In exciting news from the technological front, a new computer-based class has recently been created in the school.  The basis of this class is to allow students the freedom to expand their computer knowledge as they see fit. In a recent interview with the creator and instructor of this class, Mr. Turton, I was able to glean a great deal on this exciting new academic endeavor. When he was asked what kind of people should take this class, he told me that this class is “for any student in the high school, if they have taken College Computer Apps, this will offer them a way to apply those skills…” He went on to say that a student who hasn’t taken Computer Apps could still take this class because it will give them a chance to “set their own learning goals” to allow for the advancement of their skills at a rate that they can manage. He also said that this isn’t just a class to learn new skills through traditional means, but it is also a class, which will allow them to “learn through application.” Anyone can take this class regardless of their skills with a computer. Since students coming into this class have different skills and abilities on a computer, he believes that students should not be expected to learn at the same rate. Mr. Turton believes it is unrealistic for students to be able to “be engaged in the same material for the same amount of time.” This class allows students to pursue their interests instead of having to be stuck in a rigid set of lessons.

A student could come in with minimal skill and advance their typing abilities or an advanced student could learn computer coding to a higher degree. Since this class is not state mandated, it has a highly flexible curriculum. Mr. Turton has made a curriculum which “has the blessing of the Board of Education and the Administration” that allows student to “learn what they want to know and also what they need to know.” Every few weeks, a typing test will occur and if a student can “ace the assessment without practice, they can use their class time to do other work…” inside of the class. This flexible curriculum is appealing to many students because you do not have to work at the same rate as others. If a student can quickly take to typing but they are not adept in coding, they can spend their time experimenting with coding instead of typing. While the class does not have a rigid structure, students are still expected to achieve a certain set of skills in which they “can demonstrate by the end of the course.”

I recently took a trip down to Mr. Turton’s computer lab to get a feel for the class and how it functions. The first thing that was apparent was that the students were all working on different things. Some were practicing typing, others were writing a blog, and some were creating 3D models and objects on Tinker Cad. I interviewed some students to get their take on this class. 9^th graders Lucas Jurek and David Blum both said that they feel confident in their computer abilities and also that they enjoy taking the class. Lucas is in the class so he can improve his 3D design skills and David wants to learn to use technology better and also learn to code. Sophomore, Josh Lewandowski likes that this class allows a student to do what they enjoy. He went on to say that this class teaches a student to organize their information on a blog and it also teaches students to improve not only their typing skills, but also how to improve the content of what they are typing. The class also stresses time management. Since the class has such a flexible schedule, time can slip away so students have to make sure to get everything done that you have to do. Ally Piekarski, another sophomore, said that she enjoys that it is not a stressful class. She hopes to learn more about computers and also learn to type better.

This new class can be extremely beneficial to students who want to pursue a career in the ever-growing computer field. It gives students a solid base in the field or reinforces their current knowledge, allowing the student to expand their abilities. This class runs every other day, second block and there is only one class currently running. It is unconfirmed if this class will be coming back for a second semester although it is likely that it will be returning for the spring.