Student Technology Innovation and Integration Student Led Tech Help Desk Independent Study Proposal
Over the last three years as a high school librarian, one of the projects that I have most wanted to spearhead has been that of a student-led technology help desk. On a daily basis the number of student tech questions that are fielded in various parts of our building and by different departments (from the Library to the IT Team, to the Attendance Kiosk and Main Office to name a few) can be overwhelming for staff and frustrating for students. In addition to this there is a sizable gap in information and digital literacy programming that encourages not only safe and responsible use but that of creative use.
Following classes through the Media Lab at URI I have been inspired to work on the curriculum and implementation of a student-led tech help desk, with a focus on student-led assistance and shared examples of their own creative work. To create this course, I first began researching other high school help desks. By looking through past examples I was able to identify what would and would not work for our community.
Collaboration was another key component. Working with our district IT team, our district technology committee and with my building admin has helped keep the communication flowing and expectations realistic. Next came planning for the physical existence of the help desk (with two locations: one in the Library and one at the kiosk) and for the planning of the digital platform. More discussion was had among the stakeholders as to what the best digital platform might be. In the end it was decided to move ahead with Google Sites as it will be consistent with the use of other Google Education Apps.
Following this decision, I created the platform and populated it with some examples of what student work might look like. As this course would be a semester-long course over two terms (with approximately 18 weeks of classes), I also created a basic outline for students to follow. This outline is meant to be somewhat vague and flexible as the hope is for the students to take the lead in their own management of work (based on the current needs of students and staff).
The continued planning for next year has focused on reviewing the course proposal, promoting the help desk’s public digital interface, the physical logistical plans, as well as staff support. While planning this course it has been important to remember the need for basic help desk instruction, but I also want the focus to primarily be the use of digital tools for creative expression and authorship. The hoped outcome is not only for an increase in the ease of solving basic tech issues, but more so to showcase to students the digital tools that are available for use and what they as students have the power to create using those tools. The biggest opportunity still lies ahead in what the students will produce and how they will curate material for the help desk.
