Greater Lansing Community News

Haslett teachers demonstrate the advantage of technology in the classroom

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When Christopher Luea, a middle school Spanish and robotics instructor, teaches a lesson, a robotic device, called a SWIVL, records him while rotating to follow his movements. “Our Spanish language instructional theory is based heavily on comprehensible input and focused immersion,” he said. “Therefore, when students are absent or would do well to revisit lessons, these recordings offer a high-quality audio and video recording for them.”

During a Haslett School Board Meeting on Nov. 12, teachers from Haslett Middle School and Haslett High School showcased how they are incorporating modern technology into the classroom. Chelsea Pennington, a high school math teacher, records her algebra outlines using a different kind of device.

News

One teen’s passion for developing apps

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Hussein El Feky first became interested in programming when he was 13. What started out as a passion for building things, ended up developing into a love for program and application building. “At that point, I only learned a lot of basic concepts from random articles on the internet,” he said. Two years later, El Feky, of Cairo, Egypt, caught “the programming bug” and started getting serious about building phone apps, specifically for Android. “My first phone was an Android device, and I can easily say I fell in love with the operating system,” he said.

Business & Economy

State ups efforts to recruit for jobs in math, science

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By JOSHUA BENDER
Capital News Service
LANSING — A shortage of qualified information technology workers is hurting Michigan businesses, experts say. Information technology – often referred to as IT – encompasses computer programming and data management in industries as diverse as health care and auto manufacturing, said Chris Knapp, the information technology and media talent director for the state’s Workforce Development Agency. “IT is embedded in just about every industry and every kind of company out there,” Knapp said. In March 2016 there were 15,000 online job advertisements for openings in Michigan requiring math and computer skills, according to the Conference Board Help Wanted Online Database, a group collecting data on Internet job hunting statistics. These ads made up nearly a tenth of all online jobs ads for the state.

Business & Economy

Vocational, technical programs draw more student interest

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By STEPHANIE HERNANDEZ McGAVIN
Capital News Service
LANSING — The education pendulum that directed so many students toward college degrees is swinging the other way, education experts say, now pointing students more toward skilled trade training as well as college. The push for young students to attend college, which negatively affected those who weren’t interested in it, went too far during former Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s administration, said Steven Cook, president of the Michigan Education Association (MEA). The MEA is the state’s largest union of teachers and other school employees. Vocational and technical programs eliminated due to lack of funding and interest by local administrators and school boards were important for students, Cook said. “The need is still there — it’s probably bigger now than it was before,” Cook said.

Business & Economy

Teachers see need for more computer courses

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By AMELIA HAVANEC
Capital News Service
LANSING –There’s no doubt: a computer science career can be a lucrative one. Just last year, 248 new technology companies cropped up throughout Michigan, amassing $770 million in private investment, according to the Michigan Economic Development Corp. Check Michigan’s job boards and you’ll find more than 15,000 openings looking for a set of computing skills. Not all of those jobs belong to technology companies. In fact, more than half are found across various industries.