At the start of the school year, all Ramaz students waited anxiously for their schedules in order to find out which classes and teachers they had been given. Many were surprised to find an entirely new course, TEC, incorporated into their daily schedules.

TEC, a technology and engineering class, may be new to Ramaz, but it has existed at many other schools for a while now. The class is technically an extension of the science department, but it has an identity independent of the other science classes. TEC meets twice a rotation and is taught by four teachers: Dr. Rotenberg, Dr. Nironi, Ms. Joshi and Dr. Vavsha. The Rampage interviewed three of these four teachers to get a better sense of their qualifications and the “TEC sector’s” progress at Ramaz.

Dr. Fabio Nironi:

Q: Why did Ramaz add a TEC class to the curriculum?

A: Ramaz was one of the last Jewish schools to introduce TEC. It was created in order to remain compatible with the rest of the world and to catch up to other Jewish schools. TEC classes are also popular amongst most well-established non-religious private schools.

Q: How does Ramaz’s TEC class differ from TEC classes offered at other schools?

A: At Ramaz, we offer TEC not as an elective, but rather as a mandatory class. In other schools where TEC is an elective, it is taught four times a rotation. In those cases, STEM will replace foreign language class. However, here at Ramaz, we are able to maintain both.

Q: What was the school’s goal in adding TEC to the curriculum?

A: One reason the school created the TEC class was because most jobs require their employees to code. Expertise in coding is becoming more and more necessary. The demand for this skill will only increase in the future. We want our students to be as prepared as possible.

Ms. Nisha Joshi:

Q: What makes you a qualified TEC teacher?

A: I am a computer engineer and started my career in the corporate world. I soon realized, however, that I was by myself all the time. My work required me to work with only my computer twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. After realizing that it was not what I wanted to do, I changed my career. I started working in the education field in 1999, teaching computer science and designing software for Middle and Upper Schools in India.

Q: Have you ever taught TEC before, and if so, where?

A: Between 2001 and 2011, I taught computer science at The Masters School in Dobbs Ferry.  I taught at a French-American school between 2011 and 2013. After that, I moved to Cathedral School where I worked as an IT Manager and oversaw the STEM program.

Q: How is Ramaz’s TEC class different from other technology classes you have taught?

A: The technology class I taught at Masters focused on coding. The technology class I taught at French-American was a mix of coding and STEM. At Cathedral, I designed a STEM program that taught kids coding and engineering.  In most of my classes, I tried to integrate an interdisciplinary aspect into the class. For example, at Cathedral, my students would 3D print a model for their social studies class or build a web-page for their humanities class.

Q: What sparked your interest in TEC?

A: Computer science was a new and upcoming field in India and I was always interested in doing something different and new. The other reason I got into TEc was because, at that time, not many girls were involved in the field. Once I graduated and started working, I really felt that I need to make a difference. I wanted to stir up interest among girls and get them more interested in learning TEC.

Dr. Ethan Rotenberg

Q: What prior experience do you have in teaching TEC?

A: I have never taught TEC before.  I’ve always taught science – mostly chemistry.

Q: Do you see this class influencing the students’ lives outside the classroom?

A: I hope that RamTEC will spark an interest in engineering and computers for our students.  We live in a highly technological world. We are surrounded 24 hours a day by smartphones, smart-TVs — even cars and dishwashers are computerized and connected to the internet.  Yet the more we are surrounded by computers, the less, it seems, we understand them. I have noticed that while Ramaz students are very capable of using a phone for texting, video chatting, and playing games, or using a computer for browsing the internet and writing a history paper, most of them do not know how to do simple tasks on a computer, and have little sense of how a computer works.  I hope that all of our students will develop a basic understanding of this technology, and some of them will realize how interesting it is and decide to pursue it more seriously.

Q: What is the connection between the science classes you teach and the TEC class?

A: I think of the TEC classes as applied science (with the exception of computer science).  In physics, students will learn about Ohm’s Law and circuits in a very theoretical sense.  In RamTEC, we learn it in order to be able to use it to build circuits that will do what we want them to do.  In some sense, we can think of engineering as using science to control or change the world. Hopefully we will use this technology wisely and generously.