1. T5: Ten Terrific Technology
Tips and Tools to Increase
Productivity and Engage
Learners
Dr. Barbara O’Neill, CFP®
Rutgers Cooperative Extension
oneill@aesop.rutgers.edu
2. Workshop Objectives
• Dovetail with Pre-Conference theme of
teaching technology tools and tips
• Discuss ten tech-related items that can
–Increase productivity
–Engage learners
• Group sharing: other tech tools and tips
3. 1. Dual Computer Monitors
• Allows for efficient multi-tasking
– Webinar and Word document
– Twitter stream and e-mail
– PowerPoint presentation and Web sites
• Requires minimal equipment and cost
– Spare monitor
– Desktop: Need a VGA Splitter
– Laptop: Nothing to buy…just connect monitor
cable to the slot for LCD projector; laptop screen
is the primary monitor
6. Set-Up Steps
• http://www.howcast.com/videos/354778-How-To-ConnectTwo-Monitors-To-One-Computer
• Right click on an open area on the desktop
• Left click on Personalize and Left click on Display Settings
• After left click on Display, select “Extend Desktop” command
• Click OKAY
– NOTE: For a second monitor on a laptop, press FN F8 (as you
would for an LCD projector) and click on “Extend Desktop”
7. 2. Virtual World Videos
• How many are familiar with Second Life?
• How many regularly use Second Life?
• How many are familiar with Xtranormal, Goanimate,
Plotagon, Creaza, etc.?
• How many have made animated videos?
8. Virtual Learning Platforms
Second Life
• Requires users to be
able to access and use
Second life
• Good for in-depth
content
• Requires payment for
land, clothes, etc.
(Linden dollars)
Xtranormal et al.
• Users access content
through online
searching or links sent
to them
• Good for short content
“sound bites” of 2-3
minutes
• Requires payment to
publish videos or go
beyond basic features
9. Animated Video Web Sites
• Xtranormal- SUSPENDED OPERATIONS
7/31/13- www.xtranormal.com
• Go Animate- http://goanimate.com
• Plotagon- https://plotagon.com
• Creaza- http://www.creazaeducation.com/
10. Five Uses for Animated Videos
• Teach concepts and promote the use of
educational materials (e.g., SSHW)
• Provide case studies for staff training
(e.g., NYPL)
• Student-created videos as class assignment
• Promote savings and America Saves
• Outreach to a specific target audience
service members)
(e.g.,
11. A. Teach Concepts and Promote
Educational Materials
• Rutgers Cooperative Extension Small Steps to Health and
Wealth™ program: http://njaes.rutgers.edu/sshw/
• “SSHW encourages people to make positive behavior
changes to simultaneously improve their health and
personal finances” (elevator statement)
• Second edition published in February 2013
See
http://palspublishing.cals.cornell.edu/nra_order.taf?_function=detai
l&pr_id=159&_UserReference=484E20A122FFE31150EEE5FC
13. B. Provide Case Studies for Staff
Training
• Used in training New York Public Library staff about
financial education resources
• Short videos (approx. 2-3 minutes) featuring a
library staffer and patron
• Ends with a question posed to the library staffer
• Segue to group discussion
15. C. Student Created Videos
• Personal Finance class (DAFRE elective undergraduate
class) Web site: http://rci.rutgers.edu/~boneill/
• Financial Case Study Analysis assignment:
http://rci.rutgers.edu/~boneill/assignments/casestudy.html
• Capstone Activity: integrates entire semester’s content:
topics, financial analysis tools, etc.
• Teams of 3-4 students; requires both a paper and a
presentation
16. Financial Case Study Presentation:
Make Me Say WOW!
