Making Connection: The International Graduate Student Perspective by Hsueh-Hua Chuang

A Two Way Road

Mentoring is typically defined as the transformation of knowledge under a mentor's support, guidance, and feedback to a mentee. However, in faculty technology mentoring program, it provides chances for both mentors and menteesto enhance cultural awareness, to break down traditional hierarchical barriers, and most of all, to experience learner-centered learning environment through the process of acquiring technology skills and further to integrate technology into educational settings.

This case study relates to the mutual benefits of being involved with the technology-mentoring program. As an international graduate student mentor, I overcame the anxiety of not being able to be a "know-it-all" technology mentor, did authentic educational work with two faculty members and gained insightful pedagogical expertise in an environment that emphasizes collaboration, communication, and team work. Two faculty members (the mentees) increased their familiarity with technology and their integration of these technologies in their classrooms with individual technological assistance.
As an international student, I appreciate the opportunity to be involved with the mentoring program. It provides me not only a chance to work and build connections with the faculty in a one-on-one situation, but to build a true collaboration. All of these result in true mutual benefits.

Faculty Profile
Dr. Smith

Professor Smith is an associate professor of Literacy Education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. She is known as an outstanding teacher of the department. She teaches graduate children's literature courses and undergraduate reading method courses. Prior to the mentoring experience, Dr. Smith's technology experience was mainly about the use of email and word processing. And she searched Amozon.com for the most updated book reviews and related information. She expected to increase familiarity with her class management software tools, to make good use of her own personal desktop computer in her office, and to integrate technology into her classroom activities.

Dr. Smith mentioned that she had a limited experience with the computer and that she could never learn from some sheet instructions so the mentoring program's concentration on "personalized packages" was very helpful to her. Therefore, her reasons for pursuing technology training were mainly due to her interest and strong needs to integrate computer technology into her personal life, teaching, and administrative career.

The Faculty Member
Jennifer

Jennifer teaches undergraduate reading and science method courses. Jennifer has a Mac G3 laptop. She has been determined to know the in's and out's of her personal laptop. In fact, she is not new to the mentoring program. The previous mentoring experience had got her started and she wanted to step forward with more technology assistance. Most of her computer knowledge came from trial and error. The old computer in her office didn't have enough memory, and it froze on her several times a day when she switched between software programs. She felt frustrated because she thought the computer needed to be upgraded. Jennifer used the computer for e-mail, word processing and the Internet searching. She expected to learn more advanced features of using email such as adding a signature and organizing address book. She was also interested in creating digital images to improve her desktop publishing skills and using PowerPoint to replace her overhead slides. She felt that a good command of computer knowledge would help her teach more effectively.

Student Mentor Profile
Hsueh-Hua

I entered the mentoring program as a first semester doctorate student in Curriculum and Instruction by taking the course entitled Technology in Teacher Education. I earned my master's degree in Curriculum and Instructional Technology in 1994 from State University of New York at Albany with specialization in Computer-based Instruction applied to second /foreign language teaching. Since then, I had been an EFL (English as Foreign Language) teacher in a high school in Taiwan. My technology experiences were mostly in the PC platform from desktop publishing to web page software packages. I wouldn't describe myself as an advanced technology person but my previous degree did allow me to explore some possibilities in terms of computer-based learning. However, being a technology mentor to a faculty member was something I had not thought of before and I had to admit that I came in with great anxiety in the beginning. I was paired with two faculty members to help them move along with technology development in software packages and their applications.

The Mentoring Experience

Take Off

I decided to work with Dr. Smith and Jennifer with whom I shared similar academic backgrounds in the field of language and reading. However, I was worried about trouble shooing in front of them when I thought I was supposed to be a know-it-all technology mentor. Even with doubts on my mind, I considered the mentoring program a good opportunity to break down the isolation walls for an international student and to make connections with the faculty. We first corresponded with each other through email and then set the schedule to meet for the first time. We decided to meet once every two weeks for two hours so we could have more time to explore the technology.

