Make a Smilebox recipe

Resources for FCS Teachers

So many resources, so little time to search for them! Every educator appreciates resources that they can easily take into their classroom and use instantly. I make it a practice to search for online blogs, and podcasts that can be used in FCS classrooms, and use those links when I am presenting to groups of FCS educators and administrators. Although I find numerous food related websites online, very few (if any?) are authored by FCS educators. There are even less clothing/textiles related blogs & podcasts created by FCS educators. Now is a great time to promote your program by getting the word out online! We have the expertise to share information with the community, assist familes, and help improve our children's health and level of fitness.

A few of my favorite resource sites include:
MyPyramid
Fruits and Veggies Matter
Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators
Woordle
Nutrition for Everyone

My thanks to so many of you for attending the Successfully Marketing Extension Program Using Online Technologies presentation at the NEAFCS 09 Conference in Birmingham, Alabama. Here are several of the links I used in the NEAFCS presentation:

Digital Immigrant video on YouTube
Teacher Tube - awesome link with good educational videos
Blogger - for making a quick & easy blog
PB Works – easy to create wikis here
Audacity – free download for creating a podcast
Linked In – free networking
Facebook – be sure to select security settings that you are comfortable with
Ellen Swallow Richards – Joyce Miles blog about Ellen Swallow Richards
Smitten Kitchen – great recipe reviews
Rutgers-Atlantic – our Atlantic County NJ website. Click on the FCHS link.
Rutgers Cooperative Extension – our Extension website. Click on the Food, Nutrition, Health & Wellness link on the left
Get Moving Get Healthy New Jersey - our FCHS initiative website, great virtual walk program!

Then and now

Technology amazes me. When you really stop to think about it we use technology throughout our day. We start with technology first thing in the morning and continue to use it until the day is done. Can you even image life without a computer? It seems so long ago and distant as I sit here and ponder my own question. I can speak of my personal experiences and remember the changes I felt as a classroom teacher when I could use the home computer to create and print hand-outs for my students without resorting to the mimeograph machine (it created strange blue colored print and had a nasty odor).

Life became so much easier for me with the computer. I remember struggling to create a spreadsheet program that could calculate student grades, and then a few years later, we had grading programs that made life easier once again. The first PC computers used in the classroom were monsters....large, slow, and totally confusing to a Mac user. Did it actually become easier when the Apple IIe came along? They were difficult to use too. We have come a long way baby!

Now we feel frustration when a computer task takes a fraction of a second to complete a command, and when we can't 'get online' in any given minute. Life has changed in many ways since the advent of the home computer....for the better and perhaps for the worse. Overall, we have become faster and more productive workers. That is, until the power goes off!

PA FCS Teachers are Sharing Their Excitement

I has been such a pleasure to work with many (113) of Pennsylvania's Family & Consumer Sciences teachers over the past 10 days. They are receptive to thoughts of integrating more technology into their classrooms, and they are taking time to learn new technology skills. The teachers are experimenting on how to use wikis, blogs and podcasts in ways that engage their students in meaningful activities. They have all participated in wikis designed for sharing educational resources. Although there is a always a learning curve, they continue to contribute with links, information, and ideas that can be used in FCS classrooms with students of all grade levels. Let's keep the momentum going and learn/grow/stretch together! I admire your committment to FCS!

You Never Forget Your First...YouTube video!

Well, I finally did it....posted a video on YouTube! These things usually spend a long time in our minds as an idea, thinking it through and visualizing the results. This project has been on my mind for almost a year, and it is now a reality. My hope was to create a video that demonstrates just how technologically literate we 'digital immigrants' really are. Technology rules the day and gets us through as we continually reach-out to the community, communicate with family & friends, and celebrate life.

Over the next 2 weeks I will be teaching several hands-on technology sessions for educators, so I will be using the video as an example. Can you help me share this video?
RL:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5-HIJAj_8E

Title:Digital Immigrant: A Day in the Life

You Never Forget Your First...Journal Publication!

I have heard people in Extension say this, and I suppose I will say it one day too. My first article was recently published in a peer reviewed journal!

