Posters

The two posters that I like best were titled “Exploring Agriculturally Based Environmental Learning in Southern Africa” and “Digital Era? No Educator Left Behind!” The first of these posters discusses a study performed to determine what effects agriculturally based community and school learning has had in Malawi, Zambia, South Africa and the United States. In order to do this, researchers used a variety of methods including interviews, journals, data logs, photographs, and their own observations to gather information. In the end, they found that while they did not have a large number of recourses and were not always able to foster school community links, change and action did occur. By the end of their study, they could see a visible change for the better coming out of what they did.
The second poster I examined was based in New York and concerned whether or not the limited technological resources of some urban schools is an issue in fostering this form of learning in the youths that they teach. Through interviews with educators, observations and analysis researchers found that although limited technological resources and skills were not a problem educators chose not to use certain technologies when teaching their students. It all came down to educators’ attitudes towards these new technologies. Many were not yet sure of them. Like all new things, perhaps they simply need more time to get adjusted to it. In the mean time, one wonders if this will negatively affect their students. While this will most likely not be their student’s last chance to be exposed to such technology, the earlier and more often they are exposed the better their skills will be. Then their community and indeed this entire country can benefit.