ERIC Number: ED272153
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1985
Pages: 11
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
A Head Start in Computer Technology: How Release Time for Teachers Can Give Students an Advantage.
Tucker, Nancy G.
The Caddo Career Center, a secondary vocational-technical school located in Shreveport, Louisiana, has undertaken an innovative approach to solving two problems common to vocational education: (1) how to provide time for vocational instructors to return to the "world of work" in order to keep up-to-date on computer technology; and (2) how to provide exposure to computer applications for vocational students. An in-school effort to make computer applications possible in all areas began in the 1983-84 school year; vocational educators, on release time from classes, volunteered to become computer literate. The administration provided substitutes or teachers covered for each other to provide release time. Through creative use of funds made available by the local school board for staff development, trade instructors began cross-training in the summer of 1985; additionally, for one week during the school year while students were in the computer lab, the area instructor went into business or industry or back to school for on-the-job computer training experiences. Students used the lab weekly to learn computer and technology literacy or programming; the schedule also provided time for the students to take a field trip to observe current technology in their field of study. An outgrowth of these activities has been the Technology Fair--a 2-day and evening showcase where students demonstrate computer related technology for parents and prospective students. The Caddo Career Center believes in providing these opportunities so that its students will be prepared to enter the work force and accept and conquer the challenges posed by technological changes. Results of student computer use for the spring of 1985 are appended. (JB)
Publication Type: Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Practitioners
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A