What are some things you have learned and/or tasks you have accomplished this semester?
This semester, I focused on being a part of the Social Media team and connecting with students.
This taught me quite a lot about what students look for in a school social media page: schedule updates, events, and celebrations are all in high demand. I took on the role of answering comments and messages, which gave me an insight on the level of formality expected. I learned to be as polite and professional as possible while getting information across very clearly. I did my best to engage with the school as much as possible, so the account was seen as a community, rather than a news feed. 
In addition, I spent a lot of time providing support and the Wave. While the demand for help was quite minimal in the second half of the semester, it was a wonderful experience to support students in the first months, where those new to technology needed help adapting. It was very rewarding to solve problems and see the students happy that everything was working normal again. Throughout this time, I further developed my social/communication skills as I did not personally know most students seeking support.
Jumping back to the beginning of the semester, I had a very good time supporting new students during the Technology Boot Camp. That day, I was able to be a welcoming figure and provide 1:1 support during a tough learning curve. This was a bit of an introductory step to my Peer Tutoring class the same semester, as I was able to learn a few basics on how to be patient and supportive.
Finally, I was part of a group of students that helped introduce MicroBits to teachers. While this was a very interesting experience full of scepticism, it helped me learn how to communicate with teachers when on the same “level”. Rather than the teacher teaching a class of students, we were all working together to get a base understanding of the tool and brainstorm how it could be implemented into regular classes.
What aspects of your work were successful?
Although all of my tasks had a positive result, I’m most proud of my role on the Social Media team. Not only were we able to brainstorm and execute ways to be more involved with the students in the school, but I saw the difference it made. Students became more comfortable asking Rapid Event questions once they saw that we always promptly responded, which was very rewarding to see.
What aspects of your work were challenging?
Although I had quite sufficient experience with MicroBits in the past, it was very challenging to introduce the tool to teachers that may have already had a subconscious bias against it. It proved to be difficult to “sell” the idea, however, I am proud that I pushed through it and persisted. Most teachers didn’t immediately see the use, but after some extra examples and discussions, the exposure helped some consider the possibilities.
What steps did you take to overcome these challenges / what adjustments did you need to make?
That day, I remember accepting that most were skeptical to the new learning tool, especially since it took some practice to become comfortable with using, but I made sure to not let that be the takeaway from the introducion. Instead, I worked with some other Tech Team students to steer the discussions towards looking at the positives of MicroBits, instead of the challenges.
Is there anything you can do improve?
As a whole, I’m very happy with how the semester went, but I would want to take on more roles or tasks in the Tech Team as a whole during the second semester. I want to do my best to give back to the school and not let this opportunity not be used to its full potential.
As Riverside continues to immerse itself into innovation and technology, what do you think Riverside can do to provide support and help for teachers and students?
I think Riverside is doing a very good job at providing support to students and teachers. I do believe there could be more information provided about the existence of the Wave. Although students are informed in the beginning of the year, I’ve seen some students forget or not be aware of the available support available towards the second half of the semester.
Do you have any feedback or suggestions, as we move forward, that could help the Tech Team meet the needs of our school and staff / be more effective?
Aside from advertising the Wave further, providing full-time online tech support that is very easily accessible, such as through social media, would encourage students to reach out for help more. However, I think the team is doing a very good job of meeting the needs of the school.
