Session 21- SAE Exploration

We had a great class on Thursday with Dr. Hanagriff. Dr. Hanagriff explained SAE in depth and gave valuable resources for future SAE experiences. Thank you all for a great class!

What are you curious about?

• Are there any reformations in plan for SAE? 
• Yesterday during class it was mentioned that the record book contests are in need of change in order to encompass more student projects. 
• SAE Implementation
• If you are referring to the SAE Implementation Guide, contact Janae Bickhart for more help. As far as SAE Implementation in school programs, it is part of the three circle model so it is vital in the classroom as well.
•  The opinion and views of a teacher that grades their class by allowing 1/3 of the grade to be FFA, 1/3 of the grade is SAE and 1/3 is classroom.
•  As a side project when contacting teachers for the CDE Success Plan, try asking teachers their thoughts on the incorporation of the three circle model in class. Also maybe outside of class interview students who had teachers who implemented this.
•  SAE Projects with school resources
• SAE projects can be done with school resources, remember the student does not have to have their SAE as their own project they can keep it on anything agriculturally related. Students could keep records on the class rabbit or could work in the greenhouse, it all up to the teacher's discretion.
• How to innovate students use of SAE
•  SAE innovations is in the eyes of the teacher. To give students more opportunities, they may want to try to push students to explore projects outside their comfort zone. 
• Explaining the importance of Ag Ed to a school without an Ag Ed program.
• The best answer for this is to explain to the school what student and school benefits can come from an Ag Ed program. 

What did you learn?

•  SAE is an integral part of the three circle model
• SAE implementation in the classroom
• Ag teachers have authority!
• Resources for SAE 

What did you learn? 

• Proficiency Awards
• https://www.ffa.org/programs/awards/proficiency/Pages/default.aspx  is a link to the National FFA website that explains the different proficiency awards
• I want to learn more about local or national councils of Ag Education and job opportunities
• Here is a link to the National FFA website with links to different state job postings: https://www.ffa.org/ffaresources/career/teachingjobs/Pages/default.aspx
• Here is a link to the National Association of Agricultural Educators: http://www.naae.org/
• Here is a link to the Pennsylvania Association of Agricultural Educators: http://www.paffa.state.pa.us/PAAE/PAAE%20Home.htm
• Taxes and Accounting regarding SAE
•  The best answer for this would be to interview an accountant to ask specific questions. Would be a great side project!
• Working with school administration along with the FFA/agricultural education program
• As stressed in previous classes, communication is important. Tell the administration all the positive things that FFA and the program are doing and invite them to become involved.
• What to look for on SAE visits?
• It could be something as simple as if the students is taking pride in their project to something as complex as exploring their involvement in specific projects. This is up to the teacher discretion, there is no set way to grade.  

Session 20- Reviewing AET

For our 20th session, Dr. Roger Hanagriff, creator of AET, joined us for the second time to address specific questions we had about using AET.  Dr. Hanagriff gave some great answers and provided us with the links for accessing the mobile AET site, which are included below:


What are you curious about?

• More ways to grade student SAE's
• Dr. Hanagriff showed us some great ways to review student data in many ways, as well as informed us that a grading rubric is on the way.  Check out the recording of the class session for Dr. Hanagriff's tips for grading.
• SAE grant reviews
• Keep your eye out for an email about attending the Adobe Connect training session that will likely occur this week or next!
• What the Teacher version of AET looks like
• Check it out!  Username: PSU  Password: psu
• Can students keep records on classroom activities?
• There is an option for students to list class activities in their experiences
• Can AET be used for classes that are not Ag-related?
• Students should keep track of outside activities for things like community service hours, etc. but AET is focused on Agricultural Education courses
• Why is the mobile site difficult to get to?
• It was before but it is no longer!  Dr. Hanagriff provided us with two links to assist in finding the mobile site!  Find them below!
• Developing an SAE on AET
• Continue to play with your AET account and the teacher account.  Utilize the list in your handbook of Top 10 items to complete on AET and don't forget to utilize any of the TA's! 
• Can we play with AET on the Teacher's version?
• Absolutely!  The log-in information is listed above.

What did you learn?

• AET sweetness!
• Using the map feature to locate students' SAE's
• Using AET as a teacher
• How to view students' records, as well as grade them

What do you want to learn more about?

• Exploring the POA tools on AET
• The teacher side of AET
• Check it out with the log-in info above!
• SAE Grant Review process
• Keep your eye out for the email mentioned above
• Can we access the teacher version of AET as a student teacher?
• YES!
• SAE Implementation plan
• Janae Bickhart is the TA for this assignment.  Feel free to contact her directly with any questions you have about the assignment!