• Straight PowerPoint Presentation (bare minimum)
• Poems
• Fairy Tale:
http://www.slideshare.net/BarbaraONeill/personalfinance-class-group-case-study-project-slides-1211
• Skits
• Xtranormal Videos
17. Xtranormal Video Case Study
Presentation
• Case Study Scenario:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJqE07zBvb8
• Financial Advice:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FV6KkXJT6w
18. D. Promote Saving and America Saves
America Saves Video #1: Saving Money with America Saves
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yChFVQvzOGc
America Saves Video #2: Saving Money on a Tight Budget
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FV0Ib07WXOM
America Saves Video #3: Set a Goal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bc8VmugNE4
America Saves Video #4: Make a Plan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KWyCQz91N8
America Saves Video #5: Save Automatically
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bhJ0ck2qSA
America Saves Video #6: The America Saves Challenge
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UZPZUcwvww
19. E. Outreach to a Target Audience
(Service Members)
• Saving Money With Military Saves:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0HqKb1xx5k
• Saving Money in the Thrift Savings Plan:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDY0Cc4kqZQ
• Debt-to-Income Ratios:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loV5ff8rt5o
• Credit Reports: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUXvc-jyrsk
Plus 6 other videos at
http://www.youtube.com/user/moneytalkBMO
20. Start Your Videos With a Plan!
• Video title and purpose
• Number and types of characters
• Key content concepts (2-3)
• Key marketing concepts (2-3)
• Title slide text content (e.g., organization Web link,
mission statement, meaningful quotation )
21. More Helpful Things to Know
• Publish video on YouTube and save as mp4 file
• Expect some “intonation issues” (like a GPS)
• Consider building a multi-video story line with the
same characters
23. eXtension Resources
• Ask an Expert/Trending Questions
• FAQs (No longer on CoP home page, but searchable by key words)
• Learning Lessons
• Home Study Courses (IFYF, LSYFF)
• Twitter Feed (@moneyeXtension)
• Archived webinars: See
http://www.extension.org/pages/67907/personal-finance-webinars (FSA
CoP webinars) and http://www.extension.org/pages/62581/militaryfamilies-learning-network-webinars (MFLN webinars)
24. 4. Twitter
How many of you….
• Use Twitter personally?
• Use Twitter professionally?
• Use another type of social media?
• Don’t do any of the above…but want to?
25. Why Use Social Media?
IF FACEBOOK WERE A COUNTRY, IT WOULD BE
THE THIRD LARGEST IN THE WORLD. THERE ARE
MORE FACEBOOK USERS THAN PEOPLE IN THE
UNITED STATES.
THE WORLD’S SECOND MOST POPULAR
SEARCH ENGINE (AFTER GOOGLE) IS
YOUTUBE.
MORE THAN 554 MILLION PEOPLE WERE
ACTIVE REGISTERED TWITTER USERS IN MAY
2013. 135,000 USERS SIGN UP EVERY DAY.
AN AVERAGE OF 158 MILLION TWEETS ARE
SENT DAILY
Source: http://www.statisticbrain.com/twitterstatistics/
26. My Twitter Story
• Began tweeting in July 2009 as part of eXtension CoP
project (peer support)
• Have sent > 8,000 tweets and have ≈ 750 followers
• Goal #1: Increase # of tweets by 1,000 and # of
followers by 100 every 4 months
• Goal #2: Devote 30 minutes/day most days to
professional development and outreach via Twitter
27. Develop a Twitter “Game Plan”
• Professional use only? Personal and professional use?
Two separate accounts: personal and professional?
• Links to other social media (e.g., FaceBook)
• Write a “Twitter Mission Statement” to guide your
tweeting activity
– Personal Example:
“To provide useful, research-based personal finance
information (and occasional non-controversial
personal anecdotes) to an increasing number of
followers.”
29. You Have 140 Characters…to
Teach or Promote Something
29
30. Make Sure You Complete a Profile
and Include Your Credentials
30
31. Things That You Can Tweet About
• Links to fact sheets/newsletters/press releases, etc.
• Links to news articles where you are quoted
• Links to interesting articles (read completely first!)
