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8/9/2019 Internship Report - Dyer
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Training at CFAHS
Running Head: TRAINING AT CFAHS
Wiki and Blog Training at CFAHS
Dylan Dyer
July 16, 2010
University of Colorado Denver
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Background and Problem Statement
My name is Dylan Dyer and I am high school social studies teacher in
Englewood, Colorado. Currently, there is a strong push from our district to integrate
Web 2.0 tools, such as wikis and blogs, into the classroom in order to increase student
engagement and achievement. This is an excellent objective for our district to have, but
because of budget cutes and time constraints, there has been a lack of professional
development and training when it comes to using Web 2.0 tools such as wikis and blogs
for educational purposes.
In my school, we have an abundance of technology, including eMacs and
Netbooks, all for student use. These resources should be put to their fullest potential, and
with the advent of Web 2.0 technologies, there has never been an easier time to use them
than right now. However, there has been a lack of training and professional development
in these 21st century tools. Because of these reasons, I decided to assist teachers at my
school who want to learn how to effectively use Web 2.0 tools in their classroom,
specifically Wikispaces and blogs. I am excited that I have this opportunity because it
will allow my fellow staff members to gain more confidence with using technology in the
classroom and it will also help me establish myself as a technology leader within our
school.
I believe that it is extremely important that other teachers in my building are
effectively using technology and are capable of infusing innovative tools in their
classroom. Currently, most teachers are using computers in the traditional ways that they
have always been used. I believe that these teaching methods and strategies need to
change within my organization. My students desperately want to learn in new ways, and
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this responsibility lies with the teachers. I also believe that my staff wants to learn how
to use technology in the best way that they can. My coworkers need to be shown how to
use these tools and how they can benefit from them in their classrooms.
This situation has provided me with a perfect opportunity to organize a Web 2.0
training session for teachers that are interested in learning how to integrate new
technological tools into their curriculum. The need for change is present within my
organization and I believe that in order to facilitate these changes, an organized training
session that demonstrates how to use Web 2.0 tools, specifically Wikispaces and blogs,
will begin the change process in my school.
Project Description
Before I officially decided on the subject of my project I first spoke with my
administrators along with the technology teacher about what I was planning. I informed
them that I was interested in offering a training session on wikis and blogs and if teachers
wanted to attend it was completely at their discretion. I explained the goals of my project
and what I intended on accomplishing. All parties were excited about my plan and
encouraged me to move forward with the project.
Once I had received an approval from my administrators, I began speaking with
coworkers informally about their interest in Web 2.0 technologies and if they would be
interested in attending a training session that offered support with using wikis and blogs.
Through word of mouth, I discovered that there were several teachers that wanted to
learn how to use wikis and blogs to improve their instruction. From this strong show of
enthusiasm from teachers, I created an email list of interested participants and started the
planning process.
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I continued to speak informally with potential participants because it was crucial
that I understood what their needs were and where they stood in terms of technology
integration in their classroom. From these conversations, I began creating a prior/post
survey that measured my participants prior knowledge relating to wiki and blog use in
the classroom. This survey also served as a post survey to measure what my participants
learned through the training session. I created this survey using the online tool,
SurveyMonkey, and I distributed it via email. To view the prior/post knowledge survey
see table 1 in the appendix.
After I sent out the prior knowledge survey, I waited for my participants to
respond. I needed to collect and analyze the data in the survey so I had a good idea of
what kinds of information I needed to present. The survey gave me good insight into
what my participants needed and wanted as a result of the training session. After
analyzing and compiling my data, I was able to begin creating my instructional materials.
For my instructional materials, I created an informational presentation in Keynote
to introduce my participants to the goals of the session, a brief background and history of
Web 2.0, and an overall explanation of wikis and blogs. I also created a sample wiki and
blog site that I used to demonstrate how these tools work. Along with these tools, I
created short and targeted activities for my participants to familiarize themselves with
these tools. To view the instructional materials for the project see table 2 in the appendix.
Goals
My primary goal was to help my fellow coworkers understand that using Web 2.0
tools can be effective, relevant, fun and most importantly, easy, in their classrooms. By
working to achieve this goal, I also concentrated on addressing these additional goals:
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Through the use of wiki and blog training, the participant teachers will be able to
create a wikispace and blog account
Explain the purpose of wiki and blog tools and the advantages (peer collaboration,
easy access to resources, peer editing, etc.) of using them
Create and design a wiki and a blog for classroom use
Utilize the fundamental tools and basic set up of wikis and blogs
These goals were explained to my participants at the beginning of the training session so
they know what to expect throughout the training.