Recorded Class Session:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1O7_Wf_Ih4ZKfQV55mQijP-Q822R73BEeKI8YJFJrXhM/edit#gid=0

Student mobile version instructions - learn.theaet.com/F/learn/7-15-12-Students%20using%20AETmobile%20App%20Guide.pdf

 

Teacher version - learn.theaet.com/F/learn/8-22-13%20Teachers%20using%20AETmobile%20App%20Guide.pdf

Session 19- Proficiency Awards Continued!

Hey gang! Thanks for another great session! Check out responses below for what we are still itching to find out from yesterday's session!

What are we curious about?

• Other teachers' answers to our "wonders"
• Seriously Twitter is a GREAT platform for this. I tweeted out a picture from last class period and SEVEN people I have never met in the ag ed community engaged with it. Tweet out your questions with the hashtag #teachag, many ag teachers across the nation check this hashtag reguarly.
• SAEs for students with IEPs
• This is very much a case by case. I know it is frustrating at times to not have a "list" to choose from when it comes to this, but believe me when 
• How teachers can help find and allocate resources besides money? (ie land)
• This questions is also case by case. This is also why it is so important to make connections within the community, more often than not there will be people in the community who are willing to donate tracks of land, barn stalls, etc, but you have to make a partnership, not just take the resource and run.
• Specific SAEs for low resource students
• Dr. Foster may be able to chime in on this one and provide some more resources, but for now, tweet this questions out! I am sure there are lots of people out there willing to help.
• Is there a resource to connect w/ in state advisors and ag teachers?
• The PA Ag Teacher Directory. Just sign up for a username and password (Dr. Ewing approves this and you're in!)
• How many students on average keep up with their SAE's after high school?
• I do not know this statistic off the top of my head either, but all American Degree Recipients must continue to be active after high school in order to receive it. Additionally, there are many projects that turn into professions or full time businesses after graduation. Let me dig a little deeper on this to see if there is research out there.

What did we learn?

• SAE's and community involvement,
• Top 10 things we know about SAE
• To encourage other students in SAE, you need to get over stereotypes

What do we want to learn more about?

• Ways to facilitate successful SAEs with students that have IEPs
• Creating a guide for SAE help/visits
• We will share examples of past projects on Angel. And in effort to practice learning by doing, how convenient is it that you get to plan one?!
• Specific ways teachers manage SAE visits, grading, etc
• Again, we will share examples.

Thanks y'all! See you tomorrow!

Session 18- Proficiency Awards

Hello AEE 311! I hope each of you enjoyed the presentation from Mr. Kevin Keith yesterday morning. After attending National FFA Convention last week and seeing two students from my cooperating center up on the big stage for being chosen as a National Finalist in their proficiency area, I am honestly dumbfounded that more ag teacher don't utilize this method of student recognition! If you will have questions on this, PLEASE ask! Proficiencies are a great tool, especially for new teachers!

What are we curious about?

• Could we provide SAE type workshops when it comes to leadership workshops?
• Absolutely! Today actually Dr. Foster and I were discussing the concept of an SAE Fair! Students set up displays during a state-wide leadership conference and share what their SAE is and how they came about developing it! This gives us a chance to celebrate the students' success as well as educate other students on their possibilities.
• What keeps students involved in SAEs?
• The key is that an SAE needs to be student driven. One misconception that causes students to often lose interest is that SAE=Recordbook. THIS IS NOT THE CASE! SAE is the experience that a student is passionate about and is self driven. How to we find out student passion? Home visits or one on one conferences! If you start off by identifying student interests, involvement will be easy!
• Best practices for tying proficiencies in with the rest of the three circle model
• Proficiency awards can count for all three on their own! The SAE itself should stem from instruction and skills learned in the classroom (and expanded upon through the project). If a proficiency makes it to the National (and some state) levels, an interview process occurs as well, tying in the leadership/FFA component. Woohoo! Yay three-circles!
• How can we better understand students' interests?
• I noted this above, but SAE visits are CRUCIAL!!!! 
• What we will be looking for while reviewing SAE grants?
• Seriously, SAE grant review is really fun! The student responds to multiple open ended questions discussing what their SAE is, their goals and how the grant itself will assist in achieving those goals. Reviewing SAE grants IS NOT about how perfect the application, you will essentially be answering the questions "did the student really think about the use of this grant?"
• How to implement proficiency awards
• Given that SAE should be a required portion of your ag ed program, a great way to implement this would be to use a completed application as a form of assessment at the end of a class. Now that PA is at 100% AET access, if your student is keeping up with their records, this should be very simple.
• Various examples of proficiency awards
• Each of the award areas are listed here
• How to build resources for help with proficiency applications?
• Seriously, contact Kevin Keith! (kkeith@ffa.org). He has a wealth of knowledge and is always willing to help!
• How does one get the opportunity to work for the National FFA Association?
• Apply! Their job postings can be found here. They actually have multiple short term employment opportunities for college students as well! Check it out if it's something you might be interested in and let me know if you have questions! I had a blast year working for them as a 212 Conference Facilitator!

