Student Technology Mentors

Last June, 50 LaGuardia faculty members who attended an end-of-semester meeting of the Teaching and Learning with Technology Roundtable (TLTR) were well rewarded. They watched raptly as a group of LaGuardia students, known as student technology mentors (STMs), demonstrated their mastery of educational teaching technologies, including web pages they had created and teaching-with technology tools used by 22 faculty members in 2000-2001.
The student technology mentors worked with LaGuardia faculty members taking part in the Designed for Learning seminar, a classroom-based professional development program.
Guided by Dr. Bret Eynon, Director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching with Technology (CETT), seminar members explore new possibilities for using the World Wide Web and other digital tools to enrich learning and teaching at LaGuardia. The faculty seminar and the STM program are funded by a $2 million grant from Title V of the United States Department of Education, a program supporting Hispanic-Serving institutions.

Through Designed for Learning, faculty from English, Mathematics, Humanities, Counseling, and departments across the college have been testing ways to use a range of new educational technologies, from on-line writing to web-based research and student multimedia presentations. More than three dozen courses have been redesigned to incorporate new media tools. Led by CETT Assistant Director Josephine Corso, STMs have helped faculty develop course web pages and activities and assisted other LaGuardia students in the experimental, technology-enriched courses.
“This has been a terrific program that’s been made more exciting because we draw on the expertise of students,” said Paul Arcario, associate dean of Academic Affairs. He coordinated the application for the original grant and the planning for rolling out the educational technology.
Faculty members who partnered with STMS were enthusiastic in their praise. Professors Gail Green-Anderson (English), Janet Michello (Sociology), Pat Dillion (Nursing), Louise Fluk (Library), Rosa Herrera-Rodriguez (ESL Credit Program), Larry Long (Human Services), and Nancy Erber (ESL Credit Program) attended the TLTR meeting to acknowledge the work students had accomplished. They thanked the student technology mentors for their assistance and helpfulness over the past year.
Professor Janet Michello commended the mentors on their work, saying, ”My STM, Ana Hurtado, was very helpful and provided a lot of assistance to students in my labs.”
Hurtado added links to Professor Michello’s sociology course web sites and assisted her in developing two “hybrid” courses, supplementing traditional class sessions with web-enhanced activities.
Speaking about Sandra Caro, her STM, Professor Dillion said, “I was able to get SCR270 almost completely on-line with Sandra’s assistance. She helped me link Internet sites into my Blackboard site to supplement my lecture material, and she helped me put my lectures online for students. She assisted me in our computer lab, familiarizing students with lab and the college E-mail. In fact, without her assistance during lab sessions, I would have never been able to handle students’ problems and still teach the material. I cannot say how much it has meant to me to work with Sandra.”
All of the professors talked about the benefits of learning computer applications, which helped them to communicate with and stay connected to students. Students and faculty worked together in computer labs to learn how to create, complete, and assess assignments, and to critique essays via computers on and off campus.
Faculty report that their experience suggests that, used thoughtfully, new technology helps them provide students with rich information resources and improves their reading, writing and critical thinking skills.
Students taking part in the STM program developed additional skills, through an extensive training provided by Ms. Corso that included the creation of web pages. Students’ new technology skills have helped them get better jobs after graduation. In the TLTR meeting, students presented their personal web sites to the college. Student web pages included samples of course work, family photos, and links to favorite web sites. Since many of the STMs are immigrants, they often included information on their native countries and cultures.
“More and more, technology is available for everyone,” said Ms. Corso. “We can use it to address everyday needs and our classroom pursuits. And the wonderful thing about this program is that we are all helping each other.”