NORFOLK, Neb. – Getting students excited about learning can be a challenge for teachers at all levels, but Northeast Community College Precision Ag Trainer Courtney Nelson has found that drones are great tools to get students excited about agriculture.
Last year, Nelson estimated she interacted with about 2,000 students in area classrooms, and another 1,000 at events like Husker Harvest Days and State FFA.
Nelson said her goal is to make students aware of the vast array of careers available in precision agriculture.
“Because students have grown up surrounded by technology, they don’t differentiate precision agriculture as anything unique,” Nelson said. “I showcase to them that farming is not the only ag-related career that uses drones, GPS, and other technology. They could also be the engineer who designs the GPS, or the technician who helps get the GPS set up for the farmer. There are just so many different careers that they haven’t thought of before and not been exposed to.”
Nelson said drones are probably her most sought-after classroom activity.
“They are just little indoor classroom drones,” Nelson said, “but we talk about how you can use drones in agriculture.”
Nelson uses iPads to teach students how to operate the drones with block coding. Students get to map an imaginary field in the gym. Nelson works primarily with students in grades 7-12, but recently expanded to include fourth, fifth and sixth graders at an elementary science day.
“For elementary age students,” she explained, “we do a simpler drone activity, using block coding to draw a square.”
Nelson focuses mainly on schools within the 20-county area served by Northeast but has provided her training outside that area.
“I have been in schools in nearby counties in other community college districts, especially to the south of the Northeast area,” Nelson said. “I’ve been in South Dakota twice and have had inquiries from western Iowa.”
This is Nelson’s third year in the trainer position.
“When I started (Northeast ag instructor) Bob Noonan told me it would take about three years to get my feet under me,” she said. “Now that I understand the routine, I can start adding depth to some of my activities. I’m really excited to dive into some of the technical things again, now that I have figured out the teaching piece.”
The newest addition to Nelson’s technology toolbox is a handheld Databot.
“It has 13-15 different sensors,” she said. “You can do temperature readings, humidity readings, altitude. There’s an accelerometer. I plan to show students how to take these different readings, and then challenge them to think about how this data can be used in agriculture. Now that I’ve shown them some of the fun stuff, I think it will be good to bring some of that data to them.”
Nelson also works with area teachers, specifically science and ag teachers.
“In Nebraska, 53% of ag teachers have less than five years of experience in the classroom,” she said. “So there are a lot of teachers trying to soak up as much information and as much professional development as they can.”
For more information on incorporating precision ag in your classroom, email Nelson at cnelson10@northeast.edu.
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