IT Exploration students prepare for Chromebook rollout at BHS, Savage Paper
As parents, teachers, students and staff gear up for the 2016-17 school year, so too does a group of tech-minded kids who will be helping implement the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District’s Chromebook rollout.
On Tuesday, nearly 40 students attended one of two sessions led by Best Buy Geek Squad “agent” TJ Shay, District 191 Information Technology Specialist Beth Kopp and Burnsville High School business and programming instructor Cindy Drahos. During the session they went through a checklist of items they’ll likely encounter while helping BHS students set up and log into their new Chromebooks, which are laptop computers that use Google’s operating system.
“We’re stepping them through what students might be asking that first day when they get their Chromebooks handed to them,” Drahos said.
The kids who took part in the session are registered for the new IT Exploration class at BHS. The class uses Mouse Squad curriculum to teach students tech skills including managing hardware, developing applications, programming, networking and web developments. They’ll also be able to work side-by-side with Best Buy Geek Squad members at their own “Mouse Squad” help desk in the school.
Through these experiences and by completing the curriculum, students can earn digital badges. These badges can be presented to employers such as Best Buy, IBM and Google, who recognize them as certification of broad-based technology skills.
With technology being integrated into nearly every career field as well as daily life, the demand for IT specialists and programmers continues to grow. It’s this career potential that appeals to many of the students who enrolled in the new program.
“I really like computers and always have,” BHS student Jacob Nestler said. “When I grow up I want to get a job in computers because it’s always in high demand right out of college, or during college.”
Fellow IT Exploration student Anna Bunce shared a similar sentiment, explaining that she planned to become a computer scientist and that this would help prepare her for college courses.
“When I get to college I’ll know the basics so then I’m not sitting in class being like, ‘I don’t know anything,” she said.
Not only do students get the hands-on experience, but District 191 benefits as well. With the extra hardware and software in the hands of students and teachers, there will be an added demand for IT support. The demand will only increase next year as additional Chromebooks are distributed to every student in grades six through eight.
The IT students will be able to put their skills to the test during orientation on Aug. 24 and 25 when they are slated to help nearly 3,000 BHS students receive and set up their Chromebooks.
Technology improvements are a substantial part of the Vision One91 plan that begins in earnest this coming school year, and one of the goals is to eventually distribute devices to every student in grades six through 12.
In May, the District 191 School Board approved the purchase of 2,850 Chromebooks and related services at a cost of $865,000. The purchase will provide Chromebooks for all high school students in the 2016-17 school year, and the following school year, additional devices will be purchased and distributed on a one-to-one basis to all middle school students.
The purchase was made possible through the technology levy that was approved by voters as part of the Vision One91 referendum last year, which provides $2.5 million per year over the next decade, for a total of $25 million, to go towards technology improvements.
