The Tuesday Letter
Agricultural Experiment Station & Cooperative Extension Service
Tuesday, November 09, 2010
(Vol. 17 No. 2)
IN THIS ISSUE...
WORD FROM THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR - EXTENSION AND APPLIED RESEARCH
Congratulations and thanks to Gove County Extension Council, Gove County Commissioners, and Jen Schoenfeld, Gove County Extension Director, for the educational work that was undertaken to allow voters to make an informed decision. Gove County voters were given the opportunity on November 2 to direct the County Commissioners to allow Gove County - K-State Research and Extension to join into an Extension District. With the educational understanding, voters overwhelmingly favored this move. I would encourage you to take a look at the Gove County KSRE website to see the educational fact sheets developed for the public.
And, congratulations to the Change Agent States for Diversity catalyst team members who successfully completed the "Navigating Differences" train-the-trainer workshop. That team of 15 individuals are now working up a plan to offer training to our workforce in the coming months and years. Those involved in the workshop included Debra Bolton, Nozella Brown, Melinda Daily, Lehisa de Foronza, Dale Fjell, Scott Gordon, Mike Hanson, Linda Lamb, Charlotte Olsen, Paula Peters, Brian Rees, Deryl Waldren, Kathleen Ward, Stacey Warner, and Zelia Wiley. I deeply appreciate their commitment to moving KSRE forward as an organization that embraces the core value of inclusion among a diverse workforce and clientele.
Have a great week! --Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@ksu.edu
DO YOU KNOW A MEDICARE BENEFICIARY? REMIND THEM OF THE 2011 PART D OPEN ENROLLMENT
November 15 marks the beginning of open enrollment for Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Insurance. Shopping for a 2011 Part D plan is highly encouraged. In 2011 there will only be 33 plans, down from 46 in 2010. Several of the plans will automatically put beneficiaries in a plan with a higher premium if they don’t shop for a plan and enroll in a plan that is best for them.
When shopping for a Part D plan, the beneficiary should consider premium, drug coverage, deductible, co-insurance, gap-coverage, as well as step therapy, prior authorization, and quantity limits.
Senior Health Insurance Counselors in Kansas (SHICK) can help beneficiaries shop for a plan. For a SHICK counselor in your area, go to www.agingkansas.org/SHICK/cv_info.html. Last year approximately 60% of the Medicare beneficiaries who shopped for a plan switched plans and on average saved over $500 a year.
For more information about the 2011 Part D Open Enrollment go to www.medicare.gov.
This Financial Tip was brought to you by the Financial Management Program Focus Team. --Susie Latta slatta@ksu.edu
MARIE'S PICKS . . .
This week my picks
include outcomes and a success story from Erick DeWolf, Plant
Pathology; and Barb Roths, Butler County.
Evidence
of knowledge gain and behavior change --
A sub-set of the programs focusing on wheat production was surveyed
during the 2010 growing season. This survey included 17 counties and
involved 242 respondents. Results indicated that 93% of program participants
increased their ability to identify wheat diseases, and 89% of the participants
experienced a moderate to large positive impact on their understanding of the
interaction between the timing of disease and potential to cause yield
loss. More than 90% of farmers indicated that the programs influenced the
varieties they would grow on their farms and the disease management strategies
they would use.
Evidence
of knowledge gain and behavior change --
--While attending sessions of Be Waist and Wallet Wise,
participants identified at least two shopping tips that targeted the purchase
of healthy foods, while staying within a food budget.
--After attending the first four days of Moola Venture, middle
school youths were able to participate in the simulation, On Your Own,
where they planned use of their assigned salaries, budgeted for monthly bills,
tracked spending in their check registers, and responded to unplanned financial
situations. Though they needed coaching to help make choices, most were able
to figure their budgets, write checks, and track expenditures in their check
registers.
Success
Story –
A Master Gardener expressed interest in learning
how to preserve food safely and healthfully. After attending workshops in
nearby counties, she was so enthused she wanted to offer the workshop locally. K-State
food preservation specialist, Karen Blakeslee, and Area Family and
Consumer Sciences specialist, Gayle Price, heard about the Master Gardener’s
interest. They offered to do a “Preserving the Harvest” workshop in Butler County. A local church offered use of their fantastic
kitchen facility. The workshop, advertised with special efforts by the Master
Gardener, filled to capacity. We had additional support from great volunteers,
and Becky Reid and other Cowley County Extension staff. This is an example of
how the collaborative efforts of people and agencies came together to offer a
successful workshop that was enthusiastically received by those who attended. --Marie Blythe mblythe@ksu.edu
DESIGN FOR LEARNING -- REGISTER BY DECEMBER 17
Design for Learning is a distance learning opportunity that will help you develop educational experiences for your audiences.
The course begins January 21 and meets every other Friday morning until March 18, 2010.
Course description and registration form are located on the Employee Resources Web site: http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/employee_resources. Select Registrations from the purple boxes in the center of the page. Please register by December 17.
The five sessions will be conducted via conference call and Adobe Connect. Participants need to have a computer to participate. The schedule is:
* January 21 - Understanding Adult Learners * February 4 – Organizing and Designing Content Using the logic Model
* February 18 – Selecting Appropriate Teaching Tools and Creating an Effective Learning Environment
* March 4 - Current Concepts in Education
* March 18 - Assessing learning outcomes
* April 1 - Hold for make-up session in case of weather or for technical reasons
--Margaret Phillips margaret@ksu.edu
COMMUNICATION MINUTE: WHERE DID ALL THOSE TOOLBARS COME FROM?
When installing updates or new programs, clicking Next, Next, Next is not the way to go.
Many times additional software or “features” are included along with the program you are trying to install. Watch for pre-checked boxes and screens that ask you to optionally install something. If you do install a program or update and have gained a toolbar, check your Add/Remove Programs list and see if you can find it there to remove it.
Here’s a quick tip for getting to your programs list:1) Click the Start Button, and select Run. 2) Type appwiz.cpl in the Open: box and press Enter.
--Gary Kepka gkepka@ksu.edu
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