What did we learn?

• Proficiency awards
• How easy it is to fill out proficiency apps using AET
• Using proficiency awards as a class grade to help motivate students

What do we want to learn more about?

• How to turn student records into an app on AET
• See the last post from Stacia!
• Starting or working with an FFA Alumni
• I am not very well versed....but check on this link. The key part is IT IS NOT RUN BY THE ADVISOR!
• Lesson plans
• This will occur in AEE 412 :)
• Unique SAE Progams
• Check out some of the member spot lights in FFA New Horizons!
• The process of selecting award winners
• Here is the rubric that is used to judge proficiencies at the national level!

That's all folks! Thanks for a great session, see ya Thursday!

Using AET to submit a Proficiency Award Application

Hey everyone! After our discussion with Kevin Keith on Tuesday, I became very curious how you could have a student put together their application right from AET. I thought, "Wow, how convenient!" when he briefly mentioned it in conversation. Since we are required to play around on AET I thought it would be very helpful to figure out how to do it and share with everyone.

First, even before we get to the proficiency award application submission, it may be helpful to look into the many resources AET has for us as future educators. They have plenty of sections for help for students and help for teachers and frequently asked questions. If that doesn't help you, you can type in a question so they can email you an answer. One section I found can help you get your students acquainted with theAET.com. This at least gives some structure and ideas on how you can help your students (and yourself!) better understand AET. Below is a screenshot of the page showing each day how to get your students working in AET. It can be found under the SAE Resources tab on the website.

Introducing AET to students - SAE Resources

Now to the purpose: how would a student upload their records into the application on AET? First the student would need to log in to their AET account and go to their reports tabs. There are three different sections: Journal and Resume Reports, SAE and Profits Reports, and Annual Reports and FFA Apps. Under Annual Reports and FFA Apps a student would click Degree/Application Manager. From there you can see a handful of choices like the picture below. You can choose the American Degree, Keystone Degree, Proficiency Application, Research Proficiency Application, SAE Grant Application, and the Star Application.

Once a student has clicked on the Proficiency Application, They give you some tips on the application - like make sure Java Script is enabled, how it will save, and to change the finances in your finances tab instead of on the application itself. From the left hand side you can click on instructions, cover page, and the basic set up. It is already filled out from what has been inputted into the account and then you can just had more information if it's needed. There are even links right on the page to watch videos from AET on help filling out the application. It is so easy! You can see the basic set up below and the link at the top for a helpful video.

I learned a bit by just searching around AET until I found how to upload the application for future reference. I hope this quick set of directions is helpful and you can try it out yourself!

Session 18- SAE

Today in AEE 311 we had a fantastic speaker, Mr. Keith Gundlach. Mr. Gundlach gave a great presentation on how he uses SAE in his agricultural education program and gave some helpful advice for those students who will be first year teachers soon.

What are you curious about?

• Deciding what is most important when starting a new ag program or coming in as a new 1st year teacher.
• The best answer for this would be pick a few different events and activities to start with your first year and expand to new events every year. Do not expect to do everything all at once when you first start teaching or you will burn yourself out.
• Is Mr. Gundlach taking a student teacher?
• First talk with Dr. Foster about it. Mr. Gundlach did say that he has had student teachers in the past. 
• How Mr. Gundlach can be so involved with everything.
• As stated today, Mr. Gundlach said that he is very good at time management. That is a major part of being so involved. 
• SAE Project Assignment
• Janae is the TA in charge of the SAE Project. If you have any specific questions regarding the project feel free to email her. 
• How student SAEs are graded
• This is up to the teacher discretion. Many teachers have tasks assigned for each SAE and have the students complete the tasks in order to receive full credit. Others use SAE as a way to check and see how students are doing in their projects and grade based on journal entries, financial accuracy, and commitment. 
• If any other chapters do a 60 page book to send out to the community.
•  Other chapters may not do a 60 page book for say, but many chapters use their SAE projects and chapter activities to draw community interest and support.

What did you learn?

• SAE Process and program implementation
• Building an empire takes time
• The importance of documentation
• The three circle model and the importance of all three circles

What do you want to learn more about?

