Life is good! After spending a wonderfully relaxing week on the Outer Banks, it was fun to start the new work week with news that two of my articles were published in the Journal of Family & Consumer Sciences Volume 102-No 1. The article Online Video Calls: Guest Speakers for FCS outlines a way in which FCS educators could have guest speakers using online video tools such as Skype. I was able to conduct a three-hour in-service last fall for over 40 FCS teachers as they sat at their local Intermediate Unit in central Pennsylvania. My location was simple...my work studio at home, where I could wear my fuzzy slippers and be totally comfortable. Our connection was perfect and the session was a success. A follow-up survey of the participants proved that we could conduct a training via long distance. With some coordination, we were able to use PowerPoint, access videos on YouTube and TeacherTube to enhance the presentation. Our little experiment shows that we can save time energy and money by using the Internet for speaking engagements.
The second article, FCS Careers: Middle School Teacher Transitions to Cooperative Extension, tells the story of how my 25-year public school teaching career prepared me to move to Assistant Professor/County Agent at Rutgers Cooperative Extension. With a career filled with learning opportunities one can find ways to transition into new career fields. Our prior experiences add a richness to our educational palate and enable us to communicate will all types of audiences in and out of the formal classroom. FCS prepares us to practice the art of flexibility and advance our communication skills. Marilyn Sweirk was correct.....everything we learned in life we learned in Family & Consumer Sciences:)
