CATAWISSA - A group of Southern Columbia Area middle school students investigated a series of computers Wednesday morning to determine which of the fake StemTech Corp. employees embezzled $500 from the company.
Across the hall, students were busy programing a wheeled robot to turn around when it detects an object in its path.
"We give these kids the knowledge. What they do with it is up to them. Some think engineering and mathematics are just not fun. We're showing them different," said Chris Gangler, high school business and computer teacher.
"We want to start getting kids excited again. As technology jobs keep getting outsourced, we want the jobs to stay in the area," said SCA kindergarten through sixth grade technology coordinator Victoria Kozlek.
For four days this week, the technology department offered a summer camp that focused on computer forensics and robotics. Twenty-three students learned how to build and program a robot, use forensic tools and computer programs and conduct hands-on tests. They also practiced computer skills through web games.
When the students arrived at the school for the four-day program Monday, said Kozlek, they received an orientation and were photographed for company badges. On Tuesday, they learned how to recover deleted files and read binary code and other computer languages. Today, the last day of the program, they will use the skills they've learned this week and go on a scavenger hunt around the school for QR codes.
Computer forensics
Eli Yemzow, 11, of Numidia, said he enjoyed searching through the computers and finding lost data people thought were gone.
"We were looking for anything like a search for how to hack or anything malicious toward the case," said middle schooler, a son of Mark and Amy Yemzow.
On the first computer Yemzow and his fellow students searched, they determined that someone had gone online to learn how to open an online bank account and quit one's job to raise chickens. The second computer, which most of the students thought had been used by the culprit, contained a bank account number on its desktop and Internet searches on how to spend $500 and how to hack a bank account. The third computer was slow due to a virus.
The goal of the program, said Kozlek, is to get the kids interested early so when they reach high school, they can participate in technology courses, and eventually may take more courses in college to further their careers.
Robots big draw
The robotics class was the big draw, she said, an opinion Chase Urban, 11, of Catawissa, shared.
"You can program them to do whatever you want. It's really fun," said the son of Ruth Ann and Mark Urban.
On Monday, they assembled the robots from Lego Mindstorms (a line of programmable robotics/construction toys). On Tuesday, they programed it to travel from one piece of tape to another. On Wednesday, the students learned how to program their robots to travel between two marks on the floor, turn 360 degrees, travel back, turn again and stop. The robots were then programmed to detect an object in their path and turn to avoid it. Today, the robots will be programed to follow a length of tape on the floor.
"Teachers often recognize (the robots') behavior as insect-like," said Gangler. "A lot of robot designs follow animals and insects. When we design them, we take it from nature."
The robotic program is a condensed version of a class he teaches at the school, in which the students have 50 class days to create a robot.
"The kids eat it right up. I'm happy to be part of it," he said.
Kozlek said she saw a lot of "future technicians" at the camp.
"It has been a fabulous week," said Kozlek.
The camp was free to Southern Columbia Area middle school students via funding from a 21st Century grant. Travis Williams, middle school computer teacher, assisted Kozlek and Gangler this week. Chris Gangler, high school business and computer teacher, helps Jared Ebersole, 10, of Catawissa, with programming his robot at Southern Columbia Area Wednesday morning. Ebersole is the son of Vicky and Scott Ebersole.