December 11, 2002

Technology programs give high school students
glimpse at career options, college life

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — Nicole Otte and Kyle Lanoue have a unique perspective on the benefits of programs like Hands-On High Tech and Tech T.R.E.K. at Indiana State University.

As students at ISU, Otte and Lanoue helped organize the events. Now, as high school technology teachers, they’re bringing their own students to compete and participate.

Otte began helping with Tech T.R.E.K. her freshman year at ISU in fall 1998 and continued to work and create challenge statements throughout college with the Technology Education Club. Last year, during her student teaching, she took a group of students from Columbus North High School and this year was her first experience as a teacher at Columbus East High School.

“There are so many ways events like Tech T.R.E.K. benefit high school students,  including team building, problem solving and ‘thinking outside the box’ skills,” Otte said. “Plus the sheer benefit of setting foot on a college campus — this may be the only opportunity for some students to visit a college campus. I’ve had so many students wanting to come to Tech T.R.E.K. again that many were asking if there were some way for them to take my class again — just so they could go. I would call that a huge success.”

Lanoue was involved in Tech T.R.E.K. as an ISU student for three years and has  been bringing his Brown County High School students to Tech T.R.E.K. for three years now.

He said Tech T.R.E.K. benefits students because “It allows students with a wide range of knowledge in fields of technology to express their knowledge. Students from my school seem to get very excited when they think about competing against other schools. They love to win and look for ways they can get better for the next year’s event. In all these ways Tech T.R.E.K. allows students to gain a perspective and outlook on Indiana State and college in general that is interesting, engaging and exciting.”

Interacting with college students is also a benefit, Lanoue said.

“Female students also get the opportunity to see that there are many other females studying in the fields of technology, and therefore it gives them the confidence to continue,” Lanoue said. “Finally, I think that taking students out of the classroom and putting them in the competitive real-world situations are what they need to grow and learn. They become too comfortable in the classroom. It’s important that they see what other students are doing, and how well they are doing it.”

Tech T.R.E.K. (Teamwork, Resources, Education, Knowledge) and Hands-On High Tech developed in 1996 from the Careers and Opportunities in Technology Day which had previously attracted more than 600 students to the one-day event, said Bev Bitzegaio, coordinator of both programs.

“Each technology department did something to educate the students about their particular career area,” she said. “The technology education department hosted competitive events during their session and word got out among high schools that the competitive events were a great experience, so more and more students chose to go to the technology education session, even if their interest was in another area. It got to the point where nearly 200 students were attending the competitions.”

Because of the overwhelming interest in the competitive events, Careers and Opportunities in Technology Day was eliminated and two outreach events were developed — Tech T.R.E.K., the competitive event which also promotes technological literacy, and Hands-On High Tech, which promotes career exploration.

Hands-On High Tech is a career exploration program for high school students offered once in the fall and three or four times in the spring. The program is limited to 100 students per date and is full for each session. It is designed to help students  develop an awareness of career opportunities in technology. During a campus visit students attend three interactive small-group workshops on different technology career areas. They select the workshops in advance and are assigned based on interest and availability. They also attend a session on options after high school and an informal discussion with ISU technology students on career decisions and technology majors. 

Tech T.R.E.K. is a competitive event for high school teams offered in November each year. The event is designed to promote problem solving, teamwork, communication, curriculum integration, and technological literacy. More than 500 students from Indiana and Illinois attend each year. Tech T.R.E.K. benefits ISU students as well as high school students, Bitzegaio said.

“It provides ISU technology education students with the opportunity to ‘practice’ developing activities that address technology education curriculum in a contextual format and working with high school students,” Bitzegaio said. “And it provides high school students with an opportunity to apply skills and knowledge from a variety of subject areas and to work as a team in a competitive environment.”

Tech Trek and Hands-On High Tech are two very important programs for the School of Technology, said Tad Foster, dean of the school.

