At H. Grady Spruce High School, amid the zeroes and ones of the Information Technology cluster, Ashley M. turned an ordinary class project into a practical business tool for her father. “We learn about many things from graphic design to coding,” she said. “It was my first time doing anything l ike that. The project was to create a website for a legitimate business and since my dad has one, I thought I might just help him out.” As a sophomore, Ashley takes Principles of Technology, Computer Maintenance and Digital Media. Next year, she will tackle Independent Technology Applications, a project-based course which allows students to create their own app. “My dad has a hard time understanding online things and electronics, but he really loved my website and was in shock,” she said. “He showed it to all of his friends and the rest of my family members because he was proud of me.” In digital media class, students also learn to correct and manipulate images using Photoshop. In the “Lost Family Activity,” students restored damaged, faded photographs from the 1920s, carefully removing scratches and sharpening details to bring each image back to life. Other adventures in the class incorporate usage of AI to build unique action characters, demonstrating creativity. Raul H., a JROTC cadet, enrolled in the class to improve his photo editing skills. Along the way, he learned HTML before transitioning to Google Sites. The technical skills he is learning now will help him build a digital portfolio. “I learned how to manipulate images, combine faces together, and remove backgrounds,” Raul said. “Everything I like, or want people to see on my photography page, I put on the website I built using Google Sites,” he said. Advancing each year, students like Ashley and Raul will earn several certifications including Google IT Support through Coursera, which transfers to college, and Microsoft 365.  “This cluster has definitely opened my eyes to see that I have other options. Technology will always be with us. It’s one of those things where it’s a reliable experience to have. You could get a job basically anywhere,” Ashley said.The post Spruce students learn to design, code and create first appeared on The Hub. ...read more read less