Posts Tagged: video

Interested in exchanging video ideas?

ANR offers online training on how to make videos. To further hone video-production techniques, Jeff Mitchell, UCCE specialist, is wondering if ANR colleagues would be interested in an informal way to exchange ideas.  

“I am talking about an active, quick-fire workgroup of similarly interested folks who could share tips and skills,” Mitchell said. While he doesn't have a specific communications mechanism in mind, Mitchell would like to hear from others who would like to share techniques about video production. If you're interested, please contact Mitchell at jpmitchell@ucdavis.edu. 

In the Frontiers in Communication article “Why Should Scientists be on YouTube? It's all About Bamboo, Oil and Ice Cream,” USDA-ARS scientist Eric Brennan writes, “DIY videos are not a silver bullet that will automatically improve science communication, but they can help scientists to 1) reflect on and improve their communications skills, 2) tell stories about their research with interesting visuals that augment their peer-reviewed papers, 3) efficiently connect with and inspire broad audiences including future scientists, 4) increase scientific literacy, and 5) reduce misinformation.” 

Brennan and Douglas Gayeton, creative leader of The Lexicon of Sustainability, recently joined Mitchell to give a presentation to ANR communicators on the use of video in science communication. Brennan, a research horticulturist in organic systems, noted that while his peer-reviewed journal articles may get a couple dozen citations, videos about his research get as many as 200,000 views. To view a recording of the presentations, visit https://youtu.be/FXxvbHV7Ois.

Strategic Initiative Brief: Virtual consultations, food system resiliency, growing reach

Unify-Communicate-Advocate

June - sharing skills 

Want to try a virtual consultation? 

Save time, get the job done and keep safe by consulting virtually. Here are some notes from Dan Macon on virtual consultations. Please send any related tips or other suggestions to Mark Bell. 

Food System Resiliency Webinar Series begins July 14

Join the Sustainable Food Systems and Healthy Families and Communities Strategic Initiative leaders for the Food Systems Resiliency Webinar Series taking place on the second and fourth Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., beginning July 14. 

Webinar presentations will provide up-to-date information and identify resources available for UC ANR and community partners. Ample time will be used for questions and answers, identification of information gaps and connecting people with like interests. 

Food system resiliency will be viewed through food safety, California food systems partnerships and resources and Victory Gardens Then and Now to name a few.  Other perspectives include input from growers, ranchers, shippers, marketing, consumers, farmers markets, CSAs, families and youth.  If you are interested in submitting a panel proposal, link to https://ucanr.edu/survey/survey.cfm?surveynumber=30391.

July 14, 10 a.m. – Food safety and COVID-19 presented by Erin DiCaprio and Alda Pires

This webinar introduces food safety concerns that have arisen during COVID-10 pandemic. Useful videos, websites and access to print materials will be shared. Additional information on consumer food and garden safety will be shared that have broad application beyond the current pandemic.

Register at http://ucanr.edu/survey/survey.cfm?surveynumber=30589.

July 28, 10 a.m. – California Food systems: Partnerships and Resources.  

Please join moderator Kamal Khaira, UC CalFresh director, as we learn more about programs, resources and services that can support children and families during this unprecedented time. The main topics will cover ways to secure benefits and access nutritious foods. Speakers include: 

• Brian Kaiser, California Department of Social Services bureau chief for CalFresh and Nutrition Program Family Engagement and Empowerment Division
• Andy Naja-Riese, CEO Agricultural Institute of Marin
• Leyla Marandi, program manager for California Food for California Kids Center for Ecoliteracy

Register at http://ucanr.edu/survey/survey.cfm?surveynumber=30590.

More information will be posted at https://ucanr.edu/sites/Professional_Development/Monthly_WebANRs.

Growing reach - "Owning YouTube"

Thank you to the more than 180 individuals who participated in the recent four-part video training series. If you missed the training, it is available online. More than 40 UC ANR staff and academics, who participated in the training, accessed funding provided to purchase equipment and software. 

The pipeline for submitting your how-to video productions and having them posted on ANR's main YouTube channels (UCANR and UCANRSpanish) is open for business. Be on the lookout for an ANR how-to video contest in the coming year.

Let us know what skills or tips you found useful and what more you'd like to learn. 

