Chromebooks are great for classroom learning, but why stop there? Fairview Independent Schools in eastern Kentucky created the student technology leadership program to give students an opportunity to learn how to service and support technology use within the district. In this episode I am joined by Corey Moore (@mrmoorefhs), director of the student help desk program. Corey shares insights on the Fairview 1:1 program and tips on how to start your student Chromebook repair program. We are also joined by Tori and Ali, two high school students on the help desk team who share what it’s like to support classroom teachers and make Chromebook repairs.
Jumping head-first into 1:1 with Chromebooks
Fairview Schools was faced good problem: they had left over title money that had to be spent. They bought Chromebooks – a lot of them! During the first part of my conversation with Corey Moore, he shares the rapid adoption of technology within the district- going from limited access to devices to putting a Chromebook into the hands of all students in grades 3-12.
The process that Fairview went through breaks the common assumption that it takes years of planning and research to go 1:1; Planning, purchasing and deploying over 600 student Chromebooks took less than one year.
“If you are trying to start a 1:1 program, don’t be scared to do it. Pull the trigger.” – Corey Moore, Fairview Independent Schools, Kentucky.
Behind the Scenes of a 1:1 program
After hearing about the initial launch of the Fairview 1:1 program I asked Corey to take us behind the scenes and talk about some of the improvements and planning they did to ensure the success of the program. Listen to hear about the network upgrades, device model testing, and insurance program that was set up prior to the official launch of the 1:1 program for the 2017-18 school year.
Corey shares some of the feedback from teachers, students, and parents, including some important conversations with parents to get them on board with the 1:1 program.
Fairview Student Help desk
The last part of my conversation with Corey is awesome! He shares how he transformed a small, unused book room into a student technology help desk. You can hear the passion and excitement in Core’s voice as he shares the details the student Chromebook repair program; how students are selected, and the type of issues the solve on a daily basis.
I also learned that there is a student technology support competition in Kentucky! Student tech support programs across the state compete in various categories. Winning teams have an opportunity to help with technology support at the annual ISTE conference! I had no idea such a thing existed (links below!), but it sounds awesome!
After discussing the help desk program, we are joined by Ali and Tori, two help desk students. They share the most common repairs that they deal with and the type of user support questions they answer, and their experience working with teachers.
If you are interested in starting your own Student help desk program, Corey generously shared a copy of his course description and student manual. Click the image below to download.
