Why you need some Techxperts at your school

This term, my colleague Louise Phinney and I have started an after school activity for Grade 4 and 5 students called Techxperts. Here’s how we marketed it to the students:

Do you love using computers and other bits of technology? Are you a bit of a Tech Wizard? Do you know how to use programmes such as Photo Story, Adobe Premiere Elements, Scratch or Google Earth? Do you like to help others?

If so, then the UWC Techxperts need YOU!

Survey students and teachers to see where they need support (and learn to create and use Google Forms in the process).

Create screencasts which show people how to use the programmes we have at school.

Create help sheets to solve common troubleshooting problems.

UWC Techxperts: Saving the world, one screencast at a time.

Student-created products (to-date) include:

  • A series of screencasts on how to use Diigo
  • A how-to poster for the lab on what to do if you come across a ‘locked’ computer
  • A screencast on how to use PhotoStory (from go to woah!)
  • A how-to poster for the lab on how to log-in to Jing
  • A poster showing the 4 different things to check if your headphones aren’t working

We have been using Jing as our screencast tool of choice. The kids find it really easy to use and were absolutely stoked to try making screencasts and annotated screen captures.

The posters are up in the computer lab, and it has been fabulous to have student-generated products to direct students to with those common troubleshooting problems.

When introducing PhotoStory to Grade 2 students (who had never used it before), it was fantastic to have a screencast which outlined exactly how to get started, from a student’s point of view. I have created screencasts myself previously, but I think it’s nice for them to be made by kids, for kids.

Here are the screencasts which show how to Bookmark & Highlight a page using Diigo, by Jean-Luc.

Do you love using computers and other bits of technology? Are you a bit of a Tech Wizard? Do you know how to use programmes such as Photo Story, Adobe Premiere Elements, Scratch or Google Earth? Do you like to help others?

If so, then the UWC Techxperts need YOU!

Survey students and teachers to see where they need support (and learn to create and use Google Forms in the process).

Create screencasts which show people how to use the programmes we have at school.

Create help sheets to solve common troubleshooting problems.

UWC Techxperts: Saving the world, one screencast at a time.

Cross-posted at Tip of the Iceberg

Subscribe / Share

Article by Keri-Lee Beasley

Keri-Lee Beasley is an ICT teacher at an International School in Singapore. Originally from NZ, she has been teaching overseas since 2001. She blogs at Tip of the Iceberg. Read 6 articles by Keri-Lee Beasley
11 Comments Post a Comment
  1. New on U Tech Tips: Why you need some Techxperts at your school http://bit.ly/cv5Dru

  2. [...] at U Tech Tips under: Uncategorized Tags: activity, club, ECA, help, howto, Jing, screencasts, students, [...]

  3. Bill Bass says:

    I love it when students create things to help teachers in their classrooms. http://is.gd/b0CG1

  4. RT @wbass3: I love it when students create things to help teachers in their classrooms. http://is.gd/b0CG1

  5. Why you need some Techxperts at your school http://is.gd/b2BcO <<– I think most of us should be creating activities like this.

  6. RT @tonnet: Why you need some Techxperts at your school http://is.gd/b2BcO <<– I think most of us should be creating activities like this.

  7. RT @tonnet Why you need some Techxperts at your school http://is.gd/b2BcO <<– I think most of us should be creating activities like this.

  8. RT @tonnet: Why you need Techxperts at your school http://is.gd/b2BcO <- I think most of us should be creating activities like this. #edchat

  9. Kathy Greene says:

    RT @mjedallen: RT @tonnet Why you need some Techxperts at your school http://is.gd/b2BcO <<– I think most of us should be creatin …

  10. RT @MrsDi: RT @tonnet: Why you need some Techxperts at your school http://is.gd/b2BcO <<– I think most of us should be creating activities like this.

  11. RT @MrsDi: RT @tonnet: Why you need some Techxperts at your school http://is.gd/b2BcO <<– I think most of us should be creating activities like this.

Why to stay updated

NEW! Follow the U Tech Tipsters Twitter List
518 RSS Subscribers

Jeff Utecht’s Book: Reach

Support independent publishing: Buy this book on Lulu.

RSS Software for Education

Featuring YD Feedwordpress Content Filter Plugin