“On one level, they are marketing tools designed to increase awareness of and interest in our academic programs. Our data indicate that they are successful programs.  On another level, they provide a great deal of service for our colleagues at the high school and middle school levels (i.e., these programs create a great deal of good will and positive exposure for the School of Technology and Indiana State University).  Finally, these activities provide a great learning experience for our education majors,” Foster said.

Robert English, assistant dean of the School of Technology, said the school receives numerous comments from teachers and students indicating the benefits of the events. The use of ISU technology students to help with these events make them even more beneficial, English said.

“Technology Education Club (TEC) members develop and conduct several competitive events of Tech T.R.E.K.,” English said. “This event provides an opportunity for technology education students to gain experience and funds for TEC to use in professional development activities.

“Technology Career Advocates are students enrolled in the School of Technology who make it possible to offer many different recruiting and outreach opportunities,” he continued. “Their roles include: tour guids, presentations, workshops, career fairs at area schools and assistance with the office work necessary to prepare for programs and provide follow-up to potential students.”

Mitch Clausen, a junior from Brazil who is majoring in packaging technology, credits his experience with both programs in helping him decide what field to study.

“After attending several Hands-On High Techs and Tech T.R.E.K.s, I finally found a major that best fits my personality and aspirations,” Clausen said. “Packaging has been a great fit for me and I would have never looked at the program if it were not for the Hands-On High Tech and Tech T.R.E.K. programs.”

Erika Edens, a sophomore at Brown County High School, attended Hands-On High Tech on Oct. 29 and said it was time well spent.

“It was fun. I crashed [in a flight simulator] but it was fun,” she said. “I didn’t know about a lot of technology majors before and today has been helpful in learning about what is offered.”

Byron Greenlaw, associate professor of aerospace technology, spent some time showing Hands-On High Tech participants how the Beech King Air 200 simulator works.

“This is pretty serious training that is done in here,” he said. “The [ISU] students who train here are very serious about it and it’s very demanding.”

He explained how the simulator can create real flight experiences such a fog, turbulence and even engine failure. The Federal Aviation Administration allows 50 hours of flight training a pilot logs to be from a simulator, he explained.

“[Hands-On High Tech] is a really good way to show high school students what we have to offer and what careers are available to them,” Greenlaw said. “I just wish we had more time to spend giving them hands-on experience.

One of the 14 events during Tech T.R.E.K. on Nov. 20 included “Duct Tape Fanatic” where students worked with their team to design a new line of shorts for a major clothing line. They were required to create a name for their company, identify a target audience, sketch their design and create the clothing using boxer shorts, duct tape, masking tape, pipe cleaner and construction paper.

Brittnee Roberts of Sullivan High School enjoyed the event with her teammates, Jessica Cooper and Jennifer Brooks.

“It’s fun, but you’ve got to be quick at it because we’re only given a short amount of time,” Roberts said. “Everybody has to help and every mistake counts.”

Brittnee thought she might wear their design to school the next day, depending on how it turned out.

John E. Bowers, a technology teacher at Triton Central High School, has been bringing his students to the two programs since they began seven years ago and was bringing his students to different ISU programs before then. It’s a good opportunity for high school students to get a taste of what ISU has to offer, he said.

“I know it's a great deal of work, sacrifice, and commitment on the part of the ISU School of Technology, and though those involved may never directly hear this, our students really enjoy their time at ISU and what the university is doing.”

For more information about Hands-On High Tech or Tech T.R.E.K. contact Bev Bitzegaio at (812) 237-3575 or e-mail her at tchbitz@isugw.indstate.edu
Hands-On High Tech will be offered again Feb. 6, March 6 and April 8.

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Contact:
Bev Bitzegaio, coordinator, technology prep. and School to Careers programs
(812) 237-3575 or tchbitz@isugw.indstate.edu

Writer:
Jennifer Kearns, Public Affairs
(812) 237-8037, devkearn@isugw.indstate.edu

ISU Public Affairs:
(812) 237-3773 or http://isunews.indstate.edu