Franchisee Highlight:
Bruce Bertan

Bruce Bertan

Excelling in all levels of education, from teaching in the classroom to owning his own franchise, even mentoring other technology educators, this month’s franchisee highlight, Bruce Bertan, spent the past 25 years making education his life’s work. Since opening his own COMPUTER EXPLORERS business in 1992, Bruce received numerous awards, including Franchisee of the Year, the Mentor Award twice for his work with other franchisees, the Trailblazer Award, and Growth Awards. While speaking with Bruce, we developed a deeper insight into his successes, his students, and his classes.

Q: How did you get involved with COMPUTER EXPLORERS?

A:In the late 1980s, the economic situation was similar to today. I taught at Fairfax County Schools when they made the decision to freeze salaries. At that point, I decided to look elsewhere for a professional opportunity that allowed me to better control my life and my profession. When my wife told me about an amazing advertisement she saw for a COMPUTERTOTS® franchise, I immediately jumped on the opportunity to own my own business while pursuing my love for technology education. We picked up and moved our family to the Tampa Bay Area to start fresh.

Q: How do you help mentor other franchisees?

A:Using the Internet as a communication tool, I was instrumental in the creation of our franchisee bulletin board, allowing franchisees to share best practices and success stories with each other quickly and easily. As a seasoned franchisee, I also worked as a field trainer for COMPUTER EXPLORERS, which allowed me to travel around the country, using my expertise in technology education to support new franchisees as they learned how to run and build their own company.

Q: What feedback do you most frequently hear about your COMPUTER EXPLORERS programs?

A: My school directors often say, “This program is so essential for kids learning today” and “COMPUTER EXPLORERS teaches technology the right way.” They love that we teach students valuable technology education skills that reinforce the curriculums they already have in place. Parents also love the technological independence their children develop as a result of our classes. They say their kids are so knowledgeable and demonstrate their new skills all the time at home.

Q: What is your favorite story about working with a student?

A: A few years back, I spoke with a parent who couldn’t understand a phrase her child picked up while in a COMPUTER EXPLORERS class. Her three-year-old daughter kept saying, “Puter blue, puter blue.” Laughing a little, I told the girl’s mother that her daughter actually was saying “Computer blue” and explained that we were working with shapes and coloring them in with different colors on the computers that week. The young girl impressed her mother with her ability to learn and retain the information by using a computer. I thought it was great that someone so young felt excited about our class and wanted to talk about it at home.

Q: What is your most popular class and why?

A: Engineering with LEGO® and CSI are two classes for kindergarten to middle school-age children that really resonate with schools and families in my community. CSI is our newest addition, and despite the title’s relation to popular television show, this class is popular because our students love learning math and science skills in an interesting and different way. Exploring the mystery behind fingerprints, fibers, and strands of hair allows students to have fun while working together and building their knowledge base.

Technology in the Real World

Do you recall the hesitancy you felt the first time you walked to the chalk board to solve an all mighty long-division problem?  How about reciting Tennyson in front of your favorite school-yard pals?  Twenty years later, middle-of-the-night-cold-sweat flashbacks linger for far too many.

When a child is uncertain or afraid to try something new, the odds of realizing their maximum potential are slim. Some children encounter similar apprehension when using new technology and all of its applications:  Internet, Microsoft Office, blogging, and videos.

Love it or hate it, we live in a technology-driven society. The digital world infiltrates our lives in one form or another. Currently, 70 percent of jobs require technology literacy.  According to ReThinkingSchools.org, that number will rise so that by 2010, all jobs will require significant technical skills. Children who embrace fundamental computer concepts at an early age develop survival skills they need during different life stages — preparing for standardized tests, entering the job market, and helping our economy compete against other digitally literate countries.

“While technology will most certainly change by the time today's students in COMPUTER EXPLORERS courses graduate college, what they are gaining in our programs today is the essential foundation for their technological future,” says Rachel Foster, Atlanta-based COMPUTER EXPLORERS franchisee. “The old adage, "everything I need to know, I learned in kindergarten," certainly rings true for our COMPUTER EXPLORERS students.”

Standardized tests often induce stress in students, their parents and educators. Many tests are computer- based, and children are comfortable with technology experience greater ease throughout the testing process. COMPUTER EXPLORERS integrated technology resource program (ITRP) challenges children with technology-based lessons while reinforcing what students are learning in their classrooms. TechStars® after school and summer camp science engineering programs allow children to excel in teams while developing problem-solving and communication skills. Whether it’s a math lesson or building robots, redundancy is essential for children to recall key points and apply them when it counts.

“The active discovery style of learning in our COMPUTER EXPLORERS classes bolsters students’ curiosity and thirst for knowledge,” says Foster.

Graduates whose skill sets include basic elements of computer education move ahead of their peers in the highly competitive job market. Even entry-level jobs requiring the most fundamental skills ask that potential employees be computer savvy. Are you proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, e-mailing, and even blogging? These are all components job seekers must comprehend to survive today.

In addition to assisting graduates to land jobs, technology literacy is essential for retaining jobs. Technology advances faster in certain countries than others.  Japan and China lead the way in developing and getting their hands on new trends before others, including the United States. With companies expanding internationally, technology connects offices in multiple locations. Employees in the United States often collaborate every day with their colleagues in London and India through the use of virtual technologies.

Gaming Technology:
Don’t Fight it, Use it

Do you often feel like your students spend too much time playing mindless computer games? Do you wish they would spend more time studying and doing schoolwork? What about spending more time playing with friends?

Well, worry no more. Computer games are not only educational, they also allow students to develop strong cognitive abilities and skills, such as team building. So, instead of fighting with your kids about computer games, embrace this new hobby and the benefits it offers.

“Children relate the consistencies between computer games and technology functionality,” says Rebecca Parrent, a COMPUTER EXPLORERS franchisee. “My daughter has been playing software games since she was 3 years old. Because of her experience with videogames, she’s very comfortable with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint applications. She’s also developed strong Internet-research skills.”

By incorporating educational lessons into today’s interactive computer games, children learn new skills, while engaging in activities they enjoy. Bouncing out of their seats with excitement, students don’t even realize they’re learning because they’re playing games and having fun. Incorporating gaming technologies and computers into homework assignments is another good way to encourage students to complete their assignments.

If team building and interaction with other students is your concern, there is still no reason to turn away from technology education and videogames as a means to teach your students. Integrating team building into computer and technology lessons is becoming more and more common among schools and classrooms today.

“By working in teams of two to three per computer, my students learn how to brainstorm as part of a team to strategize, design, and develop programs,” Parrent says. “While many believe computers are for individualized work, there are many fun and educational activities that incorporate groups of students and develop team work skills.”

Even when it appears students are playing video or computer games by themselves, they could be participating in an online multi-user game, interacting and conversing with friends or other children through the Internet. Online multi-user games are becoming more popular and widely used today, encouraging many opportunities for social interaction.