Reflection

Reflection:  How my classes in Loyola's Educational Technology program helped prepare me for my internship.

Intro Educational Technology—ET605.71

This introductory class helped me to learn how computer technology could be effectively integrated into the curriculum.  In this course we completed many hands-on activities and became familiarized with a variety of technologies.  Emphasis was placed on designing lessons/activities in which using a particular technology would enhance learning and not merely tools for word processing.  During this beginning class we were introduced to the National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers and the ISTE Technology Facilitation Standards.  This would be important not only when completing projects and lesson plans, but during our internship we would need to use our understanding of these standards in order to design an appropriate internship.

Teacher Research and Inquiry—ED670.71

This was the second course for our cohort.  We focused on active research, which involves mostly qualitative rather than quantitative research.  In this class we learned how to locate and interpret research articles from peer-reviewed journals.  In turn, we were prepared to complete research, when necessary, throughout the rest of our program.  For future technology cohorts, I would suggest their research be connected with some kind of educational technology so that it can be used as an artifact along with furthering our understanding of technology in education.

ET610.51-09-SU: Curricular App Technology

In Curricular Applications for Technology we actively used applications learned previously in Intro to Tech along with new technologies, including wikis and blogs, to produce a variety of projects in all academic areas.  This class really helped prepare us for our internships because we got so much hands-on practice with technologies we would need to be familiar with in order to work with our staff members.  For example, many of us used wikis or blogs as part of our staff development during our internships.  In addition we used wikis or blogs to create our portfolios.  When creating lessons, we were asked to reflect on our justification for the use of technology. 

ET620.52-09-SU: Multimedia Design in Classroom

Multimedia Design in the Classroom introduced us to even more new technologies, such as videotaping and editing.  With the increasing use of Flip cameras and other video devices, it is important that the school technology leader feel comfortable in this area.  Although most teachers have used video cameras, many have not learned how to turn these videos into a well-designed presentation using video editing software.  We learned the basics of iMovie in class.  Although we use Windows based applications at my school, I was able to use what I’d learned because I had learned the basics for video editing software.  In class we used VBA programming to enhance capabilities of PowerPoint, and created an extensive Internet Safety project that was then ready to share with our staff.  Multimedia Design taught us about basic design and how to create storyboards.  This background in how to create a well-designed presentation is very helpful in creating staff in-services.

ED608.71-09-FA: Educational Innovations

Educational Innovations helps you to realize the difficulty in creating meaningful change in education.  This is important to understand when planning for staff development and long-range plans.  Understanding this resistance to change helps you to have a better perspective about how staff will react when faced with something new.

Role of Technology Leader—ET680.71

This class focuses on preparing you to become a Technology Leader in your school.  Understanding what to expect helps prepare you for what to expect during your internship.  This class helps you prepare for the challenges of balancing the roles of both teacher and technology specialist.  This class was great because we got to see many presentations of internships, which helped us to understand what was expected during our internship.  It also gave us a wealth of ideas for what we want to do as a technology leader in our schools.  This class also helped us look at some of the broader roles, such as securing grants, writing a technology plan, or leading a technology committee.

ET630.51-10-SU: Digital Communications in the Classroom

In Digital Communications we explored telecommunications in education.  The Internet has opened up a world of information to students, with many valid educational opportunities.  This course examines some of those opportunities, along with some of the risks.  We practiced web design and the html we learned has been a valuable tool when creating wikis, blogs, school web pages, etc. for my Internship.  I found exploring Web 2.0 tools extremely valuable in making my Internship successful.  Unlike other classes, we created more in-depth blogs in which we actively participated.  Our blogs were based on researching various Web 2.0 tools and sharing the information with our classmates.  I researched wikis and their uses during this class and then went on to create a staff wiki at my school as part of my internship.  At a staff development, I introduced another Web 2.0 tool, tag clouds (Wordle and Tagxedo).  Critical Literacy helped us learn how to evaluate web sites, and we created web evaluation tools to share with our staff.

Leadership, Supervision, & Professional Development—AD662.51

One of the things I found helpful in my internship was learning about interrole conflict, which is conflict within a person who is fulfilling more than one role.  This is exactly what happens when trying to juggle the role of classroom teacher and technology leader.  We learned about the importance of prioritizing our responsibilities and removing or delegating some of that responsibility.  By using a wiki with teachers as a place where they can locate technology information on their own, I could alleviate some of the workload. 


Click here to see a copy of the PowerPoint used for my Internship Presentation.