The Mentoring Process (Part I)

The First Encounte

Dr. Smith politely greeted me the first time we met in her office. Then we started with the software programs that had been installed in her desktop and she pointed out how she got stuck last time when she used spreadsheet. I helped her by building a grading sheet for her class and guided her step by step so she would know the structure of Excel. I demonstrated the format functions of cells, rows and columns. I made them easy to remember by clicking some of the icons on the tool bar above. Dr. Smith was very surprised that it was so easy to understand. Before, she thought it was something so complicated that she was afraid to even touch it. She preferred to do her grading manually with pencils, paper and a calculator. She told me that she made mistakes every semester no matter how careful she was. There were always students coming to her for grade correction. Then I showed her the functions and formulas, which automatically calculate the numbers and the percentages. She was so amazed that she could not help admiring the wonderful software program. With some guidance from me, she built her first grading sheet using Excel.

Moving Ahead with Software Programs

There were times when I suddenly forgot where to locate the icons or the function keys to make the spreadsheet work. I would resort to trail and error tactics until I figured it out. At first I felt a little embarrassed but Dr. Smith didn't make a big deal out of it. She agreed that people learn by making mistakes! When I was doing my trouble shooting, she showed me the direction sheets and manuals. By seeing me doing all the trouble shooting, she also learned to solve some computer problems on her own.

At first I had to get her started but she eventually took the initiative and went ahead creating something of her own like using Excel to build another grade sheet. I was just there for assistance. I felt a sense of achievement. And my initial anxiety of not knowing it all was relieved.
For the next few months, we worked on different software programs. We talked about how to integrate technology into classroom teaching. Dr. Smith wanted to do her updated children's book review using PowerPoint presentations so she wouldn't have to carry all the heavy books and passed them around students each time the class met. I told her that we could even use PowerPoint to make external links to related resources, so the presentation would look more dynamic. She gladly accepted the idea. Then we started making her first slide show. Starting with a digital image of her which I took using a digital camera, I helped her to insert images from disks or directly from Internet, then we added background colors, edited the text, and did the graphic design. Dr. Smith never failed to give me an emotional boost when I showed her how to complete a slide show project. I also felt that I was gaining more confidence about my technology knowledge. Being a mentor allows me to dig into certain software programs and as it turned out, I benefited the most.

Web Page

Dr. Smith also mentioned that she wanted to build her own web page. I discussed with her that there is a pre-production period before we could actually build one. Then we brainstormed together what would this web page's main purpose could be. We also discussed the target audience, the design of pages, and the connection to learning and teaching. After we clarified some ideas, we stared with Claris Homepage. I guided her through web page building basics like web page title, text editing, backgrounds, tables, anchors, local and external links, and consolidating. Again, we didn't do it all in a rush. I allow her some time to try by herself. She was so happy that she was actually working on a homepage of her own. From her last e-mail, she gladly told me that she was doing her homework. The web page is still under construction and I said to Dr. Smith that she could always contact me for further assistance even when the semester is over.

The Mentoring Process ( Part II)

A New Start

My mentoring experience with Jennifer was quite another story even though we basically used the same software programs as I did with Dr. Smith. She was very organized with the scheduling. We set up our meeting times for the whole semester the first time we met. She also assigned each of the meeting time a learning unit, which served as a checklist when we were exploring certain software programs. She views the computer as an excellent tool to help her ability to prepare for class. She wanted to learn how to generate PowerPoint slides for class lecture, design lesson plans, use Excel for grading, and learn some desktop publishing skills for the class to use.

The Hardware Challenge
I checked out a digital camera the first time we met and then I showed her the different formats of graphics. Then I inserted the images into the PowerPoint slides. At that time, we were still using her old desktop, which didn't have enough memory and she had to constantly close one program to switch to another one. I could tell she was getting very impatient with the old machine. We encountered several other technical problems. The inserted image didn't show up on the PowerPoint slide and then I began troubleshooting. I installed the image-converting program, tried it several times and it worked. However, that alone didn't ease her anxiety over the old computer especially when she switched between programs because a dialogue box popped out warning her there was not enough memory space. We also tried the scanner. Jennifer was busy clicking on the icons. Before I showed her some basics of Color It, a graphic software program, to rescale, flip the scanned image, and to save the image in some appropriate format, she would go ahead to turn the picture upside down and wouldn't bother the software to do the flip. It was an interesting experience. I began to settle into a mentoring pattern with Jennifer. I would let her explore the software applications on her own first and then offered assistance when she got stuck.

