TCNewsMayJun2012



 

 

 

 
May 2012 Edition

 
Welcome to The Coordinator, a bi-monthly online newsletter for training coordinators and other judicial employees involved in staff education.  In each edition you will find valuable information about upcoming training events, COJET policy, resources you can use, and insights from your peers in the judiciary. 
 
We always welcome your ideas and feedback at [email protected]

Upcoming Events


Don’t see your event listed? Click here to let us know about your upcoming events.

MAY

  • 30 - June 1          Arizona Court Executive: Visioning and Strategic Planning

JUNE

  • 4-6                         Faculty Skills Development (FSD)
  • 7                            Committee on Judicial Education and Training (COJET) meeting
  • 8                            Court Leadership Institute of Arizona (CLIA) meeting
  • 12                          Committee on Probation Education (COPE) meeting
  • 26-28                    Arizona Court Manager: Financial Management

Do you want to connect with other Training Coordinators?

Visit the 
Training Coordinator Statewide Directory
**Please email [email protected] with any updates to the directory.**


 
 
 

 


Thank You for a Successful Training Coordinator Conference!
 

Many thanks to everyone who attended this year’s Training Coordinator Conference on April 19th. Forty-five attendees embraced our theme of “Tools for Success” by learning about new curriculum, sharing resources, networking, and brainstorming possibilities. The evaluations confirmed that participants gained useful information and enjoyed our time together. We look forward to planning next year’s event!

 

 

 

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2012 Excellence in Education Award Winners

 

The new COJET Excellence in Education Award, established by the Committee on Judicial Education and Training, annually recognizes individuals who have demonstrated a commitment to providing outstanding education to the judicial branch through training and/or curriculum development.  COJET, in conjunction with the Judicial Staff Education Committee (JSEC), recognized two such outstanding trainers at the 2012 Training Coordinator Conference on April 19th.  Congratulations to this year’s winners of the COJET Excellence in Education Award: Heidi Lofgren, Flagstaff Municipal Court, and Gabe Goltz, Administrative Office of the Courts. 

Any judicial branch employee or committee member can nominate an individual or team demonstrating excellence in the development of curriculum and/or the delivery of training, during the course of a calendar year. Nominations are accepted on the following website: http://goo.gl/Ne6iT. Click HERE to download the flyer.

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The Heat is On for Judicial Staff Education and Training in June

 

Several counties and courts are taking advantage of the absence of judges during the Judicial Conference by hosting their own training events. We’ve had a chance to look at some of the conference schedules and they offer quite an impressive array of educational opportunities. We encourage you to review the schedules of the following events to learn more about what your peers are offering and to get ideas on topics and faculty for the future.  After the June events are over, consider contacting any of the training coordinators below for more detailed information. We wish you all much success in your upcoming events and look forward to hearing about the outcome! 

 

 

COUNTY 

 

EVENT

 

 

PRIMARY CONTACT

 

Apache Judicial Staff Education Conference David Skousen
 

Coconino

 

 

Judicial Staff Education Conference for Court and Probation Personnel

 

 

Heidi Lofgren

 

 

Gila

 

 

7th Annual Gila County Judicial Staff Training Conference

 

 

Coleen Stevens

 

 

Maricopa

 

 

Clerk of the Court staff conference

Gilbert and Chandler Municipal Courts - Court Employee Summer Session

Justice Courts Leadership Conference

Superior Court

 

 

Joe Legander

Susan Holliefield

 

Steve Ramsbacher

Cindy Reid

 

Mohave  Judicial Staff Conference Cheryn Brewer & Lori Linn
 

Pima

 

 

June Jam IV: Jam of the Century

 

 

Laura Beeson-Davis & Vanessa Ponce-Maez

 

 

Pinal

 

 

COJET Conference

 

 

Katrina Castillo

 

 

Yavapai

 

 

11th Annual Judicial Education Conference for Court and Probation Personnel

 

 

Dyh Anderson

 

This list contains training events that we have been notified about which are taking place during judicial conference week. If we have missed your event please send an email to [email protected] so we can add you to the list and learn more about your event.

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June TC Webinar: To Accredit or not to Accredit?

 

Sometimes the code can feel like you are reading Shakespeare. Even our veteran Training Coordinators have told us that accreditation is an ongoing challenge that never really goes away. But the good news is that it does get easier with knowledge and experience.  Join staff from the Education Services Division for the June TC Webinar on Thursday, June 28 from 10:30-11:30 to dig deeper into the code on accrediting, discuss strategies for effectively translating it into practice and test yourself on a few examples. 

