CATC Highlight - Networking a Student: Tools and Toys

In the United States where memorization is the norm for primary and secondary students, preparations for standardized testing often squeeze out critical thinking and explorative learning. So when college professors meet up with malleable students, it's a golden opportunity to redefine education. And, redefining education is what teacher Ken Quamme has been doing in his classroom for more than 30 years.

A Cisco Networking Academy instructor, Quamme enjoys thinking outside the box. By integrating a blended learning approach with real life examples and a sense of curiosity, Quamme's classroom is anything but standard. He uses the Networking Academy blended learning model to introduce students to logic-based networking skills through video, hands-on lab time, online curriculum and assessments, and the Socratic Method. "These are the ingredients that we have. Our challenge is coming up with the right mix," Quamme says.

Quamme constantly embraces new technologies and introduces them into his teaching and training with the Networking Academy at Williston State College and with the CATC in North Dakota, North Dakota Career and Education Center.

Quamme traces his passion for teaching back to rural childhood experiences that forced him to think outside the box. "We learned how to use toys as tools to accomplish our goals," says Quamme. His childhood experiences, combined with an ongoing curiosity and enthusiasm for experimentation, have worked their way into his current pedagogy.

He encourages other instructors, teachers, and students to embrace the philosophy of toys as tools. "It's important to turn toys into tools. Start with exploration, figure out how something works then apply it to solve real problems," he says. In the interactive media lab at Williston State Collage, students are connected to every other school in North Dakota. Using this integrated system, Quamme teaches instructor courses, invites guest speakers to address his students, and structures hands-on time with equipment.

Quamme takes the blended learning model even further as he prepares students for real world job situations. With rapidly changing technology and a growing space for IT professionals in rural North Dakota, Quamme predicts broad horizons for his students.

Recently, the oil industry invested money and infrastructure in the area around Williston. Recognizing that jobs would likely be created by this, Quamme offered students opportunities to train for jobs specifically in support of that sector. Many area industries are now exclusively focusing on using Cisco equipment because of the well-trained employee base from which they can draw. In turn, this symbiotic relationship encourages students to do well.

Many teachers and administrators are beginning to realize the importance of adding IT courses into the overall curriculum. It is this blend of IT-based knowledge, hands-on experience, and creative exploration that could revolutionize the current pedagogy of most western classrooms.

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