Constraints and Requirements
After speaking with my administrators and the technology teacher at my school, I
was given complete authority to construct my training session and do what was needed in
order to successfully complete the project. Fortunately, I did not encounter many
constraints. However, the one constraint I did encounter was time. It was very difficult
to schedule a time that worked for all of my participant teachers. I had to work very hard
sending emails and coordinating everyones schedule in order to find a training session
time that worked for everyone. In the end, the common time for everyone to meet was
the last week of the school year.
I was required to check in with my administrators about the dates that I selected
for the training to guarantee that the training would not conflict with anything else on the
schools events calendar. Besides this requirement, I had the freedom to do what I
needed to do in order to complete my internship assignment.
My Role in Planning and Implementation
I believe that I am very fortunate because I work in a small school setting. This
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provided me with several advantages while conducting my internship project. Because of
the school that I am at, I was allowed to have a lot of freedom in the planning process and
I was able to make all of my decisions on my own. After consulting others for their
opinions, perspectives and expertise, I planned and implemented what I believed to be the
best action for my project.
I was responsible for scheduling training sessions, sending announcements to
participants, and independently leading the training. I created all the instructional
materials on my own and also created the prior/post survey. This was an individual
project where all responsibilities were mine.
Methods and Strategies for Change
Personally, I was very motivated and eager to convince my fellow coworkers that
they should all integrate wikis and blogs into their classroom and that these tools will
revolutionize the ways that they teach and their students learn. Prior to the training, I
naively envisioned all of the teachers immediately recognizing the benefits of these tools
and the advantages that they offered. However, this was not reality. As someone that
was promoting change, I knew that I should expect some caution and hesitation on the
part of my participating teachers. For this reason, I wanted to guarantee that the training
session was meaningful, relevant and organized and that I was prepared to answer
questions and provide my teachers with helpful resources if I was unable to answer their
questions.
I realized that some of my participating teachers were skeptical of these Web 2.0
tools and unaware of the benefits they offer. For this reason, I chose to open my session
with a background presentation on the history of Web 2.0 and on overview of wikis and
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blogs. This allowed me to clearly explain why these tools are popular in an educational
setting and the applications that they can offer teachers and students. I believe that by
providing my participating teachers with this knowledge at the beginning of the session,
they were more willing to learn how to use these tools and use them in their classroom.
After reviewing the prior knowledge surveys, I knew that my participant teachers
were all at different levels of understanding relating to wikis and blogs. Because of this
reason, I knew I had to move through the training material and a moderate pace to hold
and retain the interest of everyone.
After the training session was completed, I made it clear that I would be available
for the rest of the school year by appointment if any teacher wanted or needed further
assistance with their newly created wikis and/or blogs. I believe that by offering further
help and coaching with these tools will provide more opportunities for my coworkers to
become successful with using these technologies.
Schedule
For the most part, I was able to remain on schedule with my proposed schedule
for my internship project. See table 3 in the appendix to view the original schedule with
few modifications.
Research
The literature I reviewed helped me approach the change process in a constructive
way by understanding the best change tactics for any organization. I was able to use the
advice and guidance offered by different authors to assist me with my internship project.
All literature I came across clearly suggested that change was a difficult process for most
people and should be carefully planned with all things considered. It seems that change
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is such a difficult process for people to undergo for many reasons, but mainly, change is
difficult simply because it is hard (Prensky, 2008, 64). Because of this, I wanted to make
my training as simple and easy to understand as possible for my participating teachers. I
worked very hard to accommodate everyones scheduled and by sending out immediate
notifications about new developments with the project.
If the training were easy with few to no obstacles preventing my participant
teachers from attending, then it would be easier for me to accomplish my project goals.
One of those goals was to expose my coworkers to new technology. According to Butler
and Sellborm, new technologies will spread by diffusion and this is what I am hoping
will happen in my school (Butler & Sellborm, 2002, 22). The more teachers that have
been introduced to these technologies, the more common they will become throughout
the school, allowing students to be more familiar with them as well.
I was also encouraged by Ernst Mohrs article, Incremental Innovations, to have
my training move at a moderate pace that wasnt too slow or too fast for my participating
teachers. Mohr explains that if the change is too drastic than the opposition to change
will be higher (Mohr, 2007, 6). I worked to avoid the resistance to change on the part of
my participant teachers by maintaining a sensible pace throughout the session. I also
provide ample time for questions and work time so that the teachers could easily become
familiar with the tools I was presenting.
Project Outcome
From the informal verbal feedback from my coworkers along with the post
knowledge survey results, the wikis and blog training appears to have been a success in
many regards.
