What do you think about IT classes?

[antoainb]

This is a topic for you to say what you think about IT or Computer classes at a mid-school level.

 

First I'll tell you something. I don't have IT classes, but because most of my class has them and I like computers and technology I know what goes on in them, I don't have them because when I got to 7th grade I got to choose either IT or music and I chose music because I didn't think IT classes were worth it (and boy was I right). I'm now at 8th grade and I have no desire to have them.

 

So last year all they did, and I mean ALL they did were three things: talk about hardware (very limited knowledge though, if you ask anyone two brands of CPU's they will make a blank face and say: "the teacher didn't tell us anything"), learn how to use something called "Animoto" (it's a online video producing service where you do animated video montages) and learn how to use "prezi" (it's a online tool to make animated power-point like presentations). That is it, no more, is that really IT? (I know some of you may be surprised they didn't talk about office, but they did this year). Yes, they got to know what hardware is and they can say some components but the "Animoto" and "prezi" part I don't think should be called IT.

 

But it gets worse, this year, even though it's not over, it already has me trying to take my eyes out. So far this is what they have done: learn basic things about software (I mean BASIC things, basically only types of software like anti-virus, text processor...), do a project about Creative Commons (*facepalm*) and now they have to do a work about another school subject in MS Office. Again not really IT excluding the software part but there is a lot of crap taught about it, like the idea that you need a paid anti-virus and all others suck, but one thing that is really stupid and irony: one guy pirated (cc) a paid anti-virus (software BS) for Mac *facepalm*. I know that Macs have malware too (as does EVERY OS) but a paid anti-virus is too much, especially one that is pirated (much stupid   very facepalm   wow).

 

Anyway, what do you think about IT classes nowadays, imo they're not good, too much BS, the teachers don't really teach much about tech, operating a program isn't IT, making the program is

 

EDIT: fix typos

[LordGarth6]

for 2 hours a week for 2 years of school, i sat and used office in a business situation, so i did databases, business cards, drag/drop website design, letter headers. they called that IT i called it bollocks

[antoainb]

for 2 hours a week for 2 years of school, i sat and used office in a business situation, so i did databases, business cards, drag/drop website design, letter headers. they called that IT i called it bollocks

 

Pretty much.

[brownninja97]

IT is pointless, coding is what people should do from a young age, it will open up the market even further, computers are peoples lives now, if we create more programmers the world will be better, only for the first world people of course.

[SMURG]

In the UK 'IT' is mandatory up until we're 16, and we don't get any hardware education at all. It's literally just glorified data entry, learning how to use the Microsoft Office programs.

 

For 5 years.

 

I'm not even joking.

[defunkt]

GCSE IT in my school is basic microsoft office.. It's full of idiots from the lowest skill groups in the school. I do "Computers" which is computer science.

[Alphabloom]

We didn't have IT classes, it came under IT clubs where people could learn programming like C++ in the club you also had tutorials like how to build a computer (I should mention I went to a private school and this was about two or three years ago) Programs we needed to learn to use came under our other (languages, maths, english, geography etc) curriculum so if we ever needed to use a program they had a 4 class crash course

[defunkt]

In the UK 'IT' is mandatory up until we're 16, and we don't get any hardware education at all. It's literally just glorified data entry, learning how to use the Microsoft Office programs.

 

For 5 years.

 

I'm not even joking.

In year 8 I failed a test in IT because I used the wrong font size.. The teacher didn't say anything about font size..

[Cosmos_i7]

In the UK 'IT' is mandatory up until we're 16, and we don't get any hardware education at all. It's literally just glorified data entry, learning how to use the Microsoft Office programs.

 

For 5 years.

 

I'm not even joking.

I can second this. Literally it was only using Excel, Word and PowerPoint. I got marked down once because my work was too complex. I didn't use the software they used and they didn't like it. In my opinion its more English than ICT. They are taught more about target audience than about software and IT itself. 

[antoainb]

IT is pointless, coding is what people should do from a young age, it will open up the market even further, computers are peoples lives now, if we create more programmers the world will be better, only for the first world people of course.

 

I agree.

[SMURG]

In year 8 I failed a test in IT because I used the wrong font size.. The teacher didn't say anything about font size..

