| SHS Technology Education advances with addition of Pro/E |
| Written by REBECCA KOMPPA |
 Tom Cary, Technology Education instructor, recently put his "student cap" on to receive training on a new sophisticated CAD program he is integrating into the studies at Sebeka. Cary took time away from his studies to play with a CAT. Gone are the drafting tables with T-squares, triangles, protractors and mechanical pencils. Gone are the hours of laboring over a piece of paper to draw a precise 3D image. Today’s architectural and mechanical drawings are computer-generated, using sophisticated software – even in the high school setting. “‘Industrial Arts’ went out about 20 years ago [in high school education],” said Tom Cary, Sebeka High School’s tech instructor. “Today it is called Technology Education, because it branches out into so many fields,” “We have gone way beyond just building bird houses in our shop classes. Woodworking students have to engineer their own projects using a CAD program.” “Technology is advancing all the time, and you have to stay on top of it,” he added. That’s why Cary spent part of this past summer training on a new computer-design program called Pro/Engineer (Pro/E). He is excited about the program because few high schools, especially in rural areas, offer such advanced software training to their students. It is an sophisticated three-dimensional CAD (Computer-Aided Design) program for students serious about an engineering career. Pro/E is used by 80-90 percent of the industry today, Cary noted, especially large manufacturing companies like Caterpillar. They, of course, use an even more advanced program than is being used here, but the school’s program is sophisticated enough to give students a good working knowledge of the software. The program allows students to draw intricate mechanical designs and see them work on the screen. The designs can be drawn as individual parts and then the parts can be assembled on the computer. It will even let a student know when their design is flawed; however, it is still left up to the student to discover what the flaw is and how to correct it. Pro/E is being added to an already impressive series of Tech Ed software in Sebeka. Seventh grade students begin with a two-dimensional CAD program called Auto CAD 7. In high school, they can advance to 3D design with Chief Architect and now Pro-Engineer. Both are leading programs for carpenters and chief contractors. Like Pro/E, Chief Architect is incredibly sophisticated. It has been in use at Sebeka for about three years. “[Chief Architect] can put the roof on the house automatically and can turn the lights on and off. It can also [simulate] the growth of a tree for up to 20 years to show how a planted tree will affect the structure, so a student can know how many feet away from the foundation to plant it. It can show lights going on and off on a driveway to determine the proper illumination needed.” Chief Architect can put the colors on the walls of a room and give the code number for ordering that color paint. When a student has completed his architectural design, the software will print out in seconds a complete list of all the material needed to build the structure.  The department has ten computers just for Pro/E and Chief Architect. Welding and woodworking are still part of the Technology Education course offerings, but course offerings have expanded to include independent study into making power point presentations or learning how to use a digital camera. Cary is willing to work with students to customize their independent study to their interests. Students need to learn more than how to work a software program, Cary said. He believes education should focus on getting students to think. Posted on the wall, just below the clock in his classroom, is a sign, “Have you used your brain today?” He points to it often. “I don’t teach that something will happen, and I will not teach them how it will happen, but I will teach them to be aware that something might happen. They must learn to think a project through.” He would like his students to carry the skill of “thinking things through” over into their personal careers as they leave high school to join the workforce or continue their studies in college. Your career, your job, is what you make it to be, Cary opined. He is always looking for ways to advance the learning experience at Sebeka School, even if that means the teacher must become a student again to learn new technology and stay on top of the advances being made. Cary’s next goal is to try to get a grant to purchase equipment that will allow him to teach Advanced Welding students how to weld aluminum. “There’s good pay potential for people who can weld aluminum,” he said. It will necessitate his getting additional training to enhance his own welding skills, but Cary is a teacher who believes that a person should always be learning new things. Your life is what you make it, and Tom Cary is working hard to give his students a good start in life through their high school education. |