In these tough financial times, independent schools are tightening their belts and preserving resources. Many times, professional development funds are the first to feel the squeeze, leaving many tech and curriculum administrators scratching their heads on how to support continued growth and development among their faculty. In 2009, a colleague, Tanya Komandt, and I came up with an innovative and student-centered solution to this pressing problem, one that can be easily implemented at other independent schools across the nation.
In 2009, St. Mary's Academy, an all-girls academy in Englewood, CO had a school full of leading edge technology, including interactive white boards in every class, flip videocameras available for students' use, and multiple laptop carts with the newest Apple technology. We had the equipment, but we were in desperate need of a consistent and rigorous training program to introduce teachers to the technology and support its use in the classroom. With no instructional tech director, I tried to fill that void by volunteering to lead periodic tech workshops for the faculty...with very mixed results.
Some of my colleagues already possessed a solid tech background and eagerly attended my workshops on wikis, podcasts, and Google Earth. But the majority fell somewhere in the spectrum of terrified avoidance to frustrated confusion. There had to be a better way to differentiate the instructional tech support, but there was no money or time. I had a full schedule of 5 preps and was driving myself crazy trying to schedule one-on-one training sessions to help my colleagues. It was an untenable situation.
My colleague Tanya and I hit upon a solution as we saw many of our own students using the tech we were scrambling to teach. If we could just in-source the nuts and bolts training to students, that would leave us more time to work with teachers on the bigger picture ideas of how technology supports their curricula. We had heard of
Mouse Squad, which trains students in tech support, and structured our new organization "Mouse Mischief" roughly on their model. But instead of help desk and troubleshooting, our "mice" would train teachers on iMovie, Prezi, Glogster, and other tech programs that teachers could implement in their classrooms.
To provide incentive to the students, we worked out a deal with administration. Student workers would be paid minimum wage for the hours they worked, with the possibility that the most dedicated "mice" could get a summer internship with the IT department. With the juicy carrots of money and resume builders, Tanya and I recruited a healthy first cohort for our "Mice Mischief" club. Some of the students were even motivated enough to solicit training jobs with their teachers, which was fantastic! To our knowledge, not a single teacher turned down our students offers of one-on-one tech tutorials. To further support the teachers, we made our "mice" available as classroom assistants when they had breaks in their schedule. This way, teachers who wanted an extra set of hands on deck the day they implemented a tech project were supported and comfortable.
All in all, this program has been a success! St. Mary's administration has been able to provide ongoing and personalized tech professional development and support to its teachers at a fraction of the cost of a traditional PD program. Teachers have responded enthusiastically to this experiment, and consistently report to us how impactful it is to establish a positive relationship with kids that flips the traditional student-teacher dynamic. Obviously, having some extra cash on hand and a padded resume has benefited our student-tutors.
But I would argue that the benefit extends far beyond those rewards. Through the Mouse Mischief program we've been able to introduce our girls to possible careers in STEM fields, which is sorely needed in the 21st century workplace. Lastly, as being a "mouse" appeals to the more tech savvy student who is often left out of traditional leadership paradigms, new faces are finding their niche and being given a chance to shine. As confirmation of this, the president of our club won the 2012
National Center for Women & Information Technology's Aspirations in Computing Award for the state of Colorado and won a hefty prize pack and scholarship!
So administrators, if you're looking for a way to empower students and provide individualized tech instruction and support to your teachers, consider starting your own Mouse Mischief club at your school. I'd be happy to help provide guidance and support as you get this rewarding project started! Feel free to contact me through NAIS connect.