Recap: Farm Show Ag Ed Recruitment Event

PSU Teach Ag Avenger team, faculty, and professors talking with FFA students 

Penn State Teach Ag started the new year off with a bang at the Pennsylvania in Harrisburg PA! On Monday January 7th the Penn State Teach Ag Avenger team put on a workshop for 15 high-school students interested in teaching the future of agriculture. Throughout this workshop, students had the opportunity to as questions, and learn about what it means to study agricultural and extension education, and what it’s like to be a Penn State student. Students heard from current students, faculty, and professors of the Agricultural and Extension Education program to get an inside look at the opportunities Teach Ag at Penn State has to offer. 

One of the main discussions we had with students was that every single person involved in agricultural education has their own path. Luke Kerstetter, Teach Ag Avenger and current member of #psuaged20 said this about the event "Everyone has a different story behind their interests in Agricultural Education. It may be very diverse, but we all have the same goal in mind”.

This event was also held on the same day as the Pennsylvania FFA Mid-Winter Convention where 409 Keystone Degrees were awarded, and 365 first-year members put on their blue corduroy jackets for the first time. Seeing the impact that FFA and agricultural education has on so many students certainly was moving and truly was an amazing thing to watch.

Students at Mid-Winter Convention putting on their brand new FFA jackets for the first time. 

This was also the first day of student teaching for #psuaged19. Seeing the student teachers in action was such an awesome experience. Jess Barnhart, Teach Ag Avenger, and member of #psuaged20 said “I’d like to shine a light on our student teachers at Mid-Winter Convention. They truly were immersed in all that Ag Ed is really about by having that hands-on experience with their students.”

While speaking at Mid-Winter Convention, Pennsylvania Secretary of Education Pedro Rivera said: “today’s FFA members are tomorrow’s industry and community leaders”. Here at Penn State, we are proud to play a role in helping to develop those future leaders within FFA.

Erin Langdale

Communications Team Member

Twitter: @ItsErinLangdale

Agricultural Education Student Teacher 2020

1854-2017 The History of Agriculture Education at Penn State

"WE ARE PENN STATE!" and the Penn State Football team is traditionally how The Pennsylvania State University is recognized in current years. However, the birth of Penn State is far from a chant or a football team. It would surprise many people to find out that the birth of this wonderful university started out as The Farmers' High School in 1855. This is where our story began.

1854-1899
It all began in 1854 when the Pennsylvania State Agriculture Society persuaded the General Assembly of the State Legislature to establish a school dedicated to agriculture education and teaching scientific practices in agriculture. The school was then built in 1855 on 200 acres of land given by James Irvin. Throughout the rest of the 1800's the school underwent a few name changes; 1862 the name was changed to The Agriculture College of Pennsylvania and in 1874 it was changed again to The Pennsylvania State College. Another piece of history that can not be left out is what happened in 1889. This was the year the first creamery was built on campus. This is just a brief overview of the beginning history of Penn State, and in no way the complete story.

1900-1949
Agriculture Education in high schools in the state of Pennsylvania began in 1910-1911 when the General Assembly of the Pennsylvania Legislature mandated that one year of agriculture must be taught in every rural high school. Interesting to mention that in 1910 the first agriculture course was taught. This  influenced The Pennsylvania State College, at that time, to create a four year baccalaureate degree major in the area of agriculture education which began in 1911-1912. Interestingly, Penn State had conferred their first Master of Agriculture Education in 1914 when the first bachelors degree had not been conferred. The first two bachelors degrees in agriculture education were conferred in 1915, and between 1912-1918 there were 23 students who had received their bachelors degrees in agriculture education. In 1917 federal legislation known as the Smith-Hughes Act was passed to allow vocational education to be taught in public schools. In 1935 the agriculture educators of Pennsylvania created a professional organization called The Pennsylvania Vocational Agriculture Teachers' Association which was later changed to The Pennsylvania Association of Agriculture Educators (PAAE). By the late 1940's the practice of student teaching with a faculty member supervising had become a part of the curriculum. The early stages of agriculture education were busy, and not all the information included is the full version.


