Okaloosa County School District issued the following announcement on Sept. 22.
Teachers in Okaloosa County find ways to enrich their students’ education by providing experiences and hands-on instruction. Usually, this would involve field trips to local businesses or organizations so students can see first-hand how people who work in the field they are studying operate. Michelle Cook, a Career and Technical Education (CTE) teacher at Bruner Middle School, said “I usually take my students on a field trip so they can see how the skills they are learning are used in the industry. However, with the current situation that is not possible, so I began searching the Internet for technology field trips.” That is where she stumbled upon the Amazon Future Engineers website and jumped at the opportunity for the Classroom Chats that they offer.
Ms. Cook’s students, including 6th graders enrolled in Coding Fundamentals, 7th graders in Software Development in Web Fundamentals, and 8th graders studying Web Programming Foundations participated in the virtual field trip. Each class period, a different speaker appeared on her projector screen and interacted with her students as if they were there in person. Charles Fregger (7th) said he “enjoyed listening and speaking to the Amazon Technology employee. She has inspired me to continue in Computer Science, do research, and ask questions. Hopefully, I’ll get a technology computer science job at Amazon.”
“The Career and Technical Education programs in Okaloosa County have set a precedent for other CTE programs across the nation” comments Superintendent Chambers. “It is teachers like Ms. Cook continuing to find ways to provide opportunities to her students during a pandemic that make these programs as strong as they are. It’s not just about earning a certification, it is about gaining experience, which is what the businesses in our community depend on.”
The speakers included a Business Development Manager and Systems Specialist on the Amazon/AWS Cloud Intelligence Team, a Systems Development Engineer, a Program Manager on the Amazon eCommerce Foundation Management Team, an Account Executive for Amazon Web Services, and a Product Manager on the Amazon Device Accessories Team. Ms. Cook shared some of the key points expressed during the virtual field trip: “The presenters stressed reading, researching, and asking questions. This is how all of them got to their current position. Know what you want and go after it, start early, and stay focused in school.” These middle school students are off to a great start!
Original source can be found here.
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