There are major trends and shifts in enrollment in the programming/computer science field. They have little to do with what is offered in schools. A majority of students do not seem to want to take courses in programming and computer science. As a result programming courses in high schools are at risk. High Point has developed a plan to turn kids on to the computer science industry without developing multi-year vocational programs of study. “After surveying students we discovered they wanted to work with hardware and design video games more than sit behind a computer and learn a programming language,” says Mark Wallace, supervisor of the Technological and Business Studies departments at the school. Wallace along with Marx Reynoso a computer programming teacher, developed a plan that would provide offerings that many students indicated they would be interested in taking. The plan is to bring them into an area they are interested in and then show them a reason for programming and computer science. The knowledge and skills gained in the programs are transferable and will hopefully drive many students into the computer science field. These programs will help excite students to look at robotics, “smart” transportation, software development and unknown explorations, the teacher said.
Mike Fasano, a freshman at High Point, feels the video game design unit in the already popular Communication Technology course taught by Wallace, where students are also learning about communication systems, electronics, fiber optics and GPS/GIS technology is “fun, entertaining, and helps you learn a lot about game development.”
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