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After reviewing the post knowledge survey results, it is clear that there were many
positive outcomes from the training session. After the session, one hundred percent of
the participant teachers created a wiki and blog account. There was a clear knowledge
increase in every measured category on the survey. All participants increased their
knowledge of wikis and blogs by at least one knowledge category. This was extremely
encouraging because this means that now all of the teachers that participated in my
training at least have a beginner level knowledge of wikis and blogs. I believe that this
is crucial when creating change within your organization/school because now it will be so
much easier for change to take place, and disseminate throughout the entire organization.
Reflection
I believe that the work I completed for my internship project was very meaningful
and relevant and I was able to establish myself as a technology leader in my school. The
work that I completed last semester was important to me because it allowed me to apply
what I have learned in the ILT program to my work setting. This experience has given
me the confidence to be a technology leader in my organization and I want to continue
using my skills and knowledge the best ways I know how.
For these reason, I am excited for the upcoming school year and to see how my
coworkers change their instruction as a result of my training. I am also excited to see
how my students change as a result of my coworkers new knowledge of Web 2.0 and
wikis and blogs. Finally, I am excited to see my entire organization change for the better
as these new technologies are effectively infused within all classrooms in my building.
I am looking forward to meeting with teachers next year and helping them
in any way I can with their wiki and blog accounts. I will be communicating with all of
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my participant teachers about their accounts and reminding them of simple and fun ways
to integrate them into their lessons.
References
1. Butler, D. L. , & Sellbom, M. (2002). Barriers to adoptingtechnology for teaching and learning. Educause Quarterly , 2 ,
22-28.
2. Mohr, E. (2007). Incremental innovations: changing the culture of
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teaching and learning . Educause Review, (September/October), 6-7.
3. Prensky, M. (2008). The Courage to change: guiding teachers to thenew paradigm . Educational Technology , (May/June), 64.
Appendix
Table 1. Prior/Post Knowledge Survey
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Table 2. Instructional Materials
Wikis Instructional Page: http://cfahs-staff.wikispaces.com/WikisBlogs Instructional Page: http://cfahs-staff.wikispaces.com/Blogs
KeyNote Presentation: PDF Format
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http://cfahs-staff.wikispaces.com/Wikishttp://cfahs-staff.wikispaces.com/Blogshttp://opt/scribd/conversion/tmp/scratch2703/Wikis%20-Blogs%20Intership%20Project.pdfhttp://cfahs-staff.wikispaces.com/Wikishttp://cfahs-staff.wikispaces.com/Blogshttp://opt/scribd/conversion/tmp/scratch2703/Wikis%20-Blogs%20Intership%20Project.pdf8/9/2019 Internship Report - Dyer
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Table 3. Schedule
Week: Task to Complete: # Hours: Modifications
2/11. Write and submit Internship Project
Proposal2. Begin creating outline plan from project
requirements, steps and procedures
10 hours
2/81. Research benefits of Web 2.0 tools,
specifically wikis and blogs5 hours
2/151. Research benefits of Web 2.0 tools,
specifically wikis and blogs5 hours
2/22
1. Research benefits of Web 2.0 tools,
specifically wikis and blogs2. Begin building pre assessment
survey/questionnaire for participating
teachersa. Use SurveyMonkey.com
3 hours
3/1
1. Finalize pre assessment survey
2. Begin creating training materials:a. Training wiki and blog
b. Objectives to address
c. Background information onbenefits of using Web 2.0 tools for
instructional purposesd. How to create accountse. How to manage accounts
f. How to customize accounts
g. How to add content to accounts
h. How to moderate blog postsi. How to publish/remove comments
20 hours
3/81. Continues creating training materials 20 hours
3/15
1. Distribute pre assessment survey to
participating teachers
2. Review survey responses and adjustinstruction as needed
3. Continue creating traing materials
10 hours
I distributed
the survey a
couple weeksafter the
proposed date
3/22
1. Schedule training times with participating
teachers.
2. Continue creating training materials5 hours
3/29 1. Reschedule training sessions 5 hours This was
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2. Continue creating training materials
unexpected and
due to busyteacher
schedules and
other
unexpectedconflicts
4/5 1. Reschedule training sessions2. Continue creating training materials
5 hours
This was
unexpected and
due to busy
teacherschedules and
other
unexpectedconflicts
4/12-
5/171. Reschedule training sessions
2. Continue creating training materials5 hours
This was
unexpected anddue to busy
teacher
schedules andother
unexpected
conflicts
5/24 1. Complete training over wikis and blogsduring this week
10 hours
Finally
rescheduled forthe last week
of school
5/31 1. Distribute post assessment survey2. Review data from surveys 10 hours
6/7-
7/121. Write final report 50 hours
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