Exams upgrade to computer based. Aquatics and Natural Areas training in Nov.

Training Update Late October 2013        Dear Barbie,     Hello out there! For better or for worse... Computer administered pesticide exams are here!  Actually they are not exactly here in Polk County yet but they are coming...  We hope to introduce them in November. What does this mean to you?  Well, on the bright side it means that you will now know if you passed or not right after you finish the exam.  Wow!  That's exciting right? On the flip side, it also means you will need to register online in advance to take exams and that we will be limited to the number of computers (4) we have allotted to our office. I'm a little bit nervous about the transition!  It's been a long time coming though, and I think that overall this will improve the experience of applicators and streamline the process in general. Thankfully we still have the paper exams as a backup for now, but the idea is to transition to the computer administered exams almost exclusively. Think you can handle registering online before taking exams?   Planned introduction in November We'll shoot for administering a majority of exams via the new system in December. Note this is only for the Chapter 487 Restricted Use Pesticides Exams for the moment.  For now any other exams (Limited, Public Health, etc.) will still be done via the existing process. Check out these directions for how to register. http://polk.ifas.ufl.edu/AG_Safety/files/pdf/Calendar/Online%20Testing%20Registration%20Instructions.pdf Register here https://pesticideexam.ifas.ufl.edu/   Currently experiencing glitches The system does not seem to be working properly at the moment (LOL), but since this is the information I have I thought I would put it out there and give you a heads up. Note that Polk County is not yet listed in the system so for the moment you might just get familiar with the site and get your login info setup. Looking at the site, it looks like the changes will be great once all the bugs are worked out.  You can actually pay for your license, renew your license and update your contact info as well. Let's try to take a deep breath and work through the changes and/ or technical issues one at a time and remember this will ultimately make it faster to take care of business!! Take a look, get your login info setup, and remember we still have the paper exams as backup so no need to panic about computer issues just yet...   Check out what's coming up below... November 5 Aquatics, Natural Areas and Right of Way Pesticide Exam Preps and Exams UF/IFAS Extension Polk County More info and register Contact Gail (863) 519-8677 x 111   November 15 Aquatic and Natural Areas CEU Day  Circle B Bar, 4399 Winter Lake Road (SR 540), Lakeland, FL 33803 More info and register below https://www.eventbrite.com/event/8899082395 Note we will also cover Global Harmonization of Pesticide Labels and MSDS in this training.       As always... See what else is coming up by visiting the calendar page of http://polksmallfarms.com See a direct link here. http://polk.ifas.ufl.edu/AG_Safety/events/index.shtml     Looking for classes outside of Polk? Check my blog for many postings including pesticide applicator training outside of Polk County. http://polksmallfarms.blogspot.com/       Mary Beth Henry Small Farms/Pesticide Licensing Extension Agent II, UF/IFAS Extension Polk County 1702 HWY. 17 S, Bartow, FL 33831 T: 863.519.1049 F: 863.534.0001 mbhenry@ufl.edu     http://polksmallfarms.comhttp://smallfarms.ifas.ufl.edu/  No Farmers No Food   Need notice of upcoming training and other information? Join the email newsletter here: http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001o4tMzQsu5DOxO2qVEDjYVdg1iw8e-mlP  Join the conversation here http://polksmallfarms.blogspot.com/   Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Employment Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M., University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating.