The Information Technology program has seen a huge growth in the number of students taking the entry level IT course - IT Essentials. Last year, there was approximately 25 students enrolled in this course (which introduces hardware, software, networking, security, and other IT support concepts), we now have over 85 students currently enrolled in the IT Essentials course. This is awesome and I hope in the next two years to start seeing more students enrolled in the advanced IT courses, which will help to prepare them for industry certifications, post-secondary education, and careers in various IT fields.
Here's the question that I would like for us to discuss as a group:
What skills do you think are most important for students to develop as they study information technology in high school? And why?
Please use the comment link to post your response. I appreciate your input and the contributions each of you bring from your various areas of expertise and experience.
Thanks!
Cheyenne Koch
5 comments:
I believe the students of our Information Technology program should leave with a basic knowledge and understanding of the computer systems, networks, programming, software applications, etc. This will provide a well-rounded student who then has the ability to specialize in a specific area should he/she choose to do so. You are obviously going to have some isolated cases where students enter your program already having the foundational knowledge and ready to specialize, this is where the Independent Study programs are excellent.
I believe the skill/concept most important to cover in our IT classes (and other classes for that matter) is digital citizenship. Our students are digital natives and spend their time interacting with others via social networking and other Web 2.0 tools. These tools are going to become a big part of education over the coming years and it is imperative we teach our students how to safely and properly utilize the tools - both inside and outside of school.
The first thing I believe an introductory technology class should show students is the different real life career aspects of it. If you could get people who are in the career to come and share, I think that would be awesome. Let them see and hear what movies don't portray as IT people. It seems that movies always portray IT people as people who can do anything and everything as long as they have a computer in front of them, but some of the biggest aspects of my job is research. Public relations is also a very good thing for IT people to know.
Secondly, I would start slow and have very good structure. Technology usually has two types of students, the fast ones and the slow ones. I would make sure to not go too fast thinking they know it already. Structure is very important because it seems some IT teachers just say "do this..." but the steps to get there is overlooked.
I would rank the following to be the greatest skill aspects they should learn:
~Good Work Ethic
~Humility (Public Relations)
~IT Skills
I really agree with Lucas' comments. Many IT programs at either the high school or collegiate level don't really focus much on the big picture. Students need to understand the purpose of Information Technology, which is a complex system of modern technology that helps accomplish a business need.
IT isn't just about having great Win7 installs via WDC, secure servers, expensive network equipment, effective group policy and the like just for the fun of it. Its really about all of those things serving a greater need -- the business objective.
The list Lucas gave is very good. Professionals in IT always seem to excel and promote when they have the "soft" skills as well as being able to see the big picture. A good way to accomplish this is to tie business needs and questions into IT classes, having speakers come in, and even talking about relevant news articles and how they relate to the field as well as IT changes business.
Secondly, developing a curriculum that encompasses all of IT is nearly impossible. But starting with the basics is a great. For example, with networking, exposing students to the OSI model is the perfect place to begin. Then, each piece of technology can be introduced and explained as far as how it fits in. Teaching from a open-standards-based perspective will ensure that whether a student has experience with Linux vs. Windows, or maybe Adtran vs. Cisco, he or she will be able to adapt to any technology because the basics and core understanding has first been developed. It also allows you to teach on whatever technology platform you wish.
Having worked in retail, corporate, and educational realms of technology, I have found that often times people skills take a backseat to technical skills in this industry.
I've often said that I would rather have someone that is good with people and teach them the technical side than to the work with someone that is a technical genius but lacking is social skills. An ability to relate to non-technical people without appearing condescending is a must if you want to go far in this industry.
I echo what Wes and Lucas both have said. The student needs to understand the bigger picture. Also, it is very helpful if the students have a basic understanding of business in order to be able to communicate with executives, managers and other employees in their respective areas.
The second thing that I believe is important for this profession is to understand that not all technologies are meant to be used in some businesses. Respect what the company policies are regarding their acceptable use.
Third is business ethics. We see so many students coming into the work force and they need to be taught about what is right and wrong with respect to technology, software piracy etc.
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