DIVE4Ag Educators and Professional Development Opportunities

 

Be a Committed DIVE4Ag Educator and help us make this project amazing! 

DIVE4Ag has stipends for middle and high school teachers and informal educators who have the capacity to commit to helping us recruit and connect students to our project activities, and attend our professional development opportunities! Sign up on link above and share our flyer with your colleagues.

Unable to commit? Attend our Free Professional Development Opportunities As You Can.

DIVE4Ag offers a series of FREE virtual professional development sessions for middle and high school teachers and informal educators. PD sessions will be listed below. Sign up so we can add you to our list. You will have the option to say you are unable to fully commit. Please, share our flyer with your colleagues. 

Professional Development Virtual Series - 2021 Schedule

 

Timelooper: Introduction to Xplore VR/AR tools and how you can use them 

  • September 14th, 2021 
  • Duration: 4:30-6:00 PM
  • Presenters:  Yigit Yigiter, Timelooper CEO and Co-Founder; Rasheeda Windham, Timelooper Creative Associate; Susan Rowe, Precollege Programs and DIVE4Ag Director; Maureen Hosty, 4-H Extension and DIVE4Ag Co-Director; Barbara Brody, Associate Professor of Practice - 4-H Youth Development and DIVE4Ag Co-investigator.
  • Short Description: Introduction to Timelooper, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) tools. Educators will examine applications and new tools, explore how virtual field trips are being used nationally by other educators, reflect on how they can use the tools themselves or implement them in the classroom within the context of DIVE4Ag. 
  • Materials from Session!

    Watch the recorded session!

Timelooper - Working together to build AR/VR tools for your learners

  • October 26th, 2021
  • Duration: 4:30-6:00 PM
  • Presenters:  Yigit Yigiter, Timelooper CEO and Co-Founder; Rasheeda Windham, Timelooper Creative Associate; Susan Rowe, Precollege Programs and DIVE4Ag Director; Maureen Hosty, 4-H Extension and DIVE4Ag Co-Director; Barbara Brody, Associate Professor of Practice - 4-H Youth Development and DIVE4Ag Co-investigator. 
  • Short Description:  As a continuation from the first Timelooper DIVE4Ag PD session, this workshop will focus on classroom implementation of AR/VR both as educational content and as a tool for presenting projects with interactive features, powerful visuals and immersive content.
  • Watch the recorded session!

Learning Agriculture Beyond Content: Social Emotional Learning

  • November 29th, 2021
  • Duration: 4:30-6:00 PM
  • Presenters:  Yasmeen Hossain, Oregon Natural Resources Education Program Coordinator;  Barbara Brody, Associate Professor of Practice - 4-H Youth Development and DIVE4Ag Co-investigator. (Support Crew: Susan Rowe, Precollege Programs and DIVE4Ag Director; Maureen Hosty, 4-H Extension and DIVE4Ag Co-director).
  • Short Description: Would you like to explore how to apply Social Emotional Learning (SEL) in your learning sessions? Join this interactive workshop for an introduction to SEL, practical applications in agriculture education, and the social-emotional impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the completion of this professional development workshop you will leave with new tools that you can implement tomorrow! 
  • Materials from Session!

  • Recorded Video:

Virtual Reality Field Experience: Agroecology

  • January 25th, 2022
  • Duration: 4:30-6:00 PM
  • Presenter: Gail Langellotto, DIVE4Ag Senior Personnel and Agricultural Area Content Expert, Statewide Coordinator, Extension Master Gardener Program. Yigit Yigiter, CEO of Timelooper, DIVE4Ag partner.
  • Short Description: In this virtual PD session, educators will explore topics in Agroecology, including biodiversity and sustainability within agroecosystems and how farming decisions can impact the environment and our communities. This content is presented in the DIVE4ag soon to be released Agroecology virtual reality app taking users throughout a virtual, yet immersive learning experience co-created for youth learners with youth voices. We will also give a sneak peak of the app platform and how educators are going to be able to use it. If we build it, they will come!

Virtual Reality Field Experience: Dairy Farm and Milk Processing

  • February 15th, 2022
  • Duration: 4:30-6:00 PM
  • Presenters: Kristen Moore, DIVE4Ag Program Coordinator and Agricultural Area Content Expert, 4-H Endowed Companion Animal Faculty; Anna Browne, DIVE4Ag Senior Personnel and Agricultural Area Content Expert, 4-H/Open Campus Latino Outreach. Yigit YigiterCEO of Timelooper, DIVE4Ag partner.
  • Short Description: In this virtual PD  session, educators explore topics related to dairy processes and farming decisions driven by sustainability and efficiency, how milk and cheese quality is assessed and maintained, how science promotes animal health and wellbeing, and the community of people involved in the care and production of dairy commodities. This content is presented in the DIVE4Ag soon to be released dairy virtual reality app taking users throughout a virtual, yet immersive learning experience co-created with youth learners and with youth voices. We also give a sneak peak of the dairy app platform and how educators are going to be able to use it.

