Thursday, September 18, 2014

Session 8 - What is a Philosophy?

What are you curious about?

What all do I need to make my philosophy great and achievable?

  • Time to think about what you believe about teaching and learning, and then the opportunity to implement.
Does Ag Ed have to be about FFA?
  • Agricultural Education is not just about FFA. The FFA is an integral part of the agricultural education model in formal school settings. However, there are many examples of agricultural and environmental education that occur in non-formal settings that could guide your philosophy.
The involvement of all three circles in an overall ag course.
  • Next Tuesday's class on the "Premier Delivery System" should begin to answer some of these questions.
Philosophy and what it has to do with Ag. Ed.?
  • I hope we answered this in class, but feel free to talk with me further!

What did you learn?

o   How to start writing a philosophy statement
o   How to provide examples in my philosophy statement
o   More about my personal teaching philosophy
o   As a teacher you need to be flexible in order to succeed
o   How to think about my own philosophy
o   What items should be incorporated into a philosophy
o   The key points as to why we write a philosophy 

What do you want to learn more about?

More about the ideal program... stay tuned, more in this class and then a whole lot in AEE 413!

FFA... take AEE 311

Philosophy... Check out the following related to many different philosophies... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy_of_education   I know, I know.... it is Wikipedia, but there really is some great information on this site.


Posted by at No comments:

Session 7 - Follow-up to the Amazing Race!!

What are you curious about?

  • 4H History and Background
  • How did you get the Amazing Race Idea?
    • I saw the show. Thought it would be a fun concept to allow students to take ownership and create "stops" on race.
  • How to make education fun like the Amazing Race?
    • Just have fun :)

What did you learn?

  1. Fun ways to study agricultural education
  2. Land Grant Universities
  3. A lot of dates, people, and also different games to play in my future class
  4. How to react under pressure! 
  5. Some questions are really hard for a quick game!
  6. The Ag Ed Timeline
  7. Teamwork
What do you want to learn more about?

Posted by at No comments:

Friday, September 12, 2014

Session 6 - Can't get enough History!!


Session 6 - Can't get enough History!!! 
What are you curious about?
o   How to make and design lesson plans
§  This is something that will be covered in depth in AEE 412
o   Penn State Extension
§  Check out the Penn State extension website for more details http://extension.psu.edu/
o   What are the dates for our amazing race station
§  The amazing race will take place Tuesday 9/16
o   The advantages of youth program and their effect on Juvenile Criminal Issues
o   More about the history of agricultural education
§   Amazing Race!!! It's going to be great!
o   How to get involved in cooperative extensions
§  Check out the Penn State extension website for more details http://extension.psu.edu/

o   Does serve safe certify everyone in the restaurant, and how often is it redone
o   Is extension just in the college of Ag
o   The amazing race and the stations
o   How can I prepare for the amazing race
o   What does an Ag- ed co-op do
o   How runoff water is polluted and how they developed the water fall so that polluted water doesn’t ruin the crops


What did you learn?
o   They took vacant lots and planted grassy areas that helped the community develop
o   That extension has impacted major cities throughout Pennsylvania
o   Extension in Pennsylvania reaches 1 in 2 households
o   Cooperative extension and how they benefit countless communities
o   Penn State is responsible for massive amounts of programs in Pennsylvania
o   That cooperative extension goes beyond just helping farmers


What do you want to learn more about?
o   The Penn State Extension Program and the possibilities of a future career path
o   The history of agricultural education
o   How extension programs work in communities
o   The Carl D Perkins Act
o   How cooperative extension functions
o   The revitalization of Pittsburg
o   The required hours assignment
o   More about how extension had directly impacted Pennsylvania agriculture 

Posted by at No comments:

Session 5 - More AEE History!!


AEE 100 Session 5 Follow up - How did all begin [Continued]!

