MLTI 2.0 Summer Professional Development Opportunity – In Person at Nokomis June 27-29th

Combine creative thinking with the right equipment and you can build opportunities that go beyond traditional education. In this FREE professional development event, Kern Kelley guides educators through the process of developing classroom environments that use teamwork, technology design, prototyping, and production. Teachers leave the program with $2,000 kits with everything from power tools, 3D printers, robotics, and virtual workspaces.

This opportunity is offered in person at Nokomis Regional High in Newport on June 27th – 29th from 8:30am to 1:00pm.

The professional development experience includes:

A free ‘STEAM Roller’ cart of equipment valued over $2,000.
Training for integrating this equipment into your classroom.
Being part of the statewide SLAM community of students and educators.
Available travel and lodging grants.

Space is very limited. For more information and to apply, please visit www.MLTI.me.

Download the flyer

MLTI Announces the Student Winner of the 2022 T-Shirt Design Competition

Introducing the winner of the MLTI t-shirt design contest, Penny Graham, a 7th grade student at Waterville Junior High School! The 2022 MLTI t-shirt design competition was open to all MLTI 7th and 8th grade students to submit their talented digital designs.

Penny’s design was chosen by a panel of judges and will be printed on t-shirts and worn by all the Maine MLTI students and educators across the state on Thursday May 26, 2022, who attend the MLTI Virtual Student Conference! Penny will also be featured on an upcoming MLTI SLAM Show to share the process she went through to digitally create her design.

Registration for the 2022 MLTI Virtual Student Conference is open to all 7th and 8th grade students. The conference takes place on Thursday May 26, 2022 and you can register here!

For more information, reach out to MLIT Project Manager Brandi Cota at Brandi.M.Cota@Maine.Gov.

MLTI Launching New End of Year Expo to Celebrate Educators!

MLTI is launching an End of Year Expo event to celebrate educators! The End of Year Expo is a chance for MLTI educators to share the awesome work that they do to support the use of technology in teaching and learning.

Are you or someone you know an MLTI educator using technology in cool and exciting ways? Submit an entry to the expo and join us to share these achievements at our exhibition. All entries will have the opportunity to present at the expo. The expo will be open and free for all to attend. Exhibiters will be treated to a luncheon and an awards ceremony after the exhibition.

The MLTI End of Year Expo is featuring six categories of recognition. To learn more about these categories, check out this infographic (also featured to the right).

Do you know an MLTI educator or group of educators who should be sharing the awesome work that they are doing? Submit an entry!

For more information about the MLTI End of Year Expo, check out our website.

Registration is Now Open for the 2022 MLTI Virtual Student Conference

Registration is now open for the 2022 MLTI Virtual Student Conference! MLTI wants all 7 & 8th grade students to join this innovative conference! This year’s virtual conference will have a brand-new, classroom-centered approach in an effort to make it more collaborative for students and teachers to join sessions together as a class during the school day.

Session Style

Sessions will be delivered directly into your classroom where the workshop leader will act as a type of guest teacher. Workshop leaders will teach the class new skills, provide time for students to practice these new skills, and then support them as they create something new with what they have learned. Check out our video with different scenarios to help you plan!

Teacher Role

Teachers can sign up the entire 7^th and 8^th grade from their school. Then MLTI will send registered schools the sessions to choose from. Next, you can divide students up so that one classroom is participating in a session. All the teachers need to do is share the session live in the classroom and support students as they learn, practice, and create!

Session Times & Materials

The sessions will be 90 minutes with the morning session running from 9:30am-11:00am, and the afternoon session running from 12:00pm-1:30pm. All necessary materials will be provided to schools before the conference so students will have them to create with during the conference.

The 19th Annual MLTI Student Conference will be held virtually on Thursday, May 26, 2022 from 8:30am-2:00pm, and will be open to all MLTI 7th and 8th grade students

For questions, please reach out to Brandi Cota-MLTI Project Manager brandi.m.cota@maine.gov.

MLTI Launches – Space2Connect! 19th Annual MLTI Student Conference

The 19th Annual MLTI Student Conference will be held virtually on Thursday, May 26, 2022 from 8:30am to 2:00pm, and will be open to all MLTI 7th and 8th grade students. Since our first MLTI Student Conference in 2003, this event has been providing students with their own technology conference focused on issues, concepts, and subjects that matter to them. The theme of this year’s conference is: MLTI Launches Space2Connect! The intent of the conference theme is to reflect the many interpretations of space and connection as they relate to Maine students and their use of technology today.

This year’s virtual conference will have a brand-new, classroom-centered approach. Sessions will be delivered directly into your classroom where the workshop leader will act as a type of guest teacher. Workshop leaders will teach the class new skills, provide time for students to practice these new skills, and then support them as they create something new with what they have learned. This new design will allow students to work together as they explore new resources and applications, create with new digital mediums, and collaborate to complete tasks. For more information on our new conference model, please watch our video!

