Are you ready to impact the world? Global Learning in Agriculture Conference 2016 (#GLAG16)

" #GLAG16 is over. Let's stay motivated to continue to make Ag Education our focus point," was one of the many tweets in the Global Learning and Agriculture Conference twitter challenge. Gaspari was a participant and presenter at the Global Learning and Agriculture Conference hosted online by the Penn State Teach Ag! Team.  The Global Learning in Agriculture Conference, GLAG for short, is a place for innovation and collaboration, and a time for educators to come together to develop global learning. This year’s conference was hosted in an online format which allowed stakeholders from all over the country and world to share their experiences in global learning.  

Megan Miller and Pat Henne, Agriculture Teachers
from Michigan were 2 of the presenters at #GLAG16

A virtual conference?  How does that work, and how is it engaging?  From presentations pertaining to taking high school students on an immersion experience abroad, to learning how to bring the World to our classrooms, the day was packed with intriguing topics, including a keynote address. Dr. Caitlin Haugen, an Education Program Specialist with the Peace Corps shared her expertise on “Curating Partnerships in Developing Global Competence: The task of  21st Century K-20 Educators”  delivered by Dr.  Caitlin Haugen, an Education Program Specialist with the Peace Corps.

"Conference in a Box"
"Thank you" to all our
vendors!

The day didn’t stop there, throughout the presentations all of the participants could participate in questions posted by presenters as well as enjoy their "Conference in a Box" sent ahead of time.  Participants didn’t have to worry about not having someone to share their ideas or ‘light-bulb’ moments with, over 370 tweets were shared before, during and after the conference to keep the conversation rolling.  Check out the archived conversation is archived conversation here: #GLAG16.  

Top 5 Resources:

1. Mapping the Nation: A perfect resource to show your students how global your state is!

2. Test your Hunger Knowledge: Find out your hunger knowledge, more about your personality and how YOU can fight hunger. 

3. VIF International Education: Develop yourself as a Global Educator and learn how to continue globalizing yourself and your classroom in an online format. 

4. Experiential Tools:  This website and resources are perfect for reflection practices while traveling abroad with students. 

5. Peace Corps World Wise Schools: World Wise Schools promotes global learning and allows teachers to connect with return or current Peace Corps Volunteers.  Dr. Caitlin Haugen,  Education Program Specialist for the Peace Corps and keynote speaker at the Global Learning and Agriculture Conference, spoke very highly of this program!

Top 5 Tweets:

#GLAG16 kicks off in just 24 hours!! Have you seen all of the sneak peeks from our presenters yet? Check them out! https://t.co/TtwfTC0afW

— Global Teach Ag (@globalteachag) January 7, 2016

@HeinertSeth Would be awesome if chapters/teams could earn xtra points for connecting their Ag Issue to a Global Issue? @skvincent1? #GLAG16

— Daniel D. Foster (@FosterDanielD) January 8, 2016

"It's not the same in every country, and it shouldn't be" @4H @kirkastroth I love this acknowledgement. #contextmatters #GLAG16

— Paige Castellanos (@paigec_psu) January 8, 2016

"Global competence is thinking beyond your own 'filter'" #GLAG16 Fantastic statement

— Blaze Currie (@BlazeCurrie) January 8, 2016

LOVE the idea of 4-H and FFA working TOGETHER #GLAG16 let's expand our reach for international experiences @4H @NationalFFA

— Sarabeth Royer (@sb_royer) January 8, 2016

To learn more about starting on the path to having a career that makes a positive impact on the lives of students across the globe by becoming an agricultural educator, please contact the agricultural teacher education program at teachag@psu.edu. Follow us on Twitter at TeachAgPSU, on Facebook, or on our blog. 

Kayla Hack

Student Blogger

Twitter Handle: @hackkayla

2017 Agriculture Education Student Teacher

Congratulations to Dr. Laura Rice: Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching

The Paul R. and Joan M. Shellenberger Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching is a huge honor for any teacher here on the Penn State Campus. This award recognizes full time instructors who exhibit excellence in undergraduate teaching and contribute significantly to the education of undergraduate students. We are fortunate enough to have the recipient of this award, Dr. Laura Rice, be in the Agriculture Education and Extension Department who not only teaches undergraduate freshman in the Ag Education 100 level class, but a professor who works one on one with student teacher candidates their senior year and sends them off to go teach!

