It has been two years since the IRP's for Information
Technology 11/12 were first released. Great excitement surrounded the new course and the
broad potential that it provided. A couple of years into their implementation, a number of
needs have become apparent.
"IT 11 and 12 are quite different from the courses
they replaced," explains Gus Fraser, a leader in IT education. "Their intent is
different; their requirements are different; their resources are different; and their
material and equipment needs are different." If you are getting the impression that
IT is a dramatic shift in technology education, then you are correct. The IRP's reflected
this change; however, they remained quite general and lacked a clarity in prescribed
learning outcomes.
On April 29th and 30th, many of the movers and shakers
of the Information Technology 11/12 courses will converge on Burnaby's Schou Education
Centre in a massive initiative to smoothen the implementation of the IRP's. An estimated
100 participating teachers will be broken into a series of focus groups that will wrestle
with the key issues of successful IT implementation.
According to Fraser, the Forum's goal is quite
specific. "There is a pressing need to have a resource to draw upon that will clarify
and expand the current program, linking IT to the various industry training programs, post
secondary requirements, and other student opportunities."
Due to the vast scope of issues, efforts to identify
the key concerns and highlight possible solutions have been scheduled for the next couple
of months. As sponsors of the IT Forum, the Center For Applied Academics and Open School
will be hosting on-line discussion groups beginning in February. These discussions will
form the foundation for the Forum focus groups.
If this seems like an educational opportunity
that you don't want to miss, then you are encouraged to register
for the IT Forum by emailing Gus Fraser ( gfraser@schou.sd.41.bc.ca
). Further information can be had by downloading the information
file at www.schou.sd41.bc.ca or by surfing the Open School
site at www.openschool.bc.ca/itforum