This virtual conference, as with past years, will be hosted on Zoom. The sessions will be 90 minutes with the morning session running from 9:30am to 11:00am, and the afternoon session running from 12:00pm to 1:30pm. All necessary materials will be provided to schools before the conference so students will have them to create with during the conference.

In past years we have asked educators to lead all of the sessions at the student conference. However, this year, since the pandemic has already asked so much of educators over the past two years, the MLTI team, in partnership with some educational partners, will plan interactive, creative sessions that we think students will be excited to attend. Having said this, if you would like to lead a session at this year’s conference, we’d love to have you! Please review the proposal submission information and fill out the proposals submission form, or reach out to Digital Learning Specialist Jon Graham.

Registration

Registration for the 2022 MLTI virtual student conference is now open. Please select a lead teacher from your MLTI school to fill out the online registration form (copy attached to review before filling out online). We will be asking for lead teacher contact information, the school information, as well as a physical shipping address so we can deliver or ship conference materials directly to the attending school. We will also need the total number of students attending in each grade, and the totals for shirt sizes. We ask that schools complete the registration form by April 3, 2022. For questions regarding registration, please reach out to Brandi Cota at Brandi.M.Cota@Maine.Gov.

Important Dates

March 10th registration opens
March 21st workshop sessions announced
April 3rd registration closes
April 4th session sign up opens
April 15th session sign up closes
May 12th session assignments finalized

For more information, please visit the MLTI Student Conference page or contact Brandi Cota at Brandi.M.Cota@Maine.Gov.

MEDIA RELEASE: Maine Department of Education Resources on Helping Young People Safely Navigate the Internet

During his State of the Union address this week, President Biden called for increased measures to ensure young people are protected on the internet and while using social media. The Maine Department of Education offers parents, educators, and students a number of free resources, by grade level, to help young people safely navigate the internet and avoid dangers that can impact their physical and mental health.

The Maine Department of Education’s comprehensive web-based social emotional learning resource SEL4ME embeds specific lessons in interest safety at every grade level. For example, the second grade module Be Fine Online helps students learn ways to stay safe when online, including the importance of never revealing their personal information; sixth graders have lesson like Be Aware What You Share in which they gain a deeper understanding of internet safety and social media and on cyberbullying; the eighth grade lesson User Beware: The Scary Side of the Internet helps students understand that not everything on the internet is safe, including how to spot online predators and the dangers of sexting; and in 11th grade, students have access to Cyber Bullying and Digital Citizenship which goes into the effects of online bullying and the virtual footprint that can follow them into the work place.

SEL4ME is free to all Maine schools, families, and community partners and offers more than 450 PreK-12th grade learning modules. Each grade level hosts lessons within the five key elements of social emotional learning (SEL): self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationships, and responsible decision making. Educators, families, and students can learn more and sign up here.

The Maine Department of Education’s Digital Learning Specialists, in partnership with the MLTI Ambassadors, also provide professional learning, resources, and support for digital citizenship, social media use, online safety, and cyber security. MLTI also partners with Common Sense Education to share digital citizenship and online safety resources with educators. Educators can also reach out to specialists directly to explore ways to integrate these skillsets into their instruction to help students stay safe online.

“The internet is a tremendous resource for students to explore and activate their passions, develop skills and knowledge, build connections, and expand their digital literacy, and Maine educators and schools are constantly integrating technology into teaching and learning in innovative ways,” said Education Commissioner Pender Makin. “We’re also committed to making sure students have the tools and resources they need to navigate the internet safely and avoid the very real dangers that President Biden outlined in his State of the Union speech that pose a threat to the physical and mental health of our young people. We encourage educators and families to take advantage of our free resources.”

Carrabec Community School P.E. Class Individualizes Learning Through New Heart Rate Monitors

Physical Education at Carrabec Community School looks more colorful as students’ wrists glow with a mix of blue, yellow, and red. The glow comes from the new heart rate monitors that students are using as part of Heidi Day’s Physical Education class. The monitors use colors to indicate students’ heart rates as they play and learn through Physical Education.

“The goal in this process is to make the learning personal and relevant to each individual. This system should help the students make the connection between the perceived rate of exertion and their heart’s ability to adjust to the intensity they are putting forth,” said Heidi.

Students have learned the drill. They come to class, get their assigned heart rate monitors, log them in by holding them on a scanner attached to Heidi’s computer, and keep an eye on the color. As students exercise, their heart rate data is saved on the monitor. Once the class is over, students put their monitors back on the scanner to upload their heart rate data. An e-mail is sent to them and their parent/guardian with the amount of time they spend in blue, resting heart rate, yellow, target heart rate, and red, max heart rate. Students then use a spreadsheet on their laptops to record the number of minutes in each category.

“Students will set appropriate personal goals and work weekly to achieve those standards. The spreadsheet allows tracking that averages the time the student has spent in the resting, target, and max heart rate zones. This process becomes a means of self-assessment for my students, making their experience in physical education personal and success achievable,” Heidi explained.

The heart rate monitors are working well, and students are excited by what color their monitor is, but Heidi has worked hard for that excitement. Last year Heidi attempted to integrate the monitors, but found the process overwhelming.