Virtual Reality Field Experience: Aquaculture

  • February 22nd, 2022
  • Duration: 4:30-6:00 PM
  • Presenter: Dr. Ford Evans, DIVE4Ag Senior Personnel and Agricultural Area Content Expert, Research Associate, Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station  & Yigit Yigiter, CEO of Timelooper, DIVE4Ag partner.
  • Short Description: In this virtual PD session, educators explore topics in aquaculture and oyster farming. Presenters will talk about the biology of larval and adult oysters, discuss ways that juvenile and adult oysters are produced through aquaculture methods, the influence of market outlets on post-harvest processing, and environmental impacts. This content is presented in the DIVE4Ag soon to be released aquaculture virtual reality app taking users throughout a virtual, yet immersive learning experience created for youth learners. We also give a sneak peak of the app platform and how educators are going to be able to use it.

Virtual Reality Field Experience #7: Equestrian Farm and Stables

  • PresentersDeidre Schreiber, DIVE4Ag Program Assistant, Agricultural Sciences Student. Wendy Hein, DIVE4Ag Senior personnel and Equestrian Content Expert, 4-H Youth Development, Clackamas County. Yigit Yigiter, CEO of Timelooper, DIVE4Ag partner.
  • Short Description: In this virtual PD session, educators will explore how the horse industry offers a wide range of services; understand the use of horses for work, sports, and recreation; discuss how modern horse husbandry supports a horse athletically and physiologically while keeping horses and people safe; and reflect on how horses have shaped human history and culture and continue to provide benefits to humans today. This content is presented in the DIVE4Ag soon to be released Equestrian Farms and Stables virtual reality app taking users through a virtual, yet immersive learning experience with youth voices. We will also give a sneak peak of the app platform and how educators are going to be able to use it.

Virtual Reality Field Experience: Rangeland 

  • DATE TBD
  • Duration: 4:30-6:00 PM
  • Presenter: Sergio Arispe, DIVE4Ag Senior Personnel and Agricultural Area Content Expert, Associate Professor Department of Animal & Rangeland Sciences; Dustin Johnson, DIVE4Ag Senior Personnel and Agricultural Area Content Expert, Extension Rangeland Scientist.
  • Zoom Meeting: Link Coming Soon!
  • Short Description: Details coming soon!

 

Timelooper - Xplore Labs Pilot Projects and Educator Features

  • TBD - Waiting Xplore App approva by Apple. 
  • Duration: 4:30-6:00 PM
  • Presenters:  Yigit Yigiter, Timelooper CEO and Co-Founder; Rasheeda Windham, Timelooper Creative Associate; Susan Rowe, Precollege Programs and DIVE4Ag Director; Maureen Hosty, 4-H Extension and DIVE4Ag Co-Director; Barbara Brody, Associate Professor of Practice - 4-H Youth Development and DIVE4Ag Co-investigator.
  • Zoom Meeting: Link Coming Soon!
  • Short Description:  Cafe style conversation about educators’ VR/AR pilot projects. Sharing Learnings from Classroom Implementation
  • Get Prepared! Details coming soon!

 

Preparation for 1-Day DIVE4Ag Virtual Challenge

  • TBD 2022
  • Duration: 4:30-6:00 PM
  • Presenters: Details coming Soon!
  • Zoom Meeting: Link Coming Soon!
  • Short Description: Details coming soon!
  • Get Prepared! Details coming soon!

Watch our Recorded Info Sessions for Educators

Frequently Asked Questions

Distance Immersive Virtual Education for Agriculture. The DIVE4Ag project brings Pacific Northwest middle and high school youth opportunities to explore topics in agriculture through virtual reality and other online activities. Together, Oregon State University’s Precollege Programs, SMILE Program, and OSU Extension 4-H Youth Development Program lead the effort with community partners to implement an innovative Agriculture Distance Education Toolkit to be fully launched next year.

DIVE4Ag experiences are immersive experiences for middle and high school Pacific Northwest youth and educators to explore agriculture, including virtual reality and online activities that they will help create. Experiences range from half-hour interactive agriculture activities starting now to a full- challenge event in 2022.

We hope to help everyone involved in our project - educators, students, and trained volunteers - build relevant agriculture knowledge and skills through activities exploring different kinds of agricultural practices with a "farm to table" approach. We also want to equip those involved with new communication tools to promote meaningful participation and impactful learning in virtual environments and with innovative technology.

DIVE4Ag's Toolkit provides immediate, yet innovative, authentic and immersive distance agriculture education to middle and high school learners, educators, and trained volunteers in Oregon and Washington. To this aim, the six domains of activities provides different learning experiences and multiple access points to create meaningful learning opportunities and impactful connections for our communities. The kit includes: 

4-H Teens as Teachers

We will grow the Oregon 4-H Teens as Teachers program. In this program, high school youth develop leadership skills by creating educational materials and teaching younger students.

Interactive Virtual Labs - Challenge Event

Virtual Interactive Labs will be used in the Virtual Agriculture Challenge event. It will use OSU's Situated Virtual Laboratory Project model, which designs virtual lab activities that build knowledge and skills through real tasks.

