The Daily Local (dailylocal.com), Serving Chester County, PA
District eliminates technology course
Saturday, January 15, 2011
By ERIC S. SMITH
EAST CALN — The Downingtown Area School District eliminated a half-credit technology course requirement for the class of 2015 on Wednesday night.
The school board voted 6-1, with Jane Bertone dissenting and William Fagan absent, to eliminate the software applications course as a requirement for all freshmen within the district. The students will now have an additional half credit for electives. Bertone said she wanted the requirement to be for any technology course offered by the district.
"My concern is if you take out the requirement, some students will miss the opportunities that are out there," Bertone said.
Assistant Superintendent Tony Watson, who made the proposal to eliminate the course, said at an earlier curriculum committee meeting that the course was made a requirement in 1997 and since then technology and how students use it has changed. The software applications course teaches students about the Microsoft office suite including programs like PowerPoint, Word and Outlook.
Teachers from the business department that teach the course opposed the change.
"Failing to have a technology requirement is a disservice to the students," said East High School business teacher Diana Millerick. "Keeping technology as a requirement is necessary to keeping kids competitive in a global marketplace."
Board member Thomas Ost-Prisco said that he would like to see a course like that offered as early as sixth grade.
"I agree with the teachers that this is where the jobs will be, and kids need to understand how to utilize technology," Ost-Prisco said. "But they need to do it earlier."
Superintendent Lawrence Mussoline said the district integrates technology into classes throughout every grade level. The district has created a chart for which technology skills are taught at a certain grade level and in which subjects they are taught for kindergarten through fifth grade. They have not charted it out for grades six through 12. Board member Barbara Hurt-Simmons said she would like to see that done in the near future.
Board member Suzanne Simmonelli said she knows that technology is being taught at an early age based solely on what her kids bring home from school. She added that the additional elective will offer more flexibility for students.
The district will begin to redesign its curriculum in the spring and may have other technology courses that could become requirements, Watson said.
To contact staff writer Eric S. Smith, send an e-mail to esmith@dailylocal.com.
URL: http://www.dailylocal.com/articles/2011/01/15/news/srv0000010630647.prt
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