Maumee City Schools
District Information
Why did the district create such a program to utilize students as technology support staff?
What technology support do students provide to the district? (e.g. software, hardware, website creation or maintenance, etc.)
How long has the project been in effect?
Did another district's student tech program influence the way you modeled your program? If so, which district.
What resources or policies were necessary to start up and maintain the program? (i.e. funding, human resources, board approval, ect.)
What are the goals of the program?
How much did it cost to create the program? Please itemize costs and expenditures in an Appendix.
How much does it cost annually to maintain the program? Please itemize costs and expenditures in an Appendix.
How many students have participated in the program to date?
How many students are participating in the program this school year?
Do students work during or outside school hours? Please detail.
Are students paid for their work? If so, how much per hour and how are they funded? If students are not paid, do they receive credit as a course?
What grade level(s) are students who participate in the program?
Is your student technical program integrated with your district curriculum? How?
How have you solved logistical problems (matching student/teacher schedules, transportation between buildings, etc) so that students can do work where it is needed?
How and by whom are students trained to be able to support district technology?
What training and reference materials are provided to the student participants?
How many technical support staff (non-student) are employed by the district? Describe the role of each.
What lessons has the district learned during the program? Include strengths, weaknesses and obstacles encountered.
What process and instruments are used to evaluate the effectiveness of the program?
How is cost-effectiveness of the program determined? What information has been gathered to date showing the cost-effectiveness of the program? Include samples.
Why does your district believe that it is has a model for other districts to implement?
Describe the type of product(s) you anticipate creating to communicate to all districts your program? (e.g. website, CD Rom, video, etc.)
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District Information
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| District name: |
Maumee City Schools
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| District IRN: |
44362
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| Contact Person: |
Ms. Jan Metzger
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| Contact Person Title: |
Director of District Technology
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| Contact Person Address: |
2345 Detroit Avenue
Maumee, OH 43537
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| Contact Person Phone: |
419.893.3200
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| Contact Person Fax: |
419.891.5387
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| Contact Person email: |
ma_jmm@nwoca.org
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| Requested Funding Amount: |
$10,000.00 |
| District Size: |
6,000 or more Students |
| Grades Involved: |
5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
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| Project Artifact: |
PDF |
| Dates of Presentation: |
| Presentation One: |
Location:
Ohio SchoolNet Conference Table Displays
Date:
2/5/2002 |
| Presentation Two: |
Location:
Ohio SchoolNet Conference PowerPoint Presentation
Date:
2/5/2002
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Why did the district create such a program to utilize students as technology support staff?
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In 1995, with the use of SchoolNet funds, the Maumee City Schools (MCS) purchased computers for four elementary buildings. Even though teachers were cognizant of the need for technology curriculum integration, they lacked the training for implementation. Moreover, with classes of 20-25 children, it was challenging to address all student technological needs at once. For the 1997-98 school year, MCS was awarded a Macul training grant to develop fifth grade tech team mentors. The student tech team worked with each K-4 classroom for one hour per week training and assisting teachers and students in the use of software and hardware. Students were utilized as part of the technology support staff because many quickly grasp the functions and benefits of technology. Making them part of the technology support staff provides them ownership, making it likely that they will be very protective of equipment. It also helps them handle responsibility and fosters a bond between students and teachers. When given the responsibility, students also make excellent teachers for peers and for teachers.
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What technology support do students provide to the district? (e.g. software, hardware, website creation or maintenance, etc.)
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At the elementary level, the fifth grade tech team teaches word processing, working with graphics, and spreadsheet applications to the teachers and students. The team members also mentor students creating classroom projects with multimedia software. Additionally, they troubleshoot for the classroom teacher, use digital cameras and scanners as needed for projects, update school web pages, record and organize IP addresses, assist in technology teacher training, and clean the computer keyboards, mice and monitors. At the middle school level tech team students are responsible for installing and using software, setting up hardware (including installing memory, replacing batteries, installing airport cards, etc.), creating web sites for teachers, reinstalling systems, and cleaning and maintaining equipment. They assist in training sessions for teachers. They also help classroom teachers in using various software programs in the classroom and act as helpers for peers. Tech team students are assigned to two teachers to assist for the year. They meet regularly with these teachers to see how they can best assist them. The principal and assistant principal also have a tech team student assigned to them. In order to stay current and knowledgeable with the changing nature of technology, they attend the NWOCA summer tech academy and other summer tech team classes on their own. They also meet regularly during the year to learn additional software programs and brainstorm on innovative ways to assist teachers. At the high school level students teach both students and teachers how to use software programs such as AVID Cinema, iMovie, PageMaker and Photo Shop. Several students work with teachers on their web pages. Tech students also work one-on-one with teachers explaining the more sophisticated functions of the web browser, Netscape and its e-mail capabilities. Tech students also assist the teachers in the high school's new business classes by teaching other students in RealBasic, Pearl and CGI. They also help with software installations and hardware needs in this company setting. One student, who is very proficient with the video editing software programs, Adobe Premiere and FinalCut Pro, works hand in hand with the instructor of the new Media class. Moreover, students install computer programs and systems on both new and older computers. When computers change hand
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How long has the project been in effect?