Educator Professional Development

Materials and resources will be delivered to middle and high school teachers, other educators and volunteers at least twice a year through virtual workshops to implement project activities online.

Precollege Programs Beaver Hangouts

Youth will have virtual mentorship sessions through OSU Precollege Programs' Beaver Hangouts. These sessions will include live video chats with OSU students about agricultural topics, career paths and college life.

Ag Science Cafés

Monthly, one-and-a-half-hour-long virtual opportunities will be offered to youth to learn from and interact with agricultural STEM professionals in lively discussions and hands-on activities. High school youth will design and lead the program with the support of adult mentors.

Virtual Reality Field Experiences

We will develop Virtual Reality (VR) field experiences featuring farms, agriculture experiment stations and processing facilities. These experiences will be accessible on free smartphone and tablet apps, showing different types of agricultural practices from farm to table or farm to you.

We welcome all middle school and high school teachers to join our team. You can participate in one of two ways:  1) commit to this project for 18 months and participate in monthly 90-minute professional development sessions.  Educators receive a $1000 stipend for their participation; or 2) join our listserv and participate in our professional development sessions when you are able.

All educators who receive the $1000 stipend will be asked to commit to the following:

  • Attend our monthly virtual professional development sessions (Total of 10 sessions starting August 2021 @1.5 hours each)
  • Recruit students/youth groups to participate in project activities delivered by us (see below).
  • Participate in our 1-day DIVE4Ag Virtual Challenge with a group of youth (in 2022)

Educators can be expected to commit approximately 25-30 hours to this project.

By educators we mean both classroom teachers and any informal educator (4-H volunteers, club leaders, etc) working with middle and high school level youth.

In our first professional development session, we will walk you through the process of signing up on our Oregon State University payment system.  At the completion of the project, we will send you a check for $1000.

You can still join any of our project activities for educators. They are all virtual and free, and we can sign you up to receive our newsletter and share upcoming opportunities to get you or the youth you work with engaged in DIVE4Ag.

Students you recruit as participants will have the opportunity to engage in all activities: Virtual Reality Ag Fieldtrips (through Xplore DIVE4Ag apps and/or VR kits provided), Beaver Hangouts (Ag education and college readiness led by college students), Ag Science Cafes (activities led by Ag professionals), Ag-related Challenge (event that brings all participants together to demonstrate what they’ve learned), and Teens As Teachers (stipend supported opportunities for high school students to help co-create on this project)!

August Date: 31st 4:30 -6:00
Short Description: Introduction to Timelooper, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) tools. Educators will examine applications and new tools, explore how virtual field trips are being used nationally by other educators, reflect on how they can use the tools themselves or implement them in the classroom within the context of DIVE4Ag. 

While all are immersive technologies (technology that integrates virtual and real-world elements) and have similarities, there are differences.

In virtual reality users are completely immersed in a computer-generated reality when they experience virtual reality. Virtual reality is the most well-known of immersive technologies. While the world of gaming and entertainment were early adopters of virtual reality,VR applications are now used in many organizations and industries including the military, engineering and construction, healthcare, education, business and more.

Pokémon GO is probably the most well-known application of augmented reality—technology that overlays digital information on the real world. Rather than provide a fully immersive virtual experience, augmented reality enhances the real-world with images, text, and other virtual information via devices such as heads-up displays, smartphones, tablets, smart lenses, and AR glasses.  Other examples of augmented reality is furniture stores such as Retailer IKEA .  They created an AR app that helps shoppers visualize what certain products will look like in their home before they purchase them. The app overlays virtual versions of the products onto the real-live image of customers’ living spaces.

A smart phone and/or a tablet is all most will need. We will also have sets of VR headsets available for loan to educators participating in this project. While VR headsets are not required for participation, VR headsets allow students to have a more immersive experience.

The Ag field trips will all be free apps to download.

Timelooper, our partner on this project, has several field trips free to download.  Take a field trip to XPLORE HERITAGE SITES, PARKS, AND MUSEUMS FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE FROM THE COMFORT OF HOME OR SCHOOL.  In these experiences you will join leading historians, naturalists, interpreters, and archaeologists who will inspire you with incredible stories, teach you mind-blowing facts, and help you visualize some of the most remote corners of the planet.

Through the use of innovative virtual reality (VR) and augmented (AR) technology, youth will experience immersive agriculture learning. Five field experiences will be deployed through free smartphone and tablet Xplore applications developed in partnership with Timelooper Company. These field experiences take a "farm to table/farm to you" approach to explore topics and concepts related to dairy farms, urban agriculture, aquaculture, organic and sustainable horticulture, and equestrian farms.

We are producing 5 Agriculture Virtual Field Experiences to be launched as apps with 3D models, holograms and more!
  1. Dairy Farms and Milk Processing 
  2. Rangeland Agriculture
  3. Aquaculture 
  4. Organic & Sustainable Horticulture 
  5. Equestrian Farm and Stables