What kind of experience do you want in the classroom? Well, the more involved you are in your class, the more you will enjoy it. Here are some ways to interact more in class:
1. Make some friends in class.
Form study groups to help each other learn classroom material better.
A little friendly competition can make the classroom experience more fun.
Find games where you can see who learned classroom concepts the best.
This is useful for any subject at Interactive College of Technology.
2. Talk to your instructor about suggestions of places for field trips.
While most of your time will be spent in the classroom, it does not hurt
to go other places. Discuss ideas with other students too. Whether you
want to go to the baseball game, the botanical gardens, museum of
natural history, or other areas, there are ways to learn in class and apply
it outside of the classroom.
3. Make the classroom hallways more inviting.
Provided that you get permission from instructors and the campus,
putting up posters, diagrams, and other visuals on the walls can make
your learning experiences more exciting. Think about using different
holidays and cultural days of importance as possible topics.
4. Try using music or poetry to make classroom material easier to learn.
While this is particularly useful for English classes, it works for other
programs at ICT. Work with your instructor and classmates to write a song
or poem that talks about topics related to the class.
5. Don’t be afraid to ask questions in class.
If you do not understand what you are learning in class, ask your instructor
to explain it in a different way. It does not make you a bad student to ask
questions. It shows that you are paying attention. Of course, interrupting
your teacher or other students is rude, but do not be afraid to speak up when
there is a break in the conversation. Using questions and class participation,
you can turn your classroom into a community.
I hope you will find my suggestions useful in your journey of learning.
CEO: Elmer R. Smith
EVP of Enrollment: Gregory A. Koch
EVP of Product Development: Thomas A. Blair
VP, Chamblee Campus: JoAnn Koch
Recently, the Chamblee campus received an excellent compliance report following
a survey conducted by the Department of Veterans Affairs. As Campus Director and
Vice President JoAnn Koch stated, “We are pleased to announce that we were found compliant in all areas assessed. Additionally, I am delighted to share that Mr. Rodriquez, the Education Survey Compliance Specialist (ESCS), expressed his gratitude for Ms. (Roz) Holt’s outstanding hospitality and commendable record keeping during the survey process.” This recognition is a testament to Ms. Holt’s dedication and professionalism in maintaining our high standards. Ms. Holt has been a valued team member for more than thirty years! The VA takes a comprehensive look at the campus and their approval shows the Chamblee campus staff’s commitment to ensuring compliance and excellence in all aspects of operations. So, congratulations to all those at the Chamblee campus.
Gainesville recently started a Pre-ESL class with more than 20 students. The Pre-ESL students take the course when they do not have the foundational knowledge of English to be successful in the full immersion course. Pre-ESL is free as long as the students take the other English Courses. The instructor for the course, Joshua Craig, who studied linguistics and romance languages at the University of Georgia before teaching English
in both France and Spain, shares, “For me it is fun to explain language and culture and how those two are connected. I’m looking forward to helping my students gain a foundation in the language, especially comparing the written language and the spoken language. It is interesting how the way we write English is not always how we pronounce it.” It will be a small group, so the class will be able to incorporate some games and role-playing to build their confidence with the language.
MORROW
The campus recently welcomed a new academic adviser to their team — Kassandra Cervantes. Kassandra comes with several years of nursing education. She also practiced as an RN for 5 years. However, after having a child, she wanted something that was a better fit. She felt as an Academic Advisor, she could still help people and use her gregarious personality. As Kassandra says, “I have a lot of energy and I like to talk with people and help them.” While she has only been with the campus for a few months she has already made an impact with several students. “I really like that there is a good team here and that people see your potential.” Kassandra appreciates that the
students really want to learn at ICT. She is looking forward to the future with the college and wants to grow professionally and personally to become the best advisor possible. Outside of work, she loves to spend time in the outdoors, taking her young
son camping, hiking, and bike riding.
This past month, the Southwest Houston Campus partnered with the YMCA’s International Services’ Refugee Youth Mentoring program. The head of the program came and talked with level IV students to encourage them to become mentors. Mentors help refugee youth that are newly resettled in the Houston area. It is a great opportunity for the students to consistently practice their English. The YMCA is contacted by over
a hundred refugee families every quarter, and a mentor meets with the child they are matched with twelve times over five months, in addition to an orientation session.
The goal is for the level four students to help the newcomer explore their community.
They will visit coffee shops, libraries, museums, parks, and more. They will build
a relationship that will hopefully lead to a real friendship.
North is not just a direction in Houston, it is a district of Houston known for logistics and distribution companies, entrepreneurship, and Interactive College of Technology. Since the campus moved into the area, the district has changed quite a bit with diverse businesses moving in to be close to Bush Intercontinental Airport and I-45. Not only are more businesses coming into the area but the North Houston District has seen a steady supply of new affordable homes added to the market thanks to a low-income housing tax credit helping replace roughly 800 units lost during Hurricane Harvey. The North Houston Campus is happy to be a part of this vibrant community.
