Day one of the NETC conference is over. So far it has been an interesting conference. I’m enjoying the networking and have attended several good sessions. Here are some tidbits from the day.
A good opening session that allowed brief remarks by Larry Arrington, Dean for Extension, University of Florida /IFAS. Dean Arrington had two really interesting points. First, he commented that he used to feel like Extension in Florida was keeping ahead of their clientele with technology. Not so anymore – it is almost impossible to do so. But, he also announced a new UF Extension webpage called “solutions for your life” that goes online in the next week or so. His description sounds exciting and I’m looking forward to finding out more about it.
Dan Cotton also gave an overview of eXtension. 2005 was the forming year for eXension, 2006 is the year to build up the content and populate the site, and 2007 is scheduled for the formal unveiling to the public. The activity level really seems to be cranking up and several sessions at the conference are devoted to eXtension topics.
I attended two interesting sessions in the afternoon. Anne Adrian from Auburn gave an interesting paper on the decision making process for adopting new technologies. She borrows research from the medical and psychological fields that focus on the steps people go through to seek treatment. It also led me to a discussion with Bruce Emmons from NC State about his past dissertation work on computer anxiety and communication styles. More to add to the reading pile.
Finally, the last session I attended had several interesting points on distance learning and education. Howard Beck from Florida and Kathy Wright from Kansas State discussed a current program using streaming video and audio. The big value for me was in the discussions on concept mapping and educational design. Kathy also introduced some concepts from a book by Clark and Mayer that I need to get my hands on.
A very productive and worthwhile first day! More updates as the conference moves along.
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1 Trends and Issues in Extension » Blog Archive » 2007 NETC & ACE // Aug 21, 2006 at 1:05 pm
[...] NETC (National Extension Technology Conference) conference in Florida (see the posts here, here, here, here and here). Next year’s conference is held jointly with ACE (Association for Communication Excellence in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Life and Human Sciences) in Albuquerque, NM on June 15-19. I strongly recommend the NETC tracks to anyone interested in current and future technology uses and applications in Extension. I’ve never attended ACE, but would love to see an agenda. The conference site is up and running. Be sure to see the video podcast about the conference. Session and track information has not yet been posted. [...]
2 Trends and Issues in Extension » NETC's Coming Soon! // Apr 9, 2008 at 11:39 am
[...] the conference nears. I also hope to post a bit more during the conference like I did in 2006 (see here, here, here, here, and [...]
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