INTERNSHIPREFLECTION 1 M. Ed.

In Educational Technology AEET/EDET 650, Internship in Educational Technology

Student Name: Mary Lanham-Bates Internship Site: Saluda High School On-Site Supervisor(s): Kathy Charles Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Tom Smyth Part I: My Progress Analysis On August 23, 2013, I started my adventure to improve the writing skills of six Special Education students. Last year in my English II CP class is where this idea got its root. I was using Voice Thread in Dr. Wissicks class while at the same time working with several low-leveled writing students. I began to ponder on the possibility of using Voice Thread to strengthen students written word while finding their voice. Most of these students speak well but struggle to write a simple paragraph. It just seemed so odd to me. Although the idea gained its roots last year, I was not able to implement the idea until now. At this point, I have met with Mrs. Charles, my On-Site Supervisor; she has been so supportive of my endeavor. In fact, she has given me great advice and altered her class schedule to allow me an opportunity to bring the six students to my class twice a week during sixth period. As of now, I have spoken to the six students to explain what my goal is and to ask for their assistance. I also used the Smart Board in my class to show them how Voice Thread works. I allowed each student to come up to the board and interact with the program. After sharing the program with them, I discussed what their roles are and their responsibilities. It is extremely important that they have ownership of their own needs and build a desire to want to make individual progress. I also made it clear that this was not a time to play around or just to get out of Mrs. Charles class. They were informed that if they did not work diligently then I would have no choice but to remove them from the group. My next task is to send permission slips home to their parents to ensure that the students can participate and that I can use their photos within Voice Thread and in my internship deliverables. Part II: My Personal Reaction Starting my internship at Saluda High School was a bit frightening for some unknown reason. I was afraid that I would be infringing upon another teachers instructional time, but to my surprise, Mrs. Charles was grateful for an opportunity to help her students improve their writing. It was such a treat to see the students reactions as I shared with

them how Voice Thread works. They were all smiles and very willing to work hard to improve their writing ability. How awesome it would be to see the improvement, how awesome it would be to see the smiles once they realize that they can write an effective, intriguing paragraph, and how awesome it would be to help students who are often overlooked. I am looking forward to the challenge.