Pre-Conference WorkshopsThe following three Pre-Conference Workshops will be offered on Monday, September 16th from 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM. Continental breakfast will be provided to all workshop attendees at 7:00 AM. Separate registration required. Location: Onsite at Hotel Artificial Intelligence: An Introduction for Extension Professionals Workshop Description: This pre-conference workshop provides a balanced mix of theory, practical applications, and ethical considerations, catering to Extension education professionals with varying levels of Artificial Intelligence knowledge. It encourages interaction and hands-on experiences with Large Language Models and creation tools to ensure participants leave with a basic understanding of AI's relevance to their work and the resources to explore it further. This workshop will be created with conscious knowledge and ability to adapt the workshop to meet evolving AI trends. Please bring a laptop to get the most out of this session. Learning Objectives:
Speaker Bio: Brock Turner is a Certified Health Education Specialist with a Master of Science in Health Education, a Master of Public Health degree, with foundations in Health, Wellness, and Fitness. Brock has a diverse background as a health coach, project manager, sales, and procurement roles that provided him the opportunity for multiple leadership and advisory roles. Familiarity in entrepreneurship aided his ability to function within changing work environments. Brock has developed a keen interest in Artificial Intelligence (AI) application within Extension services. His role in forming an AI Working Group Team in May 2023 marked the beginning of a journey in harnessing AI for practical uses. His involvement in diverse sessions, ranging from AI-driven learning to the ethics of AI in the workplace, reflects a multifaceted understanding of AI’s potential and challenges. Additionally, his engagement with continual education on AI subjects exemplifies his commitment to staying at the forefront of AI advancements. He is pleased to expand his audience to those who want to learn more about this emerging topic! Data Without Surveys: Alternative Ways to Gather Input and Information Workshop Description: Extension professionals are expected to evaluate their programs and conduct needs assessments to understand their communities. Surveys are a popular way of accomplishing these goals, but they are not ideal in all situations, and people are given a lot of surveys. This half-day workshop will present ways of gathering data without sending yet another survey. Attendees will learn by doing in this interactive workshop, in which presenters will highlight alternative ways to collect data from a range of participants, including children and youth. Presenters will then walk attendees through the process of digitizing, cleaning, analyzing, and visualizing these data for use in presentations and reports. Please bring a laptop to get the most out of this session. Learning Objectives:
Speaker Bio: The Community Research, Evaluation & Development (CRED) team conducts high-quality, culturally responsive, community-based research and evaluation that promotes the health and well-being of families and individuals throughout the Southwest. The team is multidisciplinary, with professionals coming together from a wide array of backgrounds to align innovative evaluation and research with the work of community partners. For years, CRED has been committed to working on the ground with partners across Arizona, including Cooperative Extension, tribes, state and local governments, justice systems, schools and non-profit agencies. Their primary focus is to generate accessible, actionable information that CRED’s community partners can use to support their program and policy decision-making. Financial Literacy Education: Take Charge Today! Workshop Description: Take Charge Today is a personal finance program and curriculum for middle to high school students with a decision-based approach to personal finance, adaptable for adult audiences. Participants in this pre-conference workshop will be able to access and be prepared to deliver more than 75 lesson plans designed, tested, and edited in collaboration with university researchers, financial industry experts and master educators. Take Charge Today provides a consistent framework for thinking through financial choices in order to improve well-being. Lesson plans are based on the multiple intelligences model and active learning theories. The materials offer maximum flexibility and can be taught sequentially as a complete personal finance course or as modular components that can be easily inserted into other courses. Ongoing professional development opportunities to help educators develop the skills and confidence to teach financial education are available. Offerings include webinars, a video library, Take Charge Today Newsletters, social media, and educator trainings. Learning Objectives:
Speaker Bio: Robin Palmer is the Director of Entrepreneurship and Financial Math at the Arizona Council on Economic Education and a Marketing Specialist and National Master Educator with Take Charge Today, a national personal finance education program at the University of Arizona. She was a high school career and technical education teacher for 26 years, teaching business, entrepreneurship, economics, and personal finance courses. Robin has a bachelor’s degree in business education from Arizona State University and a master’s degree in multicultural education from Northern Arizona University. |