1950-1999
Throughout this span of 50 years the agriculture education program at Penn State advanced in becoming more diverse and expanding their coverage of opportunities. The program had started offering international opportunities to students both coming from different countries and students traveling abroad from Penn State. Also in the 1950's, the agriculture programs in high schools were advancing their opportunities to prepare students for college instead of just educating them for a job right our of high school. In the 1960's there was a movement to provide ornamental horticulture programs in area vocational technical schools as well as creating environmental education learning at high schools. In 1967 the beginning teacher program at Penn State was developed which this program is now called The Center for Professional Personnel Development. Throughout the 1970's the program became more inclusive with the first two women receiving their degrees in agriculture education and becoming teachers in 1970 and 1972. Throughout the 1980's there was several changes of names with one of them being The Department of Agriculture Education changing to The Department of Agriculture and Extension Education.

2000-Present
Over the course of the past 17 years Penn State Agriculture and Extension Education has become more advanced in bring the best knowledge to students in major as well as training educators with the best resources. The opportunities for the students to get involved have advanced including the Penn State Teach Ag Society, studying abroad in different areas of the world, etc. The rich history of the Agriculture and Extension Education department has certainly made an impact on many lives and will continue to do so.

References
The History of The Department of Agricultural and Extension Education at The Pennsylvania State University, Summer 2005.

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.

Luke Kerstetter

Student Blogger

Twitter Handle: @lmkerstetter96

2020 Agriculture Education Student Teacher

Bringing You Along on the Quest to be a Tech Savvy Aggie…

In the spring of 2013, I set out to create a blog {E-Learn in Ag: A Quest to be Tech Savvy Aggie} to begin journaling ways of diversifying teaching techniques by integrating technology.  It began as an online notebook of sorts, but to also {hopefully} help fellow educators in their classroom.  Over the last several years, I have had the privilege of developing online curriculum and taking some post-masters courses in learning technologies.  I have learned a great deal about how effective online learning happens {and doesn’t}.  As I start this journey, I’m not sure how I feel about the title “technologist” - this implies I’m an expert in this field - but I would rather think of myself as a lifetime learner who is focusing efforts in the area of technology and to help out my fellow educators.  I am humbled and feel privileged to be asked to provide information to help my colleagues provide resources to ease the magnitude of responsibilities placed on ag teachers, find ways to be more effective educators, provide support for teacher evaluations and practically integrate technology in their classroom.  So, here we go….

After teaching for nine years in my hometown at the Juniata HS Agriculture program as a single teacher to my current role as a team member of four agriculture educators at Penn Manor High School, I have seen a wide array of differing opportunities available to educators and differences in technology utilization.  My perspective on technology is that no one technological tool will fix poor classroom pedagogy. I feel integrating technology is one more tool for your teacher toolbox.  If managed properly, it can be a way to more effectively manage time, assessments and student engagement.  In addition, I feel we must present students with as advanced technology as our districts will provide to keep them current so they are poised to be successful in future careers.  

In previous educational technology experiences, I have learned in some cases, we end up teaching the platform for the technology as opposed to effectively communicating the course content we want the student to master.  In this time period of teaching the platform (ie Moodle, Blackboard, or MindMeister), we lose them just as if we were standing in front of the room lecturing and dictating from a book with our kids slouched over in their seats daydreaming about what the coming weekend.  {Below is the visual I had of my classroom when things go wrong.}

Source:  Illustration Friday ®Charles Shultz

Through my series of blog posts, I will be covering the following general topics:

•   Easy classroom integration tools (Nearpod, Socrative, etc)
•   Why technology and SAMR Model of technology integration.
•   Google Drive and Education Tools
•   Open-Source vs iPad Technologies
•   Agriculture Apps
•   Moodle and Blackboard use in the classroom
•   Graphic design, video and using other types of media

I ask you to begin thinking about what you need help with in your classroom: “if I could only do this…it would be so much easier”.  Evaluate how you use technology in your classroom and what you would like to improve on.  In addition, I ask you to begin thinking about how social media plays a role in your agriculture program.  I would like to tailor blog posts to real-time problems and issues.

I hope what I have to offer will be of use to you in your classroom.  If you would like to see learning technology tidbits, follow me on Twitter @DGCornman.  

Yours in the Quest to be a Tech Savvy Aggie,

Diane Glock-Cornman

PSU Teach Ag! Technologist
@DGCornman