NRTA: Schools Call on Resident Whiz Kids to Tackle Tech Tasks
In a role-reversal that hardly raises eyebrows nowadays, befuddled parents often deal with the quirks of their home computers by consulting their resident tech experts—their own children. Now, this whiz-kid phenomenon appears to have progressed from households into schools across America.
According to a survey of key technology decision-makers in schools nationwide, students are playing a major role in managing their districts' high-tech resources. Sixty-one percent of large districts reported that they use students for technical support. In 43 percent of all districts, students troubleshoot for hardware, software and infrastructure problems. In 39 percent they set up equipment and wiring, and in 36 percent they perform technical maintenance duties. Underwritten by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and PLATO Learning, the survey was conducted by the California-based market research firm of Grunwald Associates, in partnership with the National School Boards Foundation. Officials in 90 of the nation's 100 largest school districts, along with leaders in 398 medium-size districts and 323 small districts, were contacted between December 2001 and February 2002.
Though the study doesn't explore why schools recruited students for tech-related tasks, Peter Grunwald, leader of the research project, speculates that districts hope to offer students valuable experience while making the most of their skimpy technology budgets.
Getting with the Program
To offer students hands-on training for the digital age, schools across Mississippi are making them start from scratch—literally. As part of the ExplorNet program, teens in about 40 districts are putting together computers using ready-made kits full of processors, memory chips, data cables, and other components. They are also pitching in to meet their state's larger goal of installing a multimedia computer in every classroom, for a total of 6,000 machines by the end of this year.
"We're moving into a new century and a new economy—an economy that's wireless, borderless, and global," Mississippi Governor Ronnie Musgrove stated. "To compete— to win—in that economy, our students must have technological skills." Assembling a computer from parts purchased separately is about $300 cheaper than buying a pre-assembled computer, so the program is also expected to save the state nearly $2 million.
Computer engineering instructor, Pam Thrash and her students worked hard to do their part for their state's goal. They built 400 computers this past summer at Philadelphia High School in Philadelphia, Mississippi. But she believes the project was as rewarding for the teens as it was for the state. "It was great," says Thrash. "Some students just make minimum wage in fast-food jobs, but ExplorNet students got paid $8 an hour. They also got many benefits and skills they can use for the rest of their lives." Much of ExplorNet's mission focuses on preparing students for the A+ certification exam, which can pave the way towards employment as a licensed (and well-paid) computer technician right out of high school. Funded by state and federal grants, the nonprofit program is active not only in Mississippi, but North Carolina, Arkansas, and North and South Dakota as well.
Wired for Safety
John Zook, a district technology coordinator in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, also believes in drawing upon his student talent pool. Under his guidance, teens have installed and replaced 300-400 computers each summer over the past four years for the Owen J. Roberts school district. But even though he is proud of their network etiquette, he cautions against handing over the keys to the tech department entirely. "Our students are not involved in day-to-day operations or maintenance," he says. "It's too risky for us. If they build backdoors that no one knows about and find ways to access areas they're not supposed to, the only way to sanitize your network is to completely rebuild it."
In short, to help students succeed in the 21st century, schools must strike a balance between some uniquely 21st-century concerns: the need to help students boost their tech skills and the need to maintain their network's security. Pam Thrash insists that the potential payoff is worth it, though. "We deal with the operation of a computer system itself and how the parts work together. Not a lot of high school classes do this," she says. "Students who plan to go to college and major in computing are definitely coming in with a great advantage from kids who haven't been exposed to it."
For More Information
National School Boards
Foundation
Get the complete details on the National School Boards Foundation
survey on technology use in schools, plus its recommendations on
how to make the most of district tech resources.
URL: http://www.nsbf.org/thereyet/fulltext.htm
ExplorNet
Learn more about this nonprofit organization's mission to
improve technology-based learning in rural and traditionally
under-served schools in America.
URL: http://www.explornet.org