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The formal technology team program began with a Macul Grant in the 1997-1998 school year at the elementary level which funded all four elementary schools. The following year the program was expanded to the middle school. At the high school level, it has been in effect since 1998.
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Did another district's student tech program influence the way you modeled your program? If so, which district.
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One of our elementary teachers attended a presentation on Tech Teams at a Macul conference in Michigan. A parent coordinator from a Michigan school talked about her sixth grade teachers who organized a tech team to help teachers and students in their computer labs. Knowing we did not have computer labs in our elementary schools, a Maumee teacher wrote a grant based on technology teams in the classrooms of each teacher K-4, and upon receiving the grant, began the tech teams at the elementary level in Fall of 1997.
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What resources or policies were necessary to start up and maintain the program? (i.e. funding, human resources, board approval, ect.)
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The initial grant funding was used for tech team advisors' summer planning, computer cleaning materials, technology team vests with name badges, file boxes for cleaning materials, notebooks for all team members, and tech team handbooks for advisors and students. The School Board approved the program with the acceptance of the grant. The following year the Board of Education recognized the importance and the impact of the tech teams and created supplemental positions in all four elementary schools and in the middle schools to assure the program initiated by the grant would not end. The high school technology coordinator maintains a full time position, and he is in charge of the tech team students in the high school.
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What are the goals of the program?
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The goals of this program are to promote student ownership, develop technological skills, facilitate peer interaction, encourage responsibility, and enrich the school curriculum. The students are successful when they effectively assist peers and teachers in a collaboration, using technology and the school curriculum as a common goal. At the middle and high schools the goals are for the Tech Team to help raise the level of technology use in the building, maintain equipment, share student work, and allow students and teachers to work together in an atmosphere of mutual respect. Working as a member of the Tech Team fosters independence and helps to improve students' self-esteem.
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How much did it cost to create the program? Please itemize costs and expenditures in an Appendix.
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This field appears as an appendix in the PDF
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How much does it cost annually to maintain the program? Please itemize costs and expenditures in an Appendix.
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This field appears as an appendix in the PDF
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How many students have participated in the program to date?
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At the elementary level, approximately 210 fifth graders (working at 4 elementary schools) have been trained to work in the K-4 classrooms since 1997. One hundred ten students since 1998 have participated at the Middle School. The high school has had 29 students since they began their formal tech team three years ago.
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How many students are participating in the program this school year?
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At the four elementary schools, 48 fifth graders are serving on the tech teams. Thirty-eight students are participating at the middle school this year. At the high school level, there are nineteen students involved in the tech team. We are working to increase the number of high students by initiating a before/after school program.
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Do students work during or outside school hours? Please detail.
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At the elementary level, most of the work is during the academic school day. At times, however, the tech teams are very useful during after school hours. For instance, on at least 8-10 occasions, tech team members have agreed to stay after for one to two hours to mentor teachers while the tech instructor teaches a computer class. That way, each teacher gets a one-to-one fifth grade mentor to help with the teaching of a hypermedia or Internet-based class. At the middle school, students work during the school day, primarily during Academic Assist classes, but they are not limited to that. Students meet with teachers on a regular basis during Academic Assist. They also aid teachers in need of help during regular classes. Many attended Tech Camp last summer. Some training sessions run into after school time and, once in a while, require participation on a Saturday. Tech Team students help run the Technology Showcase which Maumee hosts every two years. At the high school the work is done sometimes before school but mostly after school as needs arise. Additionally, the students who work during the day receive academic credit for their help. Most server work is done after school or on weekends, and students come in on their own time to help with this. All levels of tech teams participate in the Maumee City School's Technology Showcase we host for the community every two years. At the 1999 event showcasing technology use in grades K-12, the tech teams demonstrated software, hardware, and multimedia applications; created iMovies/Avid Cinema movies about technology use in the schools; gave tours of the building; manned the computer stations to explain software to the public; and acted as troubleshooters for the teachers involved with demonstrating their classes' projects. Members of the middle school Technology Team assisted high school students in the preparation of a newspaper that was created on the spot during the Showcase. Visitors left with a copy of a newspaper highlighting Showcase events.
