McKeon tours high tech at AV College

This story appeared in the Antelope Valley Press February 22, 2001

By LISA WAHLA
Valley Press Staff Writer

LANCASTER - With a new assignment comes new responsibility, so Congressman Howard P. "Buck" McKeon went back to school Wednesday to brush up for his position.

McKeon recently was named chairman of a House subcommittee on higher education and technology, and he toured Antelope Valley College to learn how the school is using high-tech computer programs. He'll take that knowledge back to Washington, D.C., where budget makers will soon begin divvying out this year's funding.

Led by interim AVC president Patricia Sandoval and other college officials, McKeon toured the college's computer labs, "smart" classrooms and video production center. He watched students in action as they built electrical circuits, cut video on computer and learned how to make maps with geographic information systems.

Don Mourton, AVC's vice president of student services, said adding "smart" classrooms with television and computer hookups would enhance student learning. The college has about 2,000 computers now for its 12,000 students.

A newly awarded $3 million federal grant for schools with 25% Hispanic populations will bring four more classrooms into the high-tech age, he said.

"The number of students needing basic skills far outweigh the number of classes we can offer," Mourton said, adding that putting more classroom information online would ease that burden.

"It's taking students a number of semesters to finish. Funding would help us open this pipe up."

Computer lab staff members hope to incorporate streaming video of classes in action, so students who are absent can see what they missed. That sort of program could be running by next semester, depending on money.

McKeon said when President George W. Bush unveils his budget Wednesday, he will have a better idea about what type of money will be available for educational technology. McKeon favors block grants over project-specific grants, so educators can decide how to spend the funds.

With more funding, Sandoval said she would like to acquire more computers and give faculty and staff more training to better incorporate technology in the classroom.

Technology has become so pervasive, she added, "the Academic Senate is looking at making computer literacy part of the graduation requirements."

Watching students and "wowing" over students' graphic art displayed in the halls, McKeon said he was impressed with what the college is doing.

"If you all do well, we'll do better as a country," he told students in one of the computer classes. "You work more, you pay more taxes; we build more schools."

"We'll make the pie bigger so we'll have a bigger piece of the pie."