Out of date? Let's update our classrooms

who have no technologies in the classroom at all,” said Psychology and Statistics Professor Jennifer Moses.

of an update.

If you’ve ever taken a math or statistics class at Pierce, chances are you took it in one of the modest, lowtech classrooms on campus.w

But in an age where interactive and smart technologies are becoming more and more popular, some teachers are feeling left-out because their classrooms are not up-to-date with modern technology.

“Math, statistics, psychology -there are a whole bunch of disciplines

Moses is referring specifically to the 1300, 1400 and 1500 buildings (Behavior Sciences, Math, Computer Sciences), whose only ‘technology’ involves lighting and air-conditioning.

IT Coordinator and Spanish Professor Fernando Oleas shares Moses’ sentiments.

“All those buildings in the math area lack technology,” Oleas said.

“We need better technology that is sufficient for teaching our students.”

Oleas described the classrooms as being outdated, and they are in need

And while the administration does agree with Oleas, there is still a debate over which technological products to buy for the classrooms.

In order to solve this dilemma, Oleas has put together two ‘demo rooms.’ The demo rooms will be located at 1301 on Tuesday and at 1402 on Thursday. Each room will feature two different devices that faculty will be able to experiment with.

“One is an interactive board called Mondopad,” Oleas said. “The other one is like a smart TV but it can connect to the internet. It functions like a smartboard.”

The goal of this demo room is for faculty to decide which technology they think is best suited for their classrooms. Faculty members can interact with the different types of technology and experience first-hand how it works. This demonstration will help faculty and staff decide whether they prefer the Mondopad or smart TV.

“We want to see what works best,” Oleas said. “I will be collecting feedback. We as faculty will make a collective decision as to what is necessary for us to use.”

Instead of ushering in the new semester in a celebratory fashion, students are sprawled across campus hunting for books in the Student Store, quickly revising their outfits because of rapid changes in weather and circling the school parking lots in hopes of finding a spot.

This process shouldn’t be so taxing.

The inclusion of a mobile app where students can access precious Pierce College information that’s dedicated to easing the early semesterly mayhem could be advantageous for our student body.

Imagine a world in which, the inventory of our Student Store, traffic updates and weather reports could become available in our hands.

The Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) currently has a mobile app that allows you to view your grades and financial aid status but, no school in our district has made one specifically for their respective campuses.

Many colleges across the country have invested the time and resources in creating such apps. California State University, Northridge (CSUN) has one of the highest rated mobile apps in the entire country, according to letsnurture.com.

CSUN’s mobile app allows students to have access to the employee directory, calendars with school events, parking lot capacities and even a full virtual reality campus tour of the school.

Their Information Technology Department is responsible for the cultivation and maintenance of the app. According to savyapps.com, “Apps built by smaller shops, possibly with only 2-3 people, likely cost anywhere between $50,000 to $100,000.”

This feat may be too much to ask, but there are many functions if there were a collaboration with

JESSE BERTEL Reporter

certain departments and facilities around campus in which a Pierce College mobile app could excel.

The need for an app becomes necessary in these last few weeks, where sporadic rain in the San Fernando Valley came as a surprise to many. Sure, you can check the weather app on your phone to figure out how to dress for that day. However, Pierce College has a running weather station that gives live reports of the conditions of the Woodland Hills area. You can find this at piercecollegeweather.com/about.

This underused resource found on our campus could potentially save students a trip home to change their outfits in these winter and spring months. Nothing is worse than showing up to school thinking you have ample time get to class, then discovering that the only parking spot available is on the opposite side of campus. This can become a slippery slope, turning you from early to late.

With new construction happening around campus and the influx in the number of students driving to school in the early weeks of a semester, it can help save time finding a parking spot on campus.

The Pierce College Sheriff's Department avidly directs school traffic when it becomes too busy. If the Sheriff’s were to provide police reports to student’s smartphones, via the app, on local accidents and parking lot capacities, similarly to CSUN’s app, students could adjust their schedules and leave earlier to make it to class on time.

Our Student Store is regularly stocked full of snacks, school supplies and a plethora of Pierce clothing. Yet, finding your books stocked remains difficult.

There needs to be a way where the Student Store could update their stock in books. Students could independently check if their book is at the store and plan a trip knowing they’ll get what they need.

Schools including East Tennessee State University, have established a mobile app centered around their bookstore and have reported that having a bookstore