Dave+M


 * Technology Mentor Report**

1. Month: December 2006 and January 2007

2. Goals for the months:

Provide in-class help for teachers working on projects using technology. Offer teacher PD as after school focus sessions. Provide in-Service on using Digital Cameras as part of a series of Supper Sessions Attend Mentors meetings/training in Moncton Extend help to non-teaching staff (Secretary at KVHS) wishing to add to school website. Make arrangements to attend FETC conference in Orlando Florida at the end of January. Help teachers with presentations to be made to kindergarten parents faced with a choice of English or Immersion Grade One. (powerpoints)

3. What did **I** do to bring about success in achieving your monthly goals?

Contacted teachers who had the portable laptop labs reserved and made arrangements to be in the schools to help with set-up and projects. Created a schedule of after school focus sessions of various topics and e-mailed the schedule to administration of my schools. Once approved, I e-mailed staffs and let them know what I was offering. I invited teachers to attend sessions at schools other than their own if this would be more convenient for them. Made reservations and registered for FETC conference in Orlando, Florida. Applied for NBTA Improvement and Elementary Council grants to help cover cost of attending conference. Organized a Powerpoint workshop at Sussex Elementary and discussed with Principal the benefits of providing supply time for teachers to attend and prepare their presentations for Kindergarten parent meeting.

4. Accomplishments/Successes

Worked with a grade 5 teacher at SCES who had the portable laptop lab reserved and completed a class project on Powerpoint on the topic of “The Human Body” including audio narration. Each student received a CD at the end of the 2 week period including all of the presentations completed by the class. Worked with teachers of grade one and grade two students on classroom projects using mobile laptop labs and Microsoft WORD. (Typing facts about an animal and adding a graphic.) Set up a mobile lab in Macdonald Consolidated School and helped staff as various classes were rotated through the lab. Login procedures and general laptop use were covered and specific projects were started in various grade levels to be saved in personal folders and worked on at a later date. Completed eleven after-school focus sessions on various topics including all but 2 of my 9 schools. Received approval for $500.00 Professional Improvement Grant and $400.00 Elementary Council Grant to attend the FETC conference in Orlando. Attended FETC conference and found sessions to be very practical, useful and interesting. Conference organization and management was magnificent. Had Powerpoint workshop with three teachers at Sussex Elementary School who were given supply time to free them from their classroom duties for the day. This is tremendous admin support for teachers wishing to improve their skills. Had contact with 85 teachers and 5 different classes of students for working on computer skills.

5. Challenges:

Teachers were reluctant to commit to after school PD during the lead up to Christmas Holidays (concerts etc.). Unable to attend most of Mentor meeting in December due to illness and missed another week of work during which time I had to postpone several appointments until after Christmas Break. Personal frustrations of working in Mac schools with limited experience with these machines. After promising short focus sessions of 30-40 minutes after school I’ve had great difficulty keeping the sessions short. Teachers have many questions and time usually goes beyond the promised time. I’m too busy. I need to better manage my time in order to have enough personal preparation and learning time. Scheduling is an ART!