Point Pleasant Borough High School course offerings prepare students for the 21st Century
Today's Point Pleasant Borough students have a distinct advantage over their predecessors when it comes to technology based learningopportunities. A simple review of the High School's Annual Course Selection Guides from over the past 10 years serves as a timeline attesting to the rapid evolution of technology.
Prior to 2001, Point Pleasant students interested in computer technology had the option of taking a keyboarding class, or perhaps a word processing class or if they were very dedicated to computer technology, the all encompassing Computer Applications Course. It was not until the 2001-2002 school year, that the school began offering lessons on web design as a part of the course Computer Applications III: Internet and Web Page Design.
Only after mastering both Computer Concepts I and II, could juniors and seniors elect to take part in this course that the selection guide explained as a course to teach writing Internet applications and design and construct web pages. Topics included working with graphic images, sound, animation and interactivity. The goal was to give the students a strong foundation in HyperText Markup Language (HTML), the coding language of websites.
Web historians estimate there were about 40 million websites at the end of 2002, today that number is over 180 million sites worldwide. And as websites have grown exponentially, their design and purpose has been transforming almost as rapidly. From static information sources to powerful interactive, communication tools, modern websites are essential for the success of every business and organization.
The advancements in technology have also led the New Jersey's Core Curriculum Consortium to alter all content areas to include technological interventions.
"Technology is not only changing how our students learn," said Director of Curriculum and Instruction Robert Alfonse. "But it is also altering what our students learn."
According to Mr. Alfonse, a strong foundation in the fundamentals of technology is necessary for students to succeed in the 21st century and beyond.
It is this reasoning that Point Pleasant now offers distinct courses in Introduction to Web Design and Advanced Web Design.
Introduction to Web Design, taught by Mr. David Fisher, provides students with working knowledge of cascading style sheets (CSS), HTML, JavaScript as well as design programs like Adobe's Dreamweaver, Photoshop and Flash.
"Web design can be an extremely gratifying experience as students see their work take shape," said Mr. Fisher. "Our students learn how to transform seemingly meaningless strings of code into dynamic, visually appealing web pages."
Mr. Fisher maintains an online portfolio of his students' web projects at www.pantherpath.com.
"Having their work displayed on the Panther Path website helps to legitimize their work while giving friends and family the opportunity to review the work across any web browser," said Mr. Fisher.
Mr. Fisher said he also has several students that will compete in the New Jersey Institute of Technology's Fifth Annual Web Design Competition next month.
"Internet technology, including mobile technology, is still relatively new," said Mr. Fisher. "Any student looking to establish a firm base of technological literacy is highly encouraged to consider a course like this. “With a strong base, the potential is limitless."
Point Pleasant High School Vice Principal and District Technology Coordinator Kevin McDermitt could not agree more.
"No organization can survive without an Internet presence," said Mr. McDermitt. "Whether for a school, a charitable organization, or a Fortune 500 company, websites are absolutely necessary. As we see more and more traditional corporations transitioning further to web-based platforms, newspapers for example, we can anticipate that technology will continue to grow in ways not yet imagined."
Mr. McDermitt said that emerging technologies like mobile technology and apps offer incomprehensible opportunities for students to excel in the 21st century.
"Point Pleasant Borough High School's Technology curriculum has changed significantly over the course of the years," said High School Principal Linda Rocco.
Ms. Rocco said the web design courses are just a sample of the technology-based courses available at Point Pleasant Borough High School.
"Technology has been infused throughout the curriculum,” continued Ms. Rocco noting that courses are available in Computer Concepts & Applications, Digital Photography, Desktop Publishing, Computer Programming and more.
“Our school and district administration work together to continually assess all our course offerings to ensure that our students have the opportunities required to achieve success in all areas," she added.
