Mrs. Holtzclaw and I just completed a book study over the book Rewired by Larry D. Rosen, Ph.D, and we wanted to share our reflection. This book focuses on the iGeneration, the first generation to be brought up completely on technology.  The main focus of the book is on how the iGeneration population learns and think and how education is not geared towards helping this population learn in the manner in which their brains are “wired.”  The lag time in getting curriculum approved and the fact that there are still some Baby Boomers (as well as some of the other generations) who are not completely comfortable with technology teaching this group are just a couple of reasons why education isn’t helping this generation of learners.

The iGeneration population has grown up multi-tasking.  They are used to constant stimulation:  working on homework while watching a video and simultaneously surfing and texting.  The research used indicated that they still complete the tasks and without errors, but it does take them longer.  This is difficult for educators (and parents) to understand because this is not how their brain is “wired.”  Despite the positives to implement changes in education and the way we teach, there are also some barriers.  For example, even though the book indicated that everyone has a cell phone, we still occasionally have students that don’t have one or they have an older one (although this can be solved by pairing them up).  What about those students that don’t have internet service at home?  How is it handled when they don’t have their assignment ready because of the challenges with technology?  What about those students who prefer to use their technology for other reasons (i.e., watch YouTube videos instead of the TED Talk that was assigned)?
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Yes, there are positives and negatives to changing up the classroom with technology.  With a little bit of work and ingenuity, those negatives become fewer and a much better learning environment is made for today’s type of student.  

So what is CTE and how does it differ from Vo-Tech? Career and Technical Education (CTE) is a successful marriage of career and technical training and rigorous academics. The infamous Vo-Tech (Vocational Technical Education) isn't a bad thing, but it's got a bad rap.  It's not right to stereotype, but it happens, and Vo-Tech's stereotypical student is the problem child who can't make it at high school, has no hope at college and gets dumped at "The Vo-Tech".  With that stereotype in mind, anyone can see why it's important to make the move to a more accurate representation of what happens at the Career Center. CTE students get the best of both worlds: the academic piece and the college and career readiness piece. 

Did you know?

• Over half of ESACC graduates continue on to some type of post-secondary education and the other half go into a branch of the military or workforce.  
• Students at ESACC are able to earn 1/2 English IV credit per year, focusing on technical communication and college and career preparation. 
  
• Students at ESACC participate in building-wide Math to improve college and career math skills.
• All junior and senior students have the opportunity to earn at least one industry recognized credential.

At ESACC, we believe that each student is unique and has the potential for making positive contributions to society.  By developing academic and occupational skills, Career Center students will make the United States more competitive in the world economy.  

Below are just a few statistics from ACTE: 

CTE Works for High School Students
High school students involved in CTE are more engaged, perform better and graduate at higher rates.

• The average high school graduation rate for students concentrating in CTE programs is 93 percent, compared to an average national freshman graduation rate of 80 percent.
  
• More than 75 percent of secondary CTE concentrators pursued postsecondary education shortly after high school.

CTE Works for College Students and Adults
Postsecondary CTE fosters postsecondary completion and prepares students and adults for in-demand careers.

• 4 out of 5 secondary CTE graduates who pursued postsecondary education after high school had earned a credential or were still enrolled two years later.
• A person with a CTE-related associate degree or credential will earn on average between $4,000 and $19,000 more a year than a person with a humanities associate degree.

CTE Works for Business
CTE addresses the needs of high-growth industries and helps close the skills gap.

• The skilled trades are the hardest jobs to fill in the United States, with recent data citing 806,000 jobs open in the trade, transportation and utilities sector and 293,000 jobs open in manufacturing.
• Health care occupations, many of which require an associate degree or less, make up 12 of the 20 fastest growing occupations.
• STEM occupations such as environmental engineering technicians require an associate degree and will experience faster than average job growth.

Source: "What Is CTE?" Association for Career and Technical Education. ACTE, n.d. Web. 25 Aug. 2015. 

What's going on at the Career Center?  
Our goal is to provide our stakeholders with multiple channels of communication to stay informed on the exciting happenings at ESACC! Next year, blogging will be added to the list of channels. Looking forward to another successful year starting August 13, 2015!  Enjoy your summer!