Monday, June 20, 2022

COVID-19 Outreach in Rural Areas - Reflection of Outreach in North East Texas


Over the past few months, our Rural Communication Institute (RCI) team (Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards, Dr. Subi Gandhi, and Dr. LaShondra Manning) has been tirelessly providing education and outreach for the rural areas of East Texas. This outreach has been both challenging and rewarding since the pediatric vaccine was approved by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS).

Educating parents about the benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. As a parent, I am always very excited to share health information, but especially this information has been very important for me.

Here's a workshop that we were very excited to view from the Texas Department of Health and Human Services. This workshop was focused on "What About the Children: Changing the Landscape on Rural Vaccine Coverage". It focused on health in rural areas, especially for our youngest populations.



Also, we have been fortunate to receive funding for travel for our outreach events, shirts, and giveaways. Here's a special shout out to the Episcopal Health Foundation in Texas, because they provided so much support for our project.


At first, we partnered with existing vaccination clinics and these were not very well attended, but THEN we decided to venture out on our own and to create our own clinics with the health of the Texas Department of State Health Services. We have been experimenting with the best time and date for our clinics as well all content for the clinics.

We decided a "Summer Fun and Health Clinic" approach has been the best outreach strategy for reaching the community. The mid-day clinics (before 5pm) were not as well attended for some audiences (i.e. - parents), but other times had much better attendance (after 5pm).





Also, we partnered with Agrilife (Mrs. Clarissa Moon) and Above Average Health Care and House Calls. Agrilife provided educational outreach sessions and Above Average Health Care and House Calls offered health checks and interpretations of lab results.

Do you have any suggestions for us? We are so thankful for our partners!



***

Check out my book - Retaining College Students Using Technology: A Guidebook for Student Affairs and Academic Affairs Professionals.

Remember to order copies for your team as well!

Interested in a specific student success topic or do you need a speaker for an upcoming conference? Contact me via direct message on Twitter or join our Student Success and Retention Institute - Learning Community on Facebook!

Thanks for visiting! 

Sincerely,

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards
Professor of Communication
Executive Director of the Texas Social Media Research Institute & Rural Communication Institute

My Social Media Channels!
Remember to Follow Me on Twitter! @drjtedwards
I Always Post Higher Education Videos on YouTube
Find Me on Instagram
Engage with Me on Facebook!
Watch My Videos on Twitter Live - http://www.periscope.com/drjtedwards/
Email Me! I am PR Friendly! - jennifertedwards@gmail.com

Wednesday, June 15, 2022

Have You Seen the Rural America Placemaking Toolkit?


The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)'s Rural Development and the University of Kentucky’s Community and Economic Development Initiative of Kentucky unveiled a free digital toolkit to help rural leaders build placemaking plans in small towns and communities across America. 

If you are located in (or serve) a rural area and you are are looking for a free digital toolkit filled with amazing resources, please 

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the University of Kentucky’s - Community and Economic Development Initiative of Kentucky just debuted their "Rural America Placemaking Toolkit".

This toolkit is absolutely dynamic and I encourage academic and practitioners to utilize this amazing guide. It includes:

Creative Community Conversations

Community & Cultural Assessments

Public Spaces & Gathering Places

Cross-Sector Partnerships

Here's the "Get Started" Guide (Read This First).

Also, if you have a rural project that you would like to be considered for the toolkit, you can submit it here.
*The Rural Communication Institute actually plans to do this soon.

Think about sending this guide to a local mayor, commissioner, teacher, health worker, volunteer, etc.

It is an absolutely incredible resource.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jennifer Edwards

***

Professor of Communication
Executive Director of the Texas Social Media Research Institute & Rural Communication Institute

My Social Media Channels!
Remember to Follow Me on Twitter! @drjtedwards
I Always Post Higher Education Videos on YouTube
Find Me on Instagram
Engage with Me on Facebook!
Watch My Videos on Twitter Live - http://www.periscope.com/drjtedwards/
Email Me! I am PR Friendly! - jennifertedwards@gmail.com

Monday, November 8, 2021

FREE 11th Annual Texas Social Media Conference - Here's the November Schedule!


Yes! I am excited! We are getting back into the training and development mode with the Texas Social Media Research Institute (and the Rural Communication Institute)! Are you looking for a FREE conference focused on social media and rural communication? Check out our conference schedule!

Tuesday, November 2nd
5pm - Journal Club (Discussing "Reality check: How adolescents use
TikTok as a digital backchanneling medium to speak back against
institutional discourses of school(ing)."

