In Roselle, New Jersey, a new program called TALENT21 will start up this year. The project, funded by federal stimulus dollars (ARRA EETT), will put laptops in the hands of every sixth grader at Grace Wilday Jr. High School.
The grant provides other hardware, but focuses on professional development as the key to success for the new technology to make an impact.
“Professional development is critical to the success of the TALENT21 program,” says Adrian Allotey, Roselle Supervisor of Special Programs. said. “Partnering with Kean University’s Center of Innovative Education, GenYES and LoTi will provide a broad, collaborative learning environment for educators and students alike.” (from New Jersey Today)
As one of the partners on this grant, we are helping to create a GenYES student tech team at the school. 20 students attended a technology “boot camp” this summer led by Generation YES founder Dr. Dennis Harper along with with one of our web developers Andy, who is a high school student himself.
The students learned computer maintenance skills, technical support skills and problem solving skills for basic troubleshooting. They will meet once a week during the school year to review and update the school’s technology needs. They will also provide on-site technical support for teachers, administrators and fellow students throughout the year.
“These 20 students will learn valuable computer skills that will give them a tremendous leg up in higher education and in the job market,” Allotey said.
We are very pleased to be working with the students and teachers at Grace Wilday JHS to help them achieve their mission of creating a 21st century learning space in their school!
Sylvia
PS Click here to download a free whitepaper on Student Support of Laptop Programs, featuring case studies of how real students make a big difference in creating a powerful laptop support system. (Click here to see more about this whitepaper and other free resources from Generation YES.)
