SRPLN 2008 IT Accomplishment Report

2008-09-10T19:13:24Z

== SRPLN Information Technology Committee 2008 Accomplishment Report == '''Committees are asked to answer these three questions by September 15, 2008. Be brief. The goal is to limit the report to one page.''' 1. What has your committee accomplished together in the last year as a result of PLN?
* Created a resource list of social networking tools at [[Web2]] where Extension professionals can become familiar with various tools, learn about their potential uses, and select appropriate tools for adoption in program delivery and engagement. * Created a best practices document, [[IT_and_Disaster_Management|IT and Disaster Management]], which addresses disaster preparedness and information security. The document includes overarching resources that are critical to the success of disaster preparedness and recovery policies and procedures in Extension. * Began creating a professional development course on Information Security. The course combines IT security training material from Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas into a Moodle training module at [http://pdc.extension.org http://pdc.extension.org]. * Established a national virtual Extension collaborative consisting of Instructional Designers within Land Grant institutions. Conducted a national [[Instructional Design & Development]] survey of Extension faculty and staff involved in or interested in instructional design, soliciting information about distance learning tools they use, extent of involvement in distance learning, as well as ideas for establishing this collaborative. * Served as a resource to other PLN committees, creating the Accomplishment Report wiki for all committees and creating the State Report wiki for Middle Managers, Program & Staff Development, Communications and Information Technology. 2. What has your committee accomplished together that it could not have accomplished without PLN?
* All accomplishments identified in question 1 are the result of PLN collaboration. * The continuing collaborative agreement among five member states to use Centra grew specifically out of the committee discussions. * The increased adoption of the Bomgar remote desktop appliance is a direct result of committee discussions and has progressed into discussions of reciprocal back up agreements. 3. Please give a few examples of specific benefits to individual states.
* Social media is the "next frontier" in interacting with the younger generation of clientele. The Extension IT staff in several Southern Region states have been promoting these tools among agents and specialists. As each state begins integrating social media tools into program delivery, we are sharing our experiences and developing common approaches. * As Extension's reliance on information technology continues to grow, so must each state prepare for disasters that may interrupt internal operations and impact local communities. Although local situations may differ, each state benefits from the individual experiences of other states that have dealt with various disasters. * IT security is a common concern throughout Extension. As agents and specialists have become more mobile with various devices and interact more with non-Extension online resources, proper education about information security is necessary to ensure that users and information are protected. Combining training material developed in a few states will result in a comprehensive professional development course that will benefit all states. * The Instructional Design & Development survey resulted in 47 individuals from 27 states joined a mailing list (idd@lists.extension.org) to facilitate communications and exchange of ideas related to instructional design and development. The results of this survey were also shared during a session at the 2008 National Extension Technology Conference, further expanding interest in this work. * Arkansas purchased the Bomgar remote desktop appliance the year it was first discussed at PLN. The deployment of that device contributed directly to the establishment of a central help desk, significantly reducing staff and travel costs while increasing the level of support. *Kentucky also became aware of the Bomgar appliance through the PLN IT committee. It has helped us reduce travel costs, increase the number of problems resolved remotely, and increased our level of support. [[Southern_PLN-IT | SRPLN IT Committee Page]]

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SRPLN 2008 IT Accomplishment Report