To address the Ticket Outs from Session 3:

What are we curious about?
  • How much history will we focus on this semester?
    • We have two more class sessions!
  • Will the MidTerm include all of the info we read in our book?
    • Maybe, Possibly, Likely
  • AEE 100 & 311 Blogspot
    • What are you curious about? Email Ms. Rice specific questions or stop her after class.
  • More about the history of Ag Ed!
    • We have two more class sessions!
What did you learn?
  • Abe Lincoln singed the Morrill of 1862
  • There are specific people to help with the 49-2 Assignments!
  • How to get into moodle for the first time.
  • Perkin's Act = School Funding
  • Land Grant Act of 1890 established lang grants for historically black colleges and universities
  • Land Grant Act of 1994 established land grants for Native American populations
  • Old Main has a Frescoes!
  • One of the first urban ag schools was in Philly
  • It took Morrill 5 years to pass his act
  •         More about the history of agriculture
  • Squanto!

    What do you want to learn more about?

    Posted by at No comments:

    Thursday, September 4, 2014

    Session #4 - Beyond School Based Ag Ed: What are Opportunities in Environmental Education?

    Session #4 - Beyond School Based Ag Ed: What are Opportunities in Environmental Education?

    Here are the responses to your Tickets Out!

     What are we curious about?
    o   The soap making course that is offered through Shaver’s Creek
    o   The wildlife program at Shaver’s Creek
    o   Taking 1 credit workshops through Shaver’s Creek
    o   All of the opportunities that Shaver’s Creek offers
    o   How can I get into the Shaver’s Creek programs?
    o   Are there any full week camps offered at Shaver’s Creek, which are not during the academic school year?
    o   The maple harvesting class that is offered through Shaver’s Creek
    o   The opportunity to be an instructor at Shaver’s Creek
    o   How do you apply for a work-study program?
    o   What websites I can go to, in order to find out more information about the programs at Shaver’s Creek
    o   How to relate environmental education to agricultural education in the classroom?

    What did we learn?
    o   Outdoor school is a great opportunity
    o   Shaver’s Creek offers a variety of opportunities
    o   Volunteer opportunities at Shaver’s Creek
    o   I can get credits for day courses at Shaver’s Creek
    o   Being a counselor at outdoor school sounds like a great experience


    What do we want to learn more about?
    o   Courses offered through Shaver’s Creek for credits
    o   The wildlife programs at Shaver’s Creek
    o   More details about outdoor school
    o   How to get involved at Shaver’s Creek
    o   Ways to acquire resources through Shaver’s Creek for my future classroom
    o   How to become a leader at Shaver’s Creek
    o   The costs associated with Shaver’s Creek
    o   Environmental Education


         Check out: http://shaverscreek.org
    Posted by at No comments:

    Wednesday, September 3, 2014

    AEE 100 Sessions 2 and 3 - Assignments and Moodles!

    Sessions 2 and 3 - Assignments and Moodles!

    Well, sessions 2 and 3 didn't go quite as I had planned.  However, we gained a lot of valuable information and a lot of questions were answered.

    Session 2 - Assignments!

    After the first session of AEE 100 I knew there were TONS of questions regarding the assignments and expectations.  We spent the class learning about what each assignment was and how it connected to the objective of the course and how it will assist each of you on your journey to becoming an agricultural educator.

    Field Experience Hours were one assignment that raised a lot of questions.  As an education major, you are required by the state of Pennsylvania to acquire 80 hours of early field experience.  The 80 hours are to be spent observing/working with diverse and non-diverse audiences in equal portions. We assign 20 hours of that to be completed during AEE 100 to help you get a "jump start" on your total 80 hours. If you have the hours completed, just work on the 1-2 page reflection paper!  If you have partial of the 80 hours, use this class to get 20 more!

    Session 3 - MOODLES

    49-2 Mandate - Moodle Modules

    The Pennsylvania Department of Education passed the modifications to 49-2 Teacher Certification on September 22, 2007 requiring all instructional and educational specialist preparation programs to include the following by January 1, 2011 [Read More Here: 49-2 Mandate for Students with Special Needs & ELL]
    1. At least 9 credits or 270 hours regarding accommodations and adaptations for students with disabilities in an inclusive setting (instruction in literacy skills development and cognitive skill development for students with disabilities must be included); and 
    2. At least 3 credits or 90 hours regarding the instructional needs of English language learners. (22 PA Code, Chapter 49, §49.13(b) (relating to policies)).

