Internship+Reflection+February+2010

Field-based Activities Monthly Report: Kim Icenhower, Cohort 4
TF-II. F.1 Assist teachers as they identify and apply instructional design principles associated with the development of technology resources.
 * ** Date: February, 2010 Total Internship hours at the start of the month: ** || 0 ||
 * ** Week ** || ** Functions ** ||  || ** Hrs ** ||
 * ** 1 ** || ** Week’s Activities ** || Assisted Karen Austin, Special Education teacher at Spring Lake Park Elementary in designing Mimio Interactive lessons that would reinforce mathematics terms related to Geometry.

Education City Staff Training at Dunbar Elementary for grades 2-5 math teachers and special needs teachers. Training was in computer lab and all teachers had access to computers. Software was on a trial basis at first, but then was purchased at a later date. TF-VII.B.1 Identify instructional software to support and enhance the school curriculum and develop recommendations for purchase. TF-III.A.5 Use methods and strategies for teaching concepts and skills that support use of media-based tools such as television, audio, print, media, and graphics. TF-VI.B.1 Assist teachers in selecting and applying appropriate technology resources to enable and empower learners with diverse backgrounds, characteristics, and abilities.

Helped Anne Slade, Administrative Intern at Dunbar Elementary, convert video footage and images of students and teachers using technology to create a digital story. TF-VI.A.2 Assist others in summarizing copyright laws related to the use of images, music, video, and other digital resources in varying forms. TF-V.C.2 Assist others in locating, selecting, capturing, and integrating video and digital images, in varying formats for us in presentations, publications, and/or other products. || 5 || TF-V-A. Use technology resources to engage in ongoing professional development and lifelong learning. || 24 || TF-I Educational Technology Facilitators demonstrate an in-depth understanding of technology operations and concepts. TF-I.A.2 Provide assistance to teachers in identifying technology systems, resources, and services to meet specific learning needs. TF-I.A.3 Model appropriate strategies essential to continued growth and development of the understanding of technology operations and concepts. TF-V.C.3 Demonstrate the use of specific-purpose electronic devices (such as graphing calculators, language translators, scientific probeware, or electronic thesaurus) in content areas.
 * ^  || ** Communication with Supervisor ** || Ronnie Thompson ||^   ||
 * ** 2 ** || ** Week’s Activities ** || Attended the Texas Computer Education Association Convention and Exposition (TCEA). This convention is dedicated to the improvement of teaching and learning through the use of computers and technology.
 * ^  || ** Communication with Supervisor ** || Ronnie Thompson ||^   ||
 * ** 3 ** || ** Week’s Activities ** || Mimio Basics Staff Training after school in Spring Lake Park Computer Lab. We covered the basic areas and topics when beginning to use Mimio Interactive in the classroom.

Participated in a collaborative ITS meeting to discuss current best practices taking place at other campuses. One colleague explained how online conferencing was being utilized at her campus to support learning. TF-V.D.2 Communicate with colleagues and discuss current research to support instruction, using applications including electronic mail, online conferencing, and Web browsers. || 3 ||
 * ^  || ** Communication with Supervisor ** || Ronnie Thompson ||^   ||
 * ** 4 ** || ** Week’s Activities ** ||  ||   ||
 * ^  || ** Communication with Supervisor ** ||   ||^   ||
 * ** 5 ** || ** Week’s Activities ** ||  ||   ||
 * ^  || ** Communication with Supervisor ** ||   ||^   ||
 * ** Hours worked this month: ** || 32 ||
 * ** Total internship hours to date including this month: ** || 32 ||

__Reflection__
Reflection for Month of February:

During the month of February, I was able to plan a few field experience activities and cover 32 of my internship hours. The first week, I found several opportunities to participate in helping, guiding, and assisting those on my campuses. I assisted Karen Austin, a special education teacher at Spring Lake Park Elementary, with designing Mimio lessons (white board interactives) to go along with her math planning with geometry. TF-II.F.1 Assist teachers as they identify and apply instructional design principles associated with the development of technology resources. While Mimio Interactive Board lessons are new to our campuses this year, Karen has been hesitant to make any lessons on her own and has been using lessons that have already been created. I was very pleased that Karen was open to learning and asked for assistance in creating new lessons involving geometric shapes for her special education classes. This made me realize that most teachers are a little intimated when introduced to new things and will shy away from even attempting them, but if they are helped slowly and gradually, they are more prone to ask for help. This opportunity gave me the chance to work on TF-II. F.1 and help develop technology resources. Facilitators assume the key role of directly supporting teachers (Williamson &Redish, 2009). I am getting the opportunity to directly support teachers and that is a great feeling knowing this will help support students in the classroom.