Heidi explained, “I love technology. However, I am limited in my skill set as well as my patience when trying to implement something new. I feel like it takes me three times longer than it should, and I get so frustrated I tend to avoid the trouble altogether.” But through perseverance and help from the MLTI 2.0 ambassador program, Heidi has found success.

“Honestly, without [the Ambassador’s] help, I don’t believe I would have been able to implement this addition to my class. He has been there to troubleshoot through the challenges, making changes and adjustments as necessary, allowing me to still focus on my students. Ask for help!  I’m so glad I did!  I am excited to have this new process in place, but I know with all the daily tasks I have to complete, there would be little chance of me learning it all on my own and implementing it without support!”

This story was written and coordinated by MLTI Ambassador Erik Wade as part of the Maine Schools Sharing the Success Campaign. To learn more, or to submit a story or an idea for a story, email rachel.paling@maine.gov.

MLTI Virtual Student Conference T-Shirt Design Competition: MLTI Launches Space2Connect!

MLTI (Maine Learning Technology Initiative) would like to encourage students to collaborate and share the creative work taking place in their schools – with that in mind MLTI will be hosting a T-shirt Design Competition.

A panel of judges will choose a winning design. The winning design will be printed on t-shirts that will be worn by everyone at the 19th Annual MLTI Student Conference, which will be held on Thursday, May 26th virtually over Zoom.

MLTI Launches Space2Connect! is the theme for the 19th annual MLTI Student Conference. The intent of the conference theme is to reflect the many interpretations of space and connection as they relate to Maine students and their use of technology. Primary events at the conference will address concepts such as outer space and astronomy and the power of technology to enhance science. In addition, a student’s design might explore how technology connects us in physical and virtual spaces or other concepts that arise from the Space2Connect theme.

Review T-Shirt Design Competition eligibility and submission guidelines

Competition Timeline & Important Dates

Competition opens: February 1, 2022
T-shirt designs due: March 1, 2022 (no late entries will be accepted)
Finalists selected and Winner Announced: March 11, 2022.

Submit your entry with this 2022 MLTI Student Conference T-Shirt Design Competition Submission Form

For more information or answers to questions, please contact: Brandi Cota, Project Manager, Maine Learning Technology Initiative Brandi.M.Cota@Maine.Gov.

MLTI Virtual Student Conference Slated for May 26th

The Maine Learning Technology Initiative (MLTI) team is excited to announce that the 19th annual MLTI Student Conference will take place virtually on Thursday, May 26, 2022. Though this is our third year holding the MLTI Student Conference virtually, we are dedicated to making this year an innovative virtual conference experience like never before! The conference will be open to all MLTI 7th and 8th grade students and their teachers and will include interactive and hands on workshops where participants will be engaging and creating both digitally and in-person with provided materials.

This year the MLTI team is partnering with the University of Maine System and their Maine College of Engineering, Computing, and Information Science (MCECIS). By the time today’s middle schoolers are ready to enter college, they will have access through the University of Maine system to expanded educational opportunities and state of the art classrooms and labs for engineering, computing, and information science.

Please save the date for the 2022 MLTI Student Conference and check our website for more announcements coming soon, including a call for proposals, t-shirt design contest, a surprise guest announcement, presenters, and session information.

We look forward to seeing all of you on Thursday, May 26, 2022 and sharing an exciting and innovative day with you and MLTI students!

Download the Flyer

For more information reach out to Brandi Cota, Maine DOE MLTI Project Manager at Brandi.M.Cota@Maine.Gov

Bath Middle School Takes Hands-on Approach to Learning About Ocean Sustainability

Inspired by the Expeditionary Learning model, Bath Middle School has taken a hands-on approach to examining the issue of ocean sustainability. As part of this project, as citizen scientists, the 7th-grade students took to the local waterfront to collect data on the invasive green crab species and graphed their results.

Students also visited the Maine Maritime Museum in downtown Bath to learn about the history of Maine’s fishing and shipping industry. Working with Museum educators, they generated timelines through the examination of the museum’s artifacts.

The culminating activity was for students to design and build a product that would address an issue that threatens the sustainability of our oceans such as pollution, climate change, or invasive species. On Thursday, December 16th, parents, and the community were invited to attend an event that displayed the students’ work.

In a “Shark Tank” format, the top five projects were pitched to a panel of judges to determine a winning product. Students created videos, websites, and prototypes to convince the judges of their product’s ability to impact and help solve an issue that puts the sustainability of our oceans at risk.

After much deliberation, the judges determined that the winning product was Compostable Condiments designed by Sadie C. and Laura K. This product proposed using an invasive seaweed to make a biodegradable substitute for the plastic used in takeout packets like ketchup.

Bath middle ocean sustainability project

Congratulations to all the 7th graders for their innovative ideas that could help to preserve one of Maine’s most essential natural resources.

This story was written and coordinated by MLTI Ambassador Holly Graffam as part of the Maine Schools Sharing the Success Campaign. To learn more, or to submit a story or an idea for a story, email rachel.paling@maine.gov.