    To achieve these mandates without increasing the course credit requirements for agricultural teacher education candidates (thus ensuring a timely graduation), the PSU TeachAG! program opted to utilize WFED 413 for 3 credits and to integrate competency based modules into existing AEE teacher preparation courses.

    Moodle Modules are integrated into the following AEE Courses:
    • AEE 100
    • AEE 295
    • AEE 311
    • AEE 412
    • AEE 413
    • AEE 495

    To assist you in completing these, there is are 49-2 Instructional Coaches who are certified teachers in ESL/ELL and Special Needs. They would LOVE to talk/assist and help you.
    1.         Dr. Marybeth Morrison, Assistant Professor, msm11@psu.edu; Keller Building 409
    2.  ·     Ms. Jennifer Nicholas, Instructor, jun149@psu.edu; Keller Building 409
    3.  ·     Ms. Debra Herman, Instructor, dxh271@psu.edu; Keller Building 409
    4.  ·     Ms. Cathy Thomas, Instructor (cmt133@psu.edu); Keller Building 303 

    To complete the PDE 49-2 mandate, course materials for select assignments will be accessed and uploaded to: http://psucteonline.mrooms2.net/. 

    You should have a student account created at the above link. The default password is moodle123+. You will have to change the password upon logging in for the first time. 

    If you have difficulty logging in, please contact Cathy Thomas (cmt133@psu.edu) or Thomas Hunt (tah258@psu.edu) 

    Good Luck!
    Posted by at No comments:

    Tuesday, August 26, 2014

    AEE 100 - First Day Fun!!

    Greetings AEE 100'ers!

    First off, I am super stoked to be teaching my very first semester of AEE 100 with all of you fine folks.  It looks like we have an eclectic group of individuals that bring a wealth of different experiences, knowledge, skills, and creativeness.  I LOVE IT!  Although I know that not all of you are aspiring to become a teacher of agricultural sciences, we are all here to learn more about being an agriculture educator in the broader sense of the word and how we can do it effectively!

    This semester is going to be FUN!  By the tickets out, I sense that some of you are overwhelmed with the materials, expectations, and assignments.  NO WORRIES! I am here to help you achieve academic success and begin a JOURNEY of great experiences in agriculture education.  The Assignment Handbook looks daunting, but believe me, the assignments are manageable and will have impact beyond this course.  Please feel free to ASK QUESTIONS and seek clarity!  Like I said, I want you ALL to do well, so don't hesitate to contact me via email or phone!! (lls203@psu.edu or 814.553.0324)

    Below you will find information that will help answer some of your questions and ease your anxiety.  I look forward to Thursday's class session!  Don't forget to watch the movie!! (http://video.vpt.org/video/1461784111/)

    MOODLES!!

    I reached out to the instructional faculty in the Workforce Education Program to assist me in providing some additional information to you.

    Jennifer Nichols provided the following information:

    "Moodle is an open-source e-learning platform, much like Angel.  Hopefully, it is user-friendly and supports students well virtually.  In my opinion, your students are likely to teach online (at least a little) in their future careers, so it's good to have exposure to multiple e-learning platforms.  None of them are perfect, but they are all works in progress and the best we can do supporting students from a distance."

    Here's more on Moodle: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moodle


    As I mentioned in class, by incorporating the Moodle Assignments into our courses, we have eliminated the stresses of having to take additional credits! Yoohoo!

    Sign on to the Moodle site: http://psucteonline.mrooms2.net/
    The assignments and descriptions are posted.  Familiarize yourself with the platform and never hesitate to get started!

    This is going to be a great semester full of opportunities to grow and stretch yourselves.  Your journey in agriculture education is going to be full of ups and downs, but know you are part of a family that are here to help you SUCCEED! We want nothing but the best for you.  

    I look forward to our future sessions and working with each of you!

    WE ARE......PENN STATE!!
    Posted by at No comments:
    Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)