Tech Minions- An authentic opportunity for kids with a passion.

Guest post by Linda Wollan, our elearning facilititator.

We have lots of opportunities for kids in our school to shine and find their passion – We have leadership groups, lunchtime enrichment in everything from table tennis to cooking, sporting groups and so on. A new group however is close to my heart, and I’m thrilled to see how successful it is becoming.

We are implementing a 1:1 iPad program at the beginning of next year, with student-owned iPads, so will need to get everyone onto the network, set up with email and ready to move forward. Teachers also need support with learning the ins and outs of new apps.

Who better than the kids?

We now have a self-selected group of tech ‘minions’ (from Year 4 to Year 10) who are being trained to help teachers and other kids with all things tech.

There are obvious advantages for the school, but also for these kids:

• They are able to mix with like-minded students from a range of year levels and learn from each other (there are too few opportunities in our school for primary kids to mix with secondary)
• They are able to interact with our professional ICT tech staff, getting to know them personally and learning from them.
• They are learning how to explain processes and teach others.
• The espect they are earning from their peers is leading to a rise in their self-esteem.

It’s great to see these kids, who are often hidden away behind their screens, shine in an area for which they have a passion.