This past summer we ran a fabulous student tech leader bootcamp for Grace Wilday Jr. High School (See post: GenYES students assist in laptop rollout in New Jersey). Grace Widay is in Roselle, New Jersey, and a new program called TALENT21 will start up this year funded by federal stimulus dollars (ARRA EETT). This year, every sixth grader will get a laptop, plus other classroom technology and lots of professional development.
The student tech leaders at Grace Wilday are a big part of this project. They are using the GenYES online tools and curriculum to learn the new technology and assist teachers and other students. These GenYES student tech leaders mean more support and more student ownership as everyone at Grace Wilday takes a big step forward into the 21st century.
Check out this video! (Click here if YouTube is blocked or you do not see the embedded video below)
The student who says the teachers will “TAP” the student tech team for help is talking about the GenYES online tool called the Technology Assistance Project (TAP) system. This is a Web 2.0 tool that schools use to track GenYES projects from start to finish. It also tracks help requests from teachers and offers blogs and wikis to make sure that all projects are documented and that all teachers are satisfied with the results. (More about the TAP tools.)
We are proud to be part of Grace Wilday’s learning adventure!
Sylvia
