Project:
TechAssist - Helping Schools Help Themselves

Fred Slater
fslater@techboston.org

Fred Slater received his BA at Berkeley and his Ed.M. at Harvard. He also holds A+, Network+, and Cisco Networking Certifications. He has pioneered A+ Certification and Networking programs for TechBoston and has done technical consulting for the IT Industry. His principal contribution to Technology Education lies in the innovative programs he founds and develops in the educational sector at the secondary level. His achievements in this area include Community-based Help Desk and Technical Support Organizations, which have been documented through local, state, and national educational and technology conference presentations led by his students. A commitment to produce young technology leaders anchors Fred Slater's practice. He currently teaches at Madison Park Technical Vocational High School.

Project Information

School:

Madison Park Technical Vocational High School

Pathway:

High Tech Academy

Course:

Fundamentals of Networking

Grade:

Grade 10

Authenticity

Key Questions:

How can high school students learn authentic technical support skills? How can high school students use these technical support skills (format computers, install operating systems, download software, diagnose and troubleshoot most common computer problems) to serve the community (other classrooms and labs within the school, other schools, community centers, private sector)? How can students build working computers and put them into school service?

Overview:

From a variety of sources, lab problems and requests are distributed to TechAssist personnel. Students become proficient in resolving problems that degrade the functionality of computer labs. Through lab interaction, hands-on instruction, mentoring and modeling, students process requests and work with a variety of computer users, including teachers, administrators, community representatives and private industry resources. Because TechAssist communication, instruction, training, and work are all customer-centered and dynamic in nature, this translates into authentic school-to-career empowerment.

Academic Rigor

What Learning Standards and School to Career Competencies are used in this project?

Computer Science, Communication Arts

• Students learn to observe and evaluate problems with computers; troubleshooting and support services, including software and operating system installation
• Students learn skills they need to start their own networking/tech support businesses after graduation.
• Record keeping: how to keep records and use forms related to computer technical support and servicing
• Soft Skills: communication skills with people requesting services
• Diagnosis and Repair: how to identify and work through idiosyncrasies of computer malfunction; learn skills that will enable them to become service providers for any community they live in
• Critical Thinking: Understanding and working with technical information
• Effective problem-solving techniques
• Effective technical support
• Professional standards of conduct, shop practices, and technical support. Understanding of company structure and organization
• Job Intake/outtake processes: Documentation and forms pertaining to technical support
• Communication: Working with others and principles of teamwork; interpersonal relations; effective communication with customers
• Problem-solving: Resolving issues pertaining to computer and network support, use of computers, application software, system software, and state of the art computer training equipment
• Diagnosing and troubleshooting processes

School to Career Competencies

1. Communication and Literacy: By speaking, listening, reading and writing, students will improve the skills required to be effective technical support technicians.
2. Organizing and analyzing information: Through inspecting, documenting, and classifying computer problems, students will become skilled in understanding and working with technical information.
3. Problem solving: By using isolation and replacement methods of diagnosis and troubleshooting, students will learn to resolve a wide range of problems pertaining to computer and network support.
4. Using Technology: Through use of computers, application software, system software, and state of the art computer training equipment, students will become experts in technology.
5. Completing entire activities: Each computer diagnosed and processed through the intake/outtake process represents a complete project. Over the length of the program, the larger activity: the formation of a formal, active, and enduring service organization will be the ultimate goal.
6. Acting Professionally: Through training and instruction, TechAssist will rise to professional standards of conduct, shop practices, and technical support.
7. Interacting with others: Through interaction with school staff and students who are beset by computer problems, members of TechAssist will learn to work with others, communicate effectively, and adhere to the principles of teamwork.
8. Understanding all aspects of the industry: through the formation of TechAssist, including training, troubleshooting, organizing the company structure, generating documentation and forms pertaining to technical support, members of TechAssist will come to understand the most important elements of the technical support industry.
9. Taking responsibility for career choices: By becoming involved in TechAssist, its members will be taking an active role in choosing their careers and preparing for a life which is involved in doing service for the greater good.

Applied Learning

How do students apply what they have learned and researched to a complex problem (e.g.: designing a product, improving a system, creating an exhibit, organizing an event)?

Application takes the form of finished product: computers and labs up running again!

Active Exploration

Classroom Activities

• Learn to diagnose, classify, and document various kinds of problems in working and non-working school computers.
• Learn elementary troubleshooting procedures.
• Return computers with minor problems to school service
• Learn to clean up disk space, de-fragment hard drives and run computer utilities that improve computer performance.
• Learn intermediate procedures of computer troubleshooting
• Learn to install and uninstall Microsoft OfficeLearn to install Windows DOS, 95/98, 2000 operating systems
• Learn to partition and format hard drives, diagnose and troubleshoot more advanced problems
• Learn to install Network Operating System (NT)
• Learn to set computers up so that they are network ready
• Learn to communicate and articulate problems and solutions to people who are having problems with their computersLearn to process aspects of referral, service, and production operations related to managing a computer tech support service

Community Activities

• Students provide school classrooms with more and better-working working computers.
• Students restore formerly unusable computers to school service.
• Students provide more developed computer tech support service to the High Tech academy at Madison Park Tech Voc HS.
• Students provide valuable assistance to Teachers in the high tech academy who are having problems with the computers they are using.
• Students endeavor to provide well-developed computer tech support service (Help Desk) to assist smoother running of Madison Park Tech Voc's different academies' computers.
• Students endeavor to provide a model of Student Tech Support for other schools throughout the Boston Educational Community.
• Students endeavor to provide well-developed computer tech support service (TechBoston Consulting Group) to assist smoother running of Madison Park Tech Voc's different academies' computers.

Career Activities

• Prepares students for careers in computer support by helping develop problem-solving skills. Example: Lab Tech Assistant.
• Provides more advanced skills needed in various aspects of computer industry's tech-support operations. Example: PC Technician
• Prepares students for positions in the computer networking industry. Example: Networking Administrator Assistant
• Prepares students to work in Technology related community service industries.
• Puts students into actual community service as future tech support providers for Boston Public Schools (TechBoston Consulting Group).
• Prepares them with skills they need to start their own networking/tech support businesses after graduation; Prepares them to take jobs in the computer industry during their senior year.

Adult Connections

Who from the community, workplace or postsecondary or industry partnership do students work with on the project?

Boston Housing Authority, Boston Public School Administration, TechBoston, Boston Community Centers

Assessment

How do you and the students know the project is a success?

Tests/quizzes given to students to test their knowledge during the process.
Inventory and troubleshooting sheets, as well as log sheets, are reviewed on a consistent basis.
The computers work and the customers are happy and invite us back and refer us to do more jobs.

Recommended Resources / Sample Products - EXAMPLES

Software or Materials Needed

Windows System Software, Microsoft Office Suite, WAVE Interactive CD, How MultiMedia Computers Work, Computer Concepts, 3Com NetPrep, COMPTIA A+ Certification mentoring

Websites Used

COMPTIA and Proprietary Manufacturers' home pages (driver downloads and tech support)

Teacher
Developed

Logsheets, Troubleshooting sheets, Customer service request forms, Excel Spreadsheet-generated reports, assessment sheets, job-tracking

Student
Developed

Working computers, happy (and impressed) customers