An exhibit from Microsoft at the 95th National FFA Convention & Expo uses FarmBeats for Students and Minecraft: Education Edition to highlight precision agriculture education through remote sensing technology, live data collection and interactive Minecraft demonstrations.
“We are able to provide students with experiences that are really going to be formative as they enter the industry,” says Cheri Bortleson, Excel education program manager at Microsoft. “This partnership is pivotal in forecasting how the agricultural landscape is changing and how food is produced through the ag tech industry.”
The FarmBeats for Students software allows agricultural educators to introduce students to the complexities of precision agriculture.
Students can manipulate variables such as soil moisture and soil temperature. As variables are manipulated, a visual representation of the data populates the software platform. The tool is designed to help students understand farm automation through experiential learning.
“The intersection of Microsoft and agriculture is really important as we help the agricultural industry have the tools to provide food for the increasing world population,” says Bortleson.
Microsoft also promotes education through Minecraft: Education Edition. The platform uses game-based learning as an educational tool.
The Minecraft logo on the interactive exhibit sparked the interest of Corey Large, a Minecraft fan and FFA member from Washington.
“It’s a way for teachers to be more hands-on with science and get students more involved because everyone really likes Minecraft,” says Large.
Accessibility to interactive technology greatly impacts the educational impact of agricultural educators. When educators include interactive elements, student engagement increases.
An added bonus: “Educators don’t need to have a background in computer science or artificial intelligence in order to bring this into the classroom, because we really assume that everyone is learning together, including the educators,” says Bortleson.
