Talking about professional development.
In my school (Elde College, Schijndel, The Netherlands) I started a program in which students are educating the teachers and how they can use the computer in the classroom.
As part of the curriculum of the computer science students they can earn credits by doing so. So a teacher with a specific need gets trained by two computer science students. It can go from how to use PowerPoint. How to work out web 2.0 in a classroom our how to use the digital board.
A other group is part of the young teaches old program. From the Catholic Elder Association. A group that organizes all kinds of things in the town Schijndel (The Netherlands) for elderly people a question was ask. Can you help us training them how to use the computer.
We set up a program in which the students are training the elderly people in the use of the computer. Only what they want to learn. So if one of them wants to learn about emailing the students would just focus on that. Take a look at the website www.jongleertoud.org it’s in Dutch but you will understand the basic concept of it. Again the students earn credits for it and they learn how to interact with others outside the school. If you want more information on it, or want to share similar projects with me I would love hearing from you.
Love to see this role reversal of students becoming teachers and teachers becoming students!! Great concept and I have seen this work well in other school districts in the US.For your program, do the students usually do the "teaching" during the school day or is this something they stay after school to do? Also, I have seen interest in student help desk programs like the one we have with TechKnow. Are you using your students as a help desk or only teaching applications and tech skills?