• Links to FaceBook pages
• Links to reputable information sources (e.g., WSJ)
• Links to blogs and YouTube videos and music
• Short succinct concepts (e.g., “pay yourself first”)
• Re-tweets from reputable sources
32. Engage With Your Twitter Followers
• Avoid pure “broadcasting”
• Ask questions (e.g., “Got tax questions?”)
• Show interest in others
• Incorporate current events and seasonal events
• Provide useful facts and links
• ReTweet useful information from others (benefit: you learn
interesting things during the process)
• Answer direct messages
• Periodically recognize your followers: #FFs, “shout-outs”
33. Other Twitter Tips
• Use a # to facilitate searches (e.g., #credit)
• Or a # and an _ (e.g., #credit_cards)
• Use a @ to flag another user (e.g., @RutgersNJAES or
@moneymattersNJ)
• Use a URL shortener to free up more characters (e.g.,
bit.ly) and to create links that can be tracked
• Use 120 characters (makes it easy for others to retweet
your messages)
• Follow/contribute to conference Twitter feeds (e.g.,
#ExtG4 at Galaxy IV conference)
33
34. What About Impact?
• Number of followers
• “Prestige” (position) of followers and their followers
• Hits on your Web site(s) linked to from your tweets
• Subsequent media coverage and inquiries from tweeted info
• Embedded online (e.g., Zoomerang, Qualtrics) survey
• Twitter “grade: based on key factors:
– Number and power of followers
– Number of updates and update recency
– Follower/following ratio
– Number of tweets that are retweeted
34
35. 5. YouTube Video Resource Guides
• Invest the time to view/curate personal finance videos
– Separate the creative/informative from boring/infomercials
– Good Video Example: How Does Insurance Work?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXfGeMNnBsM&feature=r
elated
• Develop lists of curated videos by topic (e.g., credit,
investing)
• Develop a YouTube Channel to house videos that you
create and/or make comments on (Example:
http://www.youtube.com/user/moneytalkBMO)
36. 6. Online Face-to-Face Class
Archives
• Invest the money to have major programs
professionally videotaped and edited
• Have PowerPoint slides inserted into videotaped content
• Place video links and handouts online
• Example #1: Hard Core Financial Education Boot
Camp: http://njaes.rutgers.edu/money/bootcamp/
• Example #2: Annie’s Project-NJ 2012:
http://vimeopro.com/cpemedia/anniesproject2012
37. 7. Templates
Save ANY file that is likely to be used again
• Bios (various lengths)
• Travel reimbursement Excel spreadsheets
• Photo release forms
• Honorarium request forms
• Invoice templates
• Program flyers
• Program receipts
• Press release letterhead
• Organizational descriptions/mission statements for grants
• Other?
38. 8. Google+ Hangouts
• See http://www.google.com/+/learnmore/hangouts/ (click
on “watch video”)
• Live video call with up to 10 participants (you + 9 more)
through your computer
• Use “Add a Google+ Hangout” on “Events” page in Google+
• “Hangouts On Air” automatically save to a YouTube channel
39. 9. PowerPoint Games
• An activity to review content
• A pre-test to determine existing knowledge
• A Web-based learning activity
• A free-standing presentation
• A recreational activity for youth
43. Two Ways to Create a
PowerPoint Game
• Follow Instructions for
– Action Buttons
– Inserting Textboxes
– Hyperlinking Slides
• Takes 4-5 Hours
• Use a Template
File on CD-ROM
• Takes 1 hour or
less
45. 10. Go to Webinar
• See http://www.gotomeeting.com/online/webinar
• 30 day free trial; monthly and annual plans based on
number of attendees (unlimited number of webinars)
– Example: $99/month and $948/year for up to 100
attendees
• Can save archived videos on Web site
46. So What Other Technology
Tips and Tools Can YOU
Share?
47. Small Group Discussion
Questions
• What other tips and tools can help
Extension educators increase productivity?
• What other tips and tools can help
Extension educators expand outreach?
• What other tips and tools can help
Extension educators engage learners?