SAN ANTONIO -- Teachers attending the National Educational Computing Conference weren't surprised that, according to a study, students are used to provide technical support in more than half the school districts in the country.
The National School Boards Foundation surveyed technology decision-makers for 811 public school districts, including 90 out of the top 100 largest districts, and found that students provide technical support in 54 percent of the districts.
"I'm surprised it's not higher than that," said Martha Cochenour, a teacher in the Mountainburg School District in Arkansas. "The teachers are of the older generation and we're just learning, whereas the kids have grown up with technology.
"A lot of times I do feel that the students know more than I do."
Students troubleshoot hardware, software and infrastructure problems in 43 percent of districts. They set up wiring and equipment in 39 percent and perform technical maintenance in 36 percent of districts.
"The message here is that schools need help. Every school district tells me they are losing funding," said Tom Fitzgerald, vice president of education for Gateway and a National School Boards Foundation trustee. "Everybody prioritizes their money toward the technology, and what gets cut is training and support."
Fitzgerald said schools need federal and state funding that is specifically earmarked for technology help desks. If there is a silver lining, he added, it's that students are getting hands-on work experience, he said.
"It used to be the (audio visual) helper and now it's the technology helper," said Dave Pickens, a systems engineer for Sun Microsystems who has worked with student technicians in the Carroll County Consolidated School District in Indiana. "I worked in the AV department, and for me it was a way to get out of homeroom and learn the technology."
Pickens said that students assisting school districts with technology are no different than student helpers in the office collecting attendance slips. In both cases, students are not paid for their time.
He said that as long as schools don't take advantage of student time -- expecting them to work 20 hours a week instead of one hour after school, for example -- then it can be a great way for kids to get hands-on experience.
The survey -- titled "Are We There Yet?" -- also reported that 71 percent of districts credit the e-rate as the most influential outside initiative to bringing technology into the schools.
About 30 percent of technology leaders believe that one in five students will receive a significant part of their education (one-third or more) online over the next three years.
The survey also identified barriers for the use of technology in the classroom, namely, poor teacher preparation and lack of funding.
It's hardly surprising, then, that educators would turn to their tech-savvy students for help.
Linda Borkenhagen, a technology coordinator from Cedarburg, Wisconsin, had a mixed experience working with one student technology assistant.
"I think they can be good for a district, but there's a fine line between those who are interested in helping the school and those who are interested in helping themselves to gain access to school networks," she said.
"We chose not to give (the student assistant) some responsibility -- like the administrators password -- and I think it bothered him, but I believe that was best," she said.
The student worked hard the first semester, then seemed to be bored for the latter part of the year, she said.
"There weren't enough tasks that allowed him to be innovative," Borkenhagen said.
In Maine, where schools are preparing to implement a statewide laptop program for all seventh graders, educators have discussed building a virtual student network where kids in the state could share troubleshooting information, Abigail Garthwait said.
Garthwait, a professor at the University of Maine, is on the design team for professional development for the laptop project.
"There is a recognition that this is an untapped resource that could be helpful to teachers," she said.
But one teacher was surprised that the percentages were so high.
"It is surprising," said Mary Ann Coe, an educational technology professor at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas. "I don't know of any school that is doing that and I've worked with quite a few districts in Texas."
Coe said she frequently works in an elementary school, and the technicians are the only ones allowed to touch the machines.
"Everything is locked down," Coe said. "Teachers couldn't even fix things if they wanted to."