 To be considered for this award, Dr. Rice was nominated by the staff that is in the Agriculture Extension and Education department. Her nomination packet had to include a letter stating why she should receive the award, a reflective statement about her teaching philosophy, proof and measures of her teaching effectiveness, a list of service to the students and the teaching profession, and ways that she has developed her professional development over the time at Penn State. You could not have picked a better award that would recognize all of Dr. Rice’s accomplishments she has made here!

Dr. Rice states, “I like being a part of our student’s agriculture education journey and igniting their passion for why they want to teach agriculture. It is an awesome feeling seeing the end result, watching our student teachers grow, and seeing the light bulb moment go off.”

Dr. Rice, congratulations on your award and all of your accomplishments! We can’t wait to see what other impacts you make at Penn State and the agriculture community!

To learn more about starting on the path to having a career that makes a positive impact on the lives of students across the globe by becoming an agricultural educator, please contact the agricultural teacher education program at teachag@psu.edu. Follow us on Twitter at TeachAgPSU, on Facebook, or on our blog.

That’s a Wrap!: ATA Initiation and Teach Ag! Society End of Year Celebration

End of semester celebrations are always a great time to reflect about the school year, see friends and peers before the winter break, and of course show off some holiday spirit to ring in the holiday season! At our last Teach Ag! meeting, there were several events that happened including ATA Initiation, a newly elected officer was announced, and a White Elephant Party that the whole organization took part in! 

Beginning with the Alpha Tau Alpha Initiation, the Eta Chapter of Penn State invited seven new members into the organization. These students have a GPA of over 3.0 and are in the Agriculture Extension and Education Major.  These proud new members of ATA are pictured below! 

Pictured from left to right here are your new Eta Chapter ATA Members:

Miranda Kane, Junior

Danielle Johnson. Junior 

Evelyn Zaleski, Junior 

Matt Holt, Senior

Mike Swartwood, Senior 

Jenna Timmons, Senior 

Kayla Hack, Junior 

After the initiation of these members, the crowd moved upstairs in Ferguson Building for the Teach Ag! Society Meeting to find out the new officer team and have a great time playing the White Elephant Christmas Game! 

 Without further ado, here are your 2016 Teach Ag! Society officers:

Pictured from left to right: 

Bottom row: Nate Repetz, George Dietrich, Matt Wagner

Top Row: Victoria Herr, Heather Wasson, Miranda Kane, Kayla Hack, Rose Cowan 

Your 2016 Team:

President: Miranda Kane

Vice President of Program Development: Rose Cowan 

Vice President of Membership Development: Kayla Hack

Secretary: Victoria Herr

Treasurer: George Dietrich

Matt Wagner: Stakeholder Liason

Heather Wasson: Ag Student Council Rep 

Domestic Study Away Chair: Nate Reptez

Congratulations to everyone that is listed above! The 2016 class of seniors knows that this new team and newly initiated ATA members will add to the program in many ways and they will leave the woodpile higher for years to come! 

If you are interested in any of these organizations, please email Dr. Daniel Foster at teachag@psu.edu for further information! 

To learn more about starting on the path to having a career that makes a positive impact on the lives of students across the globe by becoming an agricultural educator, please contact the agricultural teacher education program at teachag@psu.edu. Follow us on Twitter at TeachAgPSU, on Facebook, or on our blog.

Olivia Murphy-Sweet
Student Blogger
Teach Ag! Avenger
Twitter Handle @OSweetMurph  

2016 Agricultural Education Student Teacher 

Student of the Month: Katie Andrews #psuaged16 #studentsuccess

Every month we like to highlight students that have gone above and beyond in the Agriculture Education department! For the month of November, that student is our sporty cohort member Katie Andrews.

Katie is a senior this year and is minoring in International Agriculture and Agriculture Business Management. Katie has had an interesting story regarding her time at here at PSU! Not only was she a sports hero and played for Penn State Women’s Field Hockey, she used continued towards her goal of getting her Agricultural Extension and Education degree. She states, “Penn State has instilled in me pride, tradition, honor, and excellence that I will continue to incorporate into my future career. These four characteristics were role-modeled and lived out by the professors, coaches, peers, and administration I worked with daily. As an agricultural educator, I want to be a role model for students and establish an agriculture program that is swarming with students carrying pride, tradition, honor, and excellence. Pursuing a degree in Agriculture Education was my goal since day 1 of freshmen year. Preparing agriculturally aware and competent students with 21st skills to be successful in anything they decide to do is my passion. Penn State has provided me with endless opportunities to maximize my skills and knowledge and I am excited to provide the same opportunities for students.”