The Journal of Family & Consumer Sciences, Spring Issue 2009, Volume 101, Number 2. The article is titled The FCS Message via Blogs, page 67.

Online Surveys

Several weeks ago I started creating online follow-up surveys using Survey Monkey. The program has been very useful in reaching program participants and gathering follow-up data! It seems to me that session participants have an easy time clicking on the survey link I provided in an email message asking for follow-up information. I am amazed at the number of responses I am getting on several surveys. This tool has made data collection easy from people who have email addresses! Wouldn't it be wonderful if everyone in our healthy lifestyle educational sessions used email and could respond to surveys so easily??? I give Survey Monkey two thumbs up for being such a user-friendly program.

Sometimes a Techno-Blunder!

When working with technology the golden rule is: always have a Plan B ready, just in case Plan A does not work. This is forever true when working with students in a classroom, or presenting to the community. I always have my presentations on my laptop, saved in cyber-space via email to my administrative assistant just in case, have a printed hard-copy in my hands, saved on 'at least' one travel drive, and usually saved on one of my many wikis. Do you think that is over-kill? It isn't. Once in a while we run into a situation where technology fails us.
This week has been one of those times for me. A TV spot, recorded a few months ago, has aired during a variety of programs on NBC40 ten times between July 3 and July 10. During the same week the Health Update can be seen online at www.nbc40.net. Of course, this week the video link on the Health Update page is not working, so I have yet to see the spot message. I know the message is being aired since I have had two requests for programs as a result. I know the kind folks at NBC40 are aware of the problem and have been trying to correct the situation. It's just another one of those techno-blunder things....happens once in a while. At least the video clip will be seen in the Health Update Archives for along time to come! Long live technology!

So much technology, so little time!

Today's technology makes life much easier in so many ways: it saves time, it saves energy, and it keeps us in constant communication with everyone. Lately I am experimenting with using Facebook to make announcements about activities and educational programs. I see the value of using it for professional purposes to let people know of upcoming events, etc. Twitter is also a new adventure for me. When Twitter first appeared on the Internet I could not understand its purpose, aside from kids using it to contact their friends with endless thoughts & activities. I'm starting to see this tool differently now, through the eyes of professionals and business. Today I saw a Twitter message from my cousin who sells real estate. What a terrific idea to spread the word of new listings! This week I posted my first announcement about a Workplace Wellness program I am conducting at Trump Casinos in Atlantic City on Twitter. A large step for me into the world of tweets! Watch out world....this digital immigrant is onto techno-gadgets!

My Favorite Web Resource Links!

I suppose I can't say enough about web sites that provide research-based information that is consumer ready. There are several links that I find myself gravitating to on a regular basis. My Pyramid.gov is a must see because of the many features it offers. You can input your diet for a day or several and see how your choices stack up nutritionally. The tool is so easy to use and gives you an instant response. The site includes games and activities for kids too!

When it comes to recipes searches I find CDC.gov useful, especially when suggesting recipes to consumers for general use, or for locating recipes for fact sheets and other hand-outs. The recipes I have tried from that site have been accurate and reliable, and the nutrient analysis easy to follow.

When preparing materials for recent Eat Well Spend Less presentations, I have found excellent recipes from Nebraska's Extension Service found at lancaster.unl.edu/FOOD/. I like the easy to use format and access to money saving recipes for families. The Cook It Quick section makes recipe searching fun.

Of course, our Rutgers Get Moving Get Healthy New Jersey website is excellent! The Walk New Jersey Point to Point features is popular among young and adults because of its ability to map your route and learn something about NJ along the way. Now you can ccess the early posts of our Family & Community Health Sciences department podcasts by going to itunes.rutgers.edu. Look for the Get Moving Get Healthy New Jersey logo and click to see the podcasts available. Stay tuned for additional podcasts int he very near future!

