2018 NETC Conference Presentations

Presentations (and accompanying data) from the 2018 NETC Conference in Blacksburg, VA are now available for NETC members!

Hook, Line and Sinker: Understanding the Security Training Needs of Staff Through Phishing Simulations
Paul Treadwel, Cornell Cooperative Extension
Recently Cornell Cooperative Extension has been using a series of stimulated email phishes to expose vulnerabilities in staff behavior.  The results of these simulations are being used to develop staff trainings to address information security in a broader context.  This context includes a belief that secure behaviors online benefit the whole person – not just as an employee.  Results of our simulation and sample trainings will be shared during this session.

Developing Online Courses with eXtension Campus
Mark Sumner & Mike Goatley, Virginia Tech
This workshop highlights using eXtension Campus to develop and deliver an online self-paced course.  In response to the EPA’s 2010 Chesapeake Bay TMDL program the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) and the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (VDCR) were tasked to review, update, and improve Virginia’s urban nutrient management policies and programs.  Virginia’s regulations for the application of fertilizer to non-agriculture lands require certification for all licensees and contractor-applicators, state agencies, localities or other governmental entities engaged in the commercial application of fertilizers to non-agricultural lands.  In response to this requirement, in 2014 Virginia Cooperative Extension collaborated with VDACS and VDCR personnel in developing and offering a free on-line training and testing component that covers ten testable categories to become a Certified Fertilizer Applicator (CFA).  In addition to the certification program, VCE has also now recently developed on-line recertification training and testing programs that support the recertification requirements of CFA’s.  Course development topics discussed during the workshop include managing enrollment, creating self-paced modules, tips for recording video presentations, including quizzes with immediate feedback, and offering a certification of course completion.

Journey Towards an Evaluation-Based Reporting System
Aaron Schroeder, Allison Teeter & Joel Wallace, Kansas State University
In this presentation, we review the creation and rollout of a new statewide reporting system used to track and evaluate efforts of extension personnel in Kansas.  We will share successes, challenges, and lessons learned along the way.  Now, more than ever, it is critical that we highlight the impact of extension programs and activities with our stakeholders.  Tools like the Program Evaluation and Reporting System (PEARS) can help establish a culture of evaluation and data driven decision making.

Facebook Ads: How to Boost Your Posts for Maximum Reach, Without Blowing Your Budget
Treye Rice, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
Facebook ads are a low cost, hyper-targeted way of reaching audiences for Extension programs or events.  They are also a great way to raise funding for continuing education or other programs.  In the fall of 2017, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension used Facebook ads to raise over $42,000 in 12 days at a cost of $593.27.  After this session, you will be able to: boost high performing organic posts to get a lower price per engagement; know what kinds of ads are available and how they align with campaign goals; and set up lookalike audiences using the Facebook pixel.

Training for All!
Kristi Elmore, Iowa State University
Find out how we went from no training to mandatory training for all of our content editors across the state, without traveling!  We’ll go over in-detail how we made it happen (and without a lot of blow back), what guidelines we put in place and how we worked with our leadership team to incorporate it into Professional Development training.  We’ll also go over all of the pros and cons since it was released a year and a half ago!

A New York State of (IT) Mind
Cate Sirek & Gale McArdell, Cornell Cooperative Extension
Exchange ideas and hear about improvements that have been made in IT support and infrastructure at Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE).  About 6 years ago, each of the 54 county Associations was on its own for IT support.  Since the formation of Shared Business Networks, a dedicated team of IT Leads covers the 8 regions with responsibility to provide IT support, guidance, and overall leadership.  With a wide range of backgrounds, skills, and talents, the Leads work both within their own regions and as a team to solve issues, comply with campus edicts, and bring new technologies to county staff.

Program Planning to Improve IT Outcomes
Karen Vines, Virginia Tech
This presentation will use a model that emphasizes community involvement in program planning processes from needs assessment through program planning, implementation and evaluation of solutions.  The workshop will be interactive as participants work through a framework they can implement in their work.

Focus on Virtual Reality
Mark Sumner, Virginia Tech
This workshop will provide an opportunity for participants to discuss the application of AR, VR, and 360 degree media in Extension educational programs.  The workshop will include a demonstration of how to get started with shooting, editing, and posting 360 degree photos and videos for viewing with Google Cardboard.  Discussion will also cover options for creating interactive virtual tours.

Navigating the Challenges of Digital Accessibility in Extension and Outreach
Kristi Elmore, Iowa State University
Learn about digital accessibility with us and discover ways you can make it work for your organization!  We’ll share information about our taskforce, where we started almost 2 years ago, and what progress we’ve been able to make since then.  We will also cover how we made progress and what lessons we’ve learned.  The second half of the session will be a demonstration on video captioning, building accessible PDF’s with InDesign and remediating for accessible PDF’s in Acrobat Pro.

Working with What You Got – Hands-On Video Production
Jennifer Bearden, Jill Breslawski, Kendra Zamojski, Pamela Allen & John Wells, University of Florida/IFAS Okaloosa County
This will be a hands on workshop where the participants will learn how to use smart phones, iPads and other low cost equipment to make a short (1-3 minute) video.  Editing software will also be discussed.  Our goal is to have participants walk away with a short video they can use in their Extension program and have the skills to produce their own.

