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Northmont 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.)


District Information     Top
District name: Northmont City Schools
District IRN: 48728
Contact Person: Ms. Beth Cooper
Contact Person Title: Multimedia Teacher
Contact Person Address: 515 National Rd.
Clayton, OH 45315
Contact Person Phone: 937.836.5151
Contact Person Fax: 937.836.8569
Contact Person email: bcooper@northmont.k12.oh.us
Requested Funding Amount: $10,000.00
District Size: 1,501 to 6,000 Students
Grades Involved: 5 6 7 8 9 10
Project Artifact: PDF
Dates of Presentation:
Presentation One:
Location:
SOITA/GMVETC Technology Conference (Dayton, OH)
Date:
12/5/2001
Presentation Two:
Location:
Ohio SchoolNet State Technology Conference - Columbus, OH
Date:
2/5/2002
Why did the district create such a program to utilize students as technology support staff?     Top
Northmont City School District chose to implement a program to utilize students as part of our technology staff to provide technology opportunities for students and allow students to assist instructional technology endeavors in the district.
What technology support do students provide to the district? (e.g. software, hardware, website creation or maintenance, etc.)     Top
The type of support provided by students ranges from software and hardware instruction such as ClarisWorks, Netscape Navigator, digital cameras, printers etc. assisting teachers and other students, installation of hardware and software, cleaning, maintenance, setting up new computers, web page design, and help with our Local Area Network.
How long has the project been in effect?     Top
The first Elementary Technology Assistant program began in 1998 with additional buildings adding the Elementary Technology Assistants in 1999.
Did another district's student tech program influence the way you modeled your program? If so, which district.     Top
When modeling our project, we were influenced somewhat by the CISCO Network Academy program which is also in place in our district. We saw the potential to get students involved with technology at an earlier age.
What resources or policies were necessary to start up and maintain the program? (i.e. funding, human resources, board approval, ect.)     Top
Resources required for starting and funding our program are supplemental contracts for advisors, media and materials, maintenance supplies, and incentives from local vendors.
What are the goals of the program?     Top
The goals of the program are to:
  1. Create a Technology Camp to allow for more hands-on instruction for students and diversification of technological skills and abilities.
  2. Train more students to assist in supporting instructional technology in the school district.
  3. Give younger students an opportunity for more intense technology instruction than can be provided during the normal class day.
  4. Provide a support infrastructure to adequately maintain the expanding technology in the school district.
  5. Integrate science, math, citizenship, reading and writing into technology to reflect the Ohio Proficiency Outcomes using Ohio SchoolNet Practitioner Lesson Labs.
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
Northmont City Schools has trained approximately 65 students as technology assistants in grades 5-6. Technical support skills are taught to 24 high school students each year in grades 9-10. During the 2000-01 school year, 47 students in grades (5-6) in 3 elementary buildings and 24 students in grades (9-10) at the high school have participated in this program.
How many students are participating in the program this school year?     Top
Ninety students are participating in our technology program this year.
Do students work during or outside school hours? Please detail.     Top
Elementary Technology Assistants in the elementary meet and work before school begins and some during school hours as needed. Technology Department students work immediately after their school day ends from 3:00 pm-5:00 pm. The middle school students use their study hall time to work on projects and help teachers throughout the school.
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
Elementary Technology Assistants are not paid but are given incentives. They may be given fast food certificates or school award certificates. Technology Department student employees are paid by the school district at minimum wage.
What grade level(s) are students who participate in the program?     Top
Elementary Technology Assistant students are from 5th and 6th grades. Our two Technology Department student employees are in high school; one is a sophomore and one is a junior. Both students are enrolled in either the CISCO Network Academy or Technical Support Skills.
Is your student technical program integrated with your district curriculum? How?     Top
This technology program provides a wide range of training that pertains to the CISCO Networking Academy. Technology Support Skills is an accredited course at the high school.
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
Elementary Technology Assistants work within their own buildings and before class time. One student employee drives and is paid mileage for intra-district transportation for work related activities. Our other student employee is bussed to the Technology Department. The middle school technology advisor allows students to participate during study hall time. She also transports students as needed to help them attend the after school meetings.
How and by whom are students trained to be able to support district technology?     Top
Elementary Technology Assistants are trained by building Multimedia Specialists in a lab situation. Our student employees are trained on the job and are usually accompanied by a member of the technology department. A technology related field trip to the Dayton International Airport control tower was planned for this year by one of the Multimedia specialists for her group to research how computers are used in the business world.
What training and reference materials are provided to the student participants?     Top
Training materials and equipment for the program include district computer applications, computers, printers, scanners, digital cameras, network diagnostic tools (MicroTest, and Fluke), district technology policies, Internet, training CDs such as Mac Academy and Windows Academy. Students at the middle school have created their own notebooks through training sesssions. These notebooks must be with the students at all times so they can troubleshoot whenever needed.
How many technical support staff (non-student) are employed by the district? Describe the role of each.     Top
There are 6 Technology Department staff members. Each elementary and the high school have technology support staff member:
  • Director of Technology Dale White leads the technology team and oversees all aspects of technology and it's role at Northmont. He is instrumental in implementing SchoolNet funding, the Power Up Grant, Erate and IVDL.
  • Administrative Assistant, Patty Hedke is responsible for keeping the technology office running smoothly, placing orders, inventory, scheduling training, and assisting all technology staff members with various projects.
  • CISCO Academy/Client Support, Gene Helser spends half his day supporting staff members with software and hardware. His focus is at the High School where he spends the second half of his day teaching the CISCO Network Academy and Advanced Placement Programming.
  • Client Support, Trenda Roch von Rochsburg is the main support person for all the Multimedia specialists in the district. Trenda's role is to provide training and to keep the building support current in all aspects of technology.
  • Systems Integration, Sean Kaiser is the main contact for district infrastructure support including hubs, terminal servers, switches routers and file servers. Sean is proficient in web server enhancements including: web page design, html, javascript, relational database design and security.
  • Elementary Multimedia and Middle School Multimedia have various roles. As librarians in their buildings they see classes on a daily basis, read stories, control library inventory choosing and purchasing new books, and teaching library skills to the students.
  • High School Technology Support, Brad Bush plays a primary role in facilitating the activities in the PC lab and iMac labs in the IMC.
  • Repair Technician, Jean Bennett provides technology support and repair for district computer equipment.
What lessons has the district learned during the program? Include strengths, weaknesses and obstacles encountered.     Top
The most important lesson our district has learned is how capable the students are to do this type of work. They have become invaluable in their own classrooms throughout the day helping their peers and teachers. The greatest strength we have is dedicated staff members who are willing to make the program successful. We have found that this program has helped students who may be extremely shy, or have other difficulties academically. It gives them a sense of purpose, a chance to work as part of a team as well as individually. A program of this sort builds selfconfidence, leadership skills, and communication skills. Some students have discovered skills they didn't know they had. It has taken time to convince some teachers that the students have been adequately trained to work on the classroom computers. Many teachers are afraid the students don't know what they are doing and it could jeopardize the data on their computers. By working closely with students and allowing teachers to see that they are being properly supervised, we have overcome this problem.

