CompTIA Spark is a free curriculum designed to get students interested in technology at the elementary and middle school level. Millions of technology positions across the nation need to be filled and many of those are right here in North Texas and Cannon Principal Dr. Tina Garrett wants to prepare students for these opportunities now. “Knowing that Dallas is number 3 in tech jobs, we have got to start this in pre-K kindergarten and grow this.”
“We want the tech jobs to be filled by the students who are here,” said CompTIA Spark representative Bret Felten.
Dr. Garrett is excited about the CompTIA Spark curriculum and believes it can prepare students for technology sector positions starting as early as pre-K.
“It’s a free resource that promotes collaboration, communication and critical thinking,” she explained. “Whether it’s the chatbot, the AI, the lunar cruise line, the coding, the kids love it!”
Students are already learning how to make the connections beyond the classroom. Heather Hagar, a Cannon STEM teacher said, “One of my students wants to be a doctor and this helps them understand how they can use 3D printing for prosthetics.”
Garrett is grateful for CompTIA Spark and the other partnerships Cannon has formed to provide students with these learning opportunities.
“We can’t do this alone,” she said. “Our students are going to be great local and global citizens because of how our community and partners have invested in our kids.”
