This year John Deere decided to offer an opportunity that those interested in computer science just couldn’t refuse.
The class, supervised by a teacher at Bettendorf High School, offers a unique chance allowing technologically-proficient students to learn about the process of developing programs for professional companies. Senior Jacob Bumann commented, “It’s a great opportunity and allows you to get premium experience that you can apply to the real world.”
The students have the option of going to Bettendorf to work on their projects or staying at PV under the supervision of a PV teacher. This allows for a high level of choice in how the participants want to go about completing their class. Tommy Sun, also a senior, said, “I love how we get to decide a lot of what we do. We all enjoy having a high level of control over our learning.”
The students are currently working on two apps that could be used commercially by John Deere. The two apps the class is developing are a “scouting app” and a “farm equipment renting app” said Bumann. With these apps, companies will then be able to find potential new enterprising employees and will be able to ease the process of renting out elaborate and expensive equipment. Through apps developed by students, big name companies will be able to streamline and modernize some of their most common processes in their day-to-day workload.
Another thing stressed in the course is how hard everyone must work to make the class efficient. “John Deere puts a lot of effort into making the class great and we work hard to produce results,” said Sun.
The students who participate all comment on the fact that the class is a “great opportunity” and is “fun to gain real-life experience from,” Bumann offered. “What I find really cool is the connections we get to make with the company. It helps us establish a possible computer science internship in the future.”
With the idea of this possible internship, many of the class express that this idea is something that greatly motivates them to work even harder. This year, classes, such as John Deere’s CSA, are helping students work towards their ideal futures and are building youth for a “better tomorrow.”
