The QTL CareerTech Blog

Jim Ermert, Jr.
District Technology Coordinator, CET Instructor
Corning Public Schools, Arkansas

I have had a student administrator program for eight years now.  It is a big success story around here.  We have had several students work for the district and then go to college and get a degree.  I have some who just go out and start working at night to make a little extra money also.

The main problem I had starting this program was selling it to the super and board.  After the first year I was able to show how much time and money the district saved by allowing students to work for me instead of having a study hall.  One of my prior Student Admins, Cody McGrew, was the ExplorNet IT Student of the Year.  He is now the network administrator for the John Deere dealership here and just finished his BS in MIS at Arkansas State University.

Here are the steps I use to choose candidates for the program:

1. The student must take my A+ class in the 10th grade and pass with at least a B average.
2. The student can apply for the admin program by submitting a “job application”.
3. If chosen, the student becomes a “Junior Admin”.  This means he job shadows a “Lead Tech” for a semester to learn proper PC repair and how to act in classes.  There is ZERO tolerance for cut-ups or stealing.  They can have fun, but must act like professionals in front of teachers and their classes.  Another task as a “Junior Admin” is they have to do the “dirty” work for the Lead Tech, such as running cables in ceilings, carrying computers and monitors, etc.  This gives us a level of hiearchy which helps me keep them in line and stops any arguments on whos turn it is to go out on a job.  This usually is not a problem, but somethimes I have a few get lazy close to graduation.
4. When they are in 11th grade they can become “Lead Techs” and start going out on their own and work for the district.  My Lead Techs have parent permission slips that allow them to go to my other campuses and work.  They have a lot of trust and rope given to them, but I find they are mature enough to handle it.
5. At the end of the year,  the Admins are given a certificate honoring their work for the school.  Many of my students use this work experience on their resumes and I am always getting calls asking about their abilities.  We do three different community projects which gives them the community service they need for scholarship apps too.  We maintain the Corning Police Dept network, Corning Community Center’s computers and donated computers to the newly opened Sarah House which is a home for disabled young people who are finished with school and don’t have anywhere to go during the day.

I have presented this to several techs in the state and some are doing it.  I think it is a win-win situation for the kids and district.  They get valuable hands-on experience and the school gets free tech support!  Hope this helps.

Robin Fred
The Centers for Quality Teaching and Learning

Sitting in on a new teacher training session for QTL’s Computer Engineering, I’m listening to West Montgomery High instructor Kathy Tarlton talk to our participants about teaching the content of the A+ certification based program.  

Inevitably in these trainings, the subject of higher-level projects comes up.  There’s discussion of how to serve the needs of advanced students.  Participants always bring some good ideas of their own.

This morning Kathy is showing where to find an interesting online video from Lab Rats! concerning whether to Buy or Build a PC.  The hosts are discussing the pros and cons of building your own system versus buying a pre-built system from a local storefront vs. buying a factory model.  Their […] Continue Reading…

Robin Fred
The Centers for Quality Teaching and Learning

We’ve worked hard to create and continually improve a program that is truly designed by teachers to benefit students.  It’s always gratifying to me to hear a new teacher say the resources we provide help them get a strong start.  It may be even more satisfying to hear from veterans who’ve been with us for years, and find they can use what we provide to implement a successful program.

Phil Vice of Raleigh’s Wakefield High School is one such teacher.  When we first launched our Moodle system a couple of years back, he was among the first to use it to ‘go paperless.’  He says he uses QTL methodology and curriculum as a […] Continue Reading…

By Kimberly Mayo
Washington (NC) High School

My name is Kimberly S. Mayo, but most people know me as Kim, and I teach a variety of business classes as well as Computer Engineering Technology I and II at Washington High School, Beaufort County Schools, in Washington, North Carolina.

Although I am 52 years old and I believe most people my age are afraid of change and avoid it, I embrace change and I am always looking for ways to engage my students more and find more effective and easier ways of teaching them.  I welcome the use of Moodle, Quia or any other on-line resource because after all, today’s students have grown up in a technology rich society and have come […] Continue Reading…

Robin Fred
The Centers for Quality Teaching and Learning

There was a lot to learn at this year’s CompTIA Breakaway Conference in Orlando - from certification news to teaching strategies.  I was fortunate enough to attend and present QTL ideas on building a foundation for high school students seeking IT careers.  But I was most fortunate because it was a chance to hear from teachers from across the country - all of whom brought interesting ideas to the table.

I’ll be writing in this space about what other participants had to say.  But this blog post will focus on certifications - what’s new with A+ and Network+, and what other certifications may be on the horizon for your students. Here’s a brief […] Continue Reading…

Robin Fred
The Centers for Quality Teaching and Learning

North Carolina’s Summer Conference is one of my favorite weeks of the year.  The chance to be around CareerTech teachers - especially those implementing our Computer Engineering & Networking I programs or the new Digital Media courses - is always an opportunity to hear about something interesting and new.

A Best Practices session led by Kathy Tarlton this afternoon highlighted several teaching tools and free utilities of interest:

If you haven’t seen Teacher Tube, it’s a great resource of videos aimed at educators.  You can find everything from the serious to the humorous, from demonstrations to illustrations of various classroom concerns.  Of particular interest right now is the Shift Happens 2.0 video, which is […] Continue Reading…

Robin Fred
The Centers for Quality Teaching and Learning

Not many people would question the need for Computer Engineering students to work toward A+ certification - or so I thought until seeing some of the responses to a survey we recently conducted on the subject.  The results so far indicate students who sit for the exams have a pretty good success rate - but not that many students sit for the exams while they’re still in the CE courses.

Most teachers who responded say they believe certification is important or very important for students who are going to pursue jobs or careers in IT.  But a substantial number of students in the courses have no such plans.  And others face financial barriers […] Continue Reading…

Robin Fred
The Centers for Quality Teaching and Learning

The stars are aligning for the rapid expansion of online learning.  Colleges and continuing education systems have been on the bandwagon for years, and they’re accelerating online courses as student needs change, gas prices rise, and technology improves.  Now many high school teachers are taking a greater interest.

Moodle is an open source course management system that makes it possible for teachers to implement their courses online.  You can manage assignments and assessments, and augment the process with chats, forums, wikis, custom web pages, even games.

QTL’s Moodle system is helping teachers in our Computer Engineering and Networking I programs plan lessons, manage their classrooms, differentiate instruction, and ‘go paperless.’ Since setting up our Moodle server a couple of years ago, […] Continue Reading…

Kathy Tarlton
West Montgomery High School

This past year I took on teaching a couple of courses that I had never taught before in the Business area. My VoCATs scores left a bit to be desired during the first semester. This unsuccessful bout with VoCATs drove me to look for ways to improve my scores.

In the second semester I tried a couple of new things that really paid off for me. One thing I tried that really seemed to pay off doing was making flash cards for my students to use for vocabulary. (Not really high tech, huh!) Anyway, this caused me to go to the Moodle guru, Geof Duncan, to see what he might know about flash cards for moodle. […] Continue Reading…

Geof C. Duncan
Knightdale High School

As the resident “QTL Moodle Dude” I am often asked about if a teacher can use the QTLMoodle site for their “other” courses. Unfortunately, my answer to that question is “no”. Hey, I understand, I LOVE Moodle and use it for all of my classes. However, I also understand that my QTL friends don’t have the resources to support other classes. In addition, some teachers at my school aren’t fortunate enough to be involved in any of the QTL Programs. So, I did a little research for a colleague today and thought that I might share my results here:

Let me start off by saying that I have NOT used any of these services, I host […] Continue Reading…