished reading " Soundtracks " by Jon Acuff and was curious to learn more about his work. BAM! His Overcoming Overthinking Challenge appeared on his feed and I signed up. Here are the nuggets from each session... Opening The 2 most powerful word in the English language are "me...
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Re: What I learned from a 5-day challenge...
The most important day topic for me was day one - empathy; particularly for myself. I can be very self-critical, which I know is not useful. Self empathy seems a necessary step for me!
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Re: What I learned from a 5-day challenge...
Thanks, Karl! What you gleaned are important lessons for us all. Makes me curious, now, to read the book!
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2 Resources!
Awareness is the first step leading to personal growth. The folks at Crucial Learning have provided some great free resources to help you do just that. Influence is leadership. Discover the methods you use to lead and help others through change with the Influencer assessment! It would be hard to believe anyone left an organization because they received too much communication. Our words are a powerful force for good when used in the direction of truth and love. For every crucial conversation...
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Youth Livestock & Poultry Biosecurity Learning Modules Updated
Updates to a youth biosecurity learning modules series were released in 2022, and incorporate improvements to interactive elements and accessibility. The modules are appropriate for students in grades 6 to 12, FFA and 4-H participants, college students studying animal science, and other agriculturally related youth groups.
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Micro Learning and Disney Princesses
Find out how to get big engagement with micro learning.
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Re: New Year Resolutions?
🙂 What a good and encouraging read. Words of wisdom that can genuinely impact when implemented. Thanks for sharing!
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Leadership Lunch & Learn - Book Review Series
The SR-PLN PSD Committee is teaming up with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture to host a monthly Leadership Lunch and Learn webinar in 2023. The Leadership Lunch and Learn Book Review Series , features leadership experts from across the southern region. All webinars will be hosted on the last Wednesday of every month at 1:15 – 2:00 PM (EST) / 12:15 PM – 1:00 PM (CST). Webinars will be hosted and recorded using Zoom webinar, and recording links will be shared.
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"Engaged Program Planning for Impact Collaborative Teams" Publication Available on Flipping Books
Engaged Program Planning for Extension Foundation Impact Collaborative Teams has been issued as a flipping book. First published in October 2018, the publication details how to use the Impact Collaborative methodology and roadmap to help Cooperative Extension professionals design innovative and engaging projects, programs, and initiatives. It also provides context and guidance on community engagement and team building using Impact Collaborative practices. The publication was authored by...
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"Join Us on the Path": New publication details online engagement hub project
The Extension Foundation has added a new title to its library. Join Us on the Path: The Engagement Hub was w ritten by Catherine Leach and Pam Doherty of the University of New Hampshire (UNH). The case study details their teams' efforts to develop The Engagement Hub, an innovative, personalized online hub for students, educators, alumni, and community members. The hub aims to create a community of lifelong learners and equip the workforce with knowledge and skills to gain a competitive...
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2 thoughts...
When you feel the surge, resist the urge. There are times in our lives when we feel threatened. Some are real. Some aren't. Our bodies process these situations exactly the same. When threats aren't real often we let our fight/flight response take over. In these moments we react as if in real danger. The actual danger here is not having the self-awareness to realize the "threat" is perceived and be able to calm ourselves down. If we succumb to the survival hormones flooding our bodies we...
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Re: 2 thoughts...
Thank you for these thoughts. They are two that are very important to remember.
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Run from it OR Learn from it
We can't change the past. What happened to us and who we used to be cannot be altered. When we run from it and wish things turned out differently we keep ourselves trapped in the past. It all happened. It will not ever have not happened. Some things happened to us while others happened because of us. Fill those two buckets and accept them. Learn from them. Grow into a better person from them. Your mindset is the key. Are you getting through or getting better? Each day has micro opportunities...
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Breaking the Cycle of Domestic Violence in Your Community: Using the Heart & Hope Program to Build Resilient Families
Domestic violence is a widespread issue that affects families in all communities. Addressing this problem requires a collaborative effort from both communities and institutions. In a recent Program Centerstage webinar , the spotlight was on the University of Nevada's Heart & Hope program, which aims to create resilient families and break the cycle of domestic violence in local communities. Hosted by program leaders, Julie Woodbury and Jill Baker-Tingey Jill and Julie from the University...
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"Hot" for Change!
Imagine you're making popcorn on the stove. You heat the oil and put in the kernels. Too little heat and the kernels don't pop. Too much heat and the popcorn isn't edible because it's burned. Just the right amount of heat makes a yummy treat! Heat is the catalyst for change. It's the same for our teams and organizations. You're in the regular weekly update meeting and the boss checks in on how everyone is doing with the newly installed system-wide software. One team member speaks up and says...
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New Publication Available: Teaching Youth Food Safety - A Game-Based Approach
The Extension Foundation (EXF) has issued Teaching Youth Food Safety: A Game-Based Experience , a publication written by a team from the New Mexico State University Learning Games Lab. The publication details how the team is addressing food safety through game-based learning. Their ideas ties into research that indicates youth prefer to learn about food safety topics through interactive educational tools. The publication details how the team developed “Theme Park Cafe”, a food safety game...
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New Year Resolutions?
Every year is an adventure we take one step at a time over 365 days. The adventure is up to us, we get to choose. Each January, these choices lead us to resolutions. The thought of these resolutions leads me to recommit to my version of Merlin Olsen's mission statement. Without boring you with mine, here's what he says… “The focus of my life begins at home with family, loved ones & friends. I want to use my resources to create a secure environment that fosters love, learning, laughter...
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Are you ready?
Are you ready for a new experience at work in 2024? (If you continue reading the answer is "yes"!) Are you ready to dive into "why" you do some of the things you do? Are you ready to make a list of things to stop doing and start doing? The folks at " The Ready " have some great suggestions to help bring more clarity to your intentions! While we probably can't change some of the things where we work we can make it feel better to work together. Here are some ideas to get you thinking...
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Unlock the Power of Game-Based Learning with New Mexico State Learning Games Lab - Register Now for Our Exclusive Webinar
Research highlights the efficacy of game-based learning in educating youth. A team at New Mexico State University’s Learning Games Lab is applying that research, using their expertise in game-based learning to make food safety education exciting for the next generation of food handlers and enthusiasts. Youth prepare food for themselves and their families and may have careers in the food industry. It’s important that they learn about safe food handling, cooking, storage, and when food is...
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Food Safety Education for Youth: Theme Park Kitchen Game is now Available!
The Learning Games Lab team at New Mexico State University recently hosted a webinar with the Extension Foundation to introduce their latest educational technology innovation: " Theme Park Kitchen ," a food safety game for youth. Using their expertise in game-based learning and engaging young learners, the team has turned food safety education into an exciting game for the upcoming generation of food handlers. "Theme Park Kitchen" is an online game aimed at both entertaining and educating...
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Top 5!
Peter Drucker says regardless of our inherent personality traits, gifts, or talents; we can all become effective leaders. After all, it's this journey that's essential for the success of our communities, organizations, and teams Here's a "handful" of reminders! 1. Leadership is Relational Early in my coaching career, an experienced colleague on our staff told me not to get too close to the players. What became apparent quickly was that this wasn't my style. If you aren't willing to give all...