650FinalReport

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Amy E. Carter EDET 650, Fall 2011 Final Internship Reflection November 29, 2011

Lessons I’ve learned...
I have had so much fun and learned so much about technology, teaching, and myself during this internship. I am walking away from the experience a better learner, as well as a better teacher. Perhaps the best lesson that I’ve learned is how valuable the first three steps of the ADDIE process are. Because we were busy with the student application process as the program itself was born, the very valuable processes of analyzing needs, designing a program, and developing specific and targeted ideas to support and meet our needs was put aside for the normal demands of the school year. The program emphasis started by making sure the right students were selected and that the hardware was here first. There was not much that I could change about that process, since I am a teacher, not an administrator, but I learned the value of advocating for planning time.

The first three stages of ADDIE also help with another lesson I learned. Technology initiatives are equally about managing devices and people. The analysis, design, development processes are about making sure the technology works for the stakeholders involved. There is value in making sure that the faculty believes in the tool, that they have had sufficient training for the tool, and that they have time to share and develop ideas that ensures quality teaching and learning. Some of the most valuable articles I read were from educators and writers who simply shared good ideas. Adams (2008) shares a wealth of ideas for using tools with Google – an application I have not yet investigated for our iPad initiative. However, his ideas for interaction are wonderfully practical, particularly for ELA instruction. Using tools to foster discussions, collaboration, and feedback enhance the learning in the classroom. This kind of idea sharing is something that I came to rely on in my research to inspire my own ideas for technology integration. To be able to meet with colleagues to share similar best practices and teaching ideas is something that could really benefit the program. There is great value in planning and idea sharing. According to Chen (2008), for effective technology integration, teachers must believe three things: technology can help them instruct effectively, technology will not conflict with high-level goals, and technology will not act as a stumbling block in their own teaching; they must be sufficiently trained and comfortable using it. I have also come to appreciate an exploratory attitude among the students and faculty in the program. It is the teachers and learners who want to experiment and share good ideas that fuels enthusiasm and challenges us to continue to find and use good methods and ideas. These lessons also reaffirmed my understanding that effective use of technology is never about the tool – it’s about the sound ideas that support the use of the tool and the learning that emerges from its use.

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Difficulties I’ve encountered and conclusions I’ve drawn from them...
A lesson and a challenge I experienced is to avoid the phrases, “That’s impossible” or “That can’t be done.” There’s very little that “can’t be done” and most of the time, it is an issue of simply figuring it out. Early in my internship, I was quite frustrated with the video tutorial capabilities of the iPad. So many things seemed to be working against me – the school blocks YouTube from students (and sometimes teachers), the iPads won’t play flash files, etc. However, after some investigation and lots of trial and error, I learned two new ways to deal with the issue. Kathy Schrock’s (2011) valuable websites about iPad implementation and educational apps directed me to Explain Everything, a presentation app. I successfully produced videos from my PC using Jing Pro, and I learned to use Explain Everything to produce tutorials directly from my iPad. Not only do I walk away with two new solutions, but I also have a new teaching tool. Explain Everything can be a presentation tool for my students, as well.

The management side of the iPad program has been a huge challenge. We deal with spotty WIFI, one Apple cart because of dwindling budgets, and only one staff member (my supervisor) who syncs the devices. As Chen (2008) mentions, these kinds of “external factors” can lead to inconsistency between our belief in using technology and our actual practices. All this to say, I have learned by witnessing this challenge the value of having a full time (or even part time) staff member who can work to support the process. My supervisor is a tech-savvy educator. The slow process is definitely not related to her, yet she must deal with the WIFI and syncing issues, while still fulfilling her duties as the head media specialist! I was able to assist her during my planning blocks, but only occasionally, and only when the “technology gods” were amenable to a working network. Needless to say, the ability to monitor and adjust is a phrase that I was reacquainted with many times this semester. However, I also learned that my attitude had the power to set a standard for both my students and sometimes my colleagues. If I got frustrated, so did they. If I remained positive and focused on challenges as learning experiences, that attitude was mirrored in my students and colleagues.

The greatest challenge I experienced was the time investment required to find apps, learn to use them, apply them to sound pedagogical practices and classroom instruction, and produce training materials that can be useful for both teachers and students. Working alone was a monstrous task; working with the ALA as a department seems not only manageable, but exciting. Greenhow (2009) refers to this kind of learning as “social scholarship” and states that it “requires openness, conversation, collaboration, access sharing, and transparent revision.” Our learning and our teaching become more valuable and meaningful when we are all invested in creating materials together.

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Successes I’ve achieved and the new insights I have gained from achieving them...
I end this internship with a resource page that I created to help implement the use of iPads as a learning tool in our classrooms. I have featured seventeen tools that work in conjunction with our iPad technology. As I researched these tools and read articles about implementing sound practices, I was reminded over and over again about the value of collaboration, feedback, and interaction. Enriquez (2010) writes about interactive learning networks that allow for meaningful assessment and immediate feedback. I have started using Edmodo for this; however, I would like to explore options like Poll Everywhere that allow learners to interact during lectures and presentations. I have signed up for a pilot run of this software in January. Hong (2008) discusses the idea of blogs and their value for enhancing analytical and critical thinking through writing. I have also used Edmodo as a blogging/posting tool for class discussion and participation. Karasavvidis (2010) comments on the value of wikis as “online communities;” however, he also notes that students need adequate training and preparation before required to use them. The integration of Edmodo as our learning management platform with its wiki-like interaction capabilities and its discussion features is an aspect of my internship that I am proud of. I trained my kids well. I scaffolded the tasks, showed examples, and modeled acceptable responses. Not only did the students do well using Edmodo, but they were each involved. Light (2011) notes that the advantage of this kind of tool is that it allows every student to participate, even if they are too shy to do so in class.

