Instruction Technology Internship Final Report
Reflection EDTC 6992
Instructional Technology Internship
State the competency, or standard that is appropriate for your degree and licensure area.
ISTE C Standard 1 a – Contribute to the development, communication, and implementation of a shared vision for the comprehensive use of technology to support a digital-age education for all students.
ISTE C Standard 2 a – Coach teachers in and model design and implementation of technology- enhanced learning experiences addressing content standards and student technology standards
ISTE C Standard 2 b – Coach teachers in and model design and implementation of technology-enhanced learning experiences using a variety of research-based, learner-centered instructional strategies and assessment tools to address the diverse needs and interest of all students.
ISTE C Standard 2 e – Coach teachers in and model design and implementation of technology-enhanced learning experiences using differentiation, including adjusting content, process, product, and learning environment based upon student readiness levels, learning styles, interests, and personal goals.
ISTE C – Standard 2 g – Coach teachers in and model effective use of technology tools and resources to continuously assess student learning and technology literacy by applying a rich variety of formative and summative assessments aligned with content and student technology standards.
ISTE C Standard 3 a – Model effective classroom management and collaborative learning strategies to maximize teacher and student use of digital tools and resources and access to technology-rich learning environments.
ISTE C Standard 4 – Professional Development and Program Evaluation: Technology coaches conduct needs assessments, develop technology-related professional learning programs, and evaluate the impact on instructional practice and student learning.
ISTE C Standard 4 a – Conduct needs assessments to inform the content and delivery of technology-related professional learning programs that result in a positive impact on student learning.
ISTE C Standard 4 b – Design, develop, and implement learning programs that model principles of adult learning and promote digital age best practices in teaching, learning, and assessment.
ISTE C Standard 5 a – Model and promote strategies for achieving equitable access to digital tools and resources and technology-related best practices for all students and teachers
ISTE C Standard 6 a – Engage in continual learning to deepen content and pedagogical knowledge in technology integration and current and emerging technologies necessary to effectively implement the Standards S and Standards T.
Describe the requirements for the artifact
EDTC6992 – Technology Specialists as Teacher Leaders in K12 School Systems was taught by Dr. Carol A. Brown during fall semester 2014. The focus of this course was the Technology Facilitator internship which included experiences in planning and executing professional development and the teacher as a leader. The text used was “Sit & Get” Won’t Grow Dendrites: 20 Professional Learning Strategies that Engage the Adult Brain by Marcia L. Tate. The text relates how to teach adults with activities that are based on research of learning and the adult brain. Dr. Brown also provided brief lecture notes and references to online and print resources. The artifact is the Final Internship Report that details the activities performed for the internship, the people and resources involved in the activities, and the impact on student performance and teacher professional development as a result of the activities. “Best practices” for professional development were a major focus of this internship. These strategies were vital to meeting the needs of the teachers as they worked to provide instruction that improved student success. Another focus of the internship was teacher leadership and teacher servant leadership. These skills were evident in the professional development for teachers, the presentation for parents, and the formation of the student coding class and the student afterschool group.
Through this internship I learned to apply what was learned from the various classes into products and processes that can be used to improve instruction and student learning. Using a systematic approach based on instructional design theory, I planned a large group and several small group professional development sessions. Professional development at any level should put the student learning outcomes first as this should be our primary goal. All other steps follow this focus in a “backward planning” process (Guskey, 2014). I recognized that as we began the school year with a new 1:1 initiative, teachers would need training that is hands-on, timely, and on-going to integrate this technology into content classes. As teachers become more comfortable and successful with the technology this will eventually lead to a focus on the learning rather than the technology (Lancaster, 2006).
Recognizing a general need such as integrating technology is a first step but this is a broad goal that needs to be broken down for more specific instruction. Having identified the goal, a needs assessment is vital to determine the requirements for any instruction (Brown & Green, 2011). This could be formal or informal and should include as many of the stakeholders as possible. Putting the emphasis on the bottom-up responses and not letting this become a top-down requirement empowers teachers to improve their teaching (Van Tassell, 2014).
I learned that teachers should be not just leaders but servant leaders. As a servant leader you are not only serving your students but the community as well. Teacher servant leaders build relationships around a shared vision as they collaborate with other teachers, parents, and students to make a positive difference in student achievement (Bowman, 2005). Parents were expressing a need to learn how to use the technology, and working with others, we were able to meet that need through a parent training session offered in the evening. Taking time to provide help to others beyond any scheduled times makes the point that their success is a priority (Hirsh, 2014). Letting teachers know that I was available at their convenience made them much more likely to request assistance which led to the small group sessions I offered.
