Unit 4: Communication Skills and Using Networks

Unit Description

At this point, students will have developed basic skills for providing technical support for hardware devices and software in their school or district, especially with the culminating activity from the previous unit of setting up a computer system with peripherals. While they can complete much of this work behind the scenes, many Help Desk personnel do have to interface with customers and clients at some point, and so this unit introduces some critical communications skills related to listening, speaking, and writing effectively and professionally. Effective communication skills make students wishing to pursue work in IT more employable, and a Help Desk position is often the first step for many IT careers.

Please note that while the activities about communication skills are grouped within a single week, instructors have the option to break these out and embed them in other weeks as they best see fit. These skills are most closely aligned to competencies required for HDI certification but will benefit students who are given the actual opportunity to operate a Help Desk.

Previous units addressed basic hardware and software issues, and so this unit turns to networking after practicing communication skills. Students will learn about the protocols and technologies that allow networks and the Internet to work and will set up and secure a small network. Setting up the network could occur over one or two weeks. Students should be able to connect devices to the networks that others create. Note that configuring wireless devices and exploring IoT (Internet of Things) devices reoccurs in Unit 6 for one week.

Students should understand different types of firewalls and set one up during week three, even if it is on a device and not a network. They close out the unit by investigating safe browsing practices that they can use and encourage others to use as a member of the Help Desk.