Jodi Bahrijczuk

FA 2020 Educational Technology Intern

Amy McGinn (ET-691-W01)
10/06/2020
Internship Proposal Revision

Time has flown by during my education with Loyola University in the Educational

Technology Master’s Program. To just pick one topic to accomplish in my proposal is very

tough, especially during this unprecedented time of being virtual for teaching in the times of

COVID-19. Outlined in my proposal, I plan to take action to make an impact in my school’s

environment in transitioning as all educators are learning as we go in hopes to make an impact

for our students while they learn from home.

Rationale and Participants

We must rationalize the importance of our internship and to do this means I am speaking

towards making a plan to help in a crazy time. In an educational world that is filled with new

challenges and obstacles, educators must adapt to new teaching styles for the 2020-21 school

year, as my county I teach in (HCPSS) will be online for the first two quarters of the school year

due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is necessary that educators plan, act and engage learners

during this digital time. I am taking this task to my school building to have my participants be

myself, the Murray Hill Middle School administration as well as the staff members I work with

on a normal school day.

So many times, you hear about special education and the staff members teaching this

population, getting left in the dark when it comes to modified curriculum and planning. Now to

throw in the task of being digital, special educators are making material and constantly

brainstorming how to teach with digital resources. This means hours upon hours sitting in front

of the computer. No one was prepared for this digital world. For my internship this fall, I am
planning to help with this task. My objectives I want to accomplish during this course are the

following:

Objectives

● Increase staff members’ ability to modify work for special education students by training

though a webinar session.

● Provide staff a Google Drive Folder with Digital Resources to help them with their

teaching.

● Establish myself as a resource or mentor that is flexible to support staff in furthering their

digital resource use in their classrooms.

Models of Change

By addressing these objectives in my school environment, I will be referencing Ely’s

Eight Conditions of Change. “Identifying and addressing each of the eight conditions will lead to

a better understanding of what is necessary for successful and sustainable change to take place

(Ely, 1990).” I will specifically be addressing Ely’s third condition of change which places a

requirement on the availability of resources to those who are implementing the innovation. Ely

(1990) noted that this is likely to be the most self-evident condition of implementing change and

that "resources are broadly defined as those tools and other relevant materials that are accessible

to assist learners to acquire learning objectives." It is important to address this resource shortage

as it will be the catalyst for many teachers to address change in their virtual learning. Learning

must continue and for this change to occur, teachers must be provided with resources and

teaching materials to assist in making digital learning more engaging and practical for their

learners. The second condition of change I will be referring to during my fall internship will be

the last of Ely’s Eight Conditions of Change. While I might not be the only person leading for
change in my building, it is evident that some leadership takes place. I would like to be a leader

or mentor in my building for my staff to lean on and take guidance from when dealing with

needing special education modified digital resources. I will use Ely’s responsibilities to define

my leadership role in my school. I will provide encouragement, insure training is delivered,

insure that resources are available and be easily identified as a person to turn to in this digital

time.

Learning Activities/Instruction/ Online Learning/Timeline

My internship will address change through creating a digital environment and a central

resource place for the staff at MHMS to use over the course of the 20-21 school year. This

change will bring on new digital implementation in the classrooms. This change will help

educators to feel more comfortable using digital resources and applications in their teachings. To

give an overview of the learning activities and instruction I will provide I will complete the

following:

● Via Google Drive, I will create a hub that contains modified materials for all

content in all grades ranging from all content areas to related art programs. (*My

personal plan for documentation/reflection*)

● Create a webinar to share with my staff in how to create on-the-fly modified

resources for students with special needs and accommodations.

● Collaborate with my staff to see what specific needs they require for digital

resources via surveys through Google Forms to evaluate the participants’ learning

To address the required online learning component of my internship I have already

created a digital resource Google Drive for my staff’s planning needs. This includes technology

tools and resources like Google Surveys, Google Slides, Peardeck and HyperDocs. I have also
led a professional development in training staff on Google Drive basics during our preservice

days. I will also create a webinar screencast in how to modify materials digitally as well as how

to navigate my digital archive for special education resources, as stated before. The timeline in

this scenario ranges over the course the 20-21 school year. Starting it off quickly, I have already

led a pre-service training to gauge where my staff are in needing digital resources. A digital

resource committee was formed and we collaboratively meet every 2 weeks to meet the needs of

our staff. On top of this, I am constantly emailing teachers who reach out for help in modifying

their curriculum for the special education students in their classes.

My plan may change if we are to go back face-to-face. To address this, I will be in

constant communication with my staff and administration to gauge their digital needs. I do not

think that all students will come back to brick and mortar at once, so I may still be a resource for

students working from home partially during the school week. This will focus on the pedagogical

changes of Collaboration and Reflection approaches. At any time, things could change and

having an approach will help in planning for the students best interests.

Adult Learning

I thoroughly believe that my proposal meets the needs of adult learners. I understand

Knowles’ Nine Findings about the adult learner and I have tailored my leadership to address

them. I must control their learning, maximize resources and anticipate how they will use the

resources I provide them, to only name a view.

Technology Integration

My learning activities also evaluate the participants’ learning through the TPACK model.

I explain the set of knowledge that teachers need to teach their students a subject, teach

effectively, and use technology effectively in a pedagogical practice as well as a technology-

enhanced learning environment. To wrap up my proposal I will outline the five EdTech Key

Concepts that my internship will address and have a brief explanation of each one.

1. Learning Objective 7.1: Candidates will be able to apply models of technology in school

(such as SAMR, TPACK, and/or TIM) to incorporate technology tools to improve

teaching and learning. Applying TPACK into tech resources for students to use digitally.

2. Learning Objective 17.1: Candidates will be able to locate a variety of technology

resources, evaluate them for classroom use, and assist colleagues with this process. I will

create a Google Drive of resources and materials for my school.

3. Learning Objective 14.2: Candidates will be able to demonstrate the ability to lead

technology initiatives at the school or district level. I will lead in being a mentor for

applying digital resources for staff in my school.

4. Learning Objective 15.1: Candidates will be able to apply models of professional

learning to begin the process of real change in a school. I will lead in pre-service tech tool

tips for my staff.

5. Learning Objective 5.1: Candidates will be able to develop an online facilitation plan

based on best practices of online learning and teaching that demonstrates their ability to

teach in the online environment. I will use my resources and modified digital work with

my own student for self-reflection.

I thoroughly hope that my internship helps my students, staff and parents involved in such a

tough time for all.

References

Ely, D. P. (1990). Conditions that facilitate the implementation of educational technology

innovations. Journal of Research on Computing in Education, v. 23, 298-305.