Mechanicsburg EVS
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.)
-
District Information
Top
-
| District name: |
Mechanicsburg EVS
|
| District IRN: |
45484
|
| Contact Person: |
Mr. Paul Aukerman
|
| Contact Person Title: |
Teacher/Technology Coordinator
|
| Contact Person Address: |
60 High Street
Mechanicsburg, OH 43044
|
| Contact Person Phone: |
937.834.2453 Ext: 41
|
| Contact Person Fax: |
937.834.3954
|
| Contact Person email: |
aukermanp@mechanicsburg.k12.oh.us
|
| Requested Funding Amount: |
$9,069.00 |
| District Size: |
501 to 1,500 Students |
| Grades Involved: |
10 11 12
|
| Project Artifact: |
PDF |
| Dates of Presentation: |
| Presentation One: |
Location:
Ohio SchoolNet State Technology Conference - Columbus, OH
Date:
2/4/2002 |
| Presentation Two: |
Location:
Ohio SchoolNet State Technology Conference - Columbus, OH
Date:
2/6/2002
|
-
Why did the district create such a program to utilize students as technology support staff?
Top
-
The Mechanicsburg EVSD is a low wealth district, and we simply could not afford to hire staff to do hardware, software and network repairs and maintenance. Because of the SchoolNet program we have about 220 computers with only one person, the technology coordinator, to keep everything running. Because of budget constraints, the technology coordinator also teaches five science classes per day. This program was initially created for economic reasons. After running the program for about one year, the district realized that the activities were valuable to the students, and the program was one worth having, even if we had the funds to hire additional staff.
-
What technology support do students provide to the district? (e.g. software, hardware, website creation or maintenance, etc.)
Top
-
The students do all the routine maintenance on the computers. This includes: cleaning the outsides of the computers, using an air compressor to clean the dust from the insides, cleaning mice, monitors, computer tables, all the associated cables, deleting temporary files, check files, password log files and other unneeded files, running scandisk and running defrag. The students trouble shoot software and hardware problems using instructions on the school's web site and the various reference manuals as guides. They repair what they can, and if there is a problem they cannot fix, they move the computer to the high school lab where the technology coordinator shows them how to do the repair. The students trouble-shoot network problems and make new patch cords when needed. They install memory, sound cards, network cards, and replace hard drives. They load the Windows operating system when necessary. They teach the staff and other students how to use the software the school has. The students load software on all the computers, and they connect the computers to the networked printers. They also make sure the elementary computer lab is ready for its daily operations. This includes general cleaning, making scratch pads for the elementary students to use, checking to make sure the volume controls work, and any tasks that need done so that the elementary teachers can concentrate on teaching in the lab, not keeping it working.
-
How long has the project been in effect?
Top
-
This is the fourth year of the program.
-
Did another district's student tech program influence the way you modeled your program? If so, which district.
Top
-
No, the technology coordinator and curriculum director developed the program from scratch.
-
What resources or policies were necessary to start up and maintain the program? (i.e. funding, human resources, board approval, ect.)
Top
-
A course of study written by the technology coordinator and curriculum director was approved by the board of education, and students were allowed to enroll in the class the next school year. The course is titled "Computer Support Practicum". It is semester long course open to sophomores, juniors and seniors and can be taken six times for a total of three credits. The district already owned repair manuals and tool kits, so there were no other expenses.
-
What are the goals of the program?
Top
-
The original goal is for the school's computers and local area network functioning at optimum levels. A second goal is for the students to gain practical experience in computer maintenance and repairs. A third goal is for the students to apply what they learned outside of school; that is to maintain and repair their home computers. A fourth goal is for the students to share their knowledge with staff and other students.
-
How much did it cost to create the program? Please itemize costs and expenditures in an Appendix.
Top
-
This field appears as an appendix in the PDF
-
How much does it cost annually to maintain the program? Please itemize costs and expenditures in an Appendix.
Top
-
This field appears as an appendix in the PDF
-
How many students have participated in the program to date?
Top
-
There have been between 20 and 25 students per semester in this class. Since this is the end of the fourth year, the total number of students is between 160 and 180. Several students took the course multiple times.
-
How many students are participating in the program this school year?
Top
-
The first semester had 20 students; the second semester has 24. This year's total is 44 students.
-
Do students work during or outside school hours? Please detail.
Top
-
All work is done during the regular high school day, between the hours of 7:30 AM and 2:30 PM.
-
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?
Top
-
The students receive one half credit for each semester of Computer Support Practicum, up to a maximum of three credits. They are not paid.
-
What grade level(s) are students who participate in the program?
Top
-
The students are all in grades 10, 11 and 12. They need permission from the technology coordinator to enroll.
-
Is your student technical program integrated with your district curriculum? How?
Top
-
The program is integrated with the curriculum. A credit in another computer class is a prerequisite for this course. The course has a course of study approved by the board of education. The staff members know they can request a student from this course to assist them in using the computers and software in their room. This is done frequently.
-
How have you solved logistical problems (matching student/teacher schedules, transportation between buildings, etc) so that students can do work where it is needed?