For more on the SIs and their activities, contact:

Jim Farrar (EIPD)

David Lewis (Water)

David Lile (SNE)

Deanne Meyer (SFS)

Lynn Schmitt-McQuitty (HFC)

Mark Bell (Strategic Initiatives and Statewide Programs)

 

 

Strategic Initiative Brief: video clinics, Knowledge Stream & thematic websites

Our digital journey: progress on video clinics, the Knowledge Stream blog and thematic websites.

Video clinics moving ahead - interested? 

Stay tuned for two Strategic Initiative-sponsored "how to" video clinics in April - one in the north and one in the south. We expect to train around 20 participants per clinic. 

What next? 5 steps to increased impact:

Step 1: an email to all from the SI leaders inviting indications of interest to participate 

Step 2: a pre-clinic webinar to learn the basics of storyboarding, branding, titling and describing videos, and more (applicable to all) 

Step 3: two days of hands-on experience, working with others on how to produce 1-5 minute branded “how-to” videos

Step 4: development of an online course and other resources to support on-going video production 

Step 5: people share with colleagues, using what they learn and upload. Best practices for uploading to the UC ANR YouTube channel (Strategic Communications will begin some serious curating and reorganization of our YouTube channel to facilitate discoverability of content). 

Currently available resources (please share if you have other good resources):

Strat Comm communications toolkit. 

For more information about the video clinics, Contact David Lile and David Lewis

Trivia Question: What is our top-viewed video with more than 1.5 million views? 

(Answer: Bed Bugs in Spanish)

Knowledge Stream blog and thematic websites

Join the movement: contribute!

The Knowledge Stream helps people find practical, "how-to" information. Submit a short story (200-800 words with picture and URL links) here. Stories will appear in the Knowledge Stream Blog and in the main web site Focus Areas. Stories may also appear on the home page tiles and in social media posts.

Focused, thematic websites like the UC IPM site are effective in delivering research-based, how-to information. Two other thematic sites are being further developed: Fire and Healthy Soils. Feedback and suggestions welcome. Please also share your suggestions for other potential thematic sites with the SI leaders. 

For more:

Fire: Max Moritz or Ricky Satomi

Soils: Mark Bell

SI leadership team: 

• Jim Farrar (EIPD)
• David Lewis (Water)
• David Lile (SNE)
• Deanne Meyer (SFS)
• Lynn Schmitt-McQuitty (HFC)
• Mark Bell (Strategic Initiatives and Statewide Programs)

ANR launches third annual Giving Tuesday Nov. 28

On Nov. 28, ANR will again participate in #GivingTuesday, a global day of giving, powered by our social networks. Celebrated on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, #GivingTuesday kicks off the charitable season. For ANR, Giving Tuesday is an opportunity to raise funds for UC Cooperative Extension county programs, research and extension centers and statewide programs. As a result of the ongoing effects of the drought, recent wildfires and persistent pockets of poverty, California's needs in the coming year will be great, and year-end giving is an opportunity for donors to assist.

“UC Cooperative Extension professionals have a deep passion for their work and a dedication to the communities they serve. While most deliver their research and programs quietly every day, it is especially incredible to witness their response to disaster; for example, recent wildfires saw local UCCE offices responding immediately with vital information for coping with the fires, care for livestock and pets, as well as service in food banks and other volunteer needs,” said VP Glenda Humiston.

UC Cooperative Extension staff and 4-H members helped rescue livestock in Sonoma County as people evacuated. The UC Master Gardener Program connected volunteers throughout the state who wanted to provide relief to the 17 UC Master Gardener volunteers who lost their homes in Solano County.

“UC Master Gardener volunteers are true to their generous nature and have offered tremendous support to fellow volunteers who have lost homes in the fires. With compassionate hearts, they have offered lodging, supplies and words of support,” said Missy Gable, UC Master Gardener Program director. “In the future, we will look to replant what was lost and find healing in the care and establishment of new landscapes and wild spaces.”

“Giving Tuesday gives us an opportunity to talk about our research and outreach to enhance food systems and create thriving communities, as well as all the other positive things everyone in ANR is doing to make life better for Californians,” Humiston said.

