Robots, JavaScript, And A Lot Of Coffee

Step onto the LACUE floor in New Orleans with us and meet Jacqueline Edwards, a computer science instructor from East Baton Rouge who turns high school classrooms into launchpads for software careers. Jacqueline shares how her students earn dual enrollment credit through Baton Rouge Community College, graduate with Python and JavaScript certifications, and walk away with 27 credit hours toward an applied associate degree in software development. It’s a clear, practical pathway: real languages, real credentials, real momentum.

Website: spotlight4success.com 

Chapters

• 0:06 Welcome From LACUE In New Orleans
• 0:23 Meet CTE Instructor Jacqueline Edwards
• 0:36 Dual Enrollment And Industry Certifications
• 1:16 Courses And Hands-On Pathways
• 1:49 Career Journey From Industry To Classroom
• 2:25 Sponsor Notes And Resources
• 3:17 Why LACUE Matters For Educators
• 3:59 Exploring AI For Teaching And Learning
• 4:56 Key Takeaways And Closing

Transcript

SPEAKER_01: 0:06

Welcome to Spotlight for Success by American Book Company. I am Devin Pentosa, your host. We are here in New Orleans at LACU 2025. And we are so excited to be here with our special guest, Jacqueline Edwards.

SPEAKER_00: 0:21

Well, thank you. I'm glad to be here.

SPEAKER_01: 0:23

Yes, Jacqueline uh joins us from East Baton Rouge Parish, and she's at the Career and Technical Education Center.

SPEAKER_00: 0:31

Yes.

SPEAKER_01: 0:32

Uh can you tell me a bit about your work there at the Career Tech Ed?

SPEAKER_00: 0:36

Well, I'm a computer science instructor. I teach programming languages like C, Python, Java, JavaScript. Students in my course are dual enrolled with our community college, which is Baton Ridge Community College, and they are working towards an applied associates in software development. And so when they graduate, they'll leave with two certifications, one in Python, one in JavaScript, and they will also have 27 credit hours towards that associate's degree at BRCC.

SPEAKER_01: 1:07

Wow, that is incredible. That's uh they're really really set for the jobs of the future.

SPEAKER_00: 1:12

Yes.

SPEAKER_01: 1:13

Um, what uh what classes do you teach in particular?

SPEAKER_00: 1:16

Uh in particular, I teach uh intro to programming where students get an introduction to C Python and Java. Um also I teach um software development one, uh software design two. Um students also have uh ethics and computing, uh Microsoft applications, intro to database design, and then emerging technologies where we have robotics in that class.

SPEAKER_01: 1:40

That is so nice. Um so uh Jacqueline, that's great. Uh can you tell me a bit about what brought you in to start working in the career tech ed space?

SPEAKER_00: 1:49

Well, um I've been in the career tech ed space for a long time. I started off as a tech support specialist and then I moved on into database administrator. I've also done data analysis work. I've worked for the Department of Education as a data analysis, I worked for Cox Communication as a data analysis, so I have a background in the technical industry side, and then also I've taught at several colleges, and then I wanted to move into bring, you know, bring my expertise to uh students who are in the computer science area.

SPEAKER_01: 2:21

Oh, wow. That's a that's a lot of a lot of mission there. Thank you for watching Spotlight for Success. I am David Pentosi, the chief operating officer of American Book Company. We are located here in our headquarters in Woodstock, Georgia. All of our materials are printed in the USA. We have to use materials are all you can get three samples of our materials either in print or in electronic format at abc12.com. We look forward to hearing from you. Uh that you're doing. Uh, can you tell me what brings you to LACU?

SPEAKER_00: 3:20

Oh, LACU. Um, well, I'm a computer using educator, and this is a conference for us. They have so many uh, you know, professional development workshops. I learn so much every time I come. Uh, and I actually am going to take what I learned and take it back to my co-workers and do a PD for them. So like I'm gonna take my information and share it with others. And then also I can apply it in my classroom and my students will, you know, benefit from all this continual learning that I'm doing.

SPEAKER_01: 3:49

Oh, that's wonderful. And speaking of that continual learning, what do you think is the big uh the big interest or the big strand that you're hoping to get more information on here at the conference?

SPEAKER_00: 3:59

Well, of course, it's AI. You know, everybody's interested in AI. We're thinking about the future and the student's cognitive ability and how that's going to be affected. So I was just trying to eat make my life easier as a teacher, you know, get some information on how I can create my lesson plans more efficiently. And then also I wanted to see how I could integrate AI and then, you know, teach for the students so I could increase my teaching ability so that I can teach them in a different way or at a higher level of thinking. And to try to, you know, maybe I can, you know, have a higher level teacher teach me, and I can pass that on to the students. So I'm just interested in seeing what others are doing with AI. And a lot of the conferences, a lot of the workshops that I have gone through to here at LACU have, you know, given me some inspiration, some ideas, and so I'm gonna pass those on to my co-workers and also to my students in my classroom.

SPEAKER_01: 4:50

Oh, that is wonderful. Uh do you have any takeaways that you're like, I'd like to share this with the LACU community?

SPEAKER_00: 4:56

Oh, takeaways. Um, continual learning, never stop learning. You know, technology changes, technology is the future. Um, education, you know, we inspire, we create, we promote, we produce. Um, you know, all of the fields uh have been impacted in some way by technology, and as a computer educator, it's a very important role, and I take that role very seriously, and I also am excited about the future of computers and technology, and especially in education.

SPEAKER_01: 5:29

Oh, yes, absolutely. Well, that's wonderful. Again, this is uh Jacqueline Edwards, she joins us as an educational career tech ed, uh, educator and uh director of many activities there in East Baton Rouge. Thank you for joining us so much today.

SPEAKER_00: 5:43

Thank you.