 

To register:

·         Type azcourts.webex.com into your browser

·         Click the “Upcoming” tab

·         Look for “TC WEBINAR SERIES” on 6/28  and click on “Register”

·         Enter registration password: accredit

·         After you complete the registration form you will receive a confirmation email with instructions for attending the course. If the course is full, you will be put on the waiting list.

 

Please send an email to [email protected] if you experience any technical challenges or have questions.

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Conference Planning 101: Getting Started
 

This month’s In the Spotlight shares the perspectives of two different conference organizers: first-timer Laura Upson in Santa Cruz County and veteran Dyh Anderson in Yavapai County.  Both ladies stress the importance of being organized and using good planning tools. One resource that Laura used is a conference planning checklist template created by Deb King in the Education Services Division at the Administrative Office of the Courts. It provides a comprehensive overview of the steps involved in a conference or educational event. Another great resource at your fingertips is a collection of resources from Dyh Anderson that she presented at the 2009 TC Conference during a session called: How To Start Organizing a Local Conference

The Education Services Division is available to Training Coordinators and Field Trainers for educational consulting and support like agenda development, curriculum and/or faculty suggestions, event planning, evaluation, and in some cases even A/V assistance.  Our division is here and ready to serve as a direct resource for learning opportunities and events. Please contact us at [email protected] to discuss ideas, needs or challenges. We’re here to help!

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Focus on Zoomerang: Surveys, Evaluations, Registrations, Oh My!

 

Looking for a way to house and manage your surveys, evaluations and registrations? Consider a web-based tool called Zoomerang, which offers free and low-cost options for easily creating, distributing, tracking and analyzing these elements in one place. The Education Services Division currently holds a license that allows staff to send out surveys and needs assessments, collect registrations and evaluations for events, and easily analyze the data as necessary. If you’re interested in learning more about this resource, please visit www.zoomerang.com or contact Julie Binter, Education Specialist, at [email protected].

 

Note: It’s come to our attention that Zoomerang has recently merged with SurveyMonkey, so if you visit the website above, some of the links will route you to SurveyMonkey.

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"What is Ethics?" April TC Webinar recording now available
 

On the April 30th TC Webinar, Laura Beeson-Davis of Pima County shared a new curriculum that helps court employees analyze and reflect on ethics in a different way. Laura's curriculum offers the best of both worlds as it can be used in a facilitated classroom or as a non-facilitated learning opportunity. Laura was gracious enough to demo pieces of the curriculum during the Training Coordinator Conference as well as provide a more detailed look during this webinar.

 

To access the recording:

·         Type azcourts.webex.com into your browser

·         On the left side, under “Attend a Session” click “Recorded Sessions”

·         Look for “TC WEBINAR SERIES: What Is Ethics” on 4/30  and click “View” or “Download”

·         Enter password: TCW12 and then complete the registration form.

·         After you complete the registration form you will be able to view or download the webinar.

·         Once you have viewed it, you should have access to the Zoomerang evaluation which contains the COJET certificate of attendance

 

All materials are currently posted under the 2012 Courseware section. If you have questions about accessing the recording or the curriculum, please email [email protected].

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Thiagi: Your One Stop Shop for Curriculum and Reources
 

Thiagi (aka Sivasailam Thiagarajan, Ph. D.) started his consulting business in 1976 from his basement. Now, 30 years later, he continues to operate the same business in pursuit of the same mission: to help people achieve more through performance-based training that is motivating and effective. His website, www.thiagi.com, contains more than 300 ready-to-use training games and activities as well as a resources page offering links to tips for facilitators, ideas for instructional design, puzzles, and articles and handouts. You can also join the mailing list to receive weekly emails with new resources. We encourage you to check it out!

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Looking to Plan Your Own Training Event? Check Out This Dual Interview with First-time and Veteran Coordinators
 

As courts have tightened their budgets in recent years, Training Coordinators have been put on the hot seat to reduce travel expenses and deliver cost-effective, local training programs. Coordinators have innovatively responded to this challenge in one way by holding yearly or bi-yearly local conferences for their courts or region.  This trend has picked up in recent years, which has caused more Training Coordinators to ask: “others are doing it, why can’t we?”

 

To gain more insight into this trend, we talked with two Training Coordinators - Laura Upson of Santa Cruz County and Dyhanna Anderson of Yavapai County – who have different levels of experience in planning local conferences.  They told us about their conference, what resources were necessary and shared “words of advice”.  Here is what we learned:

 

Conference Overview

 

Laura Upson: Santa Cruz County Superior Court Administration sponsored their first county conference at the Rio Rico Resort in Nogales, AZ in October 2011, which allowed judges to attend.  Approximately ninety local court and probation staff and judges were invited and attended the free, 2-day event. The agenda included sixteen classes for judges, supervisors, and court staff.  The conference began with plenary speaker Captain Daniel Lugo, who presented DPS Mexican Drug Cartel Wars, luncheon speaker Axel Holm, who presented Historical Cases and Nogales History, an awards presentation and an opening and closing session. The Santa Cruz conference was well-received and such a great success and that they plan to hold another in the near future.