The Education City Staff Training gave me the change to work on three Technology Facilitator Standards. TF-VII.B.1 Identify instructional software to support and enhance the school curriculum and develop recommendations for purchase, TF-III.A.5 Use methods and strategies for teaching concepts and skills that support use of media-based tools such as television, audio, print, media, and graphics, and TF-VI.B.1 Assist teachers in selecting and applying appropriate technology resources to enable and empower learners with diverse backgrounds, characteristics, and abilities. Regular and Special Education teachers were in attendance, along with three administrators, and we addressed the different options, curriculum materials, concepts and skills, and levels that this web-based program had to offer. By covering TF-VII.B.1, TF-III.A.5, and TF-VI.B.1 standards, I was able to reach all persons involved with the purchase and the implementation of the enhancement program. This program had opportunities for a diverse group of students, including regular, special needs, and ESL students, and included activities for Response to Intervention programs.

This week, I also had the opportunity to help one of our Administrative Interns with some digital storytelling. She was at a loss on converting the footage so that it would work in the program we have available. By being able to help her do this and to use the footage in a unique way to tell a story for a presentation, I was able to address two standards: TF-VI.A.2 Assist others in summarizing copyright laws related to the use of images, music, video, and other digital resources in varying forms. TF-V.C.2 Assist others in locating, selecting, capturing, and integrating video and digital images, in varying formats for use in presentations, publications, and/or other products. This will help her in realizing what needs to be accomplished with the teachers when addressing adding technology to their curriculums. As stated by a classroom teacher working on a 4th and 5th grade digital storytelling project in the publication, //Digital Storytelling Finds Its Place in the Classroom//, “The project confirmed my belief that everyone has a story about a place that is important to her or him, and that by using multimedia to develop and share those stories, we strengthen our understanding of our communities.”

The second week of the month of February, I had the opportunity to attend the Texas Computer Education Association Convention and Exposition (TCEA). This convention is dedicated to the improvement of teaching and learning through the use of computers and technology and was able to cover TF-V Educational Technology Facilitators apply technology to enhance and improve personal productivity and professional practice**.** I came back from this convention with so many wonderful ideas to share with the teachers, and during my internship I have had the opportunity to help develop these ideas with several.

Week three involved more staff training at one of the campuses. This training addressed the Mimio Interactive Technologies, using a white board and a projector. All of our campuses were able to have all of those things installed by the beginning of the school year. The training involved two after school hours in which teachers were given a basic introduction to the system and time to practice and ask important questions before working some on their own. This training gave me the opportunity to cover four standards: TF-I Educational Technology Facilitators demonstrate an in-depth understanding of technology operations and concepts, TF-I.A.2 Provide assistance to teachers in identifying technology systems, resources, and services to meet specific learning needs, TF-I.A.3 Model appropriate strategies essential to continued growth and development of the understanding of technology operations and concepts, and TF-V.C.3 Demonstrate the use of specific-purpose electronic devices (such as graphing calculators, language translators, scientific probeware, or electronic thesaurus) in content areas. After the training took place, I was able to visit with teachers individually in their classroom for follow up meetings. I believe it is importan t to gain their trust and let them know I am here to help them along the way. When working with adults, you will want to ‘meet them where they are’ rather than assuming a ‘one size fits all’ model (Solomon & Schrum, 2007). During week three, I was also able to participate in a collaborative Instructional Technology Specialist meeting to discuss current best practices taking place at other campuses. One colleague explained how online video conferencing was being utilized at her campus to support learning. This gave me the opportunity to cover standard TF-V.D.2 Communicate with colleagues and discuss current research to support instruction, using applications including electronic mail, online conferencing, and Web browsers. The same week, I was given an opportunity to work with a teacher at a campus that had been contacted by a teacher in Pennsylvania that wanted to have a video conference. I was able to use the information passed on to me during this meeting and help collaborate with this teacher at my campus and learn from the experience.

References

Williamson, J. & Redish, T. (2009). //Technology facilitation and leadership standards: What every K- 12 leader should know and be able to do//. Eugene, OR

//Web 2.0: New Tools, New Schools //Solomon, G.,& Schrum, L. (2007).//Web 2.0: Newtools, new schools.//Eugene, OR

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