Whether working with teachers or parents, I recognized that as adults I could not teach them as I would my middle school students. Collaboration among the participants was important as they learned and applied new knowledge and skills (Tate, 2012). As adults these participants were ready to learn, and they had a desire to apply this knowledge quickly (Smith, 2002). Designing the professional development and parent session, I had each of the participants working on a computer so that as I presented information they could apply it immediately on their own screens.
As a result of this internship, I see myself as a catalyst for change. I want to see teachers seamlessly integrating technology in their lessons, making the technology a necessary tool, but not the only tool. I want to continue to design and offer professional development that allows teachers the time and support to use technology to improve their instructional practices with a focus on curriculum and instruction. That which most directly promotes student learning, should be the focus of any professional development (Harrison & Killion, 2007; Lancaster, 2006).
Explain how your artifact is a good example of the objective, competency, or standard.
The Instructional Technology internship was an opportunity to showcase the knowledge and skills attained throughout the MAEd program. As this was the culminating class for the program, each of the ISTE-C standards was addressed in the activities performed.
ISTE-C Standard 1a requires one to contribute to the use of technology to support students through a shared vision. Parents expressed in many parent-teacher conferences that they did not know how to access information available to them through Power School Parent Portal and/or Edmodo Parent accounts. Support personnel were recruited and a presentation was developed to teach parents how to access these sites in order to monitor their student’s progress and help them achieve academic success. This standard was also addressed during the presentation by my mentor at a session for elementary teachers throughout the district during which I assisted those teachers who had questions or were struggling with the assignment. These teachers were learning to use Discovery Education Board Builder to post lesson plans that could be shared throughout the district.
ISTE-C Standard 2a states that one is to coach teachers in and model design of learning experiences that address content and student technology standards. This standard was addressed in the small group teacher professional development sessions. I determined specific needs through one-to-one and informal conversations then planned and worked with sixth grade teachers to develop specific skills and knowledge about the use of Edmodo as a learning platform. The focus here was improving student content knowledge and/or developing student technology skills through the use of Edmodo.
The faculty Professional Development: Edmodo Small Groups for Differentiation and Discovery Education Resources incorporated three ISTE Standards:
The needs assessments for this professional development included formal and informal conversations with the faculty and administration as well as a survey on the use of Edmodo and its many features. These needs assessments narrowed the focus to the two topics selected as current needs to improve student success. The Discovery Education portion looked at the plethora of multimedia and other resources provided through their website. Included in the session were discussions of how these might be used to enhance content specific lessons and activities. The Edmodo portion concentrated on the use of small groups for differentiating instruction. Small groups could be established and set up through Edmodo based on student ability, interests, or learning styles. Groups could also be set up for differing content, products, or process.
ISTE C Standard 2g refers to the use of technology to improve student learning through formative and summative assessments. This standard was implemented, along with Standards 2a and 2b, with the formation of faculty small learning groups. These groups focused on a specific technology to be learned that would improve student success in a particular content area. There were small groups that learned about Edmodo Snapshot as a means to assess student learning in order to inform instruction. Another group learned how to set up different types of quizzes in Edmodo, again as a means of assessment. A third group wanted to explore content specific multimedia and other resources in Discovery Education to enhance lessons with learner –centered strategies.
Students were very excited when I announced that my mentor and I would be team-teaching a unit on computer code. This was a good example of ISTE C Standard 3a which includes collaborative learning strategies using digital tools in a technology rich learning environment. Following lessons on vocabulary offline coding activities, students used their school issued 1:1 laptops to learn computer code through online tutorials, working in small groups of three to help one another as needed. Students then applied this knowledge and skill to the programming of LEGO Mindstorm robots. The robots were required to complete specific tasks within a given time frame.
Students were directly involved with the establishment of the student Tech Team. This activity illustrates the relevance of ISTE C Standard 5a as we developed strategies that promoted equitable access to digital tools and resources and technology-related best practices. Specific topics have been identified through student discussions with teachers, students, the media specialist, and the IT tech. This group of very enthusiastic sixth, seventh, and eighth graders have produced the first six of multiple videos explaining proper digital citizenship and solutions to common computer and software issues. These videos will be housed on the school’s common share drive for instant access by students and teachers. They have also developed “Tech Tips” which are being shared through the daily announcements.
Several internship activities were examples of ISTE C Standard 4b – design, develop, and implement technology-rich professional learning programs that model principles of adult learning and promote digital age best practices in teaching, learning, and assessment. Adult learning best practices were implemented in the large and small group faculty professional development activities as well as the program developed for the parents.