• SAE in general
• https://www.ffa.org/about/whoweare/sae/Pages/default.aspx   is a link to the National FFA Organization's website. This part of the website is dedicated to SAE and explanations of each type and the SAE as a whole.
• What should go into an Advisor's SAE Handbook?
• Any relevant SAE information! The SAE Handbook should include examples of each type of SAE, examples of the National Proficiencies, and ideas for projects that students could have.
• More about SAE implementation and community involvement
•  SAE implementation is part of the three circle model, so it is crucial in any agricultural education program. SAE helps students develop live skills, so incorporating SAE into the classroom can be something as simple as a student keeping records on the class rabbit to a student keeping records on their small gas engine they are repairing. SAE does not always have to be an outside of school project at first. Also to have the community become involved in the SAE implementation, have students find ways to use an SAE project to better their community. SAE projects on student jobs are another great way to make connections to community members.
• Planning an SAE visit
• SAE visits require the student, parents/guardians, employer, and teacher to all work together and find a time that all can sit down to discuss the student's project. 
• Proficiency Awards
• Follow the link below SAE in general, it links to SAE proficiencies as well. Also if you are interested in seeing proficiency applications, contact National FFA to have them send you examples of national winning proficiency awards.
•  More about Mr. Gundlach's program
• Here is the link to Randolph High School where Mr. Gundlach teaches: http://www.randolph.k12.wi.us/faculty/profile.php?id=1243946348&currentArea=3

Session 16: What is SAE?

Today we had a great guest speaker, Mr. Neil Fellenbaum, talk about what an SAE is and how this part of the total agricultural education experience is ran at Penn Manor High School.

In responses to your ticket out:

What are you curious about?

• how teachers determine the number of SAE visits for each student
• As Mr. Fellenbaum explained today, the number of SAE visits for each student is different. It is all going to depend on the type of projects they are doing along with the time and effort they put in to it. 
• Different possible SAE's
• We discussed in class today the 4 different types of SAE's. If you have more questions please check out the website Dr. Foster showed you at the end of the class. This website is great (kind of wish I knew about it before today)
• How is Tuesday going to be ran
• Here is the schedule for Tuesday 
• 8-8:10  Dr. Foster will set the context for the day
• 8:10-9:10 will be one on one between you and a student from Juniata High School. This is when you will be conducting an SAE visit. It is your job as the "teacher" to figure out what SAE will work for them and help them get started. 
• 9:10-9:30 will be open conversation time. Students will be able to ask you why you chose college and why Penn State. You will also have the chance to ask the students why they chose to take agricultural education at their high school and most importantly what do they look for in a teacher
• 9:30-9:45 is teacher talk. Dr. Foster and Mrs. Morgan will be able to answer any questions you were to ask. 
• 10:00 the students will be able to ride the trolley across AG hill for a tour. So far 3 of you have signed up to ride the trolley. It will be dropping students off at the BJC at 11
• 11-12:00 Career Fair. I will be sending out an email with who you will paired up with for your SAE visit. I am going to try and keep those pairs the same for the tour around the Career Fair. This is a great chance for students to see where their passion can take them. 
• 12:00 everyone is welcome for pizza for lunch in Ferguson 
• Resources for SAE's
• ffa.org, and the websites that Dr. Foster shared with you at the end of class

What did you learn?

• How awesome Penn Manor FFA is!!!!!!!
• The start on how to teach/implement SAE in the classroom
• The four different types of SAE's

What do you want to learn more about?

• How do teachers acquire summer contracts? How to explain the importance of a year-long teacher-student interaction.
• This is a constant battle for all teachers. It is important that when you go for an interview that you have a plan made up. You will also learn more about this in 412 and 413
• How to approach potential employers so students get the best connections through your agricultural program
• This not only relays back to the agricultural program but everyday life. It is important that you always have open contact with business around your area. All you have to do is be willing to pitch your program every chance you get. Also having a great advisory committee is a big help.
• What resources to provide for SAE visits
• If you refer to assignment number 5 you will see some of the requirements. Also contact your TA that is your coach for this assignment 
• The students that will be coming on Tuesday
• Being from Mifflin County I can give some insight on what Juniata County is like (its my neighboring county). Juniata is a small rural community with poultry production being the number one industry. From my experience with the agricultural program, it is just like any other. You have a pretty even mix of farmers and non-farmers, there is also an even mix of students who have any history of agriculture. If you come to class thinking of how you felt the first time you went to a new class then you will be fine. The main perks of being an agricultural teacher is you get to know the students on a different level then other teachers. Therefore, don't be afraid to go deeper than just getting to know them. 

For next class:

• Be sure to come with all materials ready to go. Jane will send you a link for the google doc to help make up the packet. Also, please bring a laptop or something that you will be able to access the internet with. Mrs. Morgan is bringing the students log in information with her, if we have time you can show the students about AET. Also please be on time or at least early. We need to get the room set up before they arrive at 8