By this time next year, the aroma of sawdust and the whine of power saws will be only a memory for those in the industrial arts program at Spring Wood Middle School in Hanover Park.
Kids in Keeneyville School District 20, instead of being guided to make cutting boards or mailboxes, will be exposed to technology via computer-generated lessons–something that has already happened in dozens of woodworking and metalworking classrooms.
The trend toward applied technology labs started about a decade ago, especially in middle schools, to teach students a number of topics, say state educators.
“They are quick, fun short modules to keep the junior high school student busy and excited. When they get into freshman and sophomore level … they can focus on more in-depth research,” said John Kopatz, career and technical education consultant for the Illinois State Board of Education.
The state allows school districts to decide whether to make the change.
“There is value in both,” Kopatz said.
Schools that have replaced their shop classes with computerized instruction say the curriculum better prepares students for a digital world.
One of the first to build an applied technology lab was Lisle Junior High School, which scrapped its shop program 11 years ago.
“Kids today are in the information age, and they need to have more technological literacy,” said Lisle teacher Pete Meyer.
Keeneyville officials agree and are gearing lessons toward technological skills, ranging from electricity and aviation to the more adventurous alternative energy sources, such as wind energy.
The district has spent about $100,000 to buy equipment for the new lab at Spring Wood Middle School. The work is part of a $7.2 million overhaul of the district’s three school buildings.
“We’re not saying, `Hey, we can finally get rid of the wood shop.’ We don’t want to diminish those experiences like making a cutting board, but the question is what should you be doing in 2002 and beyond?” said Anthony Przeklasa, District 20 superintendent.
“It’s time to make a change and we see a lot of positive in this,” he said, adding that the district wants to make sure its curriculum is relevant to today’s world.
When finished, Spring Wood’s new lab will look a lot like that at Lake View Junior High School in Downers Grove, a computerized lab that was installed two years ago.
There, the pupils sit at a computer, click on a lesson in, say, architectural drawing or electronics or even radio broadcasting, and follow the instructions on the screen. If they make a mistake or give the wrong answer to a question, they cannot continue.
Teacher Paul Rodda roves from computer to computer, offering guidance and suggestions, on the more relevant lessons, he says.
“There are light years of difference between industrial arts programs and the applied technology labs,” Rodda said. “This is very career-oriented, and that’s very good.”
What Rodda likes is the ability to expose children to different technologies they can explore in greater depth in high school if they wish.
“This class is a lot of fun because you get to work on a lot of different things,” said Ryan Ogasawara, 14, who, with another pupil, was studying stress tests on different combinations of wood.
While acknowledging the advantages of new technology, Spring Wood’s woodworking teacher, John Owens, waxes nostalgic about the class he has taught for the better part of three decades.
“The kids walk down the hall with the things they made and they say, `I did this,'” said Owens, who is retiring. “They are very proud of what they’ve done.”
