This summer has been quite a whirlwind for me – but in the most inspiring way. Through many workshops, conferences, and long discussions with my PLN, I have made the move to Project Based Learning (PBL) with most of my classes. I’ve shared my first few project templates, but one thing has been nagging me at the back of my mind – how am I going to manage this open-ended style of learning? A quality PBL unit needs direction, organization, a timeline, and most importantly, scaffolding of content to enhance student learning.  I have gathered A TON of resources that students could use to learn the skills and content for each unit, but how am I going to “give” these resources to my students in a logical and efficient way?

Thank goodness I discovered MentorMob!  The free version of MentorMob allows anyone to create a learning playlist on any topic.  You can upload all types of content – videos, documents, links, etc, and viewers simply click their way through your “playlist”.  The free version would be great for when I am training other teachers – it is a CLEAN and EASY TO USE system to deliver information in an interactive way. MentorMob is the perfect answer to “flipping” your professional development workshops.  Time is valuable for every teacher, so this provides a way of training done in the comfort of your home at your own pace.

But an even better solution for my students and classroom is MentorMob University (MMU).  MMU allows teachers to assign students to classes and then create unique units and playlists within those classes. My favorite MMU feature is the ability to create quizzes as a step in the playlist. I have created my playlist for my first PBL unit, “Are you what you eat?”, and am so excited for my students to start using it. I will be able to track my students’ progress through the playlist and see how well they are understanding the content through the quiz feature.

There are so many ways that you can use MMU in your class! Organize resources for student learning during their PBL unit, like I am doing.  Allow students voice and choice – post many resources and they can choose which steps they would like to complete along their way in creating their final product.  Manage your flipped class by posting your videos and quizzes over those videos in a playlist. Make a playlist for students to complete at home to prepare for an activity the following day – these playlists could provide great background information or expose and engage students in a new topic like Kim Darche did here (thanks, Kim!).  Here are some other ways educators are using MMU.

I could probably go on for a few more pages on the great features of MentorMob, but I think the best way is to go explore on your own.  Right now, you can get a 3-month free trial of MMU.  MMU has many types of plans – from very basic for a single teacher to comprehensive for an entire institution.  If your school is thinking about going to a 1:1 environment, I highly recommend MMU has an easy way for tech-timid teachers to incorporate technology into their classes.

How will YOU use MentorMob U? Please share in the comments below!

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