COOPERATIVE EXTENSION EMBRACING TECHNOLOGY

Penn State Cooperative agent Cathy Straub works in her office in the Cameron County Courthouse.

Penn State Cooperative Extension has changed with the times, as evidenced by the recent Technology Camp attended by educators from Potter, Cameron, Elk and McKean counties.

Purpose of the session was to help Extension educators in their mission to provide useful, practical, and research-based information to clients, who include agricultural producers, small business owners, youth, community leaders and consumers.

"As the saying goes, it's not your grandfather's Cooperative Extension any more," said Robin Kuleck, Extension educator in Cameron/Elk Counties.

"While each county office offers services such as soil test kits, insect identification, and 4-H/Youth Development opportunities, no longer will you find an Agriculture, Home Economics, and 4-H Agent staffing each location," Kuleck pointed out. "You are more likely to encounter one or more educators whose specialized knowledge is shared through programs provided across a multi-county area."

Increasingly Extension educators rely on technology, which made the two-day camp a timely opportunity.

Many of the educators in the region are already using modern technology to extend their reach. For example, Jim Clark, McKean County, is part of a statewide team using a website to provide an online pond management course that has helped owners in Pennsylvania and three other states.

Tom Butzler, Clinton County, produces horticulture podcasts. Kuleck has a personal financial management blog and is working on a "wiki" that will house information about human service agencies for the fourcounty area.

Soon a new website will launch at extension.org, linking users with resources from across the nation's Cooperative Extension system.