FUTUREFORWARD2016-17 was Year 2 of the West Hills implementation of the GUHSD's FutureForward 1:1 Chromebook initiative. Students having equitable access to technology, both on and off campus, has been transformative, and the library has transformed as a result, too.
To begin with, library staff serve a central role in the daily onsite management of Chromebooks, providing front desk customer service to students regarding their technology issues and liaising with district technology services. The links below give a glimpse into technology management responsibilities: |
NERD HERD TECH HELPUnder the guidance and supervision of our Technology Specialist Jovan Bessette, our "Nerd Herd" students are a huge help with technology across our campus. First of all, the name of Nerd Herd is one that our students came up with last year when they first organized. Second, while the Nerd Herd includes scheduled student aides, it also includes students who simply volunteer. In fact, even the scheduled student aides often volunteer many hours in addition to their assigned class time.
Whether troubleshooting a projector issue to keep a teacher's lesson plan running smoothly or helping a student fix their Chromebook's display settings at the library front counter - these students demonstrate a commitment to giving above and beyond to our school community. Also, when they are not directly helping others, these students work on expanding their knowledge and skills, such as by studying for technology certification exams. We commend all of our Nerd Herd students for their service - thank you! |
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Sample Nerd Herd Video Editing Project
This Spring 2017 semester, the GUHSD Governing Board approved a generous opportunity for graduating seniors to purchase their Chromebooks for a nominal fee so that they may continue learning with the technology. There are some students who depend on their Chromebooks as their only computer at home, and so this is a potentially life-changing offer.
This is the first year of senior Chromebook buying and so district and school staff have been busy developing new procedures within a very short window of time. To help us out, one of our dedicated Nerd Herd students, sophomore John Bui, took on the challenge of creating a video to help students "refresh" their purchased Chromebooks after graduation. Check out what he created! And, in the second embedded video, see his process.
This is the first year of senior Chromebook buying and so district and school staff have been busy developing new procedures within a very short window of time. To help us out, one of our dedicated Nerd Herd students, sophomore John Bui, took on the challenge of creating a video to help students "refresh" their purchased Chromebooks after graduation. Check out what he created! And, in the second embedded video, see his process.
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DESIGN & CREATIONBeyond managing the technology itself, library staff also works with students on how to use technology when creating projects. For instance, when working with students creating a website, Ms. Sannwald provided web design tips regarding use of the particular program, as well as general design best practices.
As another example, when students created video projects, Ms. Sannwald solicited student self-reflections on how to improve their design choices for future projects. |
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Virtual MakerspaceFor any project, the library makes available a Virtual Makerspace, which is a collection of web-based tools that work on Chromebooks for students to CREATE, which involves:
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DIGITAL CITIZENSHIPDigital citizenship is presented here separately from information literacy since information literacy encompasses literacy of information in any form - both online and offline - and is thus included in the Literacy section.
In the library, digital citizenship instruction may be as informal as having a situational conversation about getting consent when taking someone's photo with your phone. Instruction may also occur more formally as whole class instruction about topics such as digital copyright, including discussion about Creative Commons licensing and attribution. For instance, check out the Attribution & Citation resource shared this year. |