Eric,
I dig your two cents.
However, if we do not teach our students word processing, spread sheet (notice the
generic, although I favor MS software) Power Point and search engine use, will they be at a
disadvantage when the get to college or enter into the workplace?
I believe they will. I believe that, without IT -- and I hesitate to use the word tech, since that covers
a ton of other non-IT items -- students are at a distinct competitive disadvantage at college and
elsewhere.
President Obama has begun to stress the application of science -- with his personal blackbery,
that includes technology -- and if it's good enough for the President of the United States, it's
good enough for my students.
Next step: please tell me what you guys do in your IT classes so I can measure my own classes
and what I teach them. If you're way ahead of me -- and I want to know this, if it is so -- then
I have to catch up.
So... if you will please give me a brief overview of the projects in your IT classes -- I'm not
intrested in simple keyboarding -- I will be eternally grateful and I will call down the blessings
from the gods in Valhalla upon your classes. When I get your responses, I will tell you what I
teach in my classes. You tell me, I tell you. If you want, I will send you email attachments
of my projects, and there are four of them, each one takes two weks and the final, PARTY,
usually takes three weeks.
To be completely truthful, I am the Business teacher at Windsor HS, and I'm a member of VBTA.
It is my intention to tie what the VBTA teachers teach in IT into what you guys teach in IT so
I can measure what I'm doing in order to see where my course curriculum is and how it stands
up to your standards.
Thank you from the bottom of my prolific and literary heart. I await your various responses.
Have an up tick day!!!!!
Thanks,
Larry
Date: Mon, 26 Jan 2009 21:04:09 -0500
From: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: IT Courses
To: [log in to unmask]
I think Bryant’s point is well made: if we ARE including direct instruction in applications at the secondary level, we owe it to our students to generalize. Shouldn’t the skills we foster be transferable to whatever applications they use in the future, or do we just assume that they will only be using MS products? I hope not! Students who are only taught how to do things one way with one program may not be as successful when confronted with new applications or emerging technologies.
The other issue is authentic context: until this year I had been teaching 7th/8th grade “Computer Applications” classes as Luis describes in Woodstock: advanced WP, spreadsheets, multimedia and web skills, etc. We have now moved to an integrated model, where students learn and apply those same tech skills within core and Unified Arts curriculum. Although their experience may not be as consistent or continuous (indeed, for this first year it may even be a slight “step back”) and it IS more work, ultimately we believe they will benefit from learning the skills when and where they have a “real” application for them.
I DO understand Larry’s question: are High Schools in VT requiring tech courses for graduation? Perhaps the question could be what level of integration is being achieved in grade 9-12 where courses and student programs are more specialized? Do students in those grades only get tech experience in computer classes?
Just another 2 cents,
Eric Hall
Technology Coordinator
Waterbury/Duxbury Schools
Washington West Supervisory Union
Waterbury, VT
(802) 244-6100
on 1/26/09 8:26 PM, Laurence Booker wrote:
Thank you, Bryan, but your response doesn't answer my question.
Date: Sun, 25 Jan 2009 17:25:36 -0500
From: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: IT Courses
To: [log in to unmask]
On Jan 25, 2009, at 5:10 PM, Laurence Booker wrote:
I am interested in finding out just how many of you have
Information Technology -- using WORD, EXCEL, POWER
POINT, net searches, integrated technology, etc. -- as a
graduation requirement at your schools.
Hopefully, any requirements are for WORD PROCESSING, SPREADSHEETS, and PRESENTATION skills - let's teach skills not programs and not lock the students into a single company's products.
Bryant Patten
*****
FOSSVT - April 10, 2009
Windows Live™ Hotmail®:…more than just e-mail. Check it out. <http://windowslive.com/explore?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_t2_hm_justgotbetter_explore_012009>
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