Over the past few months, you may have noticed the orange "MBC Coach" badge on some peoples' posts. Our coaches are a select team of education professionals who've completed the requirements of becoming a certified MBC trainer, including participation in our yearly Summer Academy program, where they receive a full day of intensive training developed by their peers and My Big Campus staff.
As of this week, we've opened the application process for the MBC Coach program, and we're inviting well qualified professional educators to join the ranks of certified MBC Coaches. Review the application process and requirements.
If you have what it takes to be an MBC Coach, here are some of the benefits you can look forward to once you've completed the certification program:
- Online "MBC Coach" badge announcing your elite professional status on My Big Campus
- Participation in feature request and product roadmap discussions, with direct access to the product development team
- Opportunities to represent My Big Campus at conferences and events
- Mentoring your peers during and after MBC deployment in your school or district
- Potential paid consulting and training opportunities
Our MBC Coaches gave us some great feedback from last year's Summer Academy.
This year's Summer Academy happens July 23, 2013, in Indianapolis, Indiana, immediately preceding the first-ever, two-day MBC User Conference. Use the expertise you gain from Summer Academy to network with teachers, tech coordinators, and admins--and share best practices for engaging students, improving learning outcomes, managing online behavior, collaborating on PD, rolling out MBC and 1:1 initiatives, and more.? I'll post more about this conference in a future blog.
While the kids are now (mostly) out of school for the summer, I know teachers and other staff are still working hard. The summer break is a great opportunity to plan out next year's curriculum and activities. It's also an excellent time to catch up on your professional development goals. EduTalk is buzzing with discussions on a wide range of PD topics, and I'm seeing plenty of new groups at individual schools and districts, where teachers are collaborating on book studies and other PD projects.
Meanwhile, we at My Big Campus are getting ready for the My Big Campus Summer Academy, which takes place June 28, right after this year's national ISTE conference in San DIego, CA. More than 60 professionals from across the country and overseas will be attending a train-the-trainer event. It's going to be intense and exciting, and at the end of the session, trainees will be equipped to go back to their own districts and train their colleagues on how to use My Big Campus effectively. Those who complete additional requirements will then qualify for "MBC Coach" status, with badges and other perks.
How to Bring an MBC Training Camp to You – Free
Summer Academy is primarily for folks seeking to become certified MBC Coaches, but there's still plenty of time this summer to organize your own regional MBC "boot camps" for teachers and tech coaches.
(click the image to see a full outline)
All you need to do is
- provide a venue that will accommodate 50 or more educators, with Internet access
- open the event to neighboring districts
- encourage staff to attend
We'll provide a certified MBC Coach to conduct the training, and we'll help promote your event – all free. You'll get hands-on experience with MBC to go back and coach your staff. You'll also be building your professional learning community and developing lasting relationships with your peers. And, perhaps, like several of our "boot camp" alumni, you will advance your career with promotions, awards, consulting opportunities, and other distinctions.
If you'd like to sample a small part of the training program, check out the MBC Self-Guided Training Modules and other resources in the MBC Trainers group. Then get in touch with the MBC Community Engagement team to start planning your own MBC summer training session.
My post "Seeking Passionate Educators," introducing our MBC Coach program for 2012, got a great response. The February 29 deadline for applications is approaching quickly, and I wanted to make sure that everyone hoping to qualify for a seat at this year's event has a chance to apply. Space is limited, so please don't delay.
Participants in our yearly Summer Academy program receive a full day of intensive training developed by their peers and My Big Campus staff. To apply, please download and submit the forms in the MBC Trainers group
Once you've completed the certification program, you're entitled to the following benefits:
- Online "MBC Coach" badge announcing your elite professional status on My Big Campus
- Participation in feature request and product roadmap discussions, with direct access to the product development team
- Opportunities to represent My Big Campus at conferences and events
- Mentoring your peers during and after MBC deployment in your school or district
- Occasional paid consulting and training opportunities
This year's Summer Academy happens June 28, 2012 in San Diego, California, immediately following the ISTE 2012 conference. ISTE, the International Society for Technology in Education, promotes innovative use of technology in the classroom. As an exhibitor at ISTE 2012, Lightspeed Systems, the company behind My Big Campus, will be there to welcome current and prospective customers, and present our latest and greatest products. Whether you're attending on your own as an educator, or representing a school district or other member organization, we'd love to have you stop by the Lightspeed booth (5236) and meet us.