Families, Food and Fitness Community of Practice

I am pleased to announce that I have joined the Families, Food and Fitness Community of Practice on eXtension! The Community of Practice (COP) serves as a means of communicating with fellow Extension Agents in the effort to continually improve programming. The COP shares information, ideas, opportunities to collaborate, and learn from each other. The COP is currently developing its web pages. I look forward to learning, sharing and experimenting with colleagues in the future. Look for additional information and updates as they become available. To access eXtension and learn more about their work visit www.extension.org.

Health Myths

I was recently asked to write about Health Myths. This was my response:

Myth: I have to join a gym and go on a rigid diet plan to lose weight. The truth is that people do not need to go to extremes to improve their health. They do need to be more physically active and eat a healthy diet to lose weight. Increasing your physical activity can be as simple as walking additional steps everyday. You can calculate your step per day by purchasing an inexpensive pedometer. Track your steps at Walk NJ Point-to-Point at www.getmovinggethealthynj.rutgers.edu.

Myth: Eating a few extra calories per day can’t make me gain weight. The truth is that as little as 150 extra calories (equivalent to a granola bar) per day can cause some people to gain up to 10 pounds in a year. Use the food intake calculator at www.mypyramid.gov for feedback on the amount of food and nutrients you are consuming.

Myth: To lose weight I have to starve myself.
The truth is that the best way to lose weight is to consume a variety that includes fresh fruit and vegetables (between 5 and 9 1/2 cup servings) everyday, choose 3-4 ounces of lean meat that is baked grilled, or broiled, and choose whole grain cereals and breads. Stay away from foods that are high in sugar, fat, and sodium. Drink water instead of sweetened drinks. Information about dietary guidelines can be found at www.mypyramid.gov.

Myth: If children are overweight today they will outgrow it by the time they are adults.
The truth is overweight children often become overweight adults. Children at young ages now have illnesses once thought to occur only in adults, such as type 2 diabetes, and high cholesterol and blood pressure, which are risk factors for heart disease and stroke. The mental health consequences for overweight children are far reaching including issues of depression, self-confidence, and self-esteem. Overweight youth are often socially excluded by their peers and thus remain isolated. Additional information can be found at www.njaes.rutgers.edu.

Get Moving Get Healthy New Jersey is linked on Rachel Ray's Website

Rachel Ray's Yum-O! website is featuring information about our Get Moving Get Healthy New Jersey initiative! It is very exciting for our Rutgers Cooperative Extension programs to be recognized by a well-known celebrity like Rachel Ray.

Please visit the Yum-O site for additional information about the exciting programs offered by the Family & Community Health Sciences and 4-H Youth Development Departments at Rutgers Cooperative Extension. Some of the programs include a Walk NJ Point to Point virtual walking tour, information about eating a healthy diet and strategies for increasing your physical activity.

The Best Laughter Resources

Last summer I participated in the Certified Laughter Leader Training in Philadelphia. Steve Wilson from the World Laughter Tour was the trainer. The training was awesome and has lead me to reconfiguring several of my presentations to include laughter as a physical activity. Sessions like 'Healthy Lifestyle and Laughter', 'Stress Less with Laughter', 'Lower Your Blood Pressure with Healthy Food and Laughter', and 'Have a Healthy Heart with Laughter' have all been very successful. The senior community and workplace love the laughter sessions!
Some great resources include the following:
World Laughter Tour
Laughter Foundation
Humor Month (April)
These links will get you started on the road to merriment and mirth! Laughter is excellent for your health because it is know increase your heart rate (in a good way), lower your blood pressure, increase your endorphins, improve your ventilation, lower your blood sugar, lower your cholesterol, and much more. Add more laughter to your life and you will feel better! Ho, ho, ha, ha ha!

Resources For Families & Educators

I have always been an educator who craves new strategies and ideas for teaching. It is a thrill to find a new twist on teaching a time-honored concept. For this reason I have spent a considerable amount of time preparing a list of Resources for Families and Educators. The list is available online at our Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Atlantic County website. The web links have been annotated and carefully chosen for you, the community. Please take advantage of the wealth of resources at your fingertips! Let me know if you would like to see additional resources on the list. You can locate the Resources for Families and Educators here.