Mike Knichel, an Academy for Information Technology (AIT) teacher at Questar III’s Columbia Greene Educational Center, received the Distinct Growth Award at the CISCO Networking Academy National Conference in San Jose, California.
Michael Knichel wins Distinct Growth Award at the CISCO Networking Academy National Conference
The international honor is given to a U.S. or Canadian teacher based on student progress and growth in their classroom. In addition to receiving the award, Knichel was also recognized for recently becoming an Instructor Trainer in the northeast.
During the three-day conference, Knichel presented two workshops to his IT colleagues about beginning and intermediate level PacketTracer, a CISCO Networking Academy program. Knichel said he appreciated the opportunity to interact with his peers. “It’s great to network with other instructors and have the chance to talk to people who have a lot of knowledge and experience.”
Knichel has been a teacher for 18 years, including the last seven working for Questar III. His students serve as IT support for their school building located in Hudson. This relationship gives students a chance to gain real world experience and the building to receive immediate service if problems arise.
The AIT program gives students first hand access to the growing IT field. “It’s an amazing opportunity for students to be able to learn an industry skill at such a young age,” said Knichel. Next school year his students will be participating in job shadows and internships at the University at Albany.
Questar III’s AIT is a two-year local CISCO Networking Academy program designed to teach students Internet technology skills. Students enrolled in the program configure and interconnect computers, hubs, routers and switches and learn skills in scripting, HTML, game development, Flash, Windows Administration, Linux Administration, network security and programming in C++ or Java.