On top of all of that, Katie is the Collegiate FFA Secretary, Teach Ag! Society Treasurer, Teach Ag! Avenger, a member of Coaly Society, involved with the Athletic Director’s Leadership Institute, and lastly is a Spirituous Lioneous.

Katie is a great student and has  done a lot for the Agriculture College! Congratulations Katie for being November’s Student of the Month!

Want to know some fun facts about Katie? Check them out below!

 

Hometown: Lancaster, PA

Favorite PSU Class: AGBM 338

Favorite place to eat in State College: Otto’s

Favorite Penn State Athletic Team: Field Hockey

Favorite Hangout on Campus: 4^th Floor of the HUB

If you would like to read more about Katie and her preparation for student teaching, check out her blog at: http://kickinwithkatie.blogspot.com/  

To learn more about starting on the path to having a career that makes a positive impact on the lives of students across the globe by becoming an agricultural educator, please contact the agricultural teacher education program at teachag@psu.edu. Follow us on Twitter at TeachAgPSU, on Facebook, or on our blog.

Check in with Global Teach Ag Intern Victoria Herr! #TeachAg #GLAG15

As students across campus begin making plans for the coming fall break, members of the Penn State Global Teach Ag! Initiative have already been gearing up for winter break and the special event that will take place just before the start of the spring semester. This event will be packed with educational and engaging opportunities related to global learning in agricultural that can all be enjoyed via internet in the comfort of your own home!

The 2016 Global Learning in Agriculture Conference, or GLAG, is slated to take place on Friday, January 8th, from 1-5 PM and is sure to get your new year off to a great start! 

The conference will include breakout sessions on the best practices for globalizing student learning, a vendor fair where you can virtually communicate with programs and businesses, and a poster session filled with great information. Plus, there will be a live keynote on global competence presented by Dr. Caitlin Haugen, an Education Program Specialist with the Peace Corps, and an ‘after party’ at the conclusion of the conference to ask Dr. Haugen questions and dig deeper into global learning! And of course, no conference would be complete without door prizes which will be awarded before, during, and after the event.

Attending the Global Learning in Agriculture Conference is so simple and is a great learning opportunity for current or future agricultural educators, vendors and stakeholders in global learning, and anyone who has an interest in increasing their global competency! The registration fee for GLAG is just $30 and the limited spots are filling quickly! To find out more or to register head to http://aese.psu.edu/teachag/global/global-learning-in-agriculture-conference. Make sure you register by December 1st to qualify for your free “Conference in a Box”! This mystery gift will include all sorts of swag, and possibly snacks, to enhance your GLAG experience, and is only available to participants who register before the December 1st deadline!!

As the members of the Penn State Global Teach Ag! Initiative continue to plan this amazing conference we hope that you will take the opportunity to get involved!

To learn more about starting on the path to having a career that makes a positive impact on the lives of students across the globe by becoming an agricultural educator, please contact the agricultural teacher education program at teachag@psu.edu. Follow us on Twitter at TeachAgPSU, on Facebook, or on our blog.

Victoria Herr

2019 Student Teacher Candidate 

@VHerrrrrrr

Calling all Penn State Teach Ag! Avengers! #PSUavengers

2014 Teach Ag! Avengers (left to right)
Olivia Murphy-Sweet, Janae Herr, Deanna Miller, Laura Metrick, Rea Ianson
Rachel Telesz, Howard Poole 

In a world troubled by a national shortage of agriculture educators and the people searching for hero’s to educate them about agriculture, there is only one group that can save the day. One group that is selfless in their acts of helping others understand agriculture education, noble in sticking up and defending why agriculture is important, and cunningly clever in their innovative ideas and perspectives that they bring to the table. That group is the Penn State Teach Ag! Avengers!

With the ending of a term, new Avengers are interviewed to be selected to serve a year engaging students to join the agriculture education major and to serve as a “face” for the Penn State Agricultural Education Teacher Education program at State and National Agricultural Functions.

How can you become an Avenger you may be thinking to yourself? That’s easy! 

