by Robert Spero
Excel, Word, Office; Microsoft is used in and out of the workplace. Microsoft’s Office 365 is used by over a million companies worldwide and hundreds of thousands of customers in America alone. In the past, work has been mostly done via paper records. Since the birth of the computer, the art of using paper in business has been slowly dying. With most companies switching to Microsoft, there is a growing need for the rising employees of today to learn and master skills in Microsoft Word and Excel.
Enter Mr. Kandil’s Business Computer Applications class here at Parsippany High School.
Business Computer Applications is a beloved business course in Parsippany High School. The course is split between two semester-long classes: Business Computer Applications 1 and 2. In this course, students will use a program found on Test Out. This program offers educational, step by step tutorials on every skill needed to master Office 365. Along with the helpful videos, the students practice the skills they have learned from the tutorials to complete tasks laid out on premade documents.
After watching the informational videos, typically the student will have to complete two labs: a skill and challenge lab. A key difference is that challenge labs are timed, and all the tasks are given at once with no response if you complete them correctly till the end, which is unlike the skill lab. With the common skill lab, the idea is to get the students on their feet, giving them feedback after each task.
If the the student is struggling, the program will actually help them! For example, the program could give them a hint. A hint is where they step by step write out the instructions. The other option is to be able to pull up the exact skill in a video format. It is to be noted that during the basic skill practice lab, the program will make the students redo the task they messed up without any help. It should also be noted that these options for help will not appear during the challenge lab, so they must pay attention during the skill lab.
Not only are the programs helpful, but the environment of this class by Mr. Kandil breathes love for learning. There are three key things that make this a class you look forward to. One is that we are unified as a class. After every lunch we do afternoon stretching — it gets some laughs in and is a perfect way to start the class. Two is that, due to the class being unified, we also are highly encouraged to help one another. This is huge, as frustration plays a key role on when a student says, “I’m sick of this, I’m done.” When another fellow student comes to help, it takes a lot of the pressure off. Third, and finally, is the fact that this class is designed to work at your own pace. Now are there deadlines we have to hit? Of course, but if a student wants to do four assignments now and relax the rest of the week, they can. It feeds into a true business ideals of working on your own and practicing time management.
One last thing that has to be mentioned: after completion, you become a certified Microsoft Word Specialist. This gives students a superior edge when finding and applying for jobs.
Overall, this class has been amazing. The environment and knowledge make me want to come to this class every day. When deciding to pick up an elective next year, I would strongly suggest you pick up Business Computer Applications 1 and 2!
The Drumbeat 