Superheros Are Real

A week ago today, a video teacher and I, sat down to lunch at the 2019 #AVIDCONNECT convention, where we soon were joined by Stephen Rapanaro from T2 Computing, to be followed shortly thereafter, by a whole team of awesomeness, passion, and enthusiasm. As a result, the educational industry relevant trajectory of the Career and Technical Education students at Desert Pines, an inner city high school in the heart of Las Vegas,and Nevada’s only Radio Production program of study has been launched on course, a feat I have been unable to accomplish in two years.  

Truth be told, it is more a three plus years in the making project finally coming to fruition.

There is much talk about how K-12 Education needs to be relevant to industry, but truth be told, it is a difficult hurdle to clear unless we have partners from the professional world, willing to navigate the Temple Run like barriers, and offer a helping hand.  Most infrastructures and equipment do not readily run the tools of the trade, and few teachers and techs within schools know the software needed, let alone the ins and outs on how to problem solve the roadblocks.

For now four years, I have struggled to get software such as #Adobe, #Unity, #Avid, #UnrealEngine and #AutoDesk operational in all the media technologies programs of study (Animation, Digital Game Design, Graphic Design, Photography, Video & Radio Production, and Web Design), but we still have schools where it just doesn’t seem to work. With every new version released, comes a new set of obstacles in application. So in all fairness, it is understandable why a teacher would want to stay on an outdated version or forgo installation all together. Many are willing to move forward, accruing their Lynda.com/ #LinkedIn certificates of merit on the latest versions, however, teaching a class of 40-50 students, when as one student told Dave on Thursday “We are used to it not working” is an insurmountable task.

So back to the true purpose of this narrative, how the T2 Computing team enabled industry relevant tools to a student population 2,521 miles away.

Outraged over our story of multiple failed attempts through support calls to get the Desert Pines HS KJAG lab of Pro Tools licenses working, Stephen decreed that the lack of student access to a long ago purchased product could not be perpetuated, and on Thursday, after 4 long days of meetings, Dave and Terron, in a unyielding quest to right a wrong, piled into my DatMobile on their way to the airport, and five hours later, emerged victoriously.  

They got 32 networked computers up and running, and taught a class on Pro Tools in the process. Now if that doesn’t define Superheroes with super powers, what does? Imagine if they lived closer.  I could get Media Composer up and running in all 40 of my Video Production programs and all Adobe issues might get resolved at our 48 high schools.

What could come after that?  #LinkedIn deciding that high school students can continue to use their #elearning content past this coming June? What a dream come true that would be.

I want to publicly profess my undying gratitude to Terron, Dave, Steven and T2 Computing for their heroic feats of support to a total stranger at a conference, thus impacting hundreds of students at an inner city school. And I want to encourage other professionals to adopt the schools in your neighborhoods, they need you and your expertise more than your money.   

In closing, to quote Caige, one of the students in Mr. Gough’s, Desert Pines Radio Production program, and the newly crowned Nevada’s FBLA Public Speaking state winner, “Are you going to stand up and build your future, or are you going to sit down and build someone else’s?” Even though I sat down to eat last week, Stephen, Dave, and Terron, you guys all stood up, and helped me build a path for their future at Desert Pines and I THANK YOU!