Computers help classroom

by Benjamin Balog
Grand Blanc Press 
January 16, 1994

There are no drawing tables, compasses or even pencils in this mechanical drawing classroom at Carman-Ainsworth High School. Who needs them? Instead there are rows of computers boasting high-tech, state-of-the-art programs which allow students to design and draw virtually everything they wish.

Stacy Drier, a 17-year-old senior, spends time after school sitting in the CAD lab in front of a computer screen slowly creating the blueprints to the house of her dreams.

It's a modern fashion home, complete with everything up to a spa and plenty of space. She uses a mouse, a hand-held controller device, to manipulate the design and blow up individual portions for a better view.

CAD stands for Computer Aided Design, a program used mainly in many professional fields, said Ed Hugan, instructor in the lab. 

"These kids have to have something to offer an employer when they go out," he said. "It's unbelievable what the students create."

Left on some screens were bridges made with little material that can withstand 18-ton trucks and futuristic lawnmower engines. Both hardware and software in the CAD lab were provided and set up by Bit by Bit Computing, a Grand Blanc based company.

Bit by Bit, according to Mark Christenson who works for the company, helps schools systems and colleges around the county set up and use high tech programs like CAD.

A number of classes also use computer programs in the school with help from Bit by Bit. Accounting and business classes for example, use a number of programs like Word Perfect and Lotus 1-2-3.