Coquitlam students gain real-world experience at Networkers '99It's not every day students get a chance to put their skills to the test before a group of experts. But that's just what happened for 10 lucky high school students from British Columbia who spent a week of their summer vacation providing computer maintenance and technical support to more than 1,000 of North America's top information technology leaders. The Coquitlam, B.C., students were called upon by Cisco Systems Canada to install and monitor a bank of computer workstations at the 10th Annual Networkers User Conference in Vancouver last July. It was the first time Canada has hosted Cisco's worldwide user conference, which brings together networking professionals to discuss the latest strategies and learn about the future of computer networking.
The Cisco Networking Academy program is a four-semester co-operative program which teaches students the fundamentals of how to design, build, and maintain networks capable of supporting today's national and global organizations. Students learn the information needed to prepare them for the world of networking, positioning them for immediate openings in a talent-hungry job market or for engineering- and science-focused college studies. The Networking Academy program prepares students for the Cisco Certified Networking Academy Associate exam. Cisco provides coursework for a complete range of basic through advanced networking concepts - from pulling cable through to such complex concepts as subnet masking rules and strategies. The format for the Networking Academy classes reflects the content: interactive lessons stored largely on the classroom's Cisco Web server. The Academy design also accommodates diverse learning styles: text is offered for those who learn easier by reading, while more visual learners can focus on the course material's extensive graphics and QuickTime movies. To promote development of the personal skills that underpin successful careers, projects require students not only to resolve technical issues but also to successfully address network users' needs. School District #43 in Coquitlam was an early adopter of the Cisco Networking Academy Program in British Columbia. The district places a strong emphasis on technology and was eager to move beyond its existent Information Technology Management curriculum and adopt Cisco's distinctive course. "When Cisco came to us asking for 'all-stars' to work at the conference, the teachers and students were thrilled," recalls Scott McLagan, Coordinator for Computers in Education, School District #43. "And when they got to the conference, the kids were simply blown away by the cool technology and by the people they were able to meet. They thought it was awesome."
Based on the knowledge they gained in the Cisco Networking Academy program, the students were able to set up and monitor the network, set up IP domains, troubleshoot, and provide full assistance to users. They were also invited to attend Networkers '99 sessions, where they heard valuable presentations which examined cutting-edge network technologies including voice-over-IP, policy networking, security, multicasting and virtual private networks. And they even met Cisco CEO John Chambers, who introduced himself to each student prior to his keynote address. "Working at Networkers '99 was very exciting," says Grade 12 student Sandy Venugopal, 17. "During my course we just did one big project but Networkers '99 was practical work. I realized that there is a whole lot more to networking than maintaining hardware and keeping everything up and running." Gordon Wong, now a first-year computer engineering student at University of British Columbia, adds, "By working at the conference, I was able to take the skills I learned in the Networking Academy program and apply them to a real job. Now I'm better able to understand the concept of setting up virtual private networks and how to calculate IP for different subnets. It was really fun to see so many new technologies and to meet so many technical people." Melissa Tan, 17, says working at Networkers '99 has changed her career path. "Originally I wanted to go into computer science at university," says the Grade 12 student, who will start the Networking Academy Program in January 2000. "But based on the problem-solving experience I gained at Networkers '99 as well as the interesting people I met, I'm now planning to enroll in computer engineering instead." Preparing students for future information technology careers is what the Networking Academy Program is all about. For students in Coquitlam, spending time with Cisco has certainly paid off. |
For many of the Coquitlam students, Networkers '99 was an opportunity to apply the skills they learned in the Cisco Networking Academy program to a real live computing environment.
During Networkers '99, conference delegates had access to a number of computer workstations where they could learn about Cisco products, search the World Wide Web or check e-mail. Students were completely in charge of the workstations for the duration of the four-day conference - from setting them up before the show to providing technical support to delegates and finally dismantling the PCs when the conference was over.
