Published in the December 23, 2015 edition
By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD — Local students have taken on a leadership role in the area of technology, the schools’ Technology Department representatives told the School Committee Dec. 15.
Technology Integration Specialist Jennifer Judkins said technology has “changed the ways kids are learning in the district.” She said students are very comfortable with technology, which has allowed students to take on a leadership role.
Judkins said technology has enabled students to participate in real-world learning experiences, where students can collaborate with their peers and teachers. She also said technology has helped students refine their problem-solving and critical thinking skills.
High school media specialist Janice Alpert and high school student Joe Fabrizio discussed Lynnfield High School’s Student Help Desk. Alpert started the Student Help Desk along with Desktop Support Specialist Kathleen Dario before LHS launched the one-to-one technology initiative a few years ago.
“The program has really evolved,” said Alpert. “We started with only a few students and we now have 10 and are growing.”
Fabrizio agreed.
“We are providing support to our peers and staff,” said Fabrizio. “When someone has a problem, they can come in and see us.”
Fabrizio said the Student Help Desk can help students and teachers with technology issues ranging from creating an email signature to undertaking basic Chromebook repairs. He also said the Student Help Desk helps troubleshoot hardware. Fabrizio noted Help Desk students have trained their peers with using Google’s Read and Write app, which strives to help students become better writers.
“It’s really cool because it reads your papers back to you,” said Fabrizio. “Instead of reading it in your mind, (the app) can read it out loud, which helps you hear your mistakes better.”
Alpert noted high school student Dana Landry participated in a panel discussion on the Student Help Desk along with students from other high schools at the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) conference recently.
“We all presented and shared about what made our Student Help Desk unique,” said Alpert.
Alpert said Student Help Desk students participated in a Google Hangout interview with college senior Hanson Grant about his Think Board invention, which is located in the media center’s Maker Space. Think Board is a dry erase sheet that can quickly and easily adhere to almost any flat surface such as desks. She said Grant is going to visit LHS in the near future, and the Student Help Desk is going to give the young entrepreneur “feedback about his product.”
According to Alpert, the Student Help Desk hosted Hour of Code drop-in sessions recently. Hour of Code is a worldwide initiative that encourages students to be exposed to coding for one hour during the school day.
“Students showed other students how to code,” said Alpert.
Alpert also noted the Student Help Desk participated in a 3D printing contest and familiarized students and staff with the new Maker Space.
Technology Integration Specialist Sarah Perkins said 13 LHS students visited the two elementary schools earlier this month to help elementary students undertake Hour of Code activities that were both plugged and unplugged. She said the plugged-in activities were electronic-based and involved activities offered by Code.org. The unplugged activities were “kinesthetic activities” that taught students how to code and create a program without the use of a device.
Perkins said high school students enjoyed teaching their elementary peers.
“They really enjoyed seeing the excitement on younger students’ faces,” said Perkins. “It was a great day overall.”
Perkins also noted elementary students are teaching their peers how to use different types of devices as well as apps such as Seesaw, which is an online class journal.
“Second graders taught first graders how to use the app with minimal teacher guidance,” said Perkins. “It was very cool. And the second graders became teachers in their own classroom and taught their classmates how to use the app.”
Perkins said she’s thrilled elementary students are embracing technology.
“It’s very cool to see these younger students take on a leadership role with their peers,” said Perkins. “They are learning how to problem solve and work together, which is a great skill to learn.”
Judkins also noted the Lynnfield Middle School One Club held a presentation on social media recently.
“Students came up with their own questions,” said Judkins. “It was really wonderful and was a great example of how students are promoting a positive use of technology.”
