CTE Centers Adapt, Integrate New Educational Technologies

CTE Centers Adapt, Integrate New Educational Technologies

Mar 30, 2021 | Challenges and Opportunities, Impact

In response to the pandemic in 2020, many Career and Technical Education (CTE) centers in New Hampshire began to look at ways to integrate cutting edge technology into its programs.

“Investments in technology have enabled us to create interactive and virtual educational experiences for students,” noted Vaso Partinoudi, director of Career and Technical Education, Milford High School & Applied Technology Center.

She said the challenge to creatively engage students is heightened in CTE programs.

“Our whole focus is to provide experiential and technical training to high school students that prepares them for college and careers,” she said. “This type of learning is hands-on, which is difficult to achieve when you cannot physically get together.”

Emerging online educational learning platforms like Newsela, Pear Deck and Nearpod, however, have provided teachers with the ability to virtually engage students in new ways. Tammy Andrew, a computer science teacher at Milford High School who teaches several CTE classes, cited her use of Nearpod as one example.

“Nearpod enables me to make nearly any educational resource — PowerPoints, Google Slides, or any video — interactive,” she said. “Students can personally or anonymously respond to a video, for instance, and share responses. Students can respond to each other, too.”

In a computer programming class, Andrew said students can begin an assignment on a piece of paper or a Google document. If students are visual, they can use their cell phone or camera to submit an assignment. A digital timer, which can be turned off by the student, provides a countdown for those that require it.

“Students have a voice in how they learn,” said Andrew.

At the height of the pandemic, Kim Daniels, marketing educator at Milford High School & Applied Technology Center, said Nearpod helped teachers conduct synchronous lessons while all students were remote.  

“Nearpod allows a teacher to cast a PowerPoint on the students device that the teacher controls,” she said. “It also allows for quick check-ins for understanding through a variety of activities that the students can engage in together as a class, even though they are at home learning alone.”

According to Andrew, the pandemic has accelerated the technology adoption rate by school districts.

“We are two to three years ahead of where we would be otherwise if it were not for COVID-19,” she noted. “We are pushing the abilities of Zoom, Canvas and Nearpod into the future because we need these things now.”

Such technologies, while enhancing CTE, cannot replace hands-on lessons and work-based learning.

“A computer is not a substitute for face to face learning,” Daniels said. “The opportunity to provide instant feedback and offer corrections while we watch students work is missing during remote work days.”

Jen Haskins, president of the New Hampshire Career and Technical Administrators Association, agreed and said all CTE centers statewide are “creatively working” to meet the need for experiential learning in the state.

“We continue to work with many stakeholders, including industry partners, to provide students with real-world learning opportunities like apprenticeships and internships,” she said. “With the aging of New Hampshire’s workforce and the ongoing pandemic, CTE is more important than ever.”

Milford High School & Applied Technology Center is one of 28 CTE centers throughout New Hampshire.

CTE Centers, Industry Partners Creating Career Pathways for Students

CTE Centers, Industry Partners Creating Career Pathways for Students

Mar 19, 2021 | Apprenticeships, Students

One of the value propositions behind Career and Technical Education (CTE) in New Hampshire is to provide hands-on learning for high school students, an objective that often involves industry partners.

“We work with industry to create real work opportunities for students,” said Rich Paiva, Career Development Coordinator at Wilbur H. Palmer CTE Center, who helped launch an internship program in welding two years ago.

This program involves Spraying Systems Co. in Merrimack. 

“Before the pandemic, we had students tour their facility during Manufacturing Month in New Hampshire,” explained Paiva. “The students met the welders and were able to ask questions.”

One student, Shea Williams, found some answers.

“Between the program and the tour, he realized this was the career path for him,” said Paiva.

This realization led to a conversation with Joe Ruelas, Vice President Operations at Spraying Systems Co., and ApprenticeshipNH.

“We had to work out some details and how we could combine our program with the time spent at Spraying Systems so Shea could earn high school credits while over there,” explained Paiva. 

This creative arrangement enabled the hours Williams spent in the welding program to roll over into a full apprenticeship at Spraying Systems after he graduated from school last June.

“Spraying Systems is now sending him to Manchester Community College for an Associate’s degree,” Paiva said. “It is going great.”

Ruelas agreed.

“Shea has done very well for us,” he noted. “He has willingly accepted being trained on everything. He has a good work ethic and, most importantly, works well with others. He will one day be a good welder, hopefully, for our company.”

Citing his working relationship with Paiva as a big reason why Spraying Systems Co. developed apprenticeships, Ruelas said there are several advantages to creating them.

