MTT Showcase

Our first ever MTT student showcase last December 5th was a huge success! I'm actually happy that we had a chance to showcase the hard work we did during the MTT program. I am really pleased with the outcome of visitors and also commend my colleagues on the great work each one of them did.

The refreshments were good and added a special something to those who came and supported us in this endeavor. Each person did their job well and in this showcase we have proved that the MTT course is a course where you will really apply all you've learned.

After this successful showcase, we can now make this a tradition for all the other MTT students to come.

The MTT program is one of the best I have ever taken at SMU. We were able to learn practical things that applied to each of our classroom/school settings and the showcase we just had has proven that.

Poster Boards for MTT Showcase

We had our first ever MTT student showcase last December 5th and it was a huge success! I think what made our showcase special was the fact we worked together as a team and came up with the idea to create poster boards showcasing what we learned throughout the MTT program. It was created on PowerPoint and then printed large enough to display on our respective tables. As the showcase went on, I can see that people were actually stopping at each table and reading the poster boards. The boards were a real help especially when we were talking to an individual and others wanted information on the various projects and researches we did, they could just read the poster board to get the information they needed.

I think the poster boards should be a staple in the MTT showcases to come because they were a huge success.

Reflection of the Master Technology Teacher course by a Montessorian

When I took the first MTT class, I honestly didn’t know what to expect. I have to admit that I thought we were going to concentrate on computer science coursework or technology that was really difficult to manipulate. After the first meeting I realized that we were going to learn how to incorporate technology into our school/classroom environment. The first class was an Introduction to teaching and learning with technology. I learned all the basics of technology and how I can use technology in my environment. My situation is different because I work in a Montessori school. In Montessori it is rare to use technology but I have come to appreciate it and use it to the advantage of my students. I also learned about Assistive Technology and will never forget how important technology is to students who need it in the classroom.

In the second class, we learned to manipulate Multimedia. At the time it seemed as if this class was hard because we had to produce a lot of Multimedia for projects but as I look back, I am grateful to have had this class. I learned to create movies, audio and a website. I discovered SoftChalk and I absolutely love it! I made a movie from Windows Movie Maker and I am happy that we use this footage during open house at our school. I also created a brochure using Microsoft Word on the importance of Pre-school and now we use this brochure to give to new parents inquiring about our Montessori school.

The third class dealt with Instructional Assessment using technology. In Montessori we are big on Portfolios but as this class continued on I understood the impact of technology on assessment. Our assessment was always written and collated. Now, I have the knowledge to use technology to create digital portfolios which is really helpful. Assessment and technology can go hand in hand brilliantly and now I am incorporating technology into creating my student’s portfolios.

I am now taking the final class, which deals with Professional development. I created a Professional Development Plan to impart my knowledge on the incorporation of technology into the Montessori environment. I am hoping my colleagues come away with the knowledge of the importance and impact of technology in Montessori. In this class we were also asked to be a mentor to someone. I have never mentored anyone in my life so I was quite nervous about this but my colleague was very patient and understanding and she let me “teach” her what I know about Microsoft Word and creating language cards on this program. I’ve also noticed that ever since my colleagues knew I was taking a course on technology that they would ask my help on things “technological” and they have been and it’s been fun sharing my ideas and knowledge on how to integrate technology with the Montessori curriculum.

Before I started the course I was a Montessori Teacher. Now I’m an MTT: Montessori Technology Teacher!

Lily's language cards done on Mircosoft Word

My colleague made these all by herself after I mentored her for 3 days. She is a fast learner and I am proud of her!

Lily's attestation for me as her mentor

Dear Diana,

I just want to let you know what a great job you did as my mentor. I certainly learned a lot from you especially on creating language cards on Microsoft Word and the importance of integrating technology into the Montessori curriculum. To be honest, at first I didn't believe technology really fit in to the Montessori curriculum but after you told me about your technology class and the neat things you are doing with computers and Montessori work, I just had to try for myself but of course I had no clue what I was to do.

Nevertheless, I'm really glad you asked to mentor me because I was going to ask you to help me anyway! And I want you to know that if I ever have trouble or am in need of anything technology-related, you’ll be the person I turn to. Thank you again for the hard work you put into teaching a “technology-challenged” person such as myself. You make a wonderful mentor. Good luck with the rest of your class and let me know how it goes.

Sincerely,
Lily

Mentoring Lily: Day 3

I was not able to meet with Lily yesterday because she had to take the day off from work. I called her yesterday evening to remind her to bring her laptop so we can finish working on her Montessori language cards.

This time we decided to meet after work at the local library. We had our laptops and I told her I would watch as she demonstrated what I taught her so far. I was pleasantly surprised to know that she had already gone and made language cards herself at home. I even jokingly said that she didn't need to be mentored in using Microsoft Word. Since she basically learned quickly how to format her cards, I asked her if she needed mentoring in anything else. She told me that she wanted to create an "online journal" and I said, "Oh, so you want to write a blog?" Then she says, "Blob? I didn't say anything about a blob?!" I've never laughed so hard in my life! "No, I said Blog!" and emphasized the g. Then she said, "Is that what it's called?" I said yes. So I directed her to the Blogger.com website and I walked her through opening an account. Once she named her blog, I showed her how to create a post and how to edit her posts as well as publish them.

Once we were through she thanked me and decided to post her first blog. Overall, I think this experience showed me (in my case) that it's easy to work with adults who have some exposure to technology. If I mentored someone who otherwise had "no clue", I suppose it would be harder. Now the final thing is to ask Lily to create an attestation for me on how I did as her mentor!

Mentoring Lily: Day 2

Today was my second mentoring day. We met at the break room with our laptops and I showed Lily how to format the words she typed. Basically, we are creating Montessori language cards so I walked her through the process of choosing clip art and formatting them to the size she wants. I was particularly happy with our session today because instead of a session where I just "show" her what she needed to do and do everything myself with her watching, she actually told me to "walk" her through it so that she won't forget how to do it in case she wants to try at home.

I scheduled another mentoring session tomorrow on what she needs to do to add text or symbols to her language cards. So until then...