MIAMI — While most students were enjoying what was left of their summer vacation, some students in the National Academy Foundation (NAF) Career Academy programs at Booker T. Washington, Miami Central and Miami Jackson senior high schools were learning gaming development.
Students honed their technology skills using Windows 8 and Game Maker software at a three-day training session held at Florida International University’s (FIU) state-of-the-art computer lab at its main campus.
The workshop was a partnership among Miami-Dade County Public Schools, FIU and Microsoft. The code camp training provided students with the opportunity to become not only users of computer games but also authors of gaming applications, thus bridging technology and entrepreneurial thinking in classroom instruction.
The NAF academies function as dynamic partnerships and collaborations between schools, teachers, administrators, business volunteers and an active advisory board led by industry and higher education professionals.
Academy students complement their core academic studies with a focus on such career themes as Finance, Hospitality & Tourism, Information Technology, Engineering or Health Sciences.