“One is to provide students the opportunity to learn a trade or skill in manufacturing,” he explained. “The other is to create and maintain a culture at our company of passing on knowledge to less experienced people and people who strive to learn more. The last one is to help improve the community.”

As for how his apprenticeship experience has been at Spraying Systems, Williams said it “has been awesome.”

“I am able to learn lots about my chosen trade of welding,” he said. “I am also being trained how to do many other procedures in manufacturing, such as sandblasting, pressure testing, and even some machining. I enjoy the company of my coworkers, and I enjoy the work I do.”

The experience for Williams is priceless.

“The best part of the apprenticeship is being able to get up in the morning and do something that I enjoy doing and can take pride in,” he said. “Welding is something that I enjoy putting a great deal of effort into, and being given the opportunity to learn and get job experience at the same time is something I am certainly grateful for.”

According to Paiva, Williams’ experience is “a textbook example of CTE.”

“We are here to help students explore career pathways, and Shea’s experience is possible through innovative partnerships with external stakeholders and industry,” he said. “Everyone benefits with CTE.”

Wilbur H. Palmer CTE Center is one of nearly two-dozen CTE centers throughout the state of New Hampshire.

CTE Leaders Look to the Future

CTE Leaders Look to the Future

Jan 22, 2021 | Challenges and Opportunities, Impact, Leadership, Ticker

With programs ranging from culinary to marketing, biotechnology and more, Career and Technical Education (CTE) in New Hampshire provides high school students with opportunities to not only learn, but develop their knowledge in real-world settings.

“CTE is experiential career training,” explained Karen Hannigan Machado, principal of The Manchester School of Technology, one of more than two-dozen CTE centers across New Hampshire. “They train on the most up to date equipment and go out and learn in the field and job sites.”

This experiential aspect of CTE prepares high school students in measurable ways.

“They can go right into the job they prepared for in high school, or they will be further ahead in a certification or college program,” she added.

According to Jen Haskins, director of Career & Technical Education at Pinkerton Academy in Derry, CTE’s connection with — and alignment to — post-secondary education is often not understood by the general public.

“The biggest misconception people have is the level of rigor found in CTE classes statewide,” she said.

A majority of CTE classes also offer college credit and certifications in a variety of diverse industries.

“Many CTE students can graduate with six to 18 credits of college classes,” said Haskins, who also serves as president of the New Hampshire Career and Technical Administrators Association.

CTE programs are not, however, tied to specific jobs, but instead lead to “career pathways” that prepare students for a variety of different options.

“CTE puts students on trajectories that are far ahead of their peers in regards to hands-on skills and learning, all of which simulate an industry or career,” said Haskins. “CTE’s biggest value propositions include exploration, skill development, college credit and simulation-learning.”

In the Criminal Justice & Homeland Security program at Creteau Technology Center in Rochester, for example, these value propositions lead students through a deep exploration of the justice system in American society.

“They explore the question of crime causation from a number of theoretical perspectives and look at criminal law in the federal and state systems,” explained Michele Halligan-Foley, director of Career Technology Education.

In the program, students analyze essential elements of all major crimes, concepts of constitutional review and judicial scrutiny, and the principles that govern legal challenges to the constitutionality of laws.

“They also examine the causative factors in the development of youthful offenders and the development and philosophy behind treatment and rehabilitative practices,” she added.

The pandemic, however, threatens the viability of this and many CTE programs statewide, as directors navigate the logistical challenges related to providing “hands-on” learning in remote learning environments.

“It’s extremely challenging, especially for CTE students, who want the hands-on learning part,” said Vaso Partinoudi, director of Career and Technical Education, Applied Technology Center (ATC) at Milford High School.

Halligan-Foley agreed and said CTE centers statewide are losing students due to schedule changes brought about by the pandemic.

“It is going to take years to rebuild the numbers in CTE programs,” she said.

The potential impact goes well beyond education.

“The concern is how well-prepared our students will be when they try to get hired or go into training programs and college,” said Hannigan Machado. “It is very difficult to train people with only visuals.”

According to Haskins, CTE’s close connection(s) with industry partners may take on increased significance in the future.

“The relationships CTE programs have with industry is the backbone to students’ success,” she said. “These connections help guide us on curriculum development and real world applications, including opportunities like apprenticeships and internships. We will need to strengthen these relationships.”

Hannigan Machado added, “If we don’t, businesses will need to add more training on their side and won’t have career ready employees…If CTE struggles, the state’s economy struggles, too.”

Dental Assisting Science I deemed a success

Dental Assisting Science I deemed a success

Nov 18, 2020 | College, Industry

In response to a shortage of dental assistants in New Hampshire and across the nation, NHTI, Concord’s Community College launched Dental Assisting Science I this fall for New Hampshire high school sophomores, juniors and seniors.

