Schools need better computer teachers

Teaching computers across different regions of the country for six years has been a great experience. It's made me realize what issues our students face when competing globally with other countries that rank much higher in education than we do.

Middle school students in the United States have a lot of ability to learn advanced computing concepts such as networking, which is in high demand for people seeking work in the field of network engineering. The issue is not whether our students are ready to learn this appealing material, but rather that most computer teachers, in my experience, simply do not have the knowledge or skills to teach advanced networking concepts.

In 2008, a 12-year-old student in Pakistan became the youngest CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate). Think about that for a moment. In a country such as Pakistan, where educational resources are scarce, a 12-year-old studying computer networking obtained the highly respected worldwide CCNA certification.

This amazing story should encourage our schools to take it to the next level when it comes to integrating technology into a curriculum. The course is challenging but very possible for students to learn with a computer teacher who has enough skills to successfully teach the topics.

The hiring of teachers trained in education but without the technical knowledge or skills is a disturbing trend that must be reversed. Few if any school technology directors have professional information technology certifications.

Students working with technology need to start learning more advanced concepts, not just sitting on a computer surfing the Internet using various educational software and websites. Integrating more advanced lessons will catch their attention and help them grasp very important computing concepts for the future.

Students enjoy being challenged. It's time for Long Island's superintendents and technology directors to integrate advanced computer lessons that will help our students acquire the necessary skills for the future.

Mark J. Keating

Lynbrook

Editor's note: The writer has taught computer courses in public schools in Florida and Brooklyn.