Working on a Laptop
Later, we got to work on her laptop, which did allow us more freedom to go between programs and we could deal with the graphic images more efficiently. Together we went through desktop publishing, making newsletters, and added graphic design to word document. I have also successfully convinced her to use Excel to make a grade book. She was kind of reluctant in the beginning for she said she didn't have many students and it wouldn't take her long to record and calculate the points manually. However, after I showed her how to manipulate and enter the data in the spreadsheet, she realized that it is a good tool and most of all, not very complicated. She couldn't wait to create one for her classes. Basically, for Jennifer, I was more like a tech support and solution center from adding a signature in the email message to finding appropriate software for particular purposes. There was a time when I couldn't come up with immediate solutions for her software problems but together we would call someone for assistance or when I came up with the solution later, I would email or call her. Now she feels more and more comfortable working with her laptop.

Personal Relationship
My relationship with Jennifer is like friends and this kind of relationship really break down the hierarchical structure as opposed to traditional faculty and student relationship. We shared with each other our family life, our hobbies and exchanged opinions on certain issues. She once showed me a Chinese Cinderella fairy tale and we had a good discussion on the fairy tales of "East meets West". It was quite an experience for me.

Redefine the word "mentor"
I am from a culture in which mentors/ teachers /instructors mean authority, the omnipotent. It once blocked my vision as how the mentoring experience can be expanded into different perspectives. As Denise Lindstrom described in her story, by sharing each individual mentoring stories in relation to some technology and teacher education issues, I gradually realize that mentor-mentee experience can also be one of a shared growth. I am more willing to try new tasks, ideas, and technologies than before . I have then developed a new positive attitude towards technology and increased the level of confidence in my technology skills. For me, mentoring is a reciprocal relationship. The word mentor can be synonymous with tutor, facilitator, buddy expert, consultant, collaborator, supporter, helper and even a good listener. I strongly agree on the statement by Quian Li:
"The nature of this kind of mutual benefits really made mentoring experiences dynamic and rewarding."

A Learning Community

It forces me to advance in my computer knowledge because I could never anticipate what would happen or what computer problems I would encounter the next time I was to meet my mentees. Thanks to the faculty and staff in Center for Technology in Teaching and Learning, and the "people helping people" atmosphere there, I felt strongly supported as a first time mentor. I have constantly learned new solutions to all kinds of hardware and software problems.
In addition, we were allowed to share our latest mentoring experiences. With the instructor's guiding assistance in our weekly face to face meriting and working with other peer mentors as a team, I gradually caught the core skills of being a mentor to a faculty member. Furthermore, I overcame my anxiety of not being able to provide an immediate answer to my mentees. I had thought of a mentor as a person who is omnipotent. However, when I reflected on the past semester's mentoring experience, I was strongly aware of the fact that I was learning not only by mentoring but by tackling the obstacles with support from a learning community, which brings together the efforts of personnel from the class itself, my peer mentors, and CTLT.

Conclusion
Dr. Smith concluded that it would be impossible for her to go through all of the software programs by using the manuals. She felt that with a mentor, she could approach technology and most of all, she felt supported and wanted to learn more. By watching me do trouble shooting, she even tried to work things out on her own. I saw this aspect as the most precious part in the mentor/mentee experience. As for Jennifer, she was willing to take more risk in trying all different software programs. From my perspective, I see these attitudes as positive reinforcement for using technology in teaching.
As an international student, I appreciate the opportunity to be involved with the faculty mentoring program. It provided me a chance to work and build connections with the faculty in a one-on-one situation. The time of being a mentor to the two faculty members is a turing point in my graduate study when I have begun to felt like a insider. I've felt that I am part of this community

In addition, being a mentor doesn't mean that I have mastered all the technology skills but rather it provides a chance to get myself exposed to a wider scope of issues in educational technology. The journey of mentoring leads me close to my dream of a technology educator. The journey of mentoring leads me close to my dream of a technology educator.

Epilogue

Ongoing Story
Based on the previous experience in the mentoring relationship with Dr. Smith, I found it extremely enjoyable to continue working on course development and related tasks with Dr. Smith. We appreciated and trusted the other's point of view in terms of effective strategies in integrating technology to achieve the goal of meaningful teaching and learning. During the collaborative brainstorming process, we explored the possibilities of extending a course online, evaluated software packages, and decided on solutions to what technology would benefit the reading method course.
Dr. Smith now runs a blackboard.com online course with partial assistance from me, uses PowerPoint to assist her lecture, and most of all, manages change well. To me, the mentor, I have gained insightful expertise form a veteran faculty member, which in turn prepares me to envision my own future of being a technology educator.