Students in the Computer Literacy classroom
of Cindy Scott will have the opportunity this semester to leave the keyboard
and look inside the computer thanks to a donation of used computers, keyboards,
and monitors from Farmers National Bank in Scottsville.
Last fall, the Allen County Career and Technical Center launched the Community Advisory Panel---a partnership between local business and industrial leaders and the educators at the Tech Center. The panel is divided
into nine committees---agriculture, automotive, business/marketing, drafting,
family and consumer science, health services, industrial maintenance,
information technology, and welding. At the introductory meeting, members of
the community were encouraged to look for ways that students at the Tech Center
could benefit from the community. Michael Houchens, Senior Vice President and
IT Manager with Farmers National Bank, was a part of the panel and begin to
work with Scott on possible ways to partner with her classes.
Rickie Huntsman, EVP of Farmers National Bank in Scottsville, commented that Michael saw a great opportunity to help the students if the Bank could make a donation of eight surplus computers …. to be used in a very interesting way
“The computers had gone through their useful life for us and we no longer needed them,” Huntsman explained. “We offered to donate these computers as training tools. The students can do anything inside the machine that the teacher asks. It gives the students hands-on experience. This way, a student can get inside the computer and see what’s going on. If they tear one up, it’s nothing ventured, nothing gained. We have donated the units, keyboards, and monitors. A lot of people know how to turn a computer on and do what they need to do on it but to really get into computer technology, you need to know what’s inside the computer and how it works. We are hopeful this donation will help the students accomplish that.”
Houchens and Farmers National Bank IT specialist Charles Stanfill stripped all programs and information from the computer’s hard drives per specifications for computer equipment no longer in use. Once completed, the items were presented to the Tech Center this week.
Scott explains that students will be able to physically go inside the
machines, see parts, touch components, and assemble and disassemble as needed.
“When the students come in, these computers will be torn down,” Scott explained. “Everything inside the computers will be taken out, placed in bins, and I will ask the students to learn how to put them back together. In that process, they will learn (computer) vocabulary and be able to put a meaning behind the words they hear. The students will see a word they hear and figure out what it does and where it goes inside the computer. It is an experience that I feel will be helpful to learn how to tear one down and put it back together.”
Not only will the students discover the “nuts and bolts” of what’s inside the computer box but also compare operating systems. Scott is also laying the groundwork for a future project.
“Hopefully as a future project in this class will be for the students to build from scratch a gaming computer,” Scott noted. “They will be doing research and a simulation on paper of what they would need to purchase and put into it to make it a gaming computer because it is different than what’s used in a computer day-to-day.”
Computer Literacy is the first class that students take in the Informational
Technology pathway. The course is a prerequisite for classes such as web
development and game design I, II, and III.