Kentucky Department of Education

How to Begin STLP

Steps a coordinator can follow to help start an STLP:
1. The school can secure a person to be the STLP Coordinator/coach. Some STLP schools have more than one teacher helping to support the students' projects, products and services. Many parents and community persons support STLP.
2. Some districts offer stipends to coordinators/coaches.
3. The coordinator needs to gain the endorsement of the Principal, Superintendent, and District Technology Coordinator/CIO.
4. The coordinator should communicate to parents and the community. The coordinator would market the program.
5. STLP is for ALL interested students, so your STLP should reflect your school's population. The coordinator would use a variety of on-going approaches to recruit. The coordinator would attract students who are "naturals" with technology, but make sure all students get a chance to join. Perhaps these students would benefit from membership in STLP: ones new to the school; ones not doing well in class, ones who do not have a computer at home, ones with special needs, ones who speak another language, and ones who rarely receive a teacher's positive attention. The coordinator should work to recruit new members, especially girls in the upper grades. Your STLP should have members from a cross the school's population.
6. Your STLP should be multi-age and multi-grade over time.
7. Do not exclude students. Do not allow your schedule or the student's schedule or transportation problems limit your STLP. This means, be clever and creative on how, when, and where students can help the school and community. Not all students must be involved in all projects all at the same time.
8. STLP is project driven. Projects may spring from classrooms, or after school or community needs. Let where students are during the day, and what projects they have an interest in, drive some of the projects in the program.
9. The coordinator should publicize your meetings. Let students know when and where the meetings will take place. Some STLP's meet during a class; some meet before or after school.
10. Join the STLP School Listserv.
Your students may join the STLP Student listserv. Join both at STLP
11. Discuss the STLP Mission and Goals webpage listed on this site. Talk about the structure of your STLP. Structure is centered on the five levels of participation (see page 4), a schedule of when and how your STLP meets, and the goals the group wants to accomplish. There is no one way to structure. Make the structure fit your school and its needs.
12. Consider the Technology Program of Studies for students, the teacher technology standards, the school's consolidated improvement plan, and the needs and interests of the students and community, when planning projects, products and services. Student-designed projects, products and services drive STLP and impact learning and the school and community.
13. Some projects may lead to a service for the school or community, may make a profit and are entrepreneurial or teach others or are very technical in nature. These projects can be shared at a school event, and/or a district or fall showcase.
14. The STLP would decide at what levels to be involved. (Local, district, regional, state)
15. The STLP would decide what events your STLP will attend. (Fall Showcase, State Championship)
16. The STLP should continue to market the program.
17. Contact Elaine Harrison anytime your program has a question.

Recruitment of STLP Students

Recruitment of students allows for the program to grow and be diverse. Diversity helps strengthen the program. Below are ways to recruit:

Announcements first weeks of school
Be flexible with student schedules
Continuously sign up students (open enrollment)
Dance sponsored by STLP
Everyone has a chance
Flyers around building
Grade level talks
Help in classrooms
Interest levels shape the program
Join Lego, robotics, programming, ThinkQuest or other related contests
Kid-vine (let the kids tell the kids)
Learning opportunities draw in students
Multi ways to meet
Newspapers and posters
Organize program early in year to capture students from other 'clubs'
Parent recommendations
Queue parents
Recycle old computers
Summer camps
Teacher recommendations and advisor/advisee groups
Uniform T-shirts
Very pretty certificates and logo lapel pins
Web links to invite students
Xtra attention, nametags, duties
Yearly awards and rewards
Zero in on Student Technology Standards (TE POS & NETS)

What does a coordinator do when so many students want to join STLP?
STLP coordinators will need to work with principals, TRTs, parents, other staff who can help each project group have guidance from an adult. Other older students can help lead the younger students with projects, as well.

Not all students need to meet as a large group, since STLP is not structured like a club with defined meetings but rather structured to accomplish goals of the project.

The STLP Coordinators will need support from the school district when more than 50 students want to be part of the program. No interested student should be turned away.

Marketing the STLP Program

Marketing the STLP program helps the school gain recognition, support of the community and strengthens the program.

Assembly presentations
Board meetings
Community involvement
District news
Educational showcase for incoming students
Featured newspaper and cable stories
Go for the Gold or Silver School Award
Help in classrooms
Inside Kentucky Schools KET show featuring STLP
Join anytime
Kentucky STLP State Championship
Lunchtime PowerPoint
Make posters, videos
News cast credits
Open enrollment
Presentations to classmates
Queue teachers needs
Radio station announcements or podcasts
School announcements and signage
Trainers in the school
Unite to Read Project
Visuals of past projects and events on display
Web Page
Xtra announcements
Yearly awards
Zoom in on projects, products and services