Progress 09/01/10 to 08/31/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: A two-day tour of agricultural research, production and business sites was conducted for a group of 50 Oklahoma teachers. Ahead of the tour, three new lessons were written related to tour sites. A state-wide conference was held late in the summer with workshops conducted by teachers trained in ag literacy and round table question and answer sessions conducted by experts in various fields of agriculture. Between 450 and 500 teachers attended the conference. An evaluation/planning session was held for a core group of teachers following the tour and conference. A variety of resources, including the new lessons, were distributed to teachers participating in the tour, the conference and the planning/evaluation session. PARTICIPANTS: Participants in the project included four members of the Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom staff and volunteers from various agricultural organizations, businesses and Oklahoma State University. Organizations included the Oklahoma Beef Council, the Oklahoma Soybean Board, Oklahoma Farm Bureau, Southwest Dairy, Dairy Max, Oklahoma Pork Council, and Oklahoma Wheat Commission. Partners provided resources and expertise for the agricultural tours, the state conference and the evaluation/planning session. TARGET AUDIENCES: The target audience was Oklahoma classroom teachers, PreK-8th grade. The objective was to introduce teachers to Oklahoma agriculture and to provide resources and ideas for using knowledge gained about Oklahoma agriculture to teach core subjects to Oklahoma school students, the ultimate audience. Throughout all the training teachers were provided with resources related to Oklahoma agriculture and activities were presented to demonstrate how the information could be incorporated into the teaching of Oklahoma's core educational standards. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
Additional resources related to agricultural production and research were made available for Oklahoma teachers on the Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom website. The base of teachers equipped for advocacy and training in agricultural literacy was strengthened, with a core group of teachers taking greater ownership in Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom. The number of teachers exposed to the OAITC program was expanded through training efforts. The network of agricultural professionals committed to ag literacy efforts in Oklahoma was expanded.
Publications
- Thompson, Patricia, "Good Grapes," Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom, http://www.clover.okstate.edu/fourh/aitc/, 2011; Thompson, Patricia, "Oklahoma's Other Oil Fields," Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom, http://www.clover.okstate.edu/fourh/aitc/, 2011;"Just Peachy," Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom, http://www.clover.okstate.edu/fourh/aitc/, 2011.
|
Progress 09/01/10 to 08/31/11
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Two of three planned professional development opportunities have been completed: A Summer tour of agriscience and agribusiness venues with 50 classroom teachers, participating. Tour stops included Cimarron Valley Research Station (peaches, pecans, grains), Morrison Event Center, with presentations by commodity representatives, Head Country BBQ, Blubaugh's Angus Ranch, Silver Top Farms (sheep, vineyard), Tall Grass Prairie Preserve (bison), Hughes Ranch (wild horses), Selman Farms (pecans, peaches), Gander Way Winery, and Oklahoma Botanical Gardens. At each stop ag science business professionals were asked to discuss their jobs, including educational choices, etc. Three new lessons related to tour venues were developed and demonstrated to participants as part of the summer tour. These were used in addition to existing OAITC lessons and other resources used that were related to the tour venues. A virtual tour was conducted during the summer tour via Twitter and Facebook, with updates and photos from participants. The virtual tour was also linked to the Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom website. A state conference with over 400 participants was held right before school started in August. The conference included teacher-led workshops and question/answer sessions with experts in agriscience and agribusiness. Experts included a representative from the Noble Ag Research Foundation, Horticulture, a pecan producer, the National Farm Mom of the Year, a representative of the Oklahoma Pork Council Board, ag educators, a representative of the Producer Cooperative Oil Mill, a beef producer, a repesentative from Southwest Dairy Farmers, an agritourism representative, the state veterinarian, representatives from Made in Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Soybean Board, and Farm to You, and a plasticulture expert. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals who worked on the project included OAITC staff: Dana Bessinger, Judy Ferrell, Cheri Long and Pat Thompson. Partner organizations included Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, Oklahoma State Department of Education, Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, Oklahoma Farm Bureau, Southwest Dairy, Oklahoma Beef Council, Oklahoma Pork Council, Oklahoma Soybean Producers, The Noble Foundation, and Producer Cooperative Oil Mill. TARGET AUDIENCES: Fifty Oklahoma classroom teachers (grades PreK-8) participated in a tour of ag sites in Oklahoma over a two-day period and received first hand knowledge of agricultural production, technology and business in Oklahoma. Over 400 Oklahoma classroom teachers attended a conference and were provided hands on activities to take back to the classroom to share knowledge of Oklahoma agriculture, technology and business. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
In January, 2010, OAITC staff identified a core group of 20 teachers and met with them to plan the state conference. Members of this group participated in the summer tour and were enlisted to present workshops at the state conference. This group will meet in January for the final professional development opportunity to assist with final evaluation of the tour and conference and to help plan for future professional development opportunities. An online survey has been linked to the OAITC website to get input from visitors to the website. Results of that survey are forthcoming. A survey of tour participants was included as part of the application process and participants were asked to complete survey questions related to tour stops at the end of each day. Survey results are forthcoming.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
|