Students who entered Brent Nelson’s Illinois agriculture classroom on the first day of school were met with a big surprise: A new, freestanding hydroponics system, its LED lights emitting a soft, pink glow and its three vertical shelves shiny with anticipation of sprouting seedlings, nutrient-rich water and, eventually, greenery.
“When my students walked into the classroom that first day, they were amazed,” said Nelson, who teaches agriculture to ninth- through twelfth-grade students at Franklin Junior Senior High School in Franklin, IL. “It’s flashy; it looks like it’s from the year 2050, and truly, the flashy look of it helps – before students even know what it is, they’re looking at it; they’re interested in it… and once you get their attention and engage them, it’s hard to lose it.”
Learning tool used: Educational Hydroponics Systems