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Are students paid for their work? If so, how much per hour and how are they funded? If students are not paid, do they receive credit as a course?
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Elementary and middle school students do not receive course credit or pay. They are treated with respect and expected to be responsible. They have proven to be trustworthy and responsible. They have realized the value of volunteering and and how indispensable they are to the teachers and students in our schools. At the high school level, students who give up their study hall to work with technology, earn academic credit for their efforts.
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What grade level(s) are students who participate in the program?
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At the elementary level, the tech team members are all fifth graders. In the middle school, the students are sixth, seventh and eighth graders. At the high school level, all four grade levels are represented. In addition, there is an iMovie team in one of the elementary schools composed of students in grades 3 - 5.
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Is your student technical program integrated with your district curriculum? How?
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At the elementary and middle school, the tech teams have been trained in the basic technology skills the students and teachers should be using at different grade levels. Those skills are used when the team members enter the classrooms to assist the teachers and students in computer applications. These applications are based on the teacher's course of study and aligned with the outcomes the teacher wants to assess. Therefore, the tech team members assist the teachers in performance based outcomes using technology as a tool to achieve it. At the high school level, the tech team students are beginning to receive credit for their help based upon their contribution and their learning and growth throughout the year.
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How have you solved logistical problems (matching student/teacher schedules, transportation between buildings, etc) so that students can do work where it is needed?
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At the Elementary level each teacher is given a survey before the school year begins. In the survey, the teachers are asked about their current technology needs as far as training and uses of their equipment. When the tech team of students is in place (trained in the summer before school begins), a schedule is organized by the tech team advisor based on time requests of the classroom teachers. It is called a Tech Team Duty Roster. One hour per week is formally designated, but troubleshooting can be implemented at any time. Since each elementary has a tech team, there is no need for transportation among buildings. At the middle school level, students meet with teachers during Academic Assist once a week. They also participate in some of the Teacher Training sessions which are held twice a month. Students work for the high school technology coordinator when they are available, and that is not a problem since he is not a classroom teacher. High school students who work at Wayne Trail, simply walk there. Students who have had tech problems at Gateway were transported to the high school where they were helped (e. g., AVID Cinema problem).
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How and by whom are students trained to be able to support district technology?
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In the elementary and middle schools, the team is chosen in the spring through an application process. The students applying are interviewed as if for a formal job position by not only the tech team advisor, but also several tech team members of the past year. Once the team is chosen, dates in the summer are selected for training days for the Tech Team members. Students from the tech team the year before come back (usually 100% turnout) to mentor the new team in the training. The Director of District Technology does some of the training. A training notebook is given out at that time and many applications are practiced by the new members. After that initial session, technology training is held every two to three weeks, as needed during the school day (usually lunch or recess at the elementary schools, and Academic Assist period at the middle school) by the tech team advisor. Trainers from Apple and NWOCA are used to teach the middle school and the high school teams. Each building has technology specialists who are also involved in training the students. The high school tech person and the teachers who assist him have helped to train students. The more experienced students also train other students. The high school students have gone to the middle school to train those students.
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What training and reference materials are provided to the student participants?
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After we began the program in 1997, we found an excellent manual called Tech Team by Peto, Onishi and Irish which has reams of information and training examples for the team members. That handbook currently is the "bible" used by the elementary and middle school students with reference materials from it in their individual notebooks. Also, whenever a new software application is introduced to the school, the tech team members are the "research" teachers who read, practice, and teach the new software to the teachers and students. At the middle and high school, a variety of self-help books (i. e. Mac Bible, Mac Trouble shooting) software manuals, various tech help sites, and various tech trouble shooting CD's are available to the students. As we stated before, one of our students is an Apple Certified Technician. We anticipate using the Generation www.Y materials with the high school students this fall in connection with another school district .
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How many technical support staff (non-student) are employed by the district? Describe the role of each.
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The district is highly committed to utilizing technology in the classroom and created the position of Director of District Technology to oversee all this. The district also employs an electrical technician who maintains and repairs the equipment and works with some of the networks. Approximately 80% of his time is spent on technology work. Each elementary building has two supplemental positions of Technology Specialists to assist teachers with minor repairs and in training on the use of technology. The middle school has a teacher with released time to attend to the technology needs in the building. Presently she teaches one class period per day and is released the rest of the time for technology work. She does minor repairs, installations, maintains the laptops and labs. She also holds professional development sessions for the staff every other week. The high school has a full time Technology Coordinator, who does repairs, maintains the labs and the laptops, teaches professional development for the teachers and assists them when needed. Two additional teachers are released one period a day to assist the Technology Coordinator. At each of our six schools there is a tech team advisor in place. They are paid a yearly stipend to develop the Technology Assistance Team Handbook; select new tech team members yearly; communicate with the staff on needs and schedules; and maintain, train and evaluate the student tech team.
