eXtension is an eExtension initiative with a bold vision and now it has a USDA Secretary’s Honor Award to prove it. The Nevada News reports that Dean Karen Hinton and 24 team members accepted the award at a ceremony in Washington.
Hinton said the goal of eXtension is to be a trusted source of information for researchers and the general public alike and to minimize duplication and encourage teamwork between states. Team members attending the Washington, D.C., ceremony were honored and presented individual certificates at a luncheon hosted by the Research, Education, and Economics Mission Area and REE Undersecretary Gale Buchanan.”At the heart of eXtension is a commitment to service, understanding people’s educational needs and responding to those needs in a timely manner in technology formats of their choosing,” said Dan Cotton, eXtension director. “It’s about working collaboratively in ‘communities’ designed to produce the best the Cooperative Extension System has to offer. Receiving a USDA Secretary’s Honor Award is really an affirmation that Cooperative Extension is once again an organization of change and willing to step up and do whatever is necessary to serve the needs of the people.” source: Nevada News
eXtension has been profiled on THINKeEXTENSION before and has a clever team and great resources like this wiki of eExtension Resources underpinning it. Universities, not for profits (like Nature Conservancy) and other NGOs Landcare, Catchment Care, and Watershed Management groups are likely to lead the eExtension charge. With a few notable exceptions, most government departments (who may be the largest employers of Extensionists) seem to be having the most difficulty accepting the openness and mobility that successful Social Media and eExtension requires.
If you work in Extension for a government department who has not embraced eExtension, now is the time to agitate. To talk to management, to sneak into Internet Cafes (outside the department’s firewalls) and start creating simple eExtension content. The time is now.
What is your organisation doing about the impending eExtension demand? Let us know with a comment or video below!
Tags: eExtension, extension.org, Extension, Extension Strategy