As most of you know, it has been a very tough Summer for the Houston area. The City of Pasadena was hit particularly hard by several storms this year. Winds and rain knocked out power for days during the hottest part of the year. Instructor Iboyla Tozxer reserved a room for three days at her local library so she could hold both day and night classes while she was without power. Pasadena’s three HVAC instructors thought, “if we can not hold class in our building, we might as well do some good and find people we can help.” Instructors Lawrence Clak, LaMarcus Wirrick, and Johnnie Davis took their classes into real world situations. They went to homes that needed their air conditioning fixed and gave students a lesson in what service really looks like. Thanks to them, families that
were previously without badly-needed air conditioning slept in comfort that night.
Newport has had a busy Summer. Thanks to their CBT Instructor and Community Outreach Associate, Dr. Kim Porter, the campus was recently featured on Channel Five News. Dr. Porter represented ICT at the Northern Kentucky Juneteenth Career Fair and was able to showcase our marketing materials and our school. The school also had its own event with a Student Appreciation Bar-b-que. The campus had food, drinks, games and trivia for both the day and night students.
In addition, as the campus population has grown so has the staff. Two new Adjunct HVAC Instructors have joined the faculty. Mr. Robert Huston, with over fourteen years of relevant HVAC experience and training and Mr. David Gorham with over thirty years of HVAC and electrical related experience, are currently leading courses. There are also four new Community Outreach Associates that will spread the word about the school throughout Northern Kentucky, Southern Ohio, and Southern Indiana.
This summer has set record temperatures at our campuses. We have also set another record, with more students than ever interested in getting an education at Interactive College of Technology. Even with storms that shut down our Houston locations, we had more prospective students call, visit online, or walk into our campuses than ever before.
We attribute this trend to the quality of our faculty, staff, and student community. With all the advertising we do, still the best marketing we have is when our ICT family talks about us with their friends and family. Nothing brings more people out than word of mouth. It is still our number one source of quality candidates.
This type of institutional spirit was recently on display at the Houston graduation, where over three hundred friends and family members celebrated the achievements of our graduates. I would be remiss if I did not thank those that were instrumental in putting the event together, most notably, Ms. Cherlyn Latham.
In addition, this summer our campuses have hosted job fairs, food drives, gatherings and community meetings. In September, our Georgia campuses will hold a joint blood drive at all three locations simultaneously. Just as ICT works to support our students, we want to help lift up our entire community whenever possible.
We look forward to a great Fall Semester.
Sincerely,
Elmer R. Smith
JOCQUELYN ARMISTAD
Jocquelyn “Toi” Armistad has spent most of her professional life in colleges like
Interactive College of Technology. Currently, she is the Director of Education at the
Pasadena campus. We stopped by to say hello:
How did you move into the private
college sector?
When I was deciding what to be when I grew up, I went to cosmetology school. I saw the owner one day outside the school and we started talking. She thought I would be a good Director of Admissions. It turns out I was really good at it. That is where my passion for higher education and helping people obtain their goals really came to life. Being in higher education gave me an opportunity to sit down with people and talk about their plans and their life and try to help them.
How did you move to the academic side?
Well, I feel that there are no sides. No matter what you do for the college, you are an educator. When I switched jobs to be the director of operations at another college, it gave me the opportunity to wear different hats. Though I never fell in love with academics, I did fall in love with coming up with the processes to push students to do their best.
Is working with people the favorite part of the job?
Absolutely. I am a people person. I love putting the engine together and getting the gears to turn. And if you have the right people, eventually that engine will run well by itself.
What’s your inspiration?
Success man! The more I work with the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce’s Workforce Development Committee, the more I realize that our students should become more visible. The more jobs they are placed in, the more people will start to recognize the school. If our students are successful, that means my instructors were successful, which means I was successful.
And what are your passions outside of work?
I am a mom of 4 children. My baby is 22, and he is playing basketball at Florida Memorial University in Miami. He will graduate this year. This will be the first time in my life that I have not had anyone to feed or be responsible for except for me. There is a learning curve, but the more I try to get outside the more I want to move to the beach.
So, that is what I am getting ready to do
ACROSS
5. Where you apply for college
8. Introduction to a semester
9. Others to learn next to
10. Location of a college
11. First word in ICT
14. Where you get a diploma
16. Job that will lead to advancement
DOWN
1. Official language of the USA
2. Certificate of achievement
3. Tasks that teach
4. Computers, phones, servers, etc.
6. This country (2 words)
7. Brother of a Pen
12. ICT Professor title
13. Reason for college or any school
15. Classroom or office seat and table
There’s a reason you chose to go to college at ICT. Whether it is the flexible class schedule, location, programs offered, or you knew someone who went here, we are
here to help you. We’re also here for any of your friends or family that need to learn Vocational ESL or change their career.
If you know someone who wants to learn more so they can earn more, come
by admissions or give the campus a call. We can help more people together.
ALSO FEEL FREE TO GIVE US A GOOD REVIEW
