Teaching Careers with Modular Tech Labs.

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Author: Clatterbuck, Glen1

Two students huddled over a computer are creating stop motion animation using computer animation software. Others are using CAD/CAM software and a machine that engraves text and graphics into acrylic plastic signs and plaques. Another group is videotaping themselves in front of a green screen, which allows them to superimpose a graphic behind the videotaped image. They then import the video into the computer. Students use editing software to replace the green background with a digitally created image, such as a map for a simulated weather forecast.

These are students from the Millard Public Schools in Omaha, NE and they are experiencing actual tasks related to specific career areas. They are having the chance to try these various projects in their school's modular Tech Lab. Modular technology labs are designated as part of the Industrial Technology course offerings. Many schools purchase technology lab systems through grant funds and technology funding allocated in their school district's technology plan. What follows are options on how to get a tech lab set up in your school.

In a Technology Lab, each student works at a workstation that has a networked computer with the curriculum module loaded on it. There can be as few as three modules, or as many as twenty modules happening in one room at the same time. Modules are small workspaces connected throughout a room that house everything a student needs to learn about a specific career.

If a computer goes down, a new computer can serve as a back-up and run the curriculum within minutes. A central, separate computer is used for lab management tasks such as scheduling, backing up the database, and storing PDF files of student work. Another computer connected to a projector is designated for group presentations.

A modular lab can consist of as many as 27 modules. Seventh grade students can take nine weeks of a modular course titled Industrial Technology. During this time each student will complete four modules. Eighth grade students can elect to take the course for nine or eighteen weeks. Students work in pairs for seven class periods, changing modules every two class periods. Each module has everything the student needs to complete the goals of the module.

The tech lab curriculum is delivered via the computer with a "digital notebook." These digital notebooks come with the system and are multimedia presentations that students view on their computer. The digital notebook included in the modular system is the means by which the curriculum is delivered. Students log on with their own PIN number and a seven-day "Session Selector" appears.

Students click on the selected session, put on headphones, and then begin receiving information on the technology they are studying. They also get instructions on how to complete an activity or use a piece of software. These multimedia presentations include still images, audio (with closed captioning), video clips and interactive screens to check for under-standing. Students can re-watch material if necessary. There are graded research questions, math problems, and tests on-line so the instructor does not have to grade papers. All of this is managed with the scheduling and database software that is supplied with the tech lab curriculum.

One of the most important life skills taught in the technology lab is teamwork. Students share the work and responsibilities and help each other with challenging tasks. Tolerance, positive communication and being able to relate to different people is a crucial part of any working environment.

Taking responsibility for their learning is another career skill that is stressed and rewarded in the tech lab. How well students understand the curriculum becomes evident through the use of graded assessments. Technology labs provide the connection between the academic world and the work world. Some of the more popular hands-on activities include building a rocket, animating a computer presentation, creating a small race car, capturing wind or solar energy, programming a robotic arm, and using CAD software to create a floor plan.

Finding where a student can succeed is the goal of the technology curriculum. The ability to relate to people and being a problem solver are the career building attributes students gain by involvement in modular technology labs.

Some of the most valuable employees in a company are the ones with high problem solving abilities. Creative problem solving can be experienced in today's Technology Labs by engaging students in "Discovery Days." Discovery Days are set times in which students are presented with a problem or challenge where they try to resolve the situation with a partner. In the modular workstations, students brainstorm to invent and construct a solution for problems such as the following: A group of sixth graders create a lifeboat out of a 12″ x 12″ piece of aluminum foil. Golf balls represent the passengers in the boat. The aluminum lifeboat is placed in a tub of water and passengers are added (golf balls) one by one until the boat sinks. All data is measured and recorded using computers.

Another group of seventh-grade students create a paper platform that is 3″ by 5″ and between ½″ and 1″ tall that will support a 40-pound concrete block. The material used to build the platform is 3 - 3 x 5 index cards and 10″ of masking tape. They problem-solve techniques using the CAD design software on the module computer.

These types of activities are perfect for students to explore their creative problem solving abilities. Bonus points are awarded for the top performers.

DEPCO 800/767-1062
www.depcollc.com
Ready For Careers 10 Modules

HEARLIHY & COMPANY 866/622-1003
www.hearlihy.com
Tech Ed Modules 29 Modules

LAB-VOLT SYSTEMS, INC.
800/522-8658
www.labvolt.com
Automation & Robotics
12 Modules

PITSCO 800/828-5787
systems.pitsco.com
Pathways
16 Suites of Modules

PHOTO (COLOR): A student involved in the modular tech lab in the Millard Public Schools in Omaha, NE.

PHOTO (COLOR): Millard Public Schools in Omaha, NE.

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By Glen Clatterbuck

Glen Clatterbuck is the Industrial Technology Instructor at Russell Middle School in the Millard Public Schools in Omaha, NE. The school tech lab they use is Synergistic Systems from Pitsco.