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What lessons has the district learned during the program? Include strengths, weaknesses and obstacles encountered.
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At the elementary level, there has been nothing but positives coming from this program. Each year, the applicants for the team has grown to such a degree that safety patrol and student council have often taken a back seat to being able to be on the technology assistance team. We think it is because the students, even though only in fifth grade, find that they are a valuable technology resource to both teachers and students alike. They learn by doing, and by doing, they help their peers and the staff of the school. We have seen students who are learning disabled or have had a history of disruptive behavior turn into responsible students who can demonstrate technology skills and also improve their academics in the process. They feel valued! At the middle and high school level, we've learned that student involvement in this program creates a mutual respect between students and teachers, puts students in a leadership role, allows students to share their expertise with peers and teachers, and provides needed expertise at a reasonable cost. Some weaknesses could be: The team's success does depend on the commitment level of the advisor and administration. A strong advisor will produce a strong assistance team. Make sure the advisor is committed to the goals of the team. We would like to have more high school students involved and are planning on creating a class with another district through the use of the video conferencing equipment with the Generation www.Y. Also, we are pursuing a new program from the Cauffield Foundation to fund high school student tech assistants. Also, time is a factor in the planning and execution of a good team. It is highly recommended, especially at the elementary level, that the advisor chosen has a similar schedule to the fifth graders or whatever grade level is on the team (for meetings, training, etc.) One recommendation also might be to recruit one to two parent volunteers to help coordinate the tech team schedules, and help to update them as necessary. At the middle school Tech Team students sometimes have other obligations during Academic Assist (extra help from teachers, makeup tests, other activity meetings).
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What process and instruments are used to evaluate the effectiveness of the program?
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The Director of Technology evaluates technology advisors at each school. The more experienced advisors help to train the newer ones and mentor them throughout the year. At each school, Tech Team members are evaluated quarterly by Tech Team Advisors and by the teachers to whom they are assigned. The students also write a self-assessment based on their perceived performance in those classrooms. The evaluations and self-assessments are then used in an interview of the team member and the advisor four times per year. Changes can be made, if necessary, or praise given, if an exemplary report. Also, each time the students visit a classroom; they keep a log of visits in their tech team handbook. These logs are discussed at the weekly or biweekly meetings.
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How is cost-effectiveness of the program determined? What information has been gathered to date showing the cost-effectiveness of the program? Include samples.
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This field appears as an appendix in the PDF
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Why does your district believe that it is has a model for other districts to implement?
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Tech Team members have proven to be capable assistants in the classrooms. They have taught teachers and students alike in a nurturing, collaborative atmosphere to achieve the goals of using technology as a tool for our use as a part of our school curriculum. In 1998, WTVG TV, Channel 13, did a two-part feature on the Ft. Miami Technology Assistance Team in their "Innovations in the Classrooms" portion of their news program. They were not only impressed with the technology knowledge of the fifth graders, but also in the students' philosophy of, "This is our job and we want to do it the best we can!" Teachers are very trusting and protective of their Tech student. The program has created an atmosphere of mutual respect between teachers and students while providing needed technology expertise in a non-threatening atmosphere for a reasonable cost. Being a member of the tech team has established future career paths. Even if the student does not go into technology as an exact career, the responsibility and knowledge that has accompanied the student's role has certainly laid the groundwork for a successful adult life.
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Describe the type of product(s) you anticipate creating to communicate to all districts your program? (e.g. website, CD Rom, video, etc.)
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We will create a special team composed of ten tech team students - two from Grade 5, four from the middle school, and four from the high school who will create all the materials for this project. These will include a web site of information on how the teams are developed, what they do, teacher responses to them and student responses to being on the team. They will also develop a series of "how-to" videos demonstrating the various tech support processes - for example, how to create an Ethernet cable and how to clean a mouse. These tapes will be available for any school district. They will also create a documentary of the entire process of getting on the tech team, from the advisors talking to various classes, to filling out an application, going through the interview, basic training, working with teachers and students, and continued training up to December 2001. The third item they will create is a CD-ROM of materials necessary to develop student teams to be distributed to interested schools.
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