Talk It Up! Developing Outreach

Strategies for your digital resources, BEN & NSDL

Sarah GierschDirector of Development & Special Projects

Session Goals

Introduce NSDL outreach efforts, tools, lessons learnedIdentify NSDL tools available to support your outreach effortsBegin work on your outreach plan

Why Talk about NSDL and BEN?Promote NSFAdvocate for STEM education issuesBenefit from research on online digital resources: usability, accessibility, outreach lessons, pedagogyNetwork of partners for grant writingDistribution network for your resources

250,000 visits/month 1 million page views/month

NSDL, DLESE, some Pathways

Outreach Needs I Heard…Promoting websites and software - need ideas to get these outRaising colleagues' awareness and interest in inquiry-based learning Raising colleagues' awareness and interest in using online resources

NSDL’s: generate awareness, interest and use of NSDL, BEN, inquiry-based learning pedagogy

Activity: Think, pair, share - Your Outreach Needs

NSDL 2007 Outreach Goals

Increase usageStrengthen the NSDL NetworkSeries of campaigns

discrete period in time measure and analyze a campaign’s

efficacy adjust strategies to focus on the tactics

that are demonstrating increased usage

NSDL 2007 Outreach Campaigns NSDL at the Point of Need: NSDL toolbar on

school laptops, library workstations - part of workflow Usage Stories and Statistics: package

contextualized statistics, usage vignettes NSDL in Web 2.0 and Social Media Spaces: drive

web savvy users to NSDL with a combination of web broadcast technology (RSS, podcast) and online content

Building Awareness at NSF: NSDL PIs send the NSDL Annual Report with a letter to non-NSDL program officers, especially in research directorates

Building the NSDL Brand: distribute branding best-practices to partners, develop logos

NSDL Outreach Efforts to DateConferencesProfessional Development

Tool Time NSTA Web Seminars

Workshops (NSF)Outreach Campaigns for 2007ToolbarNSDL Google GadgetOutreach request materialshttp://nsdl.org/resources_for/library_builders/outreach.php?pager=materials

NSDL on your Toolbar

http://nsdl.org/toolbar/index.php

Search NSDL from your browser

•Firefox (Windows, Apple, Linux)•Microsoft Internet Explorer (Windows)

Tools & Services

Outreach Support Available from NSDL

Online Materials Ready Talk Seminar platform: Tool Times and

online seminars http://readytalk.com

Expert Voices for internal use or external use using the Discovery Team model of a researcher, educator and media specialist

Potential for an outreach wiki NSDL Calendar to push events:

http://nsdl.org/resources_for/library_builders/outreach.php?pager=calendar

Outreach Support Available from NSDL

Print materials NSDL print outreach materials NSDL backdrop for conferences, Banners and giveaways:

http://nsdl.org/resources_for/library_builders/outreach.php?pager=materials

Outreach Support Available from NSDL

Conferences NSTA and AAAS:

NSDL has a double booth to allow Pathways to run mini-sessions about their programs and sites

limited number of registrations for conferences Submitting session proposals with CI staff or

connecting within the NSDL Network at regional conferences

Other Outreach ResourcesCreating an NSF Nugget

Crisp summaries and attention-grabbing images - static illustrations, animations or movies that highlight your noteworthy accomplishments. People, Idea, Tool Nuggets

Graphics are very important in getting the message across to viewers.

Text and graphics should be at the level of a press release, or what might be called an "8th grade level".

The message should state what has been accomplished and the reason it is significant.

http://www.nees.org/Research_Activities/NSFNuggets/MakingNuggets/ http://www.nees.org/Research_Activities/NSFNuggets/

Outreach Pitfalls One size fits all: remember the audience you are

intending to reach Use of jargon that doesn't speak to the audience in

mind Fliers and promotional materials with too much

information Being everything to everyone: Be open minded to take

new ideas, but pay more attention to what fulfills your larger goals and what is cross-cutting in impact

Avoid being "feature" oriented vs benefits oriented for the user; don't too caught up in demonstrating features instead of communicating how someone will benefit by using the resource, pedagogical approach, etc.

Outreach To-Do’s Know your audience Leverage partnering relationships Do your research to see what others are doing in

the types of format or content you are trying to provide

Make occasional contact with people who you like or who have influence within audiences or groups outside of your realm

Identify those people who advocate for you, connectors or influencers and keep them informed as well. NOTE: Do include CI and BEN on that list!

Leverage the NSDL network to push info through channels and cross promote on your behalf

Activity - Group Discussion

Identify Outreach Pitfalls

Identify Outreach To-Do’s

A Framework for Considering Educator Professional Development

PD Participants

PD Design Elements

Impact Data Sources

Implementation Issues

Systemic Goals

Partners

Colleague(s) Department Campus Professional Groups

Source: Fishman, B., Marx, R., Best, S., Tal, R. (2003). Linking teacher and learning to improve professional development in systemic reform. Teaching and Teacher Education, 19, 643-658.

NSDL Example - Part 1

PD Participants Higher Ed faculty

PD Design Elements Content: pedagogy, tool introduction, content Strategies: T3 Sites: workshops, campus meetings, libraries Media: face to face; not online

NSDL Example - Part 2Data Sources to Document Impact

…? Content recruitment - not done much, but…

Implementation Issues Burnout among T3 trainers and participants; need for a structure

to incorporate volunteers, and there should be incentives to get them there in the first place; it's time consuming, but one-on-one works.

Introductory outreach efforts have a limited life-span, and the next generation that focuses on content is more effective (e.g., long-lasting)

Go to people where they are instead of having them come to you

NSDL Example - Part 3Recommended for consideration

Systemic Goals: includes issues at the department, campus or other organizational level that the effort could align with or might affect broader dissemination

Partners: primarily who might I partner with to accomplish my goals

Activity - Brainstorm Ideas for Outreach Plans

Questions about the Framework

Individual Brainstorm on Section A - Practical Questions for Developing an Outreach Plan

Share your thoughts with a partner

Next Steps - Using the BEN Scholars Outreach Planner & Worksheet (Marsha)