Giving Compass' Take:

• School districts are using their tech-savvy students to help IT departments fix technology-related issues, helping to strengthen their employable skillsets. 

• How can schools further support tech-savvy students for career preparedness? 

• Read about the role of technology in education.

Students who earn tech repair certifications strengthen their resumes and can also help lighten districts’ IT department loads, CDW-G education strategist Jennifer Brown writes for EdTech: Focus on K-12.

Tech-savvy students can serve as IT support to assist with easier fixes like lost passwords, software installation and site navigation. During downtime, these students can work on other tech interests like programming, video production and game design, and some districts also hold hackathons that challenge students to think like hackers and seek weaknesses in district systems.

Allowing Gen Z students who have grown up on technology to put their skills to use and gain practical knowledge not only gives them a boost of confidence, but it further develops employable skills. ​

Queens Technical High School in Long Island, New York, has an after-school, in-house tech “support group” to fix devices, assist in IT installation and troubleshoot other issues. The group works on SMART boards, printers, networking printers/PCs and other devices.

Schools’ young techies can even go beyond the basic fix-its to help teachers create school projects on tech devices. Laura Busch, a technology integrator at an elementary school in Wisconsin, explains in EdSurge how 4th- and 5th-grade students at her school help teachers develop projects on iPads. The tech-savvy students work on various committees and also serve as role models for younger students.

Read the full article about tech-savvy students by Shawna De La Rosa at Education Dive.