Thursday, November 4th
8pm - #TXSocialMedia Twitter Chat - Pumpkin Spice Lattes, Sweater
Weather, and Autumn/Winter Social Media Outreach Strategies

Monday, November 8th
6pm - How Public Health Agencies in the United States in the United
Kingdom Communicate with their Target Audience During the COVID19
Pandemic (Presented by: Riley Odom, Megan Mackay, Erin McDonald,
Bayley Chenault, Sydney Brown)

8pm - How the Texas Department of Health and Safety and Colorado
Department of Health and Environment are Communicating about
Health During COVID19 (Presented By: Halie Hix, Shelby Hargrove,
Magnolia Dunlap, Michaela Bierman, Steven Duncan)

Tuesday, November 9th
5pm - Journal Club - Discussing the article: "We (Want To) Believe in
the Best of Men: A Qualitative Analysis of Reactions to
#Gillette on Twitter"

7pm - How the United States Federal Government and the State of Texas
Communicate with the Public During the Pandemic (Presented by: Kristi
Cortez, Jessica Thomas, Kennedy Onuam, Julia Nolen)

Thursday, November 11th
3pm - Neurodiversity at Work; Assignment Construction Strategies for
Creative Thinkers in Online Teams (Presented By: Melanie Mason (University
of Texas at Arlington)

8pm - #TXSocialMedia Twitter Chat - Veterans Day and How the Military
Engages the Public Through Social Media
Thursday, November 11th

11:59pm - #TXSocialMedia Undergraduate and Graduate Fellowship
Applications Due

Sunday, November 14th
6:30 pm - How the Louisiana Department of Education and the Texas
Education Agency are Communicating about Health During COVID19
(Presented By: Katherine Mitchell, Audrey Morton, Jorge Irizarry,
Audrey Morton, Morgan Maley, Christina Byrd)

Monday, November 15th
7pm - #TXSocialMedia LIVE: Let's Network Session on Zoom -
Social Media and Privacy - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Tuesday, November 16th
1pm - Connecting & Engaging with Students -
Presented By: Narissra Punyanunt-Carter & Dr. Ryan Martinez (Texas Tech University)

3pm - Alzheimer's (and Rural Health) Community Forum for Tarleton
Staff and Faculty- Register online: alznct.news/ACF1116

5pm - Journal Club - Discussing "Small Businesses Still Missing the Boat
on Social Media and Internet Advertising."

Thursday, November 18th
8pm - #TXSocialMedia Twitter Chat - National Rural Health Day -
Innovative Ways Rural Residents Can Practice Preventative Care

Monday, November 21st
7pm - #TXSocialMedia LIVE: Let's Network Session on Zoom - Innovative
Ways TikTok Can Be Utilized in Education, Business, and Life

Saturday, November 27th
All Day - Use the Hashtag #ShopSmall for Small Business Saturday

Monday, November 28th
7pm - #TXSocialMedia LIVE: Let's Network Session on Zoom -
Social Media and Health - How Does Social Media Impact Our Health?

Tuesday, November 30th
12:30pm - Student-based Resourcing: Responding to Increased Needs as
a Rural Institution (Presented by: Dr. Lora Helvie-Mason
& Cameron Ellner, Tarleton State University)

6pm - How the Texas Department of Health and Human Services
and the State of Louisiana Department of Health are Communicating
About Health (Presented By: Averill Hubbard, Zachary Mesa, Dylan
Antonelli, Olivia Teague, Kyon Barnes)

7pm - #TXSocialMedia LIVE: Let's Network Session on Zoom -
Hooked on Social: Social Media the New Kid's Toy?
Are They Becoming Hooked TOO EARLY?

National Day of Giving - Give to the Rural Communication Institute and
the Texas Social Media Research Institute

National Mason Jar Day -
Highlight Innovative Ways You Can Use Mason Jars
(Use the #TXSocialMedia and #ThinkRuralComm hashtags)

Save-the-Date & Call for Proposals
The 12th Annual #TXSocialMedia Conference & the 3rd Annual Rural
Communication Conference will be held on Friday, April 22, 2022 in Fort
Worth Texas. Submit a Proposal - http://www.tinyurl.com/SMCCFP/

Here's the entire schedule and the individual links for each session:

I hope you will join us!

Sincerely,

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards
Professor of Communication
Executive Director of the Texas Social Media Research Institute & Rural Communication Institute

My Social Media Channels!
Remember to Follow Me on Twitter! @drjtedwards
I Always Post Higher Education Videos on YouTube
Find Me on Instagram
Engage with Me on Facebook!
Watch My Videos on Twitter Live - http://www.periscope.com/drjtedwards/
Email Me! I am PR Friendly! - jennifertedwards@gmail.com

Check out my book - Retaining College Students Using Technology: A Guidebook for Student Affairs and Academic Affairs Professionals.

Remember to order copies for your team as well!

Interested in a specific student success topic or do you need a speaker for an upcoming conference? Contact me via direct message on Twitter or join our Student Success and Retention Institute - Learning Community on Facebook!

Thanks for visiting! 

Friday, October 29, 2021

Engaging Online Students Though a Zoom-Based Journal Club Experience


This year has been an exceptional year for teaching. We are just transitioning out of a COVID19 time period and our students are ready and eager to engage with faculty!


