Agriculture Information Technology

Advisory Group (AITAG)

Ag IT Advisory Group – June 23, 2006
2007-09 Ag IT Plan Brainstorming Videoconference

Carrington – Vern Anderson
NDSU – Les Backer, Christina Hargiss, Marty Hoag (for Rosi Kloberdanz), Les Backer, Becky Koch
Langdon – Randy Mehlhoff
Grand Forks – Margaret Tweten
Emmons County – Joe Kramer
Valley City – Randy Grueneich

Gordy Bradbury wasn’t available. Melanie Ziegler has resigned from the Extension district director’s office, so we’ve asked D.C. Coston to name a new on-campus support staff.

Randy asked AITAG to check the hardware and software baselines, and we’ll discuss this next meeting.

Use the aitag@ndsuext.nodak.edu e-mail list until Blackboard is working.

Becky led a brainstorming discussion for information needed for the state IT Plan for the entities under Agriculture and University Extension.

What is included in IT? Hardware, printers, software, videoconferencing, smart phone, digital projectors, digital and video cameras, distance education, CDs and DVDs, e-mail, Web, GPS

Why IT important for AES, Extension, RECs, Agronomy Farm, NCI? Helps us distribute our information quickly, makes info available, time and dollar efficiency, share info with consumers and peers/collaborators

Brainstorming:

Work station – less spam, two screens to have more applications open, laptops for portability, robust systems that take hot/cold/dust, need hot sync to download notes, voice over IP

Mobile work – everyone needs flash drives, robust systems, need converters to plug in, need wireless connectivity

Teaching – on campus and distance – don’t do since not AES
Use more Ag Consortium VC sites for distance ed

Research – image analysis, wireless monitoring

Extension/Outreach – webcasting, voice over IP, GPS guidance, podcasting – probably not, content management system, better Web search functions and design

Training – WebEx, Breeze through eXtension, SmartBoards, video streaming

Cost and time effectiveness – videoconference meetings, send digital photos, remote computer support, remote automatic backups, systems (help desk) that support efficiency

Unified messaging – single source of access to e-mail, phone, etc. example: TREO

AITAG members provided the information above then reviewed and edited goals from the last biennium. Becky will use this information to draft the new IT Plan goals and share the draft with AITAG members before submission.

The next AITAG meeting will be in August.

Notes submitted by Becky Koch

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