National FFA Organization

I. Name of Web Site: National FFA Organization Agriculture Education
II. Web Site: www.ffa.org
III. Copyright: 2007, National FFA Organization
IV: Organizational Credentials: Dr. Larry Case, President, FFA is one the largest youth organizations in the nation.
V: Web Site Design: The home page appears to be very organized. I liked the tabs at the top of the page. On the right side of the home page was statistical information or FFA at a Glance. The tabs are formed specifically for easy use. You can find information ranging from history, programs, middle school, high school, and college. There is a center focus that reads, “The Garfield’s Middle School Discovery.” Of course, Garfield is someone who is recognized by everyone. A lot of time and effort went into this link. It appears to be geared to getting information to the middle school kids to interest them in Ag before they reach high school. The Ag Witt was games that they could play and were easy to do. But the best was the Komics Zone where they can actually create their own custom comic strip. You didn’t have to have any special code to be able to design, and it was easy to follow the directions. This was excellent. The entire web site is filled with information that is very useable. The tabs are great and there is a web site index tab. The index is listed alphabetically and you just click on the topic to take you to the correct spot. Something else that’s important is the link to your state information, as well as national. Contest dates, winners, and information for the advisor are very easy to find and use. There is a general link that list job opportunities for agriculture teachers. This is listed by state and gives contact information. The collegiate tab was interesting. There is a tab for cell phone etiquette and eating etiquette. Is this a hint that there’s a problem with the college age kids? An on-line store is also available. This web site is very easy to navigate.
VI: Response and Recommendation: The National FFA Organization website is a valuable tool for both teachers and students. It provides information for classroom, research, and contest, or just for fun. I really enjoyed the middle school focus with the Garfield link. This is an excellent tool to encourage younger students to be interested in ag. Teachers actually have to recruit out of middle school and this would be excellent to use. This website would be valuable on registration day or when visiting middle schools for prospective members of FFA.