Unit Description
The first unit in this course is designed to provide activities and experiences that will allow students to form effective teams that will learn about and develop resources that contribute to the knowledge base of a school/district Help Desk. It also addresses some of the foundational information for the CompTIA ITF+ certification exam, such as components of computing devices, operating systems, and the CompTIA Troubleshooting model.
The first week focuses on learning strategies and processes for creating effective teams, such as generating and following norms for group work and implementing group contracts to help individuals and the team generate and monitor goals.
The rest of the unit address the basics of computing in terms of general components of hardware (a desktop or laptop computer or Chromebook) both externally and internally, an overview of the proper use of software and applications especially in relation to operating systems, and the CompTIA troubleshooting model for hardware and software issues.
Instructional Time
4 weeks
Weekly Map
Monday
Introduction to problem
Online Pre-assessment (available for student practice, as well)
Team meetings to develop project plan and goals
Tuesday
Review content resources with whole group
Small group and independent exploration of resources
Contribute to team project
Wednesday
Hands-on exploration with IT professionals
Team progress check with supervisor (using project plan)
Thursday
Hands-on exploration with IT professionals
Small group and independent exploration of resources
Contribute to team project
Friday
Team progress check with supervisor or sharing of progress with whole group
Online post-assessment
Monitor progress and adjust project plan as necessary