Top
-
We are a very small district, with about 850 students in grades kindergarten through twelve. We have two elementary buildings and one junior/senior high school building. All three buildings are connected and no room is more than a three-minute walk from any other room. When a staff member has a request he/she either sends an email or fills out a form describing the request to the technology coordinator. The request could be for a repair, it could be asking for help on using a piece of software, it could be for loading a piece of software, or a problem with printing. The range of requests is quite large. The technology coordinator then assigns the job to a student or a pair of students. They practice on a computer in the high school lab if it is a request they have never seen. When they feel confident they can fix it, they go to the classroom or office and fix it. If it is a problem they cannot fix, they move the computer to the high school lab where the technology coordinator works on it. If the computer must leave the classroom or office a note is sent estimating when the computer will be returned.
-
How and by whom are students trained to be able to support district technology?
Top
-
The technology coordinator initially provides all the training for the students. When a student knows how to do a job he/she will teach another student. There is a lot of peer teaching in this program.
-
What training and reference materials are provided to the student participants?
Top
-
The students have access to a CD copy of Upgrading and Repairing PC's 11th Edition, Upgrading and Repairing PC's 10th Edition and Upgrading and Repairing Networks 2nd Edition. Que Corporation is the publisher. How to Troubleshoot, Tune Up and Maintain PCs, 2000 edition, published by CompuMaster is another reference book the students use. They also have access to Troubleshooting and Maintenance of IBM PCs and Compatibles, 1995 edition, published by SkillPath Seminars. The last manual is Advanced PC Troubleshooting - Diagnosing, Repairing and Upgrading IBM and Compatible PCs, 1995 edition, published by Essential Seminars, Inc. The last two manuals are only used when the students work on the older machines in the buildings. The other works are used when the students work on the newer computers.
-
How many technical support staff (non-student) are employed by the district? Describe the role of each.
Top
-
There is one person who has two positions: technology coordinator and science teacher. The technology coordinator is responsible for the following activities: wiring the buildings, writing grants, doing preventative maintenance, making repairs, evaluating software, purchasing software, installing software, evaluating hardware, purchasing hardware, installing hardware, maintaining the computer inventory, training the staff, designing and maintaining the school's web site, managing the network, doing backups, running the email server, filtering Internet content, trouble shooting hardware, software and network problems, being the district's contact with the Data Acquisition Site, and anything else involved in the smooth operation of the local area network. In addition to this, the technology coordinator teaches five science classes this year.
-
What lessons has the district learned during the program? Include strengths, weaknesses and obstacles encountered.
Top
-
The district learned that students have a lot to give and that they can be trusted with important work. They have skills that the district needs. The district learned that the Computer Support Practicum is a vital class, and that permission to take this class can only be given to students who show an interest in technology and who are able to work without constant supervision. The district also learned that the technology program cannot continue to function with the staff levels we have. Starting next fall the technology coordinator will not have any science classes, and will not have any Computer Support Practicum students assigned the first or second periods of the high school day. Our elementary school starts and stops one hour later than the junior/senior high school. This will let the technology coordinator work on the elementary schedule whenever necessary. We use the program to overcome our financial problems, because without this program our network would not function. We learned how to put computers in the hands of students and how to keep the computers working. Of the 220 computers in the district, 200 are for student use.
-
What process and instruments are used to evaluate the effectiveness of the program?
Top
-
The students have a checklist where they keep track of the videos from the training CD they studied. There are other checklists where students keep track of the skills they have mastered. Copies of these documents are in the appendix. When a request for assistance is made, it is entered into a spreadsheet. The spreadsheet contains the date, person and request. When the request is met, that date is also entered. As of March 28 there are more than 660 requests in this file. Even if the request is something that cannot be done it is kept in the file for future reference. There is a copy of this file in the appendix.
-
How is cost-effectiveness of the program determined? What information has been gathered to date showing the cost-effectiveness of the program? Include samples.
Top
-
This field appears as an appendix in the PDF
-
Why does your district believe that it is has a model for other districts to implement?
Top
-
Our district has a technology maintenance and repair plan that cost nothing, saves thousands of dollars per year, and keeps the local area network functioning. We cannot afford to have even one full-time technology person this year, and without the students our network would have stopped working many months ago. We believe the purpose of having computers in the school is to help students learn, and that one of the things they can learn is computer maintenance and repair. The computers must function properly if they are to be used by learners. Our program is a simple one to operate. All it needs is a technology coordinator/teacher, a few reference manuals, some simple tools and responsible students who want to learn to fix computers and who want to give something back to their school. Any school could implement our model and save money, get students involved in their school and keep their computers running at no cost. We have demonstrated that it does not take a large staff or a lot of money to keep a computer network running. The other equity districts in Ohio could all do what we did.
-
Describe the type of product(s) you anticipate creating to communicate to all districts your program? (e.g. website, CD Rom, video, etc.)
Top
-
I propose creating web pages to show what we do at Mechanicsburg. It will include a description of what the students do. It will have copies of the simple paperwork forms we use. It will have pictures of the students doing some of the activities they do for the class. It will have a copy of the board-approved course of study. It will also have copies of the web pages the students use to help them trouble shoot and fix problems. It will have a description of what a computer tune up is.
|
|
|
