Core Leadership
Jamie Seger – The Ohio State University
Leader, Community Design – eXtension Educational Technology Learning Network
Educational Technology Program Director – Ohio State University Extension
I believe in stretching ourselves as Extension professionals and community leaders in order to continuously improve our methods of outreach and engagement. I also believe we are stronger together than we are apart. The EdTechLN has shattered once seemingly impermeable geographic, generational, and systemic barriers. It has made the rapid spread of good ideas and examples of technological integration possible. Of course, it has also brought like-minded individuals together to create and inspire change in a traditionally slow-to-change organization. These are the hallmarks of innovation; a topic I love studying and applying to my work in Ohio, as well as the Learning Network. I’m also pretty passionate about strategic collaboration and designing the best opportunities for us all to think more creatively and work differently.
Learn more about my Ed Tech work in Ohio here or follow me on .
Paul Hill – Utah State University
Leader, Community Strategy – eXtension Educational Technology Learning Network
I love studying about the future and utilizing new technology, maybe because I grew up reading and watching science fiction – wishing to one day become a space explorer like Captain Kirk. While I look forward to the discovery of warp speed, I’m fulfilled by being the funnest husband, father, and 4-H leader I can be. I absolutely love organizing rich learning experiences for ambitious 4-H youth alongside caring adult leaders.
I’m fascinated by the way we learn and how social media is changing the world. I love doing things that make me feel uncomfortable because that’s how I know I’m growing. I believe in challenging the status quo and by working so differently that people are convinced I’m from another planet.
Currently, I’m an Extension Associate Professor for Utah State University Extension in Washington County. I believe in working openly so I and blog often.
Jerold Thomas – The Ohio State University
I am the Leader for Innovation and Change for Ohio State University Extension. Previously I’ve been the Director of the OSU Extension Center at Lima, a District and Regional Director, District Specialist and County Extension Agent. Prior to that I was a regional planner in Defiance, Ohio. My specialization areas include technology literacy, future studies and organizational development, and local economic development. I blog about future trends affecting Extension and Outreach at: extensiontrends.ag.ohio-state.edu.
Guiding Committee
Bradd Anderson – University of Missouri
I love emerging technologies, especially when they’re used to bring people together. With an eye on the grinders and close work with Generation Z, I’ve come to believe that our human relationships are what give meaning to it all.
Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica inspired me from childhood to be an early adaptor of technology. The 300 baud modem on my Commodore VIC-20 was hardwired into my parent’s rotary phone, and it didn’t dial itself…We’ve come a long way, baby.
As a State 4-H Youth Development Specialist, I help youth develop into leaders and communicators. They are growing up in a world deeply integrated with technology, much of it invisible, and they care deeply about our world. In my state, I coordinate Missouri’s State 4-H Council, social media team, and events that build competencies in leadership and communication. Beyond those borders I serve on the ECOP innovation task force and the Horizon Project Cooperative Extension Panel of Experts. I also produce the national FilmFest 4-H, which strives to help youth connect their imaginations with technology to become producers — not just consumers — of digital media.
Jeff Hino – Oregon State University
As the Learning Technology Leader for Oregon State University Extension Service, I pride myself in being able to “feel the pain” as I lead others into the myriad ways that technology can assist in teaching, learning and engagement. I consider myself a digital strategist, analyzing the fast-changing arrival of new disruptive technologies, and adapting those with promise to help navigate Extension into a position of broader impact in this, the Learning Age. Other passions include video production, international work, and playing blues slide guitar.
Eric Stafne – Mississippi State University
I am an Extension and research specialist for fruit crops. Technology is something that Extension desperately needs to remain relevant in today’s society. From 2009-2014 I was the project director of the eXtension Grape Community of Practice. That work led me to an interest in evaluation and metrics that help to validate the creation and proliferation of digital information in academia. I keep a blog at msfruitextension.wordpress.com and my Twitter handle is
Barbara Chamberlin – New Mexico State University
I love games and technology, and I believe in their power for learning. More than that, I believe in Extension and our grass roots approach to helping real people solve real problems (and technology can be a crucial part of that).
