Engineering for the future in Carbondale
CARBONDALE - Several groups of students gathered along the edge of the classroom, some poring over equipment that simulated a magnetic-powered transportation system.
Students hardly noticed the door opening in Brandon Dodson's classroom.
A window on the opposite side of the room provided a view of a 3-D printer in the process of crafting a prototype. The printer and other machines in the technology education rooms were all added to the department as part of the recent upgrade and renovation project in the Carbondale Area High School.
Although there were already hand-drafting and computer-drafting programs, about $241,000 worth of new technology has upped the educational ante, according to acting Superintendent David Cerra, who called the program one of the most advanced in the area.
"It's an extreme paradigm shift from hobbyist level vocation skills to more of a focus on science and math and engineering," Mr. Dodson said.
In a traditional shop or industrial arts program, students completed tasks like building a table, Mr. Dodson continued.
"We never really focused on the theory behind it," he said. "It shows them what the drafting is for. We made better connections between our classes."
Principal Joseph Farrell credits Joseph Szymaszek, the head of the technology education department, for pushing to include the upgrades in the renovation project - the final details of which are wrapping up.
Mr. Szymaszek walked through the new classrooms, pointing out a row of computers, each equipped with a different module - the specific topic it centered around.
"It might only be 10 to 15 days for each module, but it's going to open a new world to them," he said.
The program also differs from vocational schools because it offers a wide range of exposure, rather than in-depth extended coursework. The increased programming in the school ranges from computer graphic animation, where students can learn to make a cartoon, to auto diagnostics and home remedies where students can learn to repair a sink.
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