Technology and Programming Advisory Board Meeting

September 16, 2016

Lewis “Red” Bean Center

Meeting Minutes

Attendance:

Board Members – Amy Malkin, Bill Frederico, Edward Jenkins, Robert Copeland, Jay Johnson, Mark Grant, Jimmy Thompson, Kalvin Thompson, Brent Lemond, Patricia Young, and Leah Jennings

Guests – Noah Emmons and Raymond Pace

Absent – Adam Henderson, Akin Agar, Angela Raines, Brad Weeks, Brandy Lemond, Brain Knight, David Emmons, Guy Riner, John White, Kathleen Miller, Max Maxwell, Michael Patrick, Paul Chaon, Randy Knagge, RJ McDermott, Todd Jones, and William Barefield

Meeting began at 9:05am.

Welcome and introductions were offered by Brent Lemond.

Program Reports

  • Video Game Design–Kalvin Thompson reported that 14 students became certified in Adobe Flash last school year, and the goal this year is to move more into a Unity Game Design Environment as well as exploring cross-platform game development.
  • Java Programming – Mr. Thompson is now teaching his second year of this program. One student was able to earn both Java Foundations and Java Programming Certifications last year as well as passing the AP exam. This year, a different book has been incorporated into the program to better prepare students for certifications, as well as using new concepts from various business partners in this group. Mr. Thompson focuses on being more of a guide rather than the “answer guy” and encourages students to collaborate and research answers. He currently has 16 students enrolled and many are new to programming. Mr. Lemond added that this class is different from most other districts because the class meets for a half-day and the student earns 4 credit hours. He also shared that students can qualify for a Gold Seal Scholarship and these credits articulate to Florida Colleges after graduation. This program is open to High School students.
  • Web Development – Jimmy Thompson’s goal this year is to certify as many students as possible in Adobe software. His Infotech class has recently received a 3D printer, and they will create models for that machine to produce. Mr. Copeland interjected that it is important to remember that although certifications are vital to funding, the end game is fulfilling a company’s employment needs. All agreed that coupling both is the recipe for success.

Special Reports

  • Fast Track’D Summer Report–Neal Daniel started by sharing that he’d completed college in a field that he didn’t feel suited to do. He’d been programming in his spare time for many years, and pursued Fast Track’D as a way to realize his career dream. Fast Track’d is an 8 week boot-camp style program to prepare and then employee programmers with great aptitude for the field. He emphasized the rigors of the program, but also highlighted the benefits of the learning he’d received. He demonstrated a flight reservation system, and outlined the programming techniques used. He also created an algorithm during the process. When asked about “preparation” for a program such as this, Neal remarked that a basic working knowledge of many programming languages would be helpful along with being able to adapt quickly. Angular is one area that there should be some fundamental skills developed in.
  • Feature 23 Internship Report – Noah Emmons earned a summer internship after meeting the owner of Feature 23 at our Spring Advisory Board Meeting. His summer was spent doing a great deal of research and they were so impressed that they extended his internship into the school year. He is now taking his senior year classes in virtual school and continuing his work with Feature 23.

Other District Technology Initiatives

  • Brent Lemond shared that the Nassau School District is rolling out Digital Tools in our Middle Schools, which focuses on familiarizing students with software with an emphasis on Google Docs and Graphic Design programs. At the High School level, we continue to offer Microsoft training, Adobe Digital Design, Web Development, and have just introduced Robotics. Mr. Lemond also stressed the importance of non-traditional enrollment since it is a requirement of the grants that fund Career Education programs.

Business Partners

  • CSX has been hiring a great deal over the past 3 years, and are especially interested in technical skills with a focus on big data and analytics. They offer the LDP (Leadership Development Program) as well as internships. The Technology area hired 25 employees last year, 30 so far this year, and anticipate bringing in 39 more next year. They currently have 30 interns working as well. The hiring process is lengthy but it enables the company to secure quality individuals who work well in their assigned groups after hiring.
  • Wells Fargo has been working a lot with big data, data lakes, blockchain technology distributed ledger, and innovation labs.
  • Logic Mountain is working both in the Government Sector, with Non-Profits, and the private sector. He enjoys a variety of clients and different needs.
  • Stem2Hub is staying plugged in to what the regional needs are and emphasized that STEM exposure and training must begin at the elementary level. He would love to see each district bring in business STEM mentors to prepare students for the needs of tomorrow.

Resources

  • Edward Jenkins kindly provided the following links:
  • - For coding best practices
  • - They have a weekly webcast on Youtube

With no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 11:05 am.

Respectfully submitted,

Leah Jennings