Mad Marsh Musings

2013 Student Teacher Britney Marsh created a professional blog and has some great entries on technology. Britney is student teaching at Greenwood High School with Ms. Krista Pontius!

Britney Marsh,
2013 St. Teacher

Mad Marsh Musings: iPad Mania: I know that technology can be a little scary and you are never sure where to start. I have an iPad and every day I find new and more effective ways to incorporate it into my curriculum. To make it a little easier for those who feel timid when approaching the iPad I have composed a list of educational FREE applications that can be downloaded to your iPad and utilized in your classroom. The list below is categorized by subject.


Good Job Britney! We are proud of you!

Follow Britney on Twitter at: @B_Marsh216

"Robobees" and Agricultural Education? Preparing for cutting edge agriscience classroom!

Robobees being developed at Harvard.

The other day I was surfing the internet when I stumbled upon an article about what are called "Robobees".  After doing some more research I found out that Harvard's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences is working to develop a robotic bee that will essentially be able to do almost everything a bee does and more!  Part of the reason behind this is the effects of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) that has been occurring in bee colonies dramatically affecting their populations.  This issue not only involves flowers or simply the pollination of wild plants.  It deals with agricultural practices as well.  These bees will not only pollinate; they will be able to track weather, provide surveillance, among other tasks.  They will even work in colonies just like the real deal!



What does this have to do with agricultural education you may ask?  Education is always changing due to improvements in technology, challenges in the real world, and the development of new careers.  It is always important to stay on top of what is new and current.  One day we may be teaching our kids on the operation of robotic bees instead studying how real bee colonies interact.  Years ago you would not have been able to find an mp3 player in a school.  Now there are classrooms where every single student has an iPad just for school.  Likewise, teachers are utilizing the internet and social media to teach their lessons.

As future teachers we need to be aware of these ever changing technologies and how they can be incorporated into the classroom.  Check out the blog in the next couple of weeks for more posts on specific, current technologies that are being used in the classroom! Feel free to respond to this blog post with ideas you would like to share! How do you (or did your ag teacher) incorporate cutting edge technology?

To learn more about starting on the path to having a career that makes 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 @TeachAgPSU, or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PSUTeachAg.

By: Matthew Dodson, 

Student Blogger

2013 Teach Ag Avenger

2016 Student Teacher Candidate

AEE Major Olivia Murphy-Sweet Has a Passion to Help Students Reach Their Full Potential!

Days of Service at National FFA Convention.

My name is Olivia Murphy-Sweet and I am currently attending Penn State Mont Alto. I am an Agriculture and Extension Education Major and am hoping to transfer up to University Park in the fall.

Growing up, I didn’t live on a farm; I didn’t own animals and I certainly did not know a lot about agriculture. All I knew was that I loved food and thought that cows were cute. When I started high school in my sophomore year I learned about the amazing opportunities in FFA that were offered. I was honestly scared out of my mind when I walked into that first FFA Leadership Class my sophomore year. I was out of my comfort zone but was ready to see what this whole “Ag” thing was about. During that class amazing things happened. I made new friends, signed up to go on a trip and also got to meet my FFA advisor, Mr. Mike Woods. I walked out of there feeling a sense of home and belonging on that very first day. After that, everything went uphill. My high school experience wouldn’t have been the same if it wasn’t for FFA or the Agriculture classes offered in my school.

"The reasons I want to be an Agriculture Education teacher is because of my drive for helping students understand not only what agriculture is, but helping students learn to reach their full potential." 

Receiving my Keystone Degree at the PA FFA
Mid-Winter Convention.

The reasons I want to be an Agriculture Education teacher is because of my drive for helping students understand not only what agriculture is, but helping students learn to reach their full potential. I want to have an Ag room where my students feel comfortable and have a sense of belonging. I want to have my students walking into class excited to learn and walk out of my class smiling because I have made their day just a little bit better than it was before. Agriculture isn’t just about farming or animals, it’s about hard work and determination to get the job done.

To learn more about starting on the path to having a career that makes 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 @TeachAgPSU, or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PSUTeachAg.

By: Olivia Murphy-Sweet

AEE Major/PSU Mont Alto

Student Blogger

2016 Student Teacher Candidate