Before the semester began, I made the decision to travel to a Texas State Park. I realized that I write best papers when I am sitting outside in camping chair, cooking lunch with a foldable cookstove, and surrounding myself with the most amazing bug spray ever.


So, while I was "in nature", I thought about some out of the box strategies that I could use for the upcoming semester. One of these strategies was centered around one of my husband's experiences during his graduate program at Texas A&M University - The Journal Club. Now, keep in mind - I teaching in the Communication Department and journal clubs are primarily held in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields (STEM).


So, I jumped into the Journal Club game HEAD FIRST and I decided to integrate the experience on my syllabus. My graduate students did not have any experience with a journal club and I had to demonstrate and explain the purpose of the activity. ALL of my students are online and this meant that the best way to explain the journal club was to demonstrate how it works. So, here's my demonstration video...



After the students viewed the video, they were able to select the days and the associated articles that they wanted to highlight in the journal club. The students had to present two times and they had to attend at least one session. Each session has two facilitators and they basically divide the article in half. Many of the students have attended more than three sessions. Here are the articles we reviewed this semester...


Tuesday, August 24, 20215pm - 6pmUsing a Media Campaign to Increase Engagement With a Mobile-Based Youth Smoking Cessation Program
Tuesday, August 31, 20215pm - 6pmCONTEMPORARY HOUSING DISCRIMINATION: FACEBOOK, TARGETED ADVERTISING, AND THE FAIR HOUSING ACT.
Tuesday, September 7, 20215pm - 6pmDon't put all social network sites in one basket: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and their relations with well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tuesday, September 14, 20215pm - 6pmFan Engagement in 15 Seconds: Athletes’ Relationship Marketing During a Pandemic via TikTok
Tuesday, September 21, 20215pm - 6pmOnline to Offline: The Impact of Social Media on Offline Sales in the Automobile Industry.
Tuesday, September 28, 20215pm - 6pmInnovation in Later Life: A Study of Grandmothers and Facebook.
Monday, October 4, 202111am - NoonArticle - TBA
Tuesday, October 5, 20215pm - 6pmSocial media information sharing for natural disaster response
Tuesday, October 12, 20215pm - 6pmNews on Facebook: How Facebook and Newspapers Build Mutual Brand Loyalty Through Audience Engagement
Thursday, October 14, 20218pm - 9pmNavigating the New Era of Influencer Marketing: How to be Successful on Instagram, TikTok, & Co.
Tuesday, October 19, 20215pm - 6pmTWEET TO THE TOP? SOCIAL MEDIA PERSONAL BRANDING AND CAREER OUTCOMES.
Monday, October 25, 202111am - NoonFASTER, HOTTER, AND MORE LINKED IN: MANAGING SOCIAL DISAPPROVAL IN THE SOCIAL MEDIA ERA
Tuesday, October 26, 20215pm - 6pmWho Posted That Story? Processing Layered Sources in Facebook News Posts.
Tuesday, November 2, 20215pm - 6pmReality check: How adolescents use TikTok as a digital backchanneling medium to speak back against institutional discourses of school(ing).
Tuesday, November 9, 20215pm - 6pmWe (Want To) Believe in the Best of Men: A Qualitative Analysis of Reactions to #Gillette on Twitter
Thursday, November 11, 20218pm - 9pmSmall Business Still Missing the Boat on Social Media and Internet Advertising.
Tuesday, November 16, 20215pm - 6pmChapter 1: Introduction to Social Media for Professional Development and Learning in Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy.


Overall, it is a great learning experience for them and I will definitely integrate it next year. The students are reflecting about the articles and are highlighting how the articles have implications for many fields. 


In fact, the Rural Communication and the Texas Social Media Research Institutes are hosting Texas Social Media Conference MONTH in November. You are welcome to attend our Journal Club sessions via Zoom, chat and network with others through our Thursday night Twitter chats, and hear some AMAZING presentations! I will post registration soon. In the meantime, check out the month-long schedule.

Texas Social Media Month - November 2021 (Draft) by jennifertedwards


Have any questions? Contact me.


***

Enjoy!

Check out my book - Retaining College Students Using Technology: A Guidebook for Student Affairs and Academic Affairs Professionals.


Remember to order copies for your team as well!

Interested in a specific student success topic or do you need a speaker for an upcoming conference? Contact me via direct message on Twitter or join our Student Success and Retention Institute - Learning Community on Facebook!


Thanks for visiting! 

Sincerely,

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards
Professor of Communication

Executive Director of the Texas Social Media Research Institute 
& Rural Communication Institute

My Social Media Channels!
Remember to Follow Me on Twitter! @drjtedwards
I Always Post Higher Education Videos on YouTube
Find Me on Instagram
Engage with Me on Facebook!
Watch My Videos on Twitter Live - http://www.periscope.com/drjtedwards/
Email Me! I am PR Friendly! - jennifertedwards@gmail.com