Final+Reflection



 gggg With the arrival of Web 2.0 sites, teachers now have endless possibilities for elaborate lessons and interactive situations for students. Teachers can utilize virtual field trips to “take” their classes around the world. The students can blog about their experiences through Edublogs and use Google Earth to feel as if they are actually on location. Gone are the days when a textbook was used as the pictorial representation of historical markers. Classroom discussions can be online and accessed 24/7. For these reasons, I decided to explore a variety of Web 2.0 sites for my internship. The staff at my school was the target of the internship since we have a strong technology focus. I choose five sites that the staff could utilize immediately for collaboration or in their classroom.  gggg My internship actually started with a **difficulty.** I was testing various video programs to utilize for the videos and most were extremely long or large files. I decided to change course and create screenshots with voice overs but that was given longer. I was somewhat frustrated and Dr. Smyth helped ease it with the comment: “ you are reading too much into it.” I met with my mentor and reviewed my progress and asked him for suggestions. My mentor suggested using CamStudio. I took the two recommendations (Smyth and mentor)to heart and created a video through CamStudio. It was simpler to use. I created a training video of approximately 3 minutes. The program worked well and I was able to use it for all the training videos. gg **gg **  gggg Our very first site was Edublogs. Kingsley and Brinkerhoff (2011) describe blog use as a place where “teachers or students can collaboratively assemble online portfolios that contain collections of relevant resources such as links to stories, quotations, contemporary and historical sources, as well as links to online image libraries, educational games, simulations, maps, government documents, and databases.” (pg. 11) A few staff members had completed a book study using Edublogs during the summer. I interviewed them to discuss strengths and weaknesses so I could adjust my trainings based on the needs. The staff interview was one of the **successes.** The interview allowed me to view the training from another point of view //prior// to implementing it. The insight I gained from the interviews helped me adjust the videos and the discussions for the training. The staff explained how overwhelming the blog site could be if you are a novice so I worked on the aspect of the “easy button” that is incorporated into their site.  gggg The trainings for Panoramio and Animoto flowed easily. These two sites are simple to use. The staff was able to incorporate them into the classrooms. Animoto was the most fun for the primary grades because they used it to create digital stories showing field trips, classroom projects, and student growth. Sheneman(2010) states Animoto is “very easy to use and looks very professionally done.” She continues with “digital storytelling embraces the art of traditional storytelling and reconfigures it using modern digital mediums.”  gggg Museum Box and Google Earth were by far where I **learned** the most. Both sites are very complicated and were time consuming for training. Museum Box allowed the staff to display a presentation in a unique way. The site allows teachers to create accounts for students and view their submitted work for approval. In order to create the student accounts, teachers have to get account approval from the company first. I submitted our school for this approval at the beginning of the internship. It took over a month to get approval because the company is not based in the United States. For the future, I will explain that process to trainees but give them alternatives to the creation.  gggg Google Earth allows users to explore various geographical locations around the world. Using satellite imagery, users can view historical time lapses of locations, 3-D imagery of selected locations and even experience a 360 degree view of the location. Britt and Fontaine (2009) contend “ that Google Earth can be used to teach fundamental skills of geography in the elementary classroom.” While this is one strong use of the site, it is only scratching the surface. With the elaborate new features for Google Earth, teachers can adapt its use for history (viewing historical locations), math (directional paths, elevations) and Science (time lapse of ocean movement, erosion). Britt and Fontaine further contend “Google Earth is a tool for connecting literature from a geographic perspective. Integrating sources of literature with Google Earth is based upon the simple notion that stories have settings that can be traced to a place.”  gggg Google Earth has a teacher page that contains lesson plans, tutorials, classroom resources, and a discussion board for teacher to teacher talks. Britt and Fontaine point out “that teaching children to use different kinds of maps, to apply geographic skills, to form mental maps, and to analyze geographic information can be accomplished with instructional activities that make learning meaningful” (pg. 21) through the use of Google Earth. The staff loved this site but I didn’t see the depth of the training until I started creating the first video. There is SO much you can do with Google Earth that I asked my mentor and the media specialist for advice. We all agreed that multiple videos were necessary. I ended up with six videos and have since created additional ones. The staff asked to have Google Earth downloaded onto all computers for the students. That has been accomplished. One teacher even used Google Earth to help students see the devastation in Japan after the tsunami. The students had written letters to the elementary children in one of the effected towns and had gotten responses. The teacher should the students the time lapse of the area to her class. It was an immediate gasp from the students as they were quickly able to see the dramatic changes. gg **gg **  gggg The internship was a great experience. I was able to help the staff incorporate a variety of new tools into their classrooms. The staff has enjoyed the experience as expressed in their survey results. They have even asked me to continue to create videos utilizing the Web 2.0 sites that I post on my weekly Web 2.0 blog for the district. Something I would do **differently** would be to send out a selection of Web 2.0 sites and have teachers pick and choose. I say that because some of the teachers were not interested in utilizing the sites I choose. They did ask me to find sites on storyboards or bookmarking safe sites. For the future, I want to ensure the training is relevant to their immediate needs, not just suggestions for the future.  gggg The **self-evaluation** reflects the lessons I have learned. In exploring the video creation programs, I learned ways to create ease of use for viewers and the trainer. I published the training videos on Youtube for them to be accessible district wide. The technology coaches in the district are using them with their schools. I had never considered Youtube in that capacity but now see it as a great resource. Providing step-by-step handout guides were essential as well. The teachers commented repeatedly on the way they used them as reminders of next steps. Being a techy, I thought about them but didn’t see them as a primary resource. I needed to see the teachers as digital immigrants and see the need for a paper printout. While I am a laidback personality in the **emotional** expression area, I truly loved to see the excitement in the staff as they were “playing” during the trainings. One training session was a wonderful staff connection tool. The Panoramio training took a direction I wasn’t expecting. Panoramio allows the user to view millions of photos that have been uploaded by users. The staff started looking for their hometowns or old elementary schools. This sparked conversations about their childhoods and past experiences. The staff is still discussing the site, going back to pull more photos. <span style="color: #231f20; font-family: 'arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;"> gggg The **relationship** of this internship to coursework has been one of confirmation. We have discussed digital natives and immigrants along the way. While I understand the concept, I //experienced// the difference during my training sessions. My novice group for the most part would be the digital immigrants. They were scared to explore the sites because of a belief they would hurt the system. They lacked the intuitiveness of computers. The need for consistent reassurance and explaining of minute details consumed much of the training session. Most of the staff in this group tended to be older. The advanced group was my younger staff. They loved the sites and played with the options a lot. They were eager to know what each icon did and what would happen if they clicked an area. It was very informative for me to experience the differences firsthand.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Quick Background **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Training **
 * <span style="color: #231f20; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Internship Self Evaluation **