How to Make Your Own Student Tech Team

Problem: Teachers at my elementary school sometimes needed assistance with computer and tech issues during class time.

Solution: I started a Tech Team Club last year with my 4th graders. We met weekly at lunch in my classroom for 20 minutes, ate and discussed how to troubleshoot common technology problems teachers encountered at school. Each student kept notes in a composition notebook on how to solve an issue. Students meet with the teachers right after our weekly meeting to check in. Teachers also have a tech request form that they can put in my mailbox.

Our school has netbooks, thin client computers, old PCs and Promethean Boards. Students help get frozen computers back on track, help keep computer carts organized, help any students with programs, help them save files properly, help get pens to work on the smart board. Whenever a problem occurs we discuss it and add it to our notebooks. Then the students have a reference to look at when they are in the classroom.

I also kept the notes on the Promethen board while we had lunch and added those to our digital file that students could access if they missed a lunch meeting. I have last year's notebooks so we don't have to start all over. I assigned each student to a particular teacher. They meet with them with their notebook and forms to fill out if the problem went beyond their expertise. I created a form that has the information I need to call in the problem to our district help desk. I can also use these forms to keep track of what has been fixed and what is still pending.

Only teachers who requested help received it. We didn't want to bother teachers! Because students might need to leave their class to help, students on the Tech Team needed permission from their own teacher to participate. The Tech Team kids enjoyed troubleshooting so much that they would often go on their own time to help their teacher.

To identify students who would be working around the school, I bought yellow traffic vests in kid sizes from Ikea and wrote titles and slogans on the back: These cost about $3 a piece and I bought 3. This year I want everyone to have their own club tshirt. It turned out that students didn't miss much class because they were always checking in with their assigned classroom during their recess breaks. The students were so professional and it really became their club. I called in things we couldn't fix to the help desk, but that was only because they wouldn't allow the students to call.

Here is an example of our vests:

Hearst Tech Team

Hearst Tech Team to the Rescue!

Students loved wearing them. They felt proud and professional!



I allowed any student in my class to participate on the condition they came to the weekly meeting. What I found was that I had some real gems. The students who just wanted to play quickly stopped coming. One of my best students was actually very low academically in class, but this gave her an area to shine! I love technology and I enthusiastically encourage girls to join.

The results were fantastic!

• Equipment was getting fixed, thus making it useful.
• Netbooks were repaired before the warranty expired.
• Teachers raved about the helpfulness of the students.
• Students loved the confident feeling of being an expert for an adult. 
• Students were solving real world problems in creative and challenging ways.
• I now had a core of tech helpers in my class!
• All technology was cleaned and repaired before the end of the school year.
• It was a great bonding experience.
• School start-up will be smoother when getting all the computers back up and running.
• We problem-solved together and shared our experiences to create a trouble-shooting notebook we can add to next year.

Next Steps!

This year I am going to add a fundraising component. I want to obtain funds for special equipment and came up with an idea that is fun, cheap and easy!

Cell Phone Cleaning and Disinfecting $1.00

Students, I'd like to have 2 each morning if possible will set up a table before school to catch parents dropping off their children. Wearing plastic gloves, the kids will clean phones with antibacterial computer/phone wipes from Fry's Electronics. The wipes cost $5.00 for 100, a profit of 95%! Phones are always getting dirty, so it is a built-in repeat fundraiser that is easy to set-up and run. At only a dollar, parents and students both win! Parents get a clean phone and a good feeling about benefiting the school and the kids are getting satisfaction and new tech equipment.

 

Follow up: We made $40 in two days. Students are running it themselves and the parents love it! We practiced answering questions such as what the money was used for and how to thank the customer.

Last, I will be making t-shirts for the students to wear on meeting days. I want the students to feel proud to help their school!