CTE Session! Woo Hoo!
I just attended what I believe was the only CTE-focused session of NECC. It was about offering students a lot of IT courses, including those with certifications, in order to get them into the IT field.
The presenter, Scott Horan, presented the idea that students who spend four years in high school solving real-world computer problems gravitate to CS/CIS/engineering majors in postsecondary. Essentially, they become addicted to problem solving. The basic math of this premise is that the more IT classes offered or required, the more students get interested in and continue on in the IT field. And this is not a problem because Scott’s data shows that IT jobs are increasing (whereas I had heard they were down since 2000).
Scott also says that computer majors make up about half of all CTE majors. Any one have any data or thoughts on this?
Then Scott described the program developed in his Kentucky district (Jefferson County Public Schools), which starts in 6th grade, I believe. There are some required courses and a variety of certification opportunities along the way, as well as internships. This program also encourages students to take AP English and Math, with the result that between the AP courses and certifications, students can skip their first year of postsecondary.
Challenges he has encountered include procuring and training staff (either training teachers in IT or training IT professionals in teaching) and changes in standards, laws, certification and the industry in general. This is the program’s first year of working with core teachers to incorporate math and English into the IT courses, so no data on whether that will go smoothly or be a challenge.
ACTE’s Convention got a plug from the presenter, and a request from some session attendees for more from ACTE in the IT line. On a slightly different tangent, the hard core technology people apparently feel underrepresented at NECC, according to an informal discussion before the presentation. The presenter also expressed the idea that NECC attendees assume students have computer fundamentals when many of them don’t and therefore need a basic computer course freshman year (which his program provides).
I don’t really have any reflections on all this. It sounds like it would be a good model to replicate-I’ll see if I can get a link to the presentation. And I’m sure we’d love to have more going on with IT at ACTE. It did make me reflect on how IT courses (along with engineering and robotics) seem to be in a different category than other ACTE courses. These high-tech courses often available at magnet schools are perceived differently, I believe. I also like the concept of associating CTE with problem solving.
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