ISTE C Standard 6a states that technology coaches are to engage in continual learning to deepen the pedagogical knowledge in technology integration. This was accomplished during the internship as I participated in a Coaching Digital Learning MOOC-Ed course offered through the Friday Institute for Education Innovation at North Carolina State University’s College of Education from 15 September through 27 October. The course was very informative as it covered applications of SAMR and TPACK, as well as a variety of digital tools to be used with teachers and/or students.
Discuss how you might change the content, strategy, or design of the artifact.
This artifact was a good exemplar for the Instructional Technology Internship as it encompassed, at least in part, all six of the ISTE C Standards. The activities included working with administrators, teachers, parents, and students. Information was collected from all the participants and needs were determined. The school and district strategic plans were reviewed to maintain relevance. From the list of needs, plans were developed and executed. The plans and assessments were collaborative efforts that included the administration, the media specialist, the Information Technology Facilitator, teachers, parents, and students.
There are certainly aspects of the work accomplished during the internship that could be improved. The one area that was in the original proposal that was not completed was working with the sixth grade teachers to learn how to implement Edmodo as a consistent learning platform to use with students. Time became a factor in completing this activity; however I have committed myself to continue working with this group of teachers throughout the second semester. The parent presentation, Power to the Parent: How to Access Parent Portal and Edmodo to Promote Student Success, was successful but the turnout was very small due to advertising issues that were out of my control. With the very positive feedback from the parents that did attend and the recognition that this is a needed service for parents, all of the faculty and student volunteers agreed to participate for one or two additional presentations.
The faculty professional development session, Edmodo Small Groups for Differentiation and Discovery Education Resources, could be improved with more time allocated or less material to present. It may have been better if I covered only one of the topics (either Discovery Education or Edmodo) rather than trying to speed through both. I should have had screen shots in a PowerPoint available in case the Internet was not working. Including the exit activity (deleted due to lack of time) would have given me more specific feedback and would have been a means of reflection for the participants. I could have had teachers bring a lesson plan to the session, and using that as a starting point find at least three resources/tools from Discovery Education they could have used to enhance the lesson. Another alternative would be using their own lesson plan, set up small groups in Edmodo for that grade level, differentiating the assignments, activities, and/or assessments. Teachers would have left with a lesson in hand that they could use in the future while having experienced be part of an Edmodo small group.
Discuss how the artifact is representative of future career goals and plans.
This artifact is a very good representative of my future career goals and plans to become an Instructional Technology Facilitator as I was able to work with school administrators, school staff, parents, and students. Following a needs assessment in which administration and teachers were consulted and surveyed, plans for a faculty professional development were initiated as well as plans for smaller, need specific workshops. Parent needs were addressed with a Power to the Parent night to train parents in the use of online resources available to them to monitor their student’s progress. Student and teacher needs were considered in the formation of the afterschool Tech Team. This student group identified needs with the 1:1 initiative and developed ways to meet these needs through video segments, tips during the daily announcements, and one on one help in the classroom.
References
Bowman, R. F. (2005). Teacher as servant leader. The Clearing House, 78(6), 257 - 259. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.jproxy.lib.ecu.edu/stable/10.2307/30192122?origin=api
Brown, A., & Green, T. D. (2011). The essentials of instructional design: connecting fundamental principles with process and practice. (2nd ed.). Boston: Pearson.
Guskey, T. R. (2014). Planning professional learning. Educational Leadership, 71(8), 10 - 16.
Harrison, C., & Killion, J. (2007). Ten roles for teacher leaders. Educational Leadership, 65(1), 74 - 77. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational- leadership/sept07/vol65/num01/Ten-Roles-for-Teacher-Leaders.aspx
Hirsh, S. (2014, November 12). 7 responsibilities of teacher leaders [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/learning_forwards_pd_watch/2014/11/7_responsibilities _of_teacher_leaders.html
Lancaster, S. A. (2006). Time, support and follow-up: the keys to successful professional development . International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 3(9), Retrieved from http://www.itdl.org/journal/sep_06/article04.htm
Smith, M. K.. (2002) ‘Malcolm Knowles, informal adult education, self-direction and andragogy’, the encyclopedia of informal education, Retrieved from http://infed.org/mobi/malcolm-knowles-informal-adult-education-self-direction-and- andragogy/
Tate, M. L. (2012). "Sit & get" won't grow dendrites: 20 professional learning strategies that engage the adult brain. (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks: Corwin.
Van Tassell, R. (2014). The trouble with top-down. Educational Leadership, 71(8), 76 - 78.
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