Dive Brief:

• Arizona’s Yuma Elementary District One created the iTEAM KiDS Technology Ambassador Program in the fall of 2014 to capitalize on student expertise with technology tools that educators wanted to use in the classroom.
• According to eSchool News, elementary and middle school students are eligible to participate, and they help their peers and teachers learn how to use technology tools and integrate them into the classroom through an annual districtwide professional development day.
• Students spend a year training and preparing two 50-minute professional development sessions, an activity helps them improve their communication and leadership skills while they focus on helping the people in their school.

Dive Insight:

Many districts across the country have realized they have a valuable resource in their students, and a facility with technology can be mutually beneficial. Students run IT help desks in some districts and gain valuable work experience as they troubleshoot problems that might otherwise continue slowing down instruction in their schools.

Creekside Middle School in Patterson, CA, has a similar program as Yuma Elementary, where students prepare presentations for their peers on topics like coding, video creation and web design. In Burlington, MA, students who staff the district IT desk successfully help support 4,000 devices across six schools.