Another obstacle is limiting the number of students that want to be involved. It is much more effective if fewer students are trained more intensely. Having too many students involved makes it difficult to supervise. Obtaining staff recommendations for student involvement helps to find the most interested and trustworthy students. Another obstacle has been giving some students too much freedom. Some students are not mature enough to handle these responsibilities. We have had theft, spamming, inappropriate network access, filter bypassing and inappropriate language on the network. Those students were dealt with firmly and swiftly in accordance to our district Acceptable Use Policy.
What process and instruments are used to evaluate the effectiveness of the program?     Top
Evaluation of the program has been monitored by the MultiMedia Specialists and Northmont's Technology Department. Each building instructor works very closely with students to watch their progress. Staff feedback is also very helpful. Elementary Technology Assistants can perform many tasks: (See appendix D)
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
The results of this program have exceeded our expectations. The success we have seen with the buildings that have chosen to use this program has been tremendous. The program has been relatively inexpensive, easy to implement and rewarding for students. The district would like to branch out and give students more in depth training to have the capability to be given more technology responsibilities.
Describe the type of product(s) you anticipate creating to communicate to all districts your program? (e.g. website, CD Rom, video, etc.)     Top
We have created a PDF of our program and duplicated it in CD form to be distributed to other districts. The middle school S.W.A.T. (Students Working to Assist Technology) has a web site that can be viewed at http://www.northmont.k12.oh.us/MS/swat/index.html

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