In Their Own Words: Merging Researcher and Practitioner Voices Using Video.

In an age when YouTube videos can be viewed thousands, or millions, of times in a single day, it’s becoming increasingly clear that there are new tools with which to provide education and extension materials that are more powerful than any that have come before. While there will always be a place for fact sheets, bulletins, and handbooks, video has become an equally viable mode of information transfer to agricultural communities and those working with them. Through video storytelling, educators can share the screen with farmers and other agricultural professionals to establish credibility with producers, ground their research and work in the field, and encourage productive dialogue. Research has shown again and again that producers learn from one another- we as extension educators can further facilitate those conversations with videos that bring as many voices to the table as possible, including our own. There is an inevitable learning curve involved in video production, but anyone with computer competence need not be intimidated. It’s often not technical ability that an educator lacks, but an appreciation for the efficacy and impact of the medium. This session will act as inspiration to pursue video production as part of an effective extension program and provide a road map to get even the most technophobic among us closer to creating engaging content that can reach stakeholders the world over.