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Supporting a 1-to-1 environment is a daunting task! Empower your students through student tech teams. In this interview with the Royse City ISD High School and Middle School student tech teams (a.k.a. Chrome Squad) and their leaders, we explore the success of their program. We talk about how the program has evolved, what they are doing next, and how to implement your own program at the high school, middle school, or even elementary!<\/span><\/p>\n Cody Holt, Coordinator of Learning Technologies, is a new title for him as he oversees the Chrome Squad and all other integrated technologies. Heather Russell, Innovative Learning Specialist runs the Chrome Crew for Bailey Middle School. Kendal Whisnant, Innovative Learning Specialist leads the charge of the Chrome Co for Summers Middle School. Angela Arledge, Innovative Learning Specialist heads the Royse City high school\u2019s Chrome Squad.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Meet the @chrome_squad! Student Tech Teams to Support 1-1 Schools<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Listen to this article.<\/strong><\/p>\n Cody first developed the idea for a Chrome Squad during the 2015-2016 school year. The district made plans for the high school to transition to 1:1 Chromebooks. Originally, the plan included two other adults to help Cody make this happen, however, those two positions were not hired. Cody was given permission to incorporate students through an elective course, so he went to work researching how to make this happen.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n His intention was to run a very well-developed and organized system. Similar to corporations like Google, Apple, and Microsoft. After studying how these companies organized their employees he \u201chired\u201d student (unpaid) interns. Some of the tasks they would complete include: manage Chromebook check-in and out, necessary repairs, student enrollment, teacher professional development, student help desk, and much more.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Initially, eligible students came from the sophomore, junior and senior classes. Now students in middle and high school are participating. Heather Russell was asked to oversee the integration of 1:1 at Bailey Middle School, and like Cody, she was alone in getting all the tech up and running for students. So out of necessity, she recruited students to help her with repairs and then developed specific teams for other areas. As the group of students grew the teams created cover tasks for training, technical tasks, and even public relations. These teams mirror what\u2019s available and done at the high school.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Angela shares how their middle school interns have become a feeder program for the high school\u2019s Chrome Squad. This allows for higher quality interns and less time teaching students necessary tasks. The student\u2019s background knowledge allows the program to continue to grow and evolve.<\/span><\/p>\n Students shared what their role includes as a member of the different teams. The technicians are of course helping students and teachers with issues of a physical nature. They work through basic troubleshooting tasks to help or make necessary replacements. The public relations team is charged with advertising through posters and television slide presentations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The podcast team works to record episodes for students and teachers with tech tips and basic tech knowledge. This team was created out of the need to share from a distance during the pandemic. Students on this team typically record a short 90-second audio training to help teachers and students make a quick transition to remote learning techniques. A number of their episodes are geared specifically for teachers. All episodes of the <\/span>Connected for Learning <\/span><\/a>podcast can be found on Apple or Spotify. They also share content on their <\/span>Connected for Learning website<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<\/i>Click To Tweet<\/span><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/shakeuplearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/listen-on-apple-podcasts-badge-300x77.jpg\"){kind=icon}
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<\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nChrome Squad Origins<\/span><\/h2>\n