What do you get when you combine a group of technology-savvy 4-H teens, some digital video cameras, a Web site and the Iowa State Fair? You get 4-H TV at the Fair. 4-H TV features the Iowa 4-H Technology Team’s vlog (video log) as well as audio interviews and photos of people and activities from the 4-H Exhibits Building.
“So if 10 days of actual fair weren’t enough for you, you can relive the fair virtually online with 4-H TV,” said Mitchell Hoyer, ISU Extension 4-H youth development program coordinator. “But more than that, you can see how these teens learned to communicate the essence of 4-H using technology.”
Hoyer added, “A lot of these kids are into science and computers, but they really had to think about the 4-H stories they wanted to report and how they would communicate all that the youth were learning.”
Initially 4-H TV was going to be a one-time thing at State Fair, Hoyer said. “However, the Tech Team had such a good time and learned so much through their reporting, that they’d like to use 4-H TV to showcase other 4-H activities.”
The 4-H Technology Team is a statewide organization of high school age 4-H members who meet online and face-to-face throughout the year to pursue science and technology projects. During State Fair the team assisted with many of the technology programs at the 4-H Exhibits Building.
Science, engineering and technology is one of the fastest growing areas of learning in 4-H, said Jay Staker, program director for ISU Extension Science, Engineering and Technology (E-SET). Nationwide 4-H hopes to create the next generation of scientists and attract 1 million new youth into these areas.