To be eligible for this position you need to be a student majoring in Agriculture Education at ANY Penn State campus. You must hand in the following before December 4^th, 2015:

     - A Letter of Interest

  - Resume

    - A 750 word essay

   - A document about who you are

Also, something that is BRAND NEW this year is that all applicants will participate in a face to face interview with a panel of agricultural education colleagues (students at a commonwealth campus don’t worry! We will accommodate your schedule!) as well as give a 10 minutes presentation during the face to face interview. The topic you may wonder? “You are a Penn State Teach Ag! Avenger and you are asked to present to group of high school juniors interested in Penn State and Agriculture Education” Pretty simple right?!

Current Avenger Team (left to right):
Olivia Murphy-Sweet, Janae Herr, Nate Repetz, Danielle Johnson, Katie Andrews 

If you want to see more of the application and what else the program can do for you, check out this link for more information and to answer any questions you may have: 

 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jv6nNzGuACVDgv1cX3pkPO5zNXYwN2sJBISsmqWfmk4/edit?usp=sharing

We hope that you use your special “super power” and make an impact on students and peers lives! 

The application is LIVE and is due on Friday, December 4^th by 11:59 EST. Please send applications to Melissa Sankey, mls501@psu.edu.

 Good luck to all you future Avengers! 

To learn more about starting on the path to having a career that makes a positive impact on the lives of students across the globe by becoming an agricultural educator, please contact the agricultural teacher education program at teachag@psu.edu. Follow us on Twitter at TeachAgPSU, on Facebook, or on our blog.

Olivia Murphy-Sweet
Student Blogger
Teach Ag! Avenger
Twitter Handle @OSweetMurph  

2016 Agricultural Education Student Teacher 

Outstanding Early Career Agricultural Educator Award: Dr. Daniel Foster #teachag

The Pennsylvania State University prides itself on being a leader in academics preparing its students for a successful career upon graduation.  Having this reputation, it comes as no surprise staff members go above and beyond for their students to prepare them for their future. In the Agricultural and Extension Education Program, we are fortunate to have Dr. Daniel Foster, Assistant Professor and Student Teacher Coordinator.  Dr. Foster has been recognized as the AAAE North-Central Region Outstanding Early Career Agricultural Educator Award.

The American Association for Agricultural Education (AAAE) recognizes annually an individual who is in the early stage of a university career in agricultural education to recognize contributions to the profession and encourage others in the profession to emulate the achievements of those recognized. Dr. John Ewing and Dr. Laura Rice co-nominated Dr. Foster to be recognized on a national level for his accomplishments in the field.

In the nomination packet, there needs to be evidence relating to excellence in the following categories: Teaching (preservice and in-service), Research (personally or directed), Writings, and lastly Service whether it is professional, community, state, and or nation.  To show you just some of Dr. Foster’s achievements, please look at the following below to show you just some of his achievements.

Teaching- Dr. Foster has taught courses in pre-service teacher education for a grand total of seventeen courses. Currently Dr. Foster instructs the Methods of Teaching Agriculture and Environmental Science, Developing Youth Leadership through Organization and Program Structure course, and serves as the student teacher coordinator. He has also developed a global competency course for our students called Global School-Based Agricultural Education.  Course work included students traveling to South Korea to meet students majoring in agricultural education at Seoul National University.

Research- Dr. Foster has had the opportunity to do several research projects including: examining current levels of cognition (teacher and student) in college classrooms, and studying what is needed to develop teacher candidates to lead programs and to make our teachers and students globally competent. Since his time in the profession, Dr. Foster has had articles published in refereed journals and presented papers and posters at professionals meetings.

Service- Dr. Foster has represented Penn State on a national and global scale since joining Penn State. He encourages students daily and has even worked with the FFA and 4H organizations. Outside his work with these organizations, Dr. Foster has led training's, seminars, and workshops offered during research conferences and meetings.

Dr. Foster’s extensive hard work and dedication to the Agriculture Education major and profession makes him well-deserving of the AAAE North Central Region Outstanding Early Career Agricultural Educator this year. We are thankful for Dr. Foster who pushes us to be the best agriculture educators that we can be and we can’t wait to see what he does in the future in and out of the profession.

Congratulations to Dr. Daniel Foster! 

To learn more about starting on the path to having a career that makes a positive impact on the lives of students across the globe by becoming an agricultural educator, please contact the agricultural teacher education program at teachag@psu.edu. Follow us on Twitter at TeachAgPSU, on Facebook, or on our blog.

Olivia Murphy-Sweet
Student Blogger
Teach Ag! Avenger
Twitter Handle @OSweetMurph  

2016 Agricultural Education Student Teacher