Ag Safety Podcasts
What are Agricultural Safety Podcasts?
We are in the era of Mobile Computing in the form of cell phones, iPods, MP3 players! Using podcasting as a means of engaging students in the human side of injury prevention and how much injuries cost both individually and socially has recently been added to the EOP approach.
Podcasting is quick and easy, and most students are quick to learn these skills. In our classes we have used the pretext that their professors (Mazur and Swan) are to present at the National Institute of Farm Safety conference and students are to serve as 'investigators' to provide us with podcasts related to rural injuries in Kentucky. We use a WebQuest format to introduce the ideas about 'ruralness' using the Census data and other pertinent information about their injury category. The Podcasts must address three questions, shown below:
- What is the nature of your rural-related injuries?
- Who is most at risk for these types of injuries?
- Why are Kentucky insurance agents worried about these particular injuries?
The 3 minute podcasts are an excellent way to engage students in the agricultural safety narrative and connect them to the actual risks and costs of injury. The digital audio format gives a new voice to these stories and allows the student to find their own voice in the inquiry.
Instructional Materials for the EOP PodCasting Assignment:
- The Assignment and Role for the Student
- A Webquest for one of the four injury categories that are the focus of EOP (ATV/Horse Riding, Motor Vehicle/Equipment, Hearing Loss/Impairment, Crush Injury (Tractor overturn)
- A Reporter's Notebook blank form for students to use as a script for their podcasts.
Resources for Developing Podcasts:
Selected podcasts developed by pre-service teachers are linked below. We ask that you credit the authors and the EOP project, should you use them in any other context.
