Technology in Agriculture
Related Careers:
Crop farmerMachine OperatorGreenhouse worker
Agricultural salesmanAgricultural EngineerProcess control technician
MechanicAgriculture researcherFarm equipment dealer
Mechanical engineer
Vocabulary:
GPS (Global Positioning System): A space-based satellite navigation system that provides location and time information in all weather conditions, anywhere on or near the Earth where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites.
GIS (Geographic Information System): a computerized data management system used to capture, store, manage, retrieve, analyze, and display spatial information.
Instructional Procedures:
Day 1
Open up the Gearing up worksheet.
Do you know the difference between an entry-level position and an advanced level position?
Entry-level positions can be obtained with little or no outside education or training.
Advanced level positions usually require education, specific training, and/or years of experience in the career field.
Watch Modern Marvels - Harvesting: This video from the History Channel gives great illustrations and descriptions of specific technologies used in agriculture. The first segment shows the use of GPS and GIS technology in a rice field. Fill out the worksheet, “Gearing up” as you watch this segment.You can pause the movie so that you have time to write down the different careers. (If absent you will need to come in before or after school to view this video)
Day 2
GPS (Global Positioning System) and GIS (Geographic Information Systems) have been an area of emerging technology in agriculture. In this lesson you will learn how GPS and GIS technology is used to improve agricultural food production.
GPS and GIS Basics: Define the acronyms GPS and GIS. You are likely familiar with GPS navigation systems on smart phones. Do you know how GPS works? Watch the following video clips .
Where in the World? This activity allows you to discover their own geographic locations using latitude and longitude measurements. (GPS uses latitude and longitude measurements in addition to time and distance measurements from GPS satellites)
Using the worksheet, “Where World” for Mrs. Jorgensen’s blog page. Follow the instructions and use the program specified to complete this activity.
Email your completed worksheets from both day 1 and day 2 to your instructor.