I’m the Extension Educational Technology Specialist at New Mexico State University’s Learning Games Lab, where we develop educational games, websites, videos, animations and tools. My research emphasis is in user testing and development of tools. The Media Productions department at NMSU is funded by Extension, and by grants and contracts with partners around the world. On Twitter, she shares info about game related research and design as @, and technology and extension tools as @.
Amanda Christensen – Utah State University
I’m an Extension Associate Professor at Utah State University. Personal finance is my passion. I love sharing Extension resources and experiences via social media and online Extension programming including webinars, YouTube videos and podcasts. I cover both Family & Consumer Sciences and 4-H Youth Development programs in Morgan County. I am passionate about reaching and connecting with a new generation of Extension workers through non-traditional methods. My Twitter handle is .
Daphne Richards – Texas A&M University
As a County Extension Agent with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, my primary responsibilities are related to horticulture. I train and manage a group of over 200 Master Gardener volunteers and provide information and educational programs for homeowners, youth, green-industry professionals, and small-scale food producers. I began my Extension career in El Paso, Texas, in 2000, and moved to Travis County (Austin), in 2009. One of my favorite things about working for Extension is the opportunity to share my love of trees, flowers, and all things green and growing with my community. I’ve written for newspapers and magazines, hosted my own radio program, and been involved in various television gardening shows. But with advances in technology and the increased use of social media and other virtual methods of communication and community engagement, I can now connect with a whole new world of people! After joining Twitter in 2009, I discovered very quickly that I have a passion for all things EdTech. I love nothing better than assisting my colleagues when they decide to start exploring new ways of working, and connecting with my peers from across the nation that are working differently in Extension.
Bob Bertsch – North Dakota State University
Danae Wolfe – The Ohio State University
I work as an Educational Technology Specialist with The Ohio State University Extension where I help foster positive relationships between Extension staff and technology. From workshops to one-on-one coaching, I help nurture people’s skills and comfort with a variety of technological tools including: social media, e-newsletters, blogging and video production. I believe that effective use of technology can help Extension deepen impact and relationships within our communities. Follow me on Twitter at .
March 2, 2017
Howdy EdtechLN leaders,
We corresponded about a Technology Catalog idea in past. Sort of a one stop place for Extension Educators to look up gadgets, apps and other tech stuff and see how they are being used. The idea surfaced a couple of years ago at a Southern Region Extension Leaders brainstorming exercise.
I got off on a on side track, working with Larry Lippke to adapt the idea to the catalog.extension.org effort. One of our goals was to use an eXtension platform to help with visibility and to market eXtension services. While that seemed like a good fit, the short story is the mechanics don’t work. The eXtension Catalog is a Moodle LMS instance it got complicated to implement. Ease of use, both to read and to contribute is major goal, so Wiki or BLOG approach fits better. But going out on our own would be counterproductive since the EdTechLN community already has a great website with a BLOG going that includes the “Tech Tool:” articles. Pretty much along the same lines.
So we’re back looking to partner with the EdTechLN community, adding Tech Tool articles and promoting that to the Southern Region Extension Educators as the place to go. Approaching the project this way meets the goal of staying in tune with eXtension, adds to the EdTech site, incorporates more people and is national in scope. From our viewpoint it sound like win-win.
We only see one drawback. The project idea came from a roundtable discussion where a primary emphasis was on “easily” finding useful technologies and examples of their use. A real example would be Paul Hill’s article on Diigo – https://extedtechs.org/tech-tool-diigo/ That’s close to the top right now ( 3 months old), but finding it in a year could be tough. BLOGS are like that. It might be possible to develop a strategy to add a category or a menu or special search in some way to more easily ferret out the “Tech Tool” articles.
Please discuss our proposal. If this sounds good to you all let’s get together and discuss how we can make it happen. Our group is willing to contribute articles, help manage and review them and to promote EdTech in the Southern Region..