Li Goal: Generate & Share Project Ideas
Li Goal: Generate & Share Project Ideas
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Spark ideas, outline a project, pitch your concept locally, pick projects to represent at L1.
Spark ideas, outline a project, pitch your concept locally, pick projects to represent at L1.
The STLP Project Cycle Begins!
The STLP Project Cycle Begins!
Level i (Districts) is where every STLP Project begins. Students grow ideas and share them in a local pitch event (classroom, school, or district) to get feedback, build momentum, and prepare for Level 1: Regionals. The focus is on student voice, curiosity, and creativity—not a polished product. All that’s needed is a solid idea, the start of a plan, and the confidence to say, “Here’s what we want to do.”
Throughout Level i, STLP Coaches will:
Throughout Level i, STLP Coaches will:
Guide teams through the Level i process to prepare for Level 1: Regionals.
Help teams pitch locally and refine ideas based on feedback.
Recruit local “judges” and share STLP scoring guides to ensure consistent feedback
Pro Tip: Invite your DLCs or Tech Dept. staff to hear pitches.
Determine which teams move on to represent their school at Level 1: Regionals and register those teams before deadline.
Level i empowers student voice!
Level i empowers student voice!
When students choose their own project challenge, they take ownership, show leadership, and invest deeply in their learning. It’s their chance to say:
“STLP matters to us — and we’re ready to make a difference with our project.”
Level i: Stage 1 - Define Your Project Challenge
Level i: Stage 1 - Define Your Project Challenge
What is a Project Challenge?
What is a Project Challenge?
Your challenge is the starting point of your STLP Project — a specific problem, question, need, or opportunity that your team wants to address. It should be:
Understandable: Anyone should be able to “get it”
Actionable: It’s something your team can work toward solving.
Just Right: Not too broad or too tiny. Not too easy or impossible.
Imagine
Imagine
What's our big idea?
Start by looking around.
What do you care about? What frustrates you? What confuses you? What excites you?
What’s missing at your school? ...in our community?
What’s something you’ve always wished existed?
Make a list of problems, needs, or big ideas — these are potential project topics. Great ideas often come from noticing little things and asking big questions.
Investigate
Investigate
How might we...?
Once you’ve identified a topic, turn it into a “How might we…” question. This helps you frame the problem in a positive and creative way.
Examples:
“How might we help students feel safer at recess?”
“How might we reduce food waste in our cafeteria?”
“How might we use tech to include students with disabilities?”
Identify
Identify
Can we clearly explain our idea?
Keep It Simple, But Smart
Keep your project challenge focus short and clear.
Make it open-ended enough to explore different ideas.
But also focused enough to be manageable for your team.
Tip: If you can’t explain your project idea to a friend in one sentence, try narrowing it down.
Impact
Impact
How will we know we're successful?
Before you begin building, think about:
How will we know our project is working?
What does “success” look like for us? (e.g. student excitement, positive feedback, changes made)
What constraints do we have? (time, budget, tools, school policies)
Write out any boundaries your team needs to work within.
Introduce
Introduce
Who can we share our ideas with?
Summarize your challenge in one paragraph. Include:
What problem you’re solving
Who it helps
What kind of solution you’re imagining
Why it matters
Think of it as the beginning of the pitch you'll give when someone asks, “What’s your project about?”
Iterate & Improve
Iterate & Improve
What have we learned so far?
Pinpoint a real problem or passion worth exploring.
Did we explore the issue and ask questions,
Did we focus on technology that will help?
Resource: Idea Prompts
Resource: Idea Prompts
Brainstorm Launching Level i
Ready to spark your next big idea? These prompts are here to kickstart your creativity and help your team find a project that matters. Use them to brainstorm, explore, and get inspired—your Level 1 journey starts here!
Teams can elect to use these prompts to generate, refine, and focus ideas so they're ready to shape a project that’s both authentic and competition-ready.
Level i: Stage 2 - Implementation Statement
Level i: Stage 2 - Implementation Statement
Once your project team can fill in these blanks then your ready to move onto the Project Planner stage.
Our project title is:
The problem it addresses is:
We picked this project because:
The technologies we'll use are:
Credit to JCPS STLP Lead, Russ Hockenbury, for the idea of the Implementation Statement
Level i: Stage 3 - Utilize the Planning Guide
Level i: Stage 3 - Utilize the Planning Guide
Bringing Ideas Into Focus
Bringing Ideas Into Focus
This tool helps you organize and plan your project. It also helps you to start thinking about your answers to the important Guided Questions you’ll later address in the Level 1 scoring guide.
The Level i planning guide is based upon the KY Academic Standards for Technology. Use the space provided to brainstorm ways to demonstrate answers to the guided questions either individually or with your project team. This will help you fine tune your project pitch presentation.
PRO TIP: Individually complete the planner, then swap your responses within your team and award each other points to simulate Level 1 Judging ahead of Regionals.
PRO TIP: This Planning Guide isn't just great for Level i. Revisit it with a fresh set of eyes ahead of your Level 1 prep, too.
Level i: Stage 4a - The Local Project Pitch
Level i: Stage 4a - The Local Project Pitch
The key element to Level i is the Local Pitch opportunity. Hosting a local project pitch gives student teams an invaluable chance to practice sharing their ideas, refine their presentations, and receive feedback before moving on to Level 1 Regionals.
Several districts have taken this a step further by organizing district-wide STLP Project Pitch Days, where school district and community members serve as volunteer judges. Great examples of this approach come from Pike County Schools and Morgan County Schools. This approach not only provides authentic practice with outside audiences but also builds community support and involvement in student learning. Many district utilize the local pitch event as a technology showcase.
A local pitch also serves a practical purpose: helping schools identify which project teams are best prepared to represent them at Level 1 Regionals, ensuring students step into the statewide competition with confidence and clear direction.
Level i: Stage 4b - Moving Into Level 1
Level i: Stage 4b - Moving Into Level 1
Since Level i has no limitations on how many projects can be inititated at the school level, the time will come when schools have to determine which projects will be registered to represent your STLP. After project teams have had the opportunitiy to pitch their project ideas locally, it's time to narrow down your submissions for Level 1 registration.
Guidelines for Level 1 registration are as follows:
Every School can submit up to 4 project teams
Gold Status STLPs for the current year recieve +1 additional registration spot (5 maximum)
Previous Year State Runner Up Schools +1 additional registration spot (5 maximum)
Previous Year State Champions +2 additional registrations (6 maximum)
Move on to the Level 1 page to access resources and the Level 1 Regionals registration.
Progress!
Progress!
Ready for Level 1 Regionals? Let's dive into the resources next.
Ready for Level 1 Regionals? Let's dive into the resources next.
QUICK LINKS:
KDE IS COMMITTED TO ENSURING OUR WEB CONTENT IS ACCESSIBLE TO ALL, INCLUDING INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES. IF YOU NEED INFO IN AN ALTERNATE FORMAT, CONTACT STLP@EDUCATION.KY.GOV
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