“American Farmers Venture into a New Field: Social Media,” “Tweeting for Agriculture,” “Farmers Learning Benefits of Web-Based Social Media.”  Almost everywhere you look on the internet, you can find articles about farmers advancing their industry through technology.  Keeping up with the latest forms of social networking and technology tools, we’re reaching countless consumers and other agriculturists.  I’m glad to report that furthering our knowledge through technology spills over to the college classroom.  Over my next few blogs, I’ll highlight the uses of technology in the college classroom that could provide more ideas for online agriculture.

Starting with my own experience, there are multiple classes that take advantage of the benefits of technology.  The first example of this stems from my Plant and Soil Science course.  Each Monday preceding a test, the students in the class log-on to Facebook and participate in a group discussion asking and answering questions over the material – essentially making a virtual study group.  This is a really valuable discussion, allowing students to clear up any misunderstanding while learning and discovering information other students found useful, that might have been missed in class.  Though this is a similar method of connecting students with information like #AgChat on Twitter, there may be a few advantages to this type of conversation.

While #AgChat is an excellent source for those in and around agriculture to connect with each other and share information, I find the group discussion format is more conducive to asking questions from each participant.  It allows anyone, including consumers to post questions and start discussions at any time, allowing it to become an additional resource to connect consumers whenever necessary.  Further, this form of study group proves to be convenient for all, due to the fact the information can be accessed at any given time; therefore, students waiting until last minute will still receive the chance to find the resources they need.  Similarly, consumers could take advantage of open discussions at any point in time as well.

The idea of conveniently connecting people with information  is spreading like wildfire.  Great strides are being made towards increasing awareness and knowledge of various agrifood topics in both the classroom and the agriculture industry.  While I’m not suggesting there are flaws in the method of social media use on either end, it may be to the benefit of both students and agriculturists to take a lesson from each other when it comes to online connectivity.  What ways did you use technology in the classroom?  What ways are you using social media and other online resources to help in your current career?

~guest post by Laura Padgett, Oklahoma State University