KIDZ
Biz
&Buzz
InnoVators
A text Revolution
By Shannon Rowe
enjamin Franklin once said, “Give me 26 lead soldiers and I will conquer the
world.” He understood that a printing press armed with 26 letters wielded more
power to change world events than an arsenal of guns. He knew the power of
By Elizabeth MacDonald
the written word to influence the mind of the people. Today, with text
messaging, instant messaging, and the Internet, those 26 letters are being used more than
ever.
Chris Calvert is a busy seventh
Printed words…where did they come from? The printed word has traveled a long,
grader at Haile Middle School
evolving road. It’s believed that the Chinese first invented movable type, a system of
(HMS). With a love for
printing using letters engraved on pieces of metal. A German man named Johann
computers and technology, you
Gutenberg introduced movable type to Europe in the 1440s when he developed his
may find him hard at work over
famous printing press, and the world’s books went from 30,000 to 9 million in half a
his keyboard. Or he could be
century. The first practical typewriter, invented by Christopher Sholes in the late 1860s,
presiding over World Geography
became the most significant business tool in its time. The manual typewriter was replaced
class where he is the class
by electric typewriters in the latter half of the 20th century, followed by word processing
president. Or he may be
machines. Today, the personal computer is the word processor of our day, putting the
practicing his piano lessons. Or he power of the printed word into the hands of everyman.
might be at third base, ready to
But what’s next? Take a look into the near future. Experts from academia and
tag the next guy out. Or he could industry are right now collaborating on a project known as “One Laptop per Child—a
be working on his skateboard
potent learning tool created expressly for the world’s poorest children living in its most
moves (watch out Tony Hawk!).
remote environments” according to the project’s website. This project hopes to put
Wherever he is, whatever he’s
durable, self-powered, low-cost laptops into third-world countries in an effort to transform
doing, Chris is giving it his all.
their world. Just this month the president of Rwanda committed to putting the laptops
His versatility and unassuming
into the hands of its children within five years.
style make him the “go-to guy”
What will great minds and tomorrow’s technology produce next?
for his fellow students when they
Only imagination can tell!
need some assistance. He is a
natural, easygoing leader. As a
member of the HMS Technology
Students of America (TSA) and
Future Business Leaders of
America (FBLA), Chris is looking
forward to the upcoming district
competitions. Right now he is
working on the finer points of
Power Point presentations. After
moving on to high school and
college, Chris’ goal is to become a
professional skateboarder. If that
doesn’t work out, he’ll fall back
on a career in computers and
technology. Go for it, Chris!
Working Hard,
Playing Hard
B
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T H E S C H O O L D I S T R I C T O F M A N AT E E C O U N T Y F E AT U R E S A S T U D E N T A N D A C A R E E R & T E C H N I C A L E D U C AT I O N T E A C H E R
Care Every Day
Joy Voelkel, Haile Middle School (HMS)
Business Technology teacher, believes making
a connection with her students is a top
priority. Joy encourages students to look at
the events that have changed their future and
shaped their lives. She feels that each day
presents another chance to motivate and lead
her students towards success and to show
them that she cares about their future. Care
every day—it’s a simple concept that Joy puts
into action, making a difference in the lives
of her students. Joy’s classes focus on
computer skills in word processing,
presentation software, desktop publishing,
spreadsheets, and web design, but her
primary purpose is to help students be
successful in other classes with the skills to
put together assignments. She is the HMS
yearbook advisor as well as the team advisor
for Haile’s Future Business Leaders of
America (FBLA) club. Students participating
in FBLA work individually and as a team to
solve challenges and develop leadership skills.
By being available to her students and
showing support through extracurricular
activities and clubs, Joy gives her students an
opportunity to grow and build confidence.
Preparedness, competition, experience, and
achievement are all key elements in
developing success.
DISCOVER
the
Future
Career Pathways in
Manatee County
Today’s Career Focus – Business Technology
Today’s Career Focus: Business Technology includes
skills in word processing, spreadsheets, databases, web
design, and presentation. Today’s careers focus on
word processing and the written word.
Source: http://www.bls.gov
Regional Careers: Here are examples of written wordrelated occupations and current wages in the Suncoast
Workforce Region.
Occupational Title
Adult Literacy, Remedial
Education, and GED Teachers
Court Reporters
Editors
Education Administrators,
Postsecondary
Education, Training, and
Library Workers
Interpreters and Translators
Job Printers
Librarians
Library Technicians
Medical Transcriptionists
Printing Machine Operators
Technical Writers
Word Processors and Typists
Writers and Authors
Entry
Average
$16.75
$19.23
$11.31
$20.13
$24.36
$18.46
$20.03
$33.01
$11.60
$12.67
$10.32
$15.70
$9.85
$11.02
$9.61
$17.86
$9.90
$13.86
$18.87
$18.82
$14.02
$21.05
$12.76
$15.97
$13.66
$25.91
$13.47
$22.20
Source: http://fred.labormarketinfo.com
Florida Market Statistics Occupational Employment
Statistics and Wages Program
Explore
IT
Tech Prep Career Pathway: Students desiring a
career in business technology can find related
educational programs at these area schools*:
Haile Middle School, Lakewood Ranch High
School, Braden River High School, Manatee
Technical Institute, Sarasota County Technical
Institute, Manatee Community College, and the
University of South Florida.
C h a r t Yo u r P e r s o n a l G r o w t h
Write significant events that you hope and plan for, such as got
my drivers’ license, graduated from high school, started college, got
my first brand-new car, became a doctor, got married, etc. Now
look at your “life.” Use your imagined timeline to set goals for
your future!
*Other Manatee schools may offer similar programs.
Listed schools are related to today’s issue.
Source: 2006 Tech Prep Career Pathway Guide, Manatee
County Schools
WEB
Wise
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Check out the
following websites:
www.floridafbla-pbl.com
http://laptop.org
www.ipl.org/div/teen
www.studentnow.com/career/becomewriter.html
www.careeroverview.com/librarian-careers.html
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F55706
InquiziKidz page is published
every Wednesday in
Bradenton Herald.
Provided by
Newspaper in Education,
Brandy Braver
(941) 748-0411 ext. 5031,
Julie Beacham-Hooie,
Page Editor.
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Either in a word processing program or on paper,
create a timeline of your life. Include your different ages,
memorable events, life-changing experiences, and little
occurrences that helped shape who you are today. Start with
the day you were born, and include significant events like
moved to a new house, met my best friend, learned how to
, finished
, and so on.
Write down anything that you remember as being
important.
When you’re finished, step back and view your work.
All of that didn’t happen overnight, right? Development and
change are a process, and they take time. Enjoy each day
you’re given, and learn from every experience as you look
forward to what’s coming your way.
Next, continue the timeline into your future.
Imagine you are old and are looking back over your life.
Biz
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(You are an Unfinished Work-in-Progress)
SCHOOL