Mentor Curriculum

Mentor curriculum

• Check out the step-by-step guide on how to use the mentor curriculum.
• Each weekly guide has objectives for your team aligned to the program milestones, agenda templates, activity trackers, and activity goals.

Ice breakers

• Use these quick activities to help your team bond and get talking!

Coding and AI support

Check out our playlist of coding and AI videos just for Technovation. Watch these video resources for tips on

MIT App Inventor: 

• Getting Started with MIT App Inventor
• Make a Simple App with App Inventor
  
• Make a Motivational App
  
• Build a Translation App

Thunkable:

• Code Your First App
• Code an App in Thunkable
• Code a Social App
• Builiding a Motivation App

AI:

• Using number data to make an AI model
  • Finding a public dataset
  • Using a public dataset to train an AI model
  • Using the trained model in a Scratch project
• Using image data to make an AI model
  • Training the AI model
  • Adding the model to App Inventor
  • Coding the app using the model

Mentoring Virtually

Our program will be led virtually in many areas. We want to support mentors with our resources below.

Being a virtual mentor

• Resource document
• Video, accompanying slides
  • Learn more about team building and motivation with this video from Technovation's 2020 World Summit ft. Bryant and Mackenzie from our Volunteer Engagement Team!

Virtual team building

Tips on leading virtual learning

• Student Ambassador and Technovation Girls 2019 student winner, Dea, in Albania shares how to lead virtual sessions for students learning to code and build innovative projects.

Collaborating online

Safety and FAQs

Please review the following items to ensure the safety of yourself and students. 

• Safety Training - Please review our internet safety resources and communications policies
• Volunteer Code of Conduct
• Please explore our FAQ (for all participants) before reaching out with questions

Questions about COVID-19 related changes to our program? You can learn more about changes and safety recommendations this season through the link below.

https://www.technovation.org/covid-19/.

Discussing a Crisis with Students

Increasingly, global strife is affecting students everywhere— and students are aware of the difficulties befalling them and their peers. Many of us may not feel prepared to start or facilitate difficult conversations to address concerning the current events. We hope these resources can be a starting point.

We have found these resources helpful when preparing to talk to students — and our own children. If there are other resources you have found useful (generally, or for a specific situation in your region) please share them on our slack channel and be sure to tag us so we can review and add to this list over time.

General Resources

• “How to talk to kids when scary things are happening in our everyday lives?” (NPR, audio)
• "Helping Kids Navigate Scary News Stories" (PBS Kids)
• Guidelines for discussing difficult or high-stakes topics (University of Michigan)

Discussing the Jan 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol

• How to talk to your classroom (Facing History and Ourselves)
• January 6, 2021 Resource Guide (NY Department of Education)
• Resources for teachers to discuss the insurrection at the US Capitol (Beyond the Stoplight)

Booklists

Looking for additional reading you can do with your kids or share with your students? Check out these books. 

Antiracist children book list (Rise Up Against Racism)

Newsletter Archive

The Technovation team sends out newsletters via email to let mentors, know about updates or upcoming milestones. We know sometimes emails get tricky to find in your inbox. Here's an easy to access archive for when the search function just isn't getting you there.

Pre-season Newsletters

• Getting Ready for Technovation 2023 (originally sent November 1, 2022)
• Joining Mentor Office Hours (originally sent November 7, 2022)
• Pre-season checklist & Mentor Office Hours (originally sent November 23, 2022)
• Mentor Curriculum and Submissions are open!! (originally sent December 14, 2022)
• Profile Completion and Resource Reminder (originally sent December 28,  2022)
• Season officially starts next week (originally sent January 5, 2023)
• February Mentor Newsletter and an Exciting Announcement (originally sent January 24, 2023)
• March Mentor Newsletter (originally sent February 15, 2023)
• 8 weeks left in the season! (originally sent March 10, 2023)
• ⏰ Help your team submit to our global competition (originally sent March 28, 2023)

Office Hours

Office Hours is a virtual one-hour drop-in time, for you to ask questions to the Technovation team or just chat! These questions can be about anything Technovation pertaining to the mentor role. There is no need to attend the entire hour, you can come and go as it works best for you.

Please note these office hours are for questions about being a Technovation mentor, if there are questions about being a Chapter or Club Ambassador, please reach out to [email protected] 

Office Hours will happen every 3 weeks. Ahead of the office hour date, the Technovation team will send out a newsletter with a resource related to the current stage of the program. To make it accessible for as many mentors as possible, there will be 3 time slots. Attend the one that fits best in your schedule:

• Session 1 01:00 UTC
• Session 2 14:00 UTC
• Session 3 18:00 UTC

In case you miss it

If you are unable to attend Office Hours, we will summarize the questions asked across the 3 sessions and share them, with answers, in a document for folks to review at anytime.

November 9 Summary

November 30 Summary

February 1 Summary

Upcoming dates:

• February 22, 2023
• March 15, 2023
• April 5, 2023