Management
ISTE Live 26: The Youngest Tech Team You’ll Ever Meet
Lynsy Curry gave some students in her class a mission — if they chose to accept it. The elementary media specialist at Timbers Elementary School taught the fifth graders technology tips a couple of years ago when she was their teacher. When they began showing other teachers what they learned in her class, she asked them if they would be interested in forming a technology team and being her student helpers.
Challenge accepted.
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The tech team was born in the Humble Independent School District in Humble, Texas, nearly three years ago. During her session “From Helpers to Leaders: Building a Student Technology Team that Transforms Schools” at ISTELive 26 in Orlando, Fla., Lynsy Curry shared her story as proof of what happens when students take the initiative on technology and are allowed to lead. They’re no longer passive participants and are instead helping to shape ed tech decisions and two-way learning, one request at a time.
The Student Wolf Ambassadors of Technology teaches teachers, creates digital content and brings technology to classrooms that didn’t have it before.
EXPLORE: Check out more ISTELive 26 coverage for insights on how to support student learning.
“It’s completely, 100% student-led and centered,” Curry said. “I just became a sounding board.”
For districts wondering how to fund the infrastructure that makes student-led innovation possible, Amy Passow, senior manager of education funding solutions for CDW, offers a clear starting point: Begin with the vision, then find the funding. She cites the E-Rate program as an excellent resource that helps support K–12 instruction and innovation.
“This program supports all schools, public and private, as long as they are nonprofit, and ensures that there is a safe, cost-effective marketplace for schools to receive and deliver broadband to students,” said Passow, who presented at the session “Unlocking Opportunities: A Guide to Grant Funding for Schools.”
Participants
Lynsy Curry, Elementary Media Specialist, Timbers Elementary School
Amy Passow, Senior Manager, Education Funding Solutions, CDW
Video Highlights
- Framing students as creators and ambassadors instead of just IT fixers keeps programs focused on learning outcomes rather than IT support.
- Student-led technology teams build leadership skills for young people who may not find their voice in traditional academic or athletic settings.
- Districts can fund the classroom technology infrastructure that supports student-led programs by starting with a project plan and engaging CDW’s education funding specialists to identify the right grants and funding resources.
