Tech in the Classroom

By Angie Johnson-Schmit

Preparing the Next Generation for Tech Jobs.

Millions of American school children have sharpened their digital communication skills with remote learning over the past year. But some students were already deeply involved in learning tech knowledge and skills. You can find some of those students in Robyn Bryce’s classroom at Prescott High School in Prescott, Arizona.

Named a Yavapai County Teacher of the year in 2020, Bryce is known for inspiring students to explore and experiment with technology in a range of tech oriented classes.

Her interest began when she spearheaded the Media Tech Lab, focusing on Film and TV production about five years ago. The Media Tech Lab has since expanded to include multiple tech disciplines.

Bryce credits a grant of over $40,000 from the Jewish Community Foundation for getting the Media Tech Lab up and running. “We were really backed by them, and then people heard about it,” said Bryce. As word spread about her tech-oriented coursework, other community supports and grants followed.

Photos courtesy of SignalsAZ.com

2020 was the first year Bryce offered computer science as a semester long course, with a focus on teaching students basic Java. It’s proven to be so popular that computer science is slated to become a yearlong course in the 2021-2022 school year. Likewise, the media tech lab course will be a full year class.

Her freshman students start off with a survey course, Exploring Digital Media. Students can then branch out and take classes that focus on computer science, Film and TV or something that Bryce calls “modern industrial arts.” The modern industrial arts courses combine “computer science, contemporary technology and old school manufacturing.”

Her students are able to try out a variety of tech in the classroom, giving them the chance to discover where their interests are so they can go deeper. Bryce’s students have the opportunity to work with everything from video and audio production gear to 3D printers and a robotic arm. She said she has, “kids that are interested in robotics, kids that are interested in engineering…kids that are interested in coding, and computer science, and designing.”

Even courses that might appear to be more like old-fashioned shop classes have tech components. Bryce has introduced a variety of small manufacturing equipment to the classroom, including a sticker maker, a t-shirt press, and a wood and metal router machine. For students interested in working with this gear, they also need to master the core design tech needed.

Students have full access to the Adobe software suite. Film and TV students use applications like Adobe Premiere Pro to edit their video projects, or Adobe’s After Effects to add visual effects. A variety of design programs like Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator and Adobe In- Design are used to develop designs for the sticker machine and the t-shirt press. Bryce and her students are currently diving into Adobe Aero, an application used to build augmented reality experiences.

One of her favorite things about teaching tech is shepherding her students through the design process. “Teaching kids to come up with a thought and then to go through the design process and those iterations of it, working on a team, getting feedback, prepares students to deal with the entire process,” said Bryce.

She also sees the value in teaching kids how to manage projects that don’t turn out as planned. “The ultimate (experience) is creating that prototype,” said Bryce. When that prototype doesn’t work or isn’t up to the stand, she thinks it’s important for students to know to go back to the design process, correct the errors and try it again. “Whether you’re dealing with technology or you’re dealing with writing a paper, or you’re making a film, it’s the same kind of idea,” said Bryce.

Beyond the practical applications of tech, Bryce is keenly interested in helping students understand how these new tech skills can translate into actual employment for them. Her goal for the class as a whole is “for us to eventually become the media powerhouse for Prescott Unified (School District).” For example, if the high school football team is “giving an award…I want us to make the plaque, to use our router to make the plaque and engrave the metal.”

She is also looking to future job or career skills and opportunities for her students. Keeping an eye on where the industries are headed, Bryce focuses on providing the tools for her class to get hands-on experience with the tech. Her students learn things like how to make custom car magnets and stickers, how to write and produce film, television and digital media, how to write and produce a podcast and how to program a robotic arm. Her dream is that students, regardless of whether they go into a tech-related job or not, have learned the skills of effective teamwork, creative problem solving, excellent communication and the ability to see a project through to completion.

While some students will be heading off to college after graduating high school, Bryce is “also of the belief that college isn’t necessarily for everyone.” She has several former students attending Yavapai College and Northern Arizona University, but she has others who have gone directly into tech jobs or who want to open up their own businesses. No matter what her students choose, she points out they can “get an apprenticeship, or maybe even use some of these skills to help pay the bills when they are going to college.

Bryce understands that students getting ready to move into a tech-oriented workspace need to be nimble, curious and creative to find success.

"The way technology comes out, who knows what’s going to be the next new thing three years from now?” she said. No matter what the answer to that question is, Bryce is making sure her students have the skills and mindset to meet those challenges.

Helen Stephenson, Yavapai College Film and Media Arts Director and Robyn Bryce, PHS Media Tech Lab teacher.