 

It'd be a lot funnier if it wasn't so obviously and tragically true

[Damikiller37]

Basically in secondary school (High School) all we did on so called 'I.T' is do pointless crap on Office that had 100% nothing to do with I.T and we got a certificate for it. Now I'm in college and it's a night and day difference, we actually go over every computer part in very large detail; meaning that I have to write 10000+ assignments but at least we are learning something valuable and I enjoy it. We also get a lot of practical work and get to do all of the troubleshooting and fixing of computers during class making it actually worth wile unlike what we did in secondary school.

 

To put it all in short... I.T. classes in secondary school are worth s***, however are good to have a good grade in so that you can get into I.T. in college/uni and I.T. in college, obviously depending on the college, is actually really good especially if you don't know the in and out of everything.

[antoainb]

In the UK 'IT' is mandatory up until we're 16, and we don't get any hardware education at all. It's literally just glorified data entry, learning how to use the Microsoft Office programs.

 

For 5 years.

 

I'm not even joking.

 

It's the same here in Portugal, unless you choose music.

[antoainb]

In year 8 I failed a test in IT because I used the wrong font size.. The teacher didn't say anything about font size..

 

Really?

[SMURG]

It's the same here in Portugal, unless you choose music.

 Over here, music only saves you from the horrors of either art and/or drama, although it can vary by school. Amusingly, at my school it was impossible to take both IT and maths at A Level (16-18), despite further education in computing requiring both...

[Cosmos_i7]

 

Oh I would like to also add that once someone "borrowed" my excel spreadsheet. Essentially keeping everything and changing my name and title. Guess what? They got a higher grade than I did on that assessment. Doesn't that say something? I lost all respect for ICT before then and that was the final straw.

(IT=ICT I'm just used to calling it ICT.) 

[antoainb]

Basically in secondary school (High School) all we did on so called 'I.T' is do pointless crap on Office that had 100% nothing to do with I.T and we got a certificate for it. Now I'm in college and it's a night and day difference, we actually go over every computer part in very large detail; meaning that I have to write 10000+ assignments but at least we are learning something valuable and I enjoy it. We also get a lot of practical work and get to do all of the troubleshooting and fixing of computers during class making it actually worth wile unlike what we did in secondary school.

 

To put it all in short... I.T. classes in secondary school are worth s***, however are good to have a good grade in so that you can get into I.T. in college/uni and I.T. in college, obviously depending on the college, is actually really good especially if you don't know the in and out of everything.

 

I find it hard to have bad grades in IT, but some people manage to get negatives.

[antoainb]

 Over here, music only saves you from the horrors of either art and/or drama, although it can vary by school. Amusingly, at my school it was impossible to take both IT and maths at A Level (16-18), despite further education in computing requiring both...

 

What? That makes no sense.

[SMURG]

 

 

Oh I would like to also add that once someone "borrowed" my excel spreadsheet. Essentially keeping everything and changing my name and title. Guess what? They got a higher grade than I did on that assessment. Doesn't that say something? I lost all respect for ICT before then and that was the final straw.

(IT=ICT I'm just used to calling it ICT.) 

 

 

I hate the term ICT purely because my primary school had what they called the "ICT Suite" and 4-year-old me found it incredibly hard to say...

[lapris54]

In the UK 'IT' is mandatory up until we're 16, and we don't get any hardware education at all. It's literally just glorified data entry, learning how to use the Microsoft Office programs.

 

For 5 years.

 

I'm not even joking.

It's not mandatory at all, i'm 15 and people in my year don't have to do it, also we code in Python at school

[antoainb]

It's not mandatory at all, i'm 15 and people in my year don't have to do it, also we code in Python at school

 

I wish I had that luck, the only year I get to code in school is at 12^th grade, or the last year of High-School.

[SMURG]

What? That makes no sense.

 

It's the British education system - it doesn't make any sense. Starts off okay but once you're 16 you can say goodbye to logic; if you're white, British, middle-class, heterosexual and not in any way handicapped then you're gonna find university a struggle too...

[SMURG]

It's not mandatory at all, i'm 15 and people in my year don't have to do it, also we code in Python at school

 

Scotland are autonomous on education; amend my post to England (and probably Wales). Also exclude private schools cos they largely do as they please.

[lapris54]

I wish I had that luck, the only year I get to code in school is at 12^th grade, or the last year of High-School.

I code in PBasic in other classes aswell

[flibberdipper]

Before I read all that, GIMME GIMME GIMME!!! (the classes)

 

My district has GOOD tech classes.