Student by Profession

Important: Translated automatically from Spanish by 🌐💬 Aphra 1.0.0

As educators, we must constantly update ourselves. In the use of new (which are no longer new) technologies, classroom management, project development, different forms of assessment, pedagogical research… And about our subject. It doesn’t matter which teaching body¹ you belong to. Internet communication has allowed different fields of study to evolve at a speed never seen at any other time in history. However, I believe that in this aspect, the field of computer science leaves all others in the dust. And if anyone doesn’t think so, well, they can come up here and prove me wrong.

The computer science specialty carries on its shoulders multiple specialties, which in turn have various technologies that also vary in very short periods of time. You can follow the river without stopping swimming, or you can stop doing it and end up obsolete, stranded on some shore. Of course, you can dive back in and swim as fast as you can, but it will take much more effort to overcome the current if you’ve rested too long.

This course I’ve gone from teaching in intermediate level² to advanced level³, in addition to changing centers, so I’ve had a lot (and still have) to learn. I’ve been training (on my own or in teacher training courses) in things like:

• Creating educational experiences in Virtual Reality.
• Proxmox server administration.
• Virtual labs in GNS3.
• System and network hardening.
• Artificial Intelligence.
• Video game production.
• Qt (PySide6 binding).
• Business management with Odoo.
• Streaming with OBS.

And the list doesn’t end there, but I think you get the idea. To the point that when the week ends, I’ve spent more time studying than teaching. Don’t get me wrong, this article isn’t meant to be a complaint. I really enjoy learning. If I didn’t, I’d have to consider changing professions. I’m just pointing out the elephant in the room. The pace at which we have to update ourselves and, therefore, update teaching materials, is not sustainable. This is a specialty in which textbooks become obsolete the moment they go on sale. And that’s why I don’t consider using any in my classes.

Probably at the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training⁴ they are aware of the situation and are thinking about how to address the issue. In fact, it’s likely that the elimination of the computer science subject in the compulsory stages⁵, a subject that has never really been present, aims to allow teachers of the specialty to have those teaching hours for their own training and updating of teaching materials.

While we wait for that big announcement, we can play our own cards. And I’m clear that there’s no game worth playing if we don’t collaborate. There are initiatives, like Apuntes FP Informática⁶, that I can’t help but praise. For my part, I try when I get some time to do my bit by putting my small contribution. A group of computer science teachers from the center where I am this course have created a work group for the development of teaching materials with a free culture⁷ license, a line that we hope will continue in the future. We are now debating the set of tools that we are going to use for the elaboration of said materials. Join us. Your opinion will help us walk on firm ground.

Always present the Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish⁸ of good old Jobs. But, above all, as Raquel Roca would add, Stay Connected.