 

Dyhanna Anderson:  Yavapai County has been successfully holding annual staff conferences in June at the Prescott Courthouse for 11 years and additionally in September at the Verde Valley courthouse for the last 4 years.  They have reached more than 200 court staff at the Prescott conference and an additional 60 staff at the Verde Valley conference.  This year’s 3-day Prescott conference agenda includes 27 classes targeted for court and probation staff.  Conferences are generally theme-based with this year’s agenda focusing on three training tracks: Safety, Working and Communicating, and Well-being. There is no registration fee for participants and registration is open on a space available basis to outlying counties.

 

Resources for a Successful Event

 

Resource

Laura Upson

Dyhanna Anderson

Budget

Santa Cruz County had a budget for the conference, so we were able to hold the conference at a local resort.  We were able to cover the cost of hotel for faculty, lunches for 2 days, conference rooms, snacks and beverages.  We also purchased conference bags for attendees and faculty appreciation gifts.

Yavapai County has no budget for planning conferences.  Therefore, training coordinators rely strictly on volunteer faculty and free venues for our conferences. It is challenging at times, but doable.

Support

A planning committee worked with me to plan the local conference.  It consisted of my presiding judge, superior court administrator, chief probation officer, office manager and me.  We enlisted the assistance of the Education Services Division for guidance. Judges and court personnel were happy to assist when asked. People were very supportive.

It is important to have a support team when planning your conference.  I have support from two other local training coordinators.  We divide the workload.  One coordinator covers registration, registration brochure and all TCs work on finding faculty, developing the agenda, topics, staffing the event and training. 

Topics and Faculty

Our planning committee outlined training topics based on employee training needs and developed two tracks (judge/supervisor and general). We also gathered class ideas from other local conference brochures. I met the Education Services Division to brainstorm the agenda layout (breakouts, plenary, opening and closing sessions.) The planning committee worked together to suggest training ideas and faculty, based on their area of expertise and made the initial contact with faculty.  Faculty received a letter asking for bio, class lesson plan, learning objectives handouts, PPT and lodging.

We determined our training topics based on employee training needs and on training tracks or a program theme (Safety, Communication and Customer Service and Wellness in 2012).  In 2011, we developed classes around the theme “Who are they and what do they do?” Classes focused on agencies who work directly with the court.

We secure our volunteer faculty within Yavapai Superior Court, other court agencies or within our local community.

Venue and Equipment

This was our first conference and we wanted something special to kick off the event so it was held at a local resort/conference center. The advantage to holding it there was flexibility with room setup vs. courtroom theatre style seating.  We also had enough space to hold lunch, and a plenary/lunch session with a general speaker. We may consider using our courthouse rooms for the next conference, since it is more convenient to court staff and cost effective. We used our court’s equipment and borrowed from faculty.

Due to our budget our conferences are held at the Yavapai County Superior courthouse in the jury assembly rooms, courtrooms and jury rooms and also at the Verde Valley courthouse. These venues are free.  We use our own equipment (laptops, projectors), and borrow from other County IT, if needed.

Time and

Preparation

It took us approximately 6 months to plan the local conference and handle all logistics (agenda, faculty, conference center logistics, registration, materials and gift give a ways).

Give yourself ample time (at least 4 months) to plan a conference.  You will need time to plan the agenda, recruit faculty and gather materials.

Organization and Tracking

We used a checklist provided by Education Services to identify and keep track of completed conference planning tasks. (See link to checklist in Resource Roundup.)

 

 

 

 

 

Advice For Anyone Who Wants To Develop A Local Conference

 

Laura Upson, Santa Cruz County

·         You need a good support system.  Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Enlist people in your court to help with planning, tasks and special projects.

·         Keep classes more general to involve more attendees.

·         Develop classes for judges/supervisors and invite judges to your local conferences when convenient.  

 

Dyhanna Anderson, Yavapai County

·         Talk to someone who has already planned and executed a local conference. For ideas, see the article "The Heat is On for Judicial Staff Education and Training in June".

·         Give yourself ample time to prepare and get support and resources needed.

·         Organization and timeliness are key to success.

·         Work with a team to make contacts, do registration and handle logistics.

 

Want to know more about planning a local training conference? Contact us at [email protected].

 
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