#TeachAgChat Summer Slow - Sights and Sounds of Summer

The summer slow edition of #TeachAgChat started with questions about the sights and sounds of summer for agriculture teachers. It was great to see some of the photos and video clips that were shared to get a picture of the richness of our lives as teachers. If you haven't joined the slow journey yet, feel free to chime in. (Note: Including the question number and #TeachAgChat help to be part of the conversation) We're still going through July 13 every other day with a new question at 8pm EST.

https://storify.com/RCMcLean/teachagchat-summer-slow-part-1-sights-sounds-of-su

Sharpen the Saw - Summer Slow Chat July 1-13, 2017

#TeachAgChat is traditionally a Thursday night 8 PM EST event during the academic calendar year. This summer, we're bringing a slow chat to you from July 1-13. This chat will allow you the chance to dabble in a #TeachAgChat without the sometimes overwhelming speed that an hour long, one shot chat can have. You'll get to see who else is participating in the chat and maybe build some new relationships on Twitter. In the spirit of our 8 PM EST time frame, each day that has a question will see an 8 PM release.

You're free to comment anytime you want. When you comment, you're encouraged to use #TeachAgChat and if answering Q1, A1 to help others see what you were responding to. Here's a sneak peek at the questions we will be sharing. Dialogue with each other is encouraged.

Click on the icon to open the image in your webpage. This will give you a larger font.

Stephen Covey talks about the idea of sharpening the saw (See more here) to renew yourself. The questions we will be tackling during our slow chat should help you sharpen your saw as you gear up for the 2017-18 school year. Hope to "see" you there.

April 24th #TeachAgChat w/ CASE

How was last night's #TeachAgChat?
500 Posts from 101 unique users, covering the entire nation, learning about inquiry based learning #AgEdu pic.twitter.com/bWQRYj87ad

— Teach Ag Chat (@TeachAgChat) April 21, 2017

January 12, 2017 #TeachAgChat Hosted By Texas A&M and Texas Tech Prompts

Texas A&M and Texas Tech present: Doc at a Distance

– An Ed.D. in Ag Ed from anywhere in the world!

On Twitter - Thursday, January 12, 2017 – 8-9pm EST

Q1:  How do you feel furthering your education would improve your teaching? #TeachAgChat

Q2:  How do you feel furthering your education would make you more marketable? #TeachAgChat

Q3:  What holds you back from furthering your education or entering a graduate/doctoral program? #TeachAgChat

Q4:  What opinion(s) do you hold of online degree programs? #TeachAgChat

Q5:  Take a moment to look at the website: http://alec.tamu.edu/academics/distance-education/joint-edd-program/   #TeachAgChat

Q6:  What is appealing about an online degree program for #AgEdu ? #TeachAgChat

Q7:  What questions do you have after browsing our program’s information? #TeachAgChat

Q8:  How can we help you reach your educational goals? #TeachAgChat

 Tweet Out Jan 12th at 8 pm EST to join the TeachAgChat using the hashtag #TeachAgChat.  Tweet at @TheGeorge4H and @FosterDanielD if you have questions.

More info on the Doc at a Distance program: 

http://alec.tamu.edu/academics/distance-education/joint-edd-program/

September 29th - Local Program Success: Keys and Resources w/ @NationalFFA LPS Team

Host:

National FFA Local Program Success Team ( @NationalFFA )

Topic:

Local Program Success: Keys and Resources

Prompts:

https://t.co/zrLEshzWyP

Storify Archive:

Greetings from the #TeachAgChat Intern

Hello, I am George Dietrich a current junior in the Agricultural and Extension Education Major at Penn State University. I am the current Teach Ag Chat Intern.  I will be the one assisting with all chats over the following semesters.  Every now and again you will hear from me via emails or blogs pertaining to the #TeachAgChat. I hope everyone is excited for the next Teach Ag Chat as much as I am. Tune in on September 29th to hear from National FFA with LPS Tips. Same time, same place.

We Are!

Teach Ag PSU!

George Dietrich
Twitter: @TheGeorge4H

Teach Ag Chat Intern

Penn State University

Agricultural and Extension Education 

Food Science Dual Major

Class of 2018

Top Tips: Hosting Tips from UConn

Follow these tips for a smooth sailing #TeachAgChat:

●       Review http://teachagchat.blogspot.com/ as soon as you start planning as there is LOTS of information that could be very helpful to begin preparation for a great chat.

●       Definitely recruit & “Agvocate” to get people aware of the #TeachAgChat so that you can maximize the information you are trying to get out. Invite participants early – send personal emails to invite participants for the chat.  Provide detailed information on the purpose of the chat and role of the participants you are inviting.  Some people may be unsure about your expectations for them, and others may need some guidance on using Twitter.

●       Participate in #TeachAgChat prior to when you host as participating in one makes hosting one a tad bit easier with understanding how it all runs.

●       Prepare your tweetdeck prior to the chat, so that you can see the #TeachAgChat tweets as they are coming in from around the country.

●       Scheduling tweets makes it very easy so that your answers come right out after the questions without rushing to complete them in time.  Preparing the answers prior to the chat makes it helpful to keep up with all the questions and responses.

●       Before the chat, prepare a shared document, like google docs, with all host members’ planned tweets so that you can share ideas, stimulate additional comments, and work around what others are going to be saying during the chat.

●       Try to retweet fellow participants to further the knowledge and continue the legacy of #TeachAgChat.  Connect with the other participants through your answers and vice versa.

●       Don’t forget to use the hashtag #TeachAgChat (and remind others to include it) during the chat and in all responses/ tweets.  Feel free to use other relevant hashtags as the chat continues as well.

●       Learn how to block a participant or mute them as some participants may come in and provide inappropriate or unrelated responses or questions to the chat.

●       Search for free analytics after the chat is completed using sources such as  http://Keyhole.co and www.hashtracking.com

Our results indicated approximately:

58 participants

265 original tweets
124 @message tweets
83 retweets
472 total tweets
111, 170 total reach
520,679 total impressions

A Huge Shout-out to Daniel Foster for assisting us in leading our very first #TeachAgChat

Top Tips: Hosting tips from the National FFA Education Development and Assessment Team

The Education Development and Assessment Team at the National FFA Organization hosted the #TeachAgChat on June 16 from 8-9 p.m. EDT. What a great opportunity to share resources! Based on the experience we had, we wanted to share a few helpful tips on how to prepare for a Twitter chat.

1.        Clear Instructions. Keep in mind you could have people join the chat who may not be familiar with Twitter.  Be sure to provide clear instructions that everyone can understand. 

2.        Be alert – It moves fast!  Stay focused on the tweets.  Some questions may have a ton of responses and others may not.  Keep your eyes on the tweets!

3.        Label the question.  Since the tweets can move rapidly, it is important to label the question with “Q” and the number of the question.  For example, label the first  question “Q1.”  The same for answers – if it is the answer to the first question, label it “A1.”  This will help keep the tweets organized.

4.       Hashtags. They’re important to keep people in the loop. Pro tip: Remember to include hashtags in your scheduled answers (especially #TeachAgChat).

5.       Tweetdeck. This resource will change your life! If nothing else, it simplifies monitoring/hosting a chat for you.

6.       Elicit the image. Sharp graphics are everything and help promote, draw attention and bring people to the chat. The clearer and more visual the graphic, the better.  

 

Huge thanks to Dr. Foster and The Pennsylvania State University for giving us this opportunity. We look forward to joining other chats in the future.

Sarah Dickinson (sdickinson@ffa.org) and Casey Zufelt (czufelt@ffa.org)