For UC ANR stakeholders, Giving Tuesday presents an opportunity to support the many programs and services that strengthen California communities each day and more importantly, during times of crisis. Last year, over $64,000 was raised on Giving Tuesday to support UC ANR programs including the 4-H Youth Development Program and UC Master Gardener Program.

“Last year, the 4-H Foundation recorded a 430 percent increase in donations over the previous fiscal year, raising over $30,000 in one day from 37 counties!” said Mary Ciricillo, director of annual giving for UC ANR. This was due in large part to a match challenge from an anonymous donor.

“This year, I'm excited to share that we will have two match challenge funds. One supporting the California 4-H Foundation and one for all UC ANR.” said Ciricillo.

A website is being created with links to all of ANR's programs, Research and Extension Centers and UCCE offices: ucanr.edu/givingtuesday. It invites donors to designate programs or locations to which they wish to donate.

As of Nov. 1, the website will contain a toolkit for county offices and programs to participate. It will include:

• A customizable letter to send to stakeholders
• Templates for “unselfies.” Donors may take photos of themselves holding an unselfie sign and share on social media how they are giving.
• Sample tweets and social media posts
• Sample thank you note

The UC Master Gardener Giving Tuesday website is at http://mg.ucanr.edu/givingtuesday.  

The 4-H Youth Development Program also has its own website at http://4h.ucanr.edu/GivingTuesday. Last year, 4-H programs in 17 California counties participated. 

Although not as well-known as the shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday, #GivingTuesday appeals to people who are swept up in the spirit of giving at the end of the year. 

This year Development Services has set a goal of collecting a total of $60,000 for 4-H and UC ANR from 300 or more donors on Giving Tuesday. Last year UC ANR and 4-H received 224 gifts.

“The #GivingTuesday campaign is a fun way for people in all ANR programs to supplement their funding with private donations,” said Andrea Ambrose, acting director, UC ANR Development Services. 

 

Grateful for the feedback on condition changes

Thanks so much to all of the Program Team Leaders and members, the Statewide Program Directors and the Strategic Initiative Leaders for the hard work they completed to review and improve upon our divisionwide condition changes. The timeline was short; it's never long enough, the timing was poor; end of summer is not a good time to pull people together, and the work was a challenge; something new for UC ANR to do this at a division level, but they did a tremendous job and really stuck it out despite the challenges!

These groups have submitted their ideas for condition changes to be coded into Project Board. Katherine Webb-Martinez, Mark Bell and I have reviewed the recommendations and compared the proposed variations for the original 19 that were proposed by multiple groups as well as new condition changes that were recommended. The recommended changes were not drastically different from the original, but changes were proposed and adopted with the final list is now a bit longer, but still manageable. The next step is for a group of 12 self-identified Program Team Leaders, SI Leaders, Statewide Program and Institute Directors to work together and, using this new list plus the 2025 Strategic Vision, revise the Public Values Statements drafted back in May. I so appreciate those that have stepped up to continue this work process – not surprising given the commitment and leadership ingrained in so many across UC ANR!

I suspect this iterative process of drafting and revising is a bit frustrating for many but, as we use this information to convey the importance of your work to those who don't know us and we seek to find increased support for your work, it is important to put forth compelling Public Value Statements and be able to ‘bucket' our impacts so that the stories behind the condition changes are readily available to share with decision-makers, prospective funders, and each other. These benefits are above and beyond that which comes from aligning our work with the 2025 Strategic Vision in order to position ourselves to achieve the Vision and support our achievement with stories of how we have made a difference, even to those who don't know us. So THANK YOU to all for the commitment to the process and the enthusiasm you've demonstrated for continuing excellence in UC ANR!

Along the lines of “identify the performance objectives and then determine the design” that I have talked about previously, I've been thinking about the upcoming 2018 Position Call. Program Council has discussed the process a few times and soon we will need to have that nailed down. Below are what I believe to be the key attributes of the ideal process:

• Considers needs/gaps across the state and across program areas
• Engages clientele/stakeholders in the need identification process
• Seeks input from all UC ANR academics
• Builds recognition of needs across program areas through a collaborative process
• Results in decisions that reflect ‘hearing' academics, partners, stakeholders
• Makes it easy for Program Council to recognize high priority positions

 What am I missing? Thanks in advance for your feedback!

[This article was originally published Oct. 24 in the ANR Adventures blog at //ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=25473.]

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