Student Technology Support Programs give schools a defined opportunity for students to learn and practice 21st century skills. We interviewed practitioners throughout the country from schools of all sizes with programs at all grade levels. We found that student engagement in technology support and leadership creates a positive school environment where technology is used more frequently and in more ways than before student involvement.

All kinds of students participate in technology leadership programs. They can be especially effective for students who have not found their niche in other activities. They blossom in student technology programs and become leaders and valued members of the school community. One parent told a faculty advisor: ‘you saved my son’s life.’ Other benefits for students include:

• Academic or service-learning credit.
• Authentic project-based learning experience.
• Valuable workplace experience in project management such as setting priorities, managing time, and problem solving.
• Communication skills from working with clients, writing reports, doing demonstrations, or creating tutorials.
• Formal training to round out a student’s knowledge and experience with technology.
• Hands-on experience with hardware and software.
• Career exploration.

Schools also mention the growing acceptance and use of technology by teachers as a key benefit. The more confidence teachers have that the technology will work when they need it, the more likely they are to incorporate it into their lesson plans on a regular basis. When students have a formal role to assist and support technology, teachers know who to turn to and what to expect. Other benefits for teachers include:

• More frequent and consistent support from more trained people.
• Opportunities for professional development.
• Help finding online resources and creating lessons.

Students provide a valuable first response to troubleshooting problems and providing classroom assistance for teachers. They are also advanced users and very knowledgeable about the technologies that interest them. Students can participate in planning, research, and testing of new and innovative uses of technology for learning. Other benefits for the school include:

• Save time and money with assistance for major deployments.
• Reduce vandalism and security problems by creating a sense of ownership and responsibility.
• Increase time spent by technical staff on higher level support and confidential data systems.
• Better leverage existing technology investments.