Galaxy Conference Poster

1. 2013 NEAFCS Educator of the Year Award Recipient and
T4: Ten Terrific Technology Tools to Increase Productivity
and Expand Progam Outreach
Barbara O’Neill, Ph.D., CFP®
Extension Specialist in Financial Resource Management
Rutgers Cooperative Extension, New Brunswick, NJ
NEAFCS Educator of the Year Award Career Highlights
 35-year Rutgers Cooperative Extension career as FCS Educator
in Sussex County, NJ (1978-2004) and Extension Specialist in
Financial Resource Management (2004-2013).
 Leader of national Cooperative Extension programs MONEY
2000™, Investing For Your Future, Money Talk: A Financial
Program For Women, and Small Steps to Health and Wealth™.
 Member of eXtension Financial Security for All (FSA) Community
of Practice (CoP) Leadership Team and Military Families Learning
Network. Oversaw publication of almost 2,000 FAQs to date.
 Author of over 1,800 newspaper columns and feature articles,
including case studies of family finances. Also an active user of
Twitter for financial education: https://twitter.com/moneytalk1.
 Developed five online self-assessment tools to provide feedback
to users about their finances and collect data for research about
financial practices: http://njaes.rutgers.edu/money/#resources.
 Author or co-author of eight books, 98 refereed journal articles, 25
conference papers, and 118 conference abstracts. Recipient of
over $860.000 in grant funding and presenter at 258 national/
regional conference workshops and 42 poster sessions.
 Promoted to the rank of Distinguished Professor at Rutgers
University and recipient of over three dozen national awards..
 Serve on the editorial boards of five professional journals and
served as national Secretary of NEAFCS and national President
of AFCPE. Earned and maintain eight professional designations
including Certified Financial Planner® (CFP®).
 Teach an undergraduate Personal Finance course for juniors and
seniors at Rutgers University: http://rci.rutgers.edu/~boneill/.
T4: Ten Terrific Technology Tools
This poster describes ten technology tools that can significantly increase
Extension educators’ productivity and enhance their program outreach.
Dual Computer Monitors- An entire day of work a year can be saved by
using two computer monitors: one to access the Internet and the other
for e-mail and preparing documents (e.g., Word, PowerPoint). Two
monitors eliminate the need to repeatedly minimize files and enables
efficient multi-tasking (e.g., checking e-mail while listening to a webinar).
Virtual World Videos- There are several Web sites where users can
create short videos involving one or two avatar-like characters. Content
developers select characters, voices, gestures, settings, sounds, and
camera angles and type the text that characters say. A Web site called
Xtranormal recently ceased operating but there are others like
http://goanimate.com and http://www.creazaeducation.com/. For sample
videos, see http://www.youtube.com/user/moneytalkBMO.
eXtension- eXtension features such as frequently asked questions
(FAQs), Ask an Expert (AaE), learning lessons, and archived webinars
are a source of both professional development for Extension educators
and educational resources for content users.
Twitter- Twitter can be used as both a professional development and a
program outreach tool. With just 15-20 minutes of use per day, it is
possible to reach hundreds, even thousands, of people, receive real-time
subject matter and research updates, and use metrics, such as Klout,
bit.ly link clicks, and hashtags, to evaluate impact and effectiveness.
YouTube Video Resource Guides- Extension clientele appreciate
resource links that are easy to find, use, and understand. Extension
educators add value by reviewing educational videos and compiling a
curated resource list of quality content. These links can also be inserted
into PowerPoint presentations and social media messages.
Dr. Barbara O’Neill
2013 NEAFCS Educator of the Year
http://rci.rutgers.edu/~boneill/VITA-06-13.pdf
Online Class Archives- The audience for face-to-
face Extension educational programs can be
expanded worldwide by videotaping speaker
presentations, interviewing program participants, and
creating Web sites that house the videos and program
materials. Examples of this can be found at
http://njaes.rutgers.edu/money/bootcamp/ and
http://vimeopro.com/cpemedia/anniesproject2012.
Templates- Any document likely be needed again
should be saved as a template file and updated as
needed. Examples include bios (various lengths),
travel reimbursement Excel spreadsheets, photo
release forms, “boilerplate” letters, and organizational
descriptions and mission statements for grants.
Google + Hangouts- Google+ Hangouts enable up to
nine people to video chat together face to face. They
are an excellent venue for small classes, committee
meetings, long-distance search committee interviews,
and other times when people in distant locations need
to come together. Hangouts are free to use and more
personal than conference calls due to the video link.
PowerPoint Games- PowerPoint games based on
the format of the Who Wants to be a Millionaire? and
Jeopardy! television game shows can create learner
interest. Games can be created by Extension
educators or by their students as a learning activity.
GotoWebinar Presentations- For Extension
educators who lack access to Adobe Connect or
Elluminate through their academic institution,
GotoWebinar provides an affordable alternative with
attractive features such as online registration,
automated “reminder” e-mails for registered
participants and presenters, and “participation tools”
such as hand-raising and polling questions.