MariCarmen is a cutting-edge teacher from Murcia, Spain. She is a Chromville’s lover and she has stood by us since the beginning. Today we want to share with all of you her vision about education, technology and augmented reality. Don’t miss it!

MariCarmen Montoya
Twitter: @mcarmenmm
Blog: englishcanbefun.wordpress.com
Youtube: Happy Europe Day
(We strongly recommend her videos about Chromville!)

When did you realize that you wanted to be a teacher?

I don´t really know when I exactly decided to work into education. I just know that when I had to choose if I wanted to go to university I selected teaching as the first option. Before that moment I hadn´t still thought about it.

I was very lucky at my compulsory education. I had teachers who weren´t okay with teaching just like the programming and they supplemented their classes with other knowledge or tools. This fact made that they transmitted us in each class their values and their passion for education.

I have always liked help people and learning continuously. I think that the mix of all of these facts made me took the decision of become a teacher.

Why must education work hand in hand with technology?

Schools shouldn´t forget society because they are part of it. Technology is becoming increasingly important in people life and educational centers should work for integrate these gadgets at schools and make a coherent and realistic use of them at class.

Do you remember your first modern electronic device?

Besides my walkman for listening music, my first modern electronic device was the computer which I shared with my brothers and arrived home when I started my teaching studies at university.

What do you like about augmented reality?

Augmented reality is ´magic´. that is what I felt the first time I tested it. This technology allows you make appear a video, a song or a toy which talks to you from a place where nothing was. Seeing the students faces when they discover what paper hide is really rewarding. This motivational technology comes as a perfect way of reach all the educational objectives which are so difficult of obtain with traditional activities of which students are bored.

And what do you like about Chromville?

I like Chromville because of the add value. Chromville is a universe with lots of uses at class. Students make classwork thinking they are playing a game. They put their knowledge into practice in a funny way. We talk in English or Spanish while we make arts and crafts, reaching lots more educational objectives than working just with traditional education tools.

How did you meet us?

Thanks to my friend @Rafa_Maestro. I have ever told him that I had discovered augmented reality and I thought it would be really good to apply it at class. It was him who show me Chromville´s website.

What issue does Chromville resolve? 

The other augmented reality apps are more static. Chromville is more flexible and give you the chance of create more storylines.  Besides that, the customize option is amazing because gives you even more facilities for working with storytelling.

What novelties would you like which being included by Chromville?

It would be great to include two or more characters with which we could interact; as well as incorporate sounds options which allow the Chromers talk would be amazing too. Besides that, Chromville should be extended with new worlds (as math world and geography world) which cover the most part of the curriculum areas from a new and more motivating point of view.

When did you start being eTwinning ambassador?

I´m in the eTwinning community since 2007 although I became ambassador on 2013 with a group of people from my region (Murcia, Spain). We must combine our teachers job with our eTwinning role, helping other teachers who want to join our network or need advice. Along this academic year we have been reaching lots of ideas and we hope make them real next school period. Likewise, we hope that more school center join eTwinning objectives just like us.

Why did you decide take part on eTwinning comunity?

From my point of view, eTwinning is an educational tool really useful for languages teachers because it makes our subject most realistic. This is a way to show students that learning other languages is necessary because it allows them go to other countries and communicate with their inhabitants.

When I decided taking part on this project I was looking for something which helps me changing the apathy on my students. From the time we started using this tool their attitude changes completely. They realized that they knew more English than they though, as well as the importance of learn this language. They started exerting themselves because this tool has activities which commit them communicate in English with the other users. Nowadays eTwinning allows make exchanges in Spanish but we continue doing it in English.

What Spanish education needs to improve its position in worldwide rankings?

It´s difficult to find the right answer because you have to keep the country characteristic in mind before make a decision. Anyway, I think that more educational legislation stability and more help to teachers will improve the situation. Besides that, it´s important to get the child´s family support.

Each year there are new generations that are more used to using technology all the time. Have the digital natives any advantage regarding us? 

It´s true that students are more used to use e-devices than us, but many times they don´t know how to get the best gadgets. That´s the area where schools have to work in order to become children into responsible customers and content designers, not just passive users.

Nowadays teachers have to make progress, familiarize with technology and think about how to apply it into our lessons constructively.

Which are the three best things about your profession?

Just three? The smiles of students, their clever answers and learn everyday something new. Ah, fourthly, the big support of the students families of my last two scholar years. It has been a hard period and their help has been essential to tap their full potential.

How will education be in 10 years?

That´s a difficult question. I would like that education will get the support of government and students´ families. I hope that because I sincerely think on the importance of education as bunch of seed which are being planted with lot of projects via the Internet.

In the future e-devices will be very important on education without dehumanize it. The next education will mix technology and emotions and the diversity and creativity will make our students better people and more trained professionals.

Describe your job in 140 characters.

Programming, evaluate, mark, families, students, meetings, communicate, laugh, enjoy, learn, share, encourage, listening and discover.

What person related with education would you like being interviewed?

This year I have met lot of people thanks to Twitter. They have developed great projects which are changing education. That´s why I can´t say just a name.

Magdalena Pastor (@magpano): retired pre-school education teacher from who we have to learn really a lot.

LucÃia Fernandez (@lucilogo): Speech-Language and Hearing teacher.

Inma Contreras (@inmitacs): plastic arts teacher with huge ideas.