Field-based+Activities+for+August+2010

Field-based Activities Monthly Report
** // Instructions:  // **//  Enter the total number of internship hours that you had worked at the start of the month in the upper right cell. Remember that you must log a ** minimum of 50 hours ** of field-based experience. For each week, enter a brief description of your internship activities for that week in the top row. Remember to include the ISTE Technology Facilitation standards. Use the second row for each week to report meetings and communications that you had with your __site mentor__. (Meetings with parents, administrators and/or coworkers that are related to your project work should be noted in the activities row for the week.) Enter the hours you worked for each week at the end of the row. Total the week’s hours, then enter the total number of internship hours that you have worked as of the end of the week. //   2. The room included 24 computers that were scattered across the room. Monitors, cables, and cpu’s were all separated. The network drops were tangled and unorganized. I set up the new computer technology lab and traced the network cables to get all of the computers connected to the Internet which required me to configure computer/technology systems and related peripherals in the laboratory.  3. I updated my teacher webpage on the district website and helped another teacher update his teacher webpage.  4. I attended a meeting with the Career and Technology Education Department (CTE) to cover computer lab policies, AUP, Internet safety, netiquette, and copyright. We collaborated on how to teach these lessons in our classes. ||  5   ||   2. I collaborated with other teachers about ways to engage students in the lessons. ||  2   ||   2. I taught basic PowerPoint concepts with a project-based lesson. I gave minimal instruction so that students would learn by doing. The plan worked well as students helped each other with some of the more difficult tasks. Every student completed a PowerPoint presentation. I shared my lesson with other teachers.  3. I created homework drop boxes for all of my classes and helped a colleague do the same. ||  4   ||  **  Part 2  **
 * **  Date: August 2010 Total Internship hours at the start of the month:   ** ||   0   ||
 * **  Week   ** || **  Functions  ** ||   ||  **  Hrs  **  ||
 * ** 1  ** || **   Week’s Activities   ** ||     ||     ||
 * ^  || **   Communication with Supervisor   ** ||     ||^   ||
 * ** 2  ** || **   Week’s Activities   ** ||     ||   1   ||
 * ^  || **   Communication with Supervisor   ** ||   I met with Terry Bull, principal of Abilene High School to continue a discussion we started last March about my internship. We had talked in general terms and brainstormed some ideas. He got busy with TAKS testing and the graduation. He suggested that I start with the beginning of school. Abilene Independent School District hired a new superintendent and he set about to change things. When I met with Mr. Bull this week I brought in a proposed plan for completing my internship. He took my plan but did not discuss it me. He told me that I would be teaching a new class, professional communications and that I would be moving to a new room that included a computer lab.   ||^   ||
 * ** 3  ** || **   Week’s Activities   ** ||   1. I moved to the new room and set-up my teacher workstation in the new classroom. Normally the technology department was required to move any computers, but since I was a technology intern I was granted permission to move my own workstation.
 * ^  || **   Communication with Supervisor   ** ||     ||^   ||
 * ** 4  ** || **   Week’s Activities   ** ||   1. I collaborated with other teachers to prepare lessons for teaching computer lab policies, AUP, Internet safety, netiquette, and copyright.
 * ^  || **   Communication with Supervisor   ** ||     ||^   ||
 * ** 5  ** || **   Week’s Activities   ** ||   1. I talked with technology personnel about web 2.0 applications for collaboration. I explained the need for professional communications students to use 21st Century skills. They helped me set up Gaggle.net accounts for all of my students. I encouraged colleagues to consider using Gaggle.net for web 2.0 tools.
 * ^  || **   Communication with Supervisor   ** ||     ||^   ||
 * **  Hours worked this month:   **  ||   11   ||
 * ** Total internship hours to date including this month:  **    ||   11   ||

__ Reflection __
When I visited with Mr. Bull the week before school started, I was excited about beginning my internship. I had been trying to start since last March. The TAKS tests were going to be very important since our new superintendent had made a commitment to improve our scores. A lot of effort went into making sure that everyone would do his or her best. The emphasis on higher student achievement took center stage and my internship paled in comparison to the high stakes issue of a Texas Education Agency rating based on TAKS scores. We did improve, but not enough and the achievement gap was widening. I had been told at the end of the year that I would be teaching a new class, professional communications. I was eager to use some of the knowledge and skills that I had been honing in my classes. There was more news; I would have to move to a new classroom, but I would be getting a computer lab. The move was not easy, but I couldn’t wait to have a full compliment of computers. I was told that technology would move my work, and set up the lab, but it would take some time. I suggested that I could move my computer and set up the lab. Things were scattered across the room, but I was happy to use my knowledge of technology concepts and operations. I updated my district teacher Web page so that students and parents could communicate with me. I soon discovered that other teachers were having difficulty with putting together a Web page so I offered to help. I also learned that my new course was considered a career and technology course. I soon discovered a whole cadre of new tech people. I enjoyed working with them as we planned lessons to teach students about internet safety and being responsible digital citizens. I was thinking about how I could get my students engaged and chose an early assignment for them to put together a presentation on internet safety and ethical behavior. I was pleased with the results and shared my plan with my colleagues. I asked how I might be able to use web 2.0 tools in my classes. The district had chosen Gaggle.net as an introduction to collaborative and interactive technology. I knew that there were limitations because of safety concerns, but it did open some new doors for my students. I became known as someone that could answer questions or find the answers.