Nutrition on Demand
PA NEN Professional Development Workshop
On August 29, the Pennsylvania Nutrition Education Network (PA NEN), in collaboration with the Central PA Dietetic Association, presented a workshop for nutrition educators entitled “Nutrition on Demand: Bringing Digital Nutrition Education to Pennsylvania Families.” The goals of the workshop were to familiarize nutrition educators with technological advances and to identify ways to utilize technology to better serve clients. More than fifty people attended this workshop, held in a beautiful resort setting, to learn about blogging, digital photo receivers, and marketing messages through e-newsletters.
Blog Basics: Communication and Community Online Is for Everyone . . . Not Just Techies
The first speaker, Tarrant Figlio, an information specialist from the University of Florida, has seen the Children, Youth and Families department’s Web traffic triple since the addition of its blog. Tarrant, armed with an impressive resume including time spent at iVillage.com, provided participants with the basic whys and hows of blogging.
“Blog,” which is a shortened term for “Web log”, should not be intimidating. Blogs are very basic Web sites where a person or group can share thoughts and information. Blogs are less formal and static than traditional Web sites. Free and low-cost services are available that walk users through the set-up. They can be hosted on an existing Web site or a new site can be created.
The world of politics has capitalized on blogs the most, using them as instantaneous platforms to comment and criticize. Educators have an opportunity to use them as well to share their personal perspective on food/nutrition, to enhance classes, and to reach new audiences.
Digital Photo Receivers: Reaching Low-Income Clients through a Personal Poster
Technology can be useful for targeting low-income audiences. Barbara Lohse and Robin Rifkin, Penn State University, shared their experiences with re-purposing new Digital Photo Receivers (DPRs) for food stamp nutrition education.
DPRs are automated photo frames that use sharing technology to receive, store, display, and organize digital photos. Through a receiver weighing less than one pound, photos can be uploaded remotely using only a phone connection to a toll-free number and electric outlet. Barbara and Robin have applied this technology to create simple, low-literacy nutrition programs, such as “Guide to Whole Grains” and “Guide to Eating Well,” among others. Each nutrition education slide is designed to allow the viewer to engage in the program at any point in the sequence. DPRs, acting as “personal posters” are ideal for counters or waiting rooms.
High-Tech Nutrition: Creative and Effective Ways to Market Your Message Online
Dina Aronson, president of Welltech Solutions, talked to the audience about using and creating effective e-newsletters. It is one thing to create a Web site; it is quite another to attract people to the site. E-mail marketing allows nutrition educators to proactively communicate with both existing clients/customers and prospects instead of passively waiting for them to visit their sites.
When creating an e-newsletter, Aronson, explained, basic design is important to ensuring that the message is read. Aronson urged the audience to pay attention to such details as color, layout, and functionality as well as necessary information, links, and actions. She also reminded the audience of the need to stay up-to-date on the latest strategies and resources due to the ever-changing nature of the Internet.
Technology can help deliver “nutrition on demand”: information when people want it. If we can focus on the excitement of new technology to create innovative channels for nutrition education, we will be able to have a greater impact on our audience.
Resources / Presentation Materials
To learn more about blogs and to access a how-to guide, please visit Tarrant Figlio’s Nutrition on Demand “Communication and Community Online Is for Everyone
—Not Just Techies” presentation resources at:
http://fycs.ifas.ufl.edu/Conference/panen.htm
Review findings and learn more about Digital Photo Receivers through Robin Rifkin’s and Barbara Lohse’s presentation “Digital Photo Receivers, Reaching Low-Income Clients through a Personal Poster”:
To view sample DPR programs, visit:
http://panen.psu.edu/intranet/DPR/index.htm
Dina Aronson’s presentation, “High-Tech Nutrition: Creative and Effective Ways to Market Your Message Online,” is available at http://www.welltechsolutions.com/e-marketing.php
