National Teach Ag Day Celebration

To celebrate the past, present, and future agriculture educators a group of students passionate about teaching agriculture came together on September 20, 2018, to celebrate National Teach Ag Day. The Department of Agricultural and Extension Education hosted an afterparty event that shared with student’s fun ways to implement Virtual Reality into the classroom. In addition to the 16 attendees from the University of Idaho, students from Oregon State University, Penn State University, and Kansas State University joined the fun via conference calls. Needless to say, the event was a hit!

The event was split into two parts. The first was an interactive lesson from a Doceo Center intern, Farahan, about virtual reality glasses and using google maps in the classroom. Google glasses were provided to all participants so they could learn firsthand the benefits of such technology. In the second part, students heard from Alan Willmore, Jerome High School agriculture teacher, on how he uses virtual reality as a learning tool in his classroom. “We hope they can use this to experience virtual reality teaching and learning tools in preparation to utilize similar programs in their future classrooms,” said Anna Pratt, an AEE graduate student.


Students gained valuable insights and experiences they will use in their own classrooms one day. “This was the first Teach Ag Day event I attended, and it really opened my eyes to opportunities within the classroom,” said Makenna Ellinghaus a junior Ag Ed student, “Virtual reality was never something I even considered using in my classroom but may make a part into my future into my future classroom. It was awesome seeing how you could take students on a virtual tour of something you may never have the opportunity before to do so.”

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

CALS Ireland Study Abroad 2018

From Dublin to Dairies CALS students and faculty toured one of Ireland's agriculture research centers We were at the foot of a castle. Perched on a tall hill, impenetrable walls enclosed a millenium old round tower, cathedral, and chapel. The exposed rock of the castle was mottled and weathered, splotched with white lichen and hardy moss. After a stormy day, swirls of heavy clouds shed curtains of windblown mist across the landscape. Wind and rain lashed around us, but the castle remained still, unmoving, as if part of the earth itself.   “For those who are not faint-hearted” Dr. Ahmadzadeh called, “There is a striking view on the other side.” He pointed to a narrow, water bogged trail weaving around the sharply slanted hill. The ground had withstood hours of pouring rain, and was now saturated and unstable, shifting precariously under our feet. Undaunted, all eight students quickly fell in step behind him. We treaded through the long grass, stepping o...
Read more

Writing Toolbox

Using a Readability Scale  How easy-to-read is your writing? Whether you are designing a lesson plan or penning an article, communicating the complexity of agriculture can be challenging. One way to note the “readability” of a document is by using the Flesh Kincaid Readability Test, which is available through Microsoft Word. The scale assesses the reading ease of your document and indicates the appropriate grade level to read the paper. It takes into account sentence structure, syllables, word length, and vocabulary. With this in mind, as the author you can more accurately tailor your work to best suit the age of your audience. To access the readability statistics, go to Tools, Spelling & Grammar, 1 Click the File tab, and then click Options . 2 Click Proofing . 3 Under When correcting spelling and grammar in Word, make sure the Check grammar with spelling check box is selected. 4 Select Show readability statistics . Once the spell...
Read more

Student Spotlight: Sydney Anderson

Sydney Anderson is a senior studying ASCL in Twin Falls. Growing up in Nampa, Anderson was involved in agriculture in various ways. Her parents enrolled her in 4-H after getting a horse for her older sister and her to share; she continued to do 4-H for 12 years. Anderson got involved in the National FFA Organization because of her grandfather, who was President of the North Miami Chapter in Florida at the time. Her passion for leadership, serving others, and advocating for agriculture grew from then on.  “I chose to study ASCL because of the luxury of distance learning while having the ability to experience all the possible opportunities in the Magic Valley,” Anderson says. She believes that teaching individuals about agriculture and the impact it has on the world is extremely important. Anderson loves public speaking and coordinating events, so studying ASCL has helped her continue to learn about and keep an interest in a future career relating to these passions.  Anderson se...
Read more