Internship+Reflection+EDLD5364

**__Self–Assessment __**
 * __Internship Reflection for EDLD 5364 Teaching with Technology __**
 * As we work on integrating updated technology into every classroom, the outcomes that were achieved in the course are relevant to my work because we created a web 2.0 tool that is the current wave of the 21st-century future for technology. Our group, through collaboration, was able to show what we learned in an alternative format that is able to grow, change, and update as we learn how to operate and communicate more effectively. After creating a Google website ([]), we created a Universal Design Lesson through the CAST Lesson Builder at [|http://lessonbuilder.cast.org.] Our examples used for teacher use through Kidspiration readily available in educational settings and most have been used by students and teachers often enough for high comfort levels. I learned through Rose and Meyer (2002) about the recognition network, the strategic network, and the affective network and how our students' brains are interpreting and learning information.
 * Our group was successful in completing course assignments, although creating a USL lesson was very time consuming because of the amount of work due during major holidays. Stress was inevitable because of cramped schedules and exhaustion levels deepening during Thanksgiving and Christmas. The final product that was formulated by our group was a means to an end for our teachers involved. The state standard chosen for Americn History is useful for instructional technology specialists to understand and able to help implement with various technologies. With the help of other group members we were able to identify technology needs of visually and hearing impared children, but being able to use and function with those technologies in-person would be very beneficial to all special education teachers and perspective regular education teachers, as well. I did not always believe that this could be done before seeing and using the UDL lesson builder.
 * My personal experience with the assignments was something that I will chalk up to working as effectively as possible with a large collaborative group. I think we did remarkably well on the final product and each group member stepped up to supply lessons and examples that fit our chosen American History assignments. No matter what our final product looked like, we were able to create and share workable lessons that all were made with a common vision and planned with a universal design approach. “Literature shows that greater rates of successful technology integration take place when teachers have ample time to acquire technology skills, when they have opportunities to share technology related work with their colleagues, and when their technology based activities are adequately planned” (Means, 1997). I learned that it is the individual's work ethic and value to the group that creates a united group effort in the end. It is not always clear what type of people you are working with on an online project versus knowing people on a more personal level in face-to-face projects. That part of the assignment was daunting, but helpful to cut out unnecessary fluff to get the job done during the busiest time of year.

**__Learn as a Learner __**
 * I was successful in completing course assignments, although I was sometimes unclear about what other group members were doing to contribute to the overall group effort.
 * As a learner, I assess my completion in the assignments as being effective when other group members give constructive feedback. During the busy time of the year, we all worked at different times of the week, so we were not always on the same time schedule, but when memebrs would comment that my lesson needed a certain this or that, I would take the information and make needed changes. As Gee said out of Edutopia.org, “certain times you are being mentored and sometimes you are the mentor”. This situation did not bother me, as we were working as a group and the effort effected everyone.
 * Incorporating collaborative efforts was sometimes difficult for this assignment. I believe that our group was too large to effectively work together. A time schedule that fit into five different people’s lives was practically impossible to accommodate all the time. Many students, including myself wait until the weekend to complete course work, while others do it during the week. This allowed some people to not fully participate with a group goal in mind, but his/her individual work was completed; this was not something that was detrimental to the group, only a sign of different needs in personal lives. I believe that the group needed to set up more defined goals for itself and possibly create videoconferencing opportunities to see one another in person. Working online collaboratively can be distancing, impersonal, and unorganized. As Pitler (2007) wrote, reinforcement and constructive feedback allow learners to grow and gain more knowledge. I do believe that our group did its best job at completing the work with good intentions and all people contributed to the final outcome.

**__Lifelong Learning Skills __**
 * Learning is always a work in progress. Although we all come from different backgrounds, our future learning is imacted by the here and now learning process. The experience with this course's assignments was one of collaborative efforts being challenged by all forces possible, yet the ability for the group to gain accomplishments through each individual's strengths. It was the ability to contribute to a greater effort that made the difficult times more note-worthy and worth the effort. I will remember collaborative efforts in the future as an indvidual's decision to partake in the finality of the total group effort.
 * This experience with collaboative work and Universal Design Lessons will impact my future learning because I will continue to study, research and communicate to other teachers the use of UDL, create lessons involving the use of common differentiated techniques, and model and design further units of study in my instructional technology goals. The assessment and evaluation techniques learned in this course will be very useful for teachers who are eager to incorporate more project-based learning into their daily lessons and unit assessments.
 * As a lifelong learner, issues that challenge me in the use of UDL are that of time consumption. How are we, as teachers, given enough professional development time and resources to create such elaborate, yet useful, lessons? Challenges that I envision within the instructional technology-based career is that of having constructive interaction with collegues that is positive and progressive for using more technology within our lessons. I still continue to have negative interactions with teachers about having to integrate technology into their busy classrooms. I have my work cut out for me. I'm hopeful that patience goes a long way- on both sides.

References: Edutopia.org (nd). //Big thinkers: James Paul Gee on grading with games//. Retrieved on Dec. 13, 2009 from [].

Means, B., (1997). //Using technology to enhance engaged learning for at-risk students//. Retrieved December 13, 2009, from []

Pilter, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malinowski, K (2007). //Using technology with classroom instruction that works//. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Rose, D., & Meyer, A. (2002). //Teaching every student in the digital age: Universal design for learning.// Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Available online at the Center for Applied Special Technology Web site. Ch. 6. Retrieved Dec. 13, 2009, from []

**  ISTE/NCATE Performance Standards   **  || **  Outcomes/Proficiencies (TExES Framework)   **  || **  Performance Tasks   **  || **  Course-Based Embedded Hours   **  || III. Model, design, and disseminate curriculum plans that include methods and strategies for applying technology to maximize student learning. IV. Communicate research on the use of technology to implement effective assessment and evaluation strategies. V. Design, develop, evaluate, and model products created using technology resources to improve and enhance their productivity and professional practice. ||  2 –Knows how to use technology tools to solve problems, evaluate results, and communicate information in a variety of formats for diverse audiences. || **  Course EDLD 5364 Teaching with Technology:    ** A. As campus professional development activity, create a wiki-based study group with 8 teachers leading and support teachers who analyze data related to student learning, create a lesson using Universal Design for Learning at the CAST Lesson Building at []  , create a sample electronic book to share with your learning team members. Lastly, add a team reflection to your Google site about the process of creating an electronic book. ||       **   A. – 12 hrs.   ** **  Total: 12 hrs.   **  ||
 * II. Communicate research on the use of technology to implement effective assessment and evaluation strategies.