Cross Platform Mobile Web-App Development
John Hartley & Jack Thomas, Alabama Cooperative Extension
We are currently developing cross platform web-apps for mobile use utilizing a combination of Ionic, node, js, and Git, in tandem with common web technologies such as HTML, JavaScript, CSS, PHP and APIs, etc.  Ionic Framework is an open source SDK for hybrid mobile app development build on top of Angular js and Apache Cordova (PhoneGap).  The apps created using this process can be distributed through the native app stores.  In this presentation, we will provide an overview of our current process and show some of our completed work, and encourage group discussion with others developing mobile apps.

Motivate Your Mind with Healthy Habits in the Workplace
Molly Jameson, University of Florida/IFAS Extension
This session will provide practical tools for technology professionals and agents who spend the majority of their work day sitting at a sedentary work space.  Immobility and poor dietary habits can increase your risk of chronic diseases, obesity, back pain, and depression.  Fortunately, there are many easy and practical techniques technology professionals can implement while at work to help to prevent these ailments, including desk chair exercises, stretching, planning healthier meals and snacks, increasing water intake, and even using phone apps to help monitor their daily activity and food intake.  This session will provide tools and tips that can easily be incorporated into a normal sedentary work week to improve diet, mood, physical health, and even overall productivity.

BOF – Client, Desktop and Network Support, Tips, Tricks & Tools We Use to Get the Job Done
CALS IT Ag Help Desk, Virginia Tech
Facilitated round table discussion lead by Virginia Tech’s CALS IT Ag Help Desk focusing on client support, desktop support, network support, tips, tricks and tools we use to get the job done.

Glug Glug…A County Office Under Water…Twice!!!
Julie Gould & Katie Kruska, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
The Harris County Extension Office at Bear Creek has backed up to the Addicks Dam in Houston, TX for 30 years and until 2016, water had never entered the building….until the Tax Day Flood of 2016 (3 FEET of water in the building!) then Hurricane Harvey in 2017 (8 FEET of water in the building!).  This presentation will chronicle the technology steps taken to set up an entire office of folks at 2 different temporary locations, then re-set them up at the original Bear Creek location…only to have to re-set them up again at 2 different temporary locations after only 9 months!!!

A Virtual Homecoming – Youth Using Virtual Reality to Showcase Their Hometown
Mark Light, The Ohio State University
Virtual Reality is not simply an engagement tool or a gimmick, it allows a student to explore, to experience or to be involved in something, as if they are actually present in that environment or place.  It can also provide a window for youth to share more about the communities they live in with others across the globe.  Come see how 4-H members and clubs can virtually share 360-degree content with others who may not have access to farms and other rural communities.

Ready to Use Tools for Pest Reporting, Mapping, and Content Delivery
Joseph LaForest, University of Georgia
This session will introduce participants to some of the resources available through the Southern IPM Center’s Facilitation of Innovation Through Technology (FITT) program including EDDMapS for reporting and mapping of pests as well as Bugwood Images, Bugwood Presents, and the Bugwood API.

Are They the New Virtual Agent?
Amy Cole, University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service
In this presentation we will look at how Extension could utilize chatbot technology to answer basic client questions online or direct a client to the right resources.  We will explore a brief history of chatbots and dive into ways Extension could utilize them as Tier-1 support operatives to reduce the workload for agents and specialists or create a customer service queue.  Finally, we will offer chatbot development solutions and engage in a debate on the viability of chatbots as providers of “research-based” information and if they truly would have a permanent home within an Extension service’s digital arsenal.

Social Media: Best Practices for the Overworked (and Underpaid) Agent
Kimberly Butterfield & Kathleen Reed, Virginia Cooperative Extension
This session will provide agents with best practices for using free or low-cost platforms to foster community engagement around relevant Extension programs.  The session will be broken into two 45-minute portions, with the first focusing on using social media and online design platforms to communicate Extension programming to a public audience.  This session will also focus on improving electronic communications with existing Extension contacts, including community partners and volunteers.  The presentation will draw on case studies of recent interdisciplinary programming and provide agents and field staff with easy-to-use ideas for putting best practices into action in their own communities.

Look Ma No Frameworks – Direct Coding of PDFs for Extension Applications or How to Get rich Finished by Using Other People’s money Code
Robert Muldowney, SEBS/NJAES-Rutgers University
The programming framework landscape continues to expand with .NET Core, Node.js, and Ruby on Rails becoming typical tools employed, among other functions, to reduce the burden of creating formatted dynamic output.  however, for organizationals units where programming is just one of numerous information technology areas that are supported, frameworks may not be more efficient.  We present several directly coded PHP applications where we utilized FPDF to create customized results in PDF format.  The applications include a degree day calculator for the prediction of blueberry growing events, a search of plants based on pollinator attractiveness, creation of extension forms 1-c and annual survey using data collected using an on-line survey service, and RULIMS-ST a laboratory information management system designed for our soil testing laboratory.  We will present the basics on how to lay out text and insert images as well as advanced capabilities such as creating color coded graphs.