According to Joseph Wholley, who is currently enrolled in the course this semester, Dental Assisting Science 1 allowed him to explore topics that he would not necessarily be able to learn about in high school.

“As a bonus, I have earned college credits that will transfer to other colleges,” he said. “Learning more about our teeth that we have used everyday for our whole life has totally changed my perspective about keeping my teeth clean and healthy, too.”

The course, noted Kelly O’Brien, who teaches it, represents “a great way to start exploring this career field.”  

“You have the benefit of completing the course on your own schedule while still receiving weekly assignments and communication from the instructor,” she said.

The course also underscores “the exciting and rewarding high-demand career” of Dental Assisting itself.

“In addition to assisting the dentist and performing duties around the office, you also interact with patients and ensure that all of their needs are met,” added O’Brien.

The program at NHTI, according to Ashley Buchanan, who graduated in July, builds “a great foundation.”

“It’s given me the knowledge of common dental materials used, procedures performed, anatomy of the oral cavity and dental instruments,” she explained. “This program covers a wide variety of topics and allows you to graduate with an understanding of how the field of dentistry operates and what role you play in the office dynamic.”

Noting NHTI is a CODA-accredited school, Buchanan said such a designation enables her to be one step closer to acquiring her certification. She said it also demonstrates her interest and dedication to her education and career.

“I am thankful for my opportunity to learn at NHTI and to be able to share what I have learned with the patients I see daily,” she said.

Dental Assisting Science I is part of the Community College System of New Hampshire’s eStart program, which offers courses with a tuition of $150 plus the cost of books. Students who complete and pass the course qualify for tuition reimbursement through the Governor’s STEM initiative.

Subjects covered in Dental Assisting Science I include the anatomy of the head with an emphasis on the osteological landmarks and structures of the oral cavity. Both permanent and primary dentitions are covered, including embryonic development and eruption patterns, as well as an introduction to the structure and function of the human body systems in health and disease.

To learn more about the course, or enroll, visit https://www.ccsnh.edu/colleges-and-programs/programs-for-high-school-students-to-earn-college-credit/estart/2020-course-schedule.

New E-course Expands Opportunities

New E-course Expands Opportunities

Aug 22, 2020 | College, Industry, STEM

Citing a shortage of dental assistants in New Hampshire and across the nation, Lisa Scott, Dental Assisting Program Coordinator at NHTI, Concord’s Community College, set about to develop an online course in its Dental Assisting Program.

Her efforts have resulted in Dental Assisting Science I, available for the first time this fall for New Hampshire high school juniors and seniors.

“I wanted to create something more accessible to students in the state who would have to drive a long distance to take the course if it wasn’t available online,” she said.

Dental Assisting Science I is part of the Community College System of New Hampshire’s eStart program, which offers courses with a tuition of just $150 plus the cost of books.

Scott said students who complete and pass the course, however, qualify for tuition reimbursement through the Governor’s STEM initiative.

“This is a great opportunity for students who might have an interest in this career pathway, and the cost is very minimal,” she said.

As for the course itself, it is 3-credits, which can be transferred when students are accepted into the dental assisting one-year certificate program, the only one in NH accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation.

Subjects covered in Dental Assisting Science I include the anatomy of the head with an emphasis on the osteological landmarks and structures of the oral cavity. Both the permanent and primary dentitions are covered, including embryonic development and eruption patterns, as well as an introduction to the structure and function of the human body systems in health and disease.

She said the course rhetorically answers several questions.

“Did you know every tooth has a name and a number?” she said. “Ever wonder what those bumps are all over your tongue?

Other questions include: Did you know the oral cavity can give us information about diseases in the rest of the body and did you know teeth were part of the digestive system?

“This course is a great way to explore the dental assisting profession as a career option,” said Scott, who said program graduates are able to perform a variety of duties.

“They are qualified to perform all of the expanded duties that are legal in New Hampshire, such as coronal polishing, exposing dental x-rays, placing sealants, monitoring nitrous oxide and other duties,” she said.

According to Scott, who is also a Certified Dental Assistant and Dental Hygienist, the course serves as a gateway to what she describes as “an exciting and rewarding career.”

“As a healthcare provider, dental assistants help patients with good oral health and overall health, and it is a career I have very much enjoyed,” she said.

To learn more about the course, or enroll, contact Scott at lscott@ccsnh.edu or Kelly O’Brien at kobrien@ccsnh.edu.

Program information is also available at https://www.ccsnh.edu/colleges-and-programs/programs-for-high-school-students-to-earn-college-credit/estart/2020-course-schedule.