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<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Things I would do differently next time and why...
<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">When I teach the new ALA kids next year, I would like to begin with a unit that is devoted to core skills that support iPad use: how to develop questions, evaluate sources, conduct effective research, and generate follow-up questions, reflect. I would like to review visual literacy, plagiarism, as well as interviewing, speaking, and presentation guidelines. I want to teach email etiquette, options for file storage, and all the other core skills that we assume our digital learners already know. While this is a tremendous amount of area to cover, an introductory unit of core skills could easily be developed and divided among the ALA faculty. Reviewing these skills would lay a more effective foundation for the tablet capabilities and integration. According to Light (2011), teachers were most successful with technology when they taught about how to build a scholarly community by teaching appropriate behavior.

<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Similarly, I would like to develop more protocols for using the devices so that our use can be evaluated and revised for better application in the future. Dickerson, Williams, & Browning (2009) refer to a six-step protocol for using tablet technology with learners that have little or no previous experience. Their method of “discussion, demonstration, directed engagement, duplication of known tasks, discovery of new tasks, and debriefing” offers a way to ensure lessons are meaningful and successful.

<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">I will also continue to look for more Web 2.0 resources and apps that support learning. I would like to see my resource page expand and to become more of a community-based wiki. While producing the resource page was exciting, it was also a huge endeavor to do alone – to continue that pace without a sharing/collaboration network will burn me out I think. It’s nice to have the foundation there to add ideas to and encourage additions from my colleagues.

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<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Interesting ways my experience relates to previous coursework...
<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">The overwhelming nature of a new program involving technology is something that I had to remember as I designed the resource page and developed training materials. The concept of cognitive overload applies to both teachers and students. I worked to keep materials simple, easy to follow, and pleasant to view. I used annotated screen shots combined with explanatory text. I kept training videos short and always provided a take-away handout so that a person does not necessarily have to watch the video a second time for support.

<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">As I produced training materials and built my resource page, I found it interesting how much the idea of interaction and connection is involved in all facets of teaching and learning. Like we learned in ET 709, learning theories hold that people gain more understanding when learning is acquired through multiple modalities and through multiple ways. When we see and hear information it “sticks” longer than when only see OR hear it. When we add the concept of interaction and then creation (tenets of connectivisim and constructivism) learning is enhanced even more. Web 2.0 tools by their very nature enhance participation, engagement, and interaction. The media capabilities of the iPad also offer the stimulus for learning through seeing and hearing. Truly, the mixture of sound teaching, innovative devices, and meaningful interaction among students, content, and instructor become a recipe for powerful learning. According to Light (2011), Web 2.0 tools “create ongoing conversations among students and ‘always on’ learning communities.” They allow students to be constructively critical of their own learning. This is not just for students though – this kind of collaboration and learning applies even to the instructors building sound instruction and methods for the classroom. The learning community – made up of teachers and students – is stronger than the sum of our parts. Our collective learning and discovery builds a knowledge repository from which we pull our best instruction.

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<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Strong emotions I experienced and why...
<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">One of the strongest emotions I experienced during the internship was a sense of frustration at forces that slowed progress and that were simply outside of my control. I learned that in order for the internship to advance, I had to decide to adjust. As an ALA faculty, we were promised meeting time as a department; however, we have only met three times this semester rather than the weekly meetings most departments keep. While we have had “hallway conversations” and even some late-night phone calls, we would benefit more from that collaboration that I have come to value throughout this internship.

<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Another source of frustration is the attitude or perception from other faculty and even students that the iPad in school is “just a toy” and that the program will fizzle out after a time. Just last week The State ran an editorial by a high school freshman who claims that iPads threaten education and that “the world is better off as it is now or even with a little less technology.” Really? With my background in the EdTech program, it saddens me that people cannot see the potential behind initiatives like these. However, this attitude reminds me that I am very much “on stage” in front of a critical audience. Our failures could fuel that argument. I must be careful that my practices are sound, that learning is meaningful, and that learning remains the focus of the day.

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<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Overall self-evaluation...
<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">I have worked harder on this internship that I have worked on most projects in the past, and I walk away from the semester with great pride in my accomplishments. While that work stems from my own excitement about the program, it also comes from a great deal of pressure I feel to make it work because of that critical audience I mentioned before. I have surprised myself at my ability to produce the amount of training materials that I initially proposed. I set the bar very high, yet I achieved success. I held to the ADDIE process by analyzing needs of the faculty, designing according to those needs, and developing materials that will be useful and relevant to our context. I don’t see the program as “over,” and while I was able to implement and evaluate the resource page, I look forward to growing it further, this time as a collaborative venture. I have done a good job of starting small and doing the job right. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with the millions of applications for the iPad; the resources and apps that I featured are ones that support the best practices of collaboration, feedback, and interaction. The experience has given me confidence that I am using technology responsibly to enhance learning.

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