EDLD+5388+Internship

(The newest reflections are at the beginning)
__**Week 4 Web Conference - June 17**__ I was able to attend the web conference this evening. The new laptop works like a charm...video, sound, camera, mic....what more can I ask for in conference technology. I enjoyed the meeting this evening because I have felt as if I can't catch my breathe the last 4 weeks and wondered if I will be able to graduate or not. During the conference the UPS guy delivered my cap and gown so it has given me the extra fight that I need to get my degree completed. This meeting included many students who are not in my cohort and it was interesting to see and hear some of the same questions that I had when I started this program. Truthfully, I have enjoyed this course very much, but it would be nice to have been able to seen at least one section of someones portfolio to make sure that I am doing what they are asking for. Many times, even with a rubric, I read and interpret much more (and sometimes not enough) of what they want....I can spent hours rewriting, or redoing work to end up with something that I had in the beginning. This course has made me truly appreciate all of the other 11 courses. I am especially thankful because I am not in the K-12 area and this is all completely new to me. I am looking forward to next week, to see my finished portfolio. I have worked very hard to accomplish some of the goals that I have set for myself...to learn more about technology, how to use it in the classroom, and to earn my master's degree in August...thanks Lamar for offering this program.

__**Week 3 Web Conference - June 10**__

This week I attended the meeting with cohorts 4 and up. Although I felt a little out of pocket, this group asked many questions that I had been concerned about and seemed just as concerned about wanting to do well. One gentleman asked about doubling up on courses and I told him to think twice. Although it is possible because many of my current cohorts are doing it along with me, I do not get much rest and feel like a giant stress ball that needs some definite "squeezing" I keep looking at the date on the calendar that reads August 14, and think TWO MORE WEEKS. All in all, it has been a great experience and I wish the "newbies" the best. The one thing that I really liked was the collaboration that they have on additional wiki's for the section. I wish we had done something like that to help us.

__**Week 2 Web Conference - June 2**__

This conference was kind of crazy in that I had to rush back from a NISOD convention in order to make the 6:00 meeting. I was also using a new computer that I purchased only 3 hours earlier so it was kind of stressful wondering if my mic and camera would be working effectively. I logged on at 5:45, and waiting very patiently for 15 minutes before receiving a message that the meeting would start at 7:30. Frustrated that I was not included, I tried logging back in and was accepted into the meeting. I was excited to see that my new laptop was ready to go and did not have the same issues as my old desktop. Thank you technology! In the meeting I learned that I am not the only one that is completely frustrated in what we have to do. I HAVE read the Version 3 of the Handbook. I HAVE all of my papers in. I HAVE everything I think that I need, but putting it together is just hard when you do not quite understand what you think you are suppose to. Throughout the meeting, a couple continued to have video or mic issues, or those who were asking the same questions. I was very thankful that Dr. A shared a wiki site from another student prior to the meeting because it seemed to make a little sense, although my wiki is definitely a little different....but DIFFERENT is good sometimes...it shows creativity, my own work, and my understanding....although it may not be the correct understanding. Grades and time will tell. I did learn that I needed to reflect on the assignments rather than the courses so I made some changes to my Week 1 work. I also learned that I had to actually post the assignments to the wiki....which I did change after the web conference. (I found that it took forever because the instructions forgot to tell you that the attach button is located in a different area of the toolbar) Although many people decided to share their wiki's, I have never received a response from any of them so I kind of felt like I was left out. I really think that we should have a cohort wiki where everyone should post a link so that we can view other wikis to see if we are on the right page instead of feeling very overwhelmed. Overall, the meeting was great because my technology worked the way it should have all along and I know that I can figure out what I am suppose to be doing. If not, I will be very disappointed in a few weeks, especially on Augusgt 14. I sure hope that paying for my graduation, my gown, and some invites is not a bad omen. Just a few more weeks....

__**Week 1 Assignment 1.1**__

In our assignments this week we are required to document our participation in the web conferences that we have participated in. The first web conference for my cohort (3) was held at 4:30 on Sunday, which was apparently full because I could not get in....or due to the computer that I was using at the time. It never fails, but it seems technology always works perfectly until you really need it. I tried to login again at the 7:30 conference and was successful. In this conference, it was primarily students just beginning the program so I (and another student) felt a little out of place. As usual, Dr. A. suggested that we email any issues or questions directly to her...which I did immediately after the conference. During the conference, I learned more about the new requirements for the students and was thankful that I am almost finished with the program.

__**Week 1 Web Conference - May 24**__

During this conference, it was nice to be able to see some of the other students in Cohort 1 and 2 who are ready to complete, or just finished their work and ready to graduate. It was also nice to see some of the students in my cohort that I have been working with for the last 18 months. It seemed like being with "family." The conference had a few issues, but overall we discussed some of the forms, some of the standards and the requirements for the course. It was very enlightening to me, but made me a little more concerned because I am taking two courses in order to be able to graduate in August. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed with one....but I am always able to pull through because this degree is very important to me. I feel that this internship course will be very beneficial to my success in the future so that I will fully understand and can apply the standards in the classroom.

I am really excited about working with two site mentors for this course -- Dr. Karen Garrett and Fred Hills (my direct supervisor). Working with both is extra challenging with my busy schedule, but I am learning two different areas...classroom use and professional development. Most days, it seems as if I am being pulled in two different directions. With Dr. Garrett, I am making some changes to one of my lab courses that I have been using the past several semesters and have shared it with our full time faculty, as well as our adjunct faculty. The course will now implement more Web 2.0 tools, in addition to more student involvement. I am working real hard to incorporate what I have learned into not only my course, but into Dr. Garretts courses. I will also be sharing what I have completed through a departmental meeting in two weeks.

So far, my experience with Mr. Hills has been good and bad. I do not mean that in a bad way, I just felt like I did not have the ability to do what he was requiring me to do....of course, all in the name of being his "mentee." My "internship" with him began when he said that I would be part of the Summer Faculty Technology Institute Presenters for our campus faculty. I was already familiar with a few of these "faculty/students", but many of them are new to our campus, or new to me. I felt pressured to be the super professional that I assumed that they required and did not want to let them, my boss (Fred Hills) or myself down. I always give 150% to my clases and felt like anything below 500% would not be tolerated. Although my other courses seemed as if they were beginning to pile up on top of me, I managed to find time to "multitask." In addition to helping or giving new ideas for several of the other sections, it was my responsibility to cover four of them on my own. In addition to teaching faculty about Web 2.0 tools, we taught them how to use some of the tools available, taught them how to use them and how they could be used in their courses. This was a hybrid style course where they learning both online and face-to-face. Although I initially tried to get out of this, it ended up to be a wonderful learning experience and something that I would love to do again. In addition, it helped me to reach several of my standards (as they apply to my current work environment) and lots of hours. I am thankful for this experience and learned much more than I could have imagined...in fact, I would like to be a part of it again next year.