More than 200 people from 40 states gathered in Research Triangle Park in April for the National Extension Technology Conference, “In the Pines,” hosted by North Carolina Cooperative Extension.

Many of the conference attendees were extension information technology workers, but some were Extension agents and specialists with an interest in learning new ways to reach the public with science-based information.

A common theme in the conference’s keynote speeches and its many breakout sessions was the concept of Web 2.0, which refers to the emergence of tools that allow everyday people to create and share things easily on the Web. Blogs, wikis, social bookmarking, social networking and virtual environments are among the tools.

There also were breakout sessions on video conferencing, technology in 4-H programs, virtual classrooms, technology training for extension educators and more.

One afternoon, participants boarded buses bound for some of the Triangle region’s innovative businesses and agencies: Red Hat, Cisco Systems, SAS Institute, WRAL-TV, Lulu.com, Underwriter Labs, ibiblio at UNC-Chapel Hill, and the Veterinary College and aquaculture fish barn at N.C. State University The Extension Information Technology unit at N.C. State organized the conference


— Dee Shore