Secondary Education Reflection

"My internship work at the Beacon School has been instructive and personally rewarding. By being an intern through the Institute for Learning Technologies and working with Elizabeth Rebull at Beacon, I have been able to observe and share first hand in the experiences of high school teachers and students as they integrate technology into their daily school lives…

I attempted to plan and implement a project for ninth graders which would integrate computer technology in a deep and meaningful way into their existing humanities and computer curricula. I wanted the students to achieve the following goals: 1) to learn and gain mastery of a computer program they had not used before, 2) to use the computer and the Internet as a tool for creation and personal expression, 3) to use the computer and the Internet to aid and to represent meaningful learning in a humanities class, and 4) to see their teachers work together to cross disciplinary boundaries…

While this project is very much the product of Brian and Elizabeth combining their existing curricula in exciting new ways, I also believe that they would not have undertaken this project without my help and urging. This is perhaps what I am most proud of in looking back on the experience…

I know I have benefited greatly from my time at Beacon in the ILT internship and will hope to bring this same boundless approach to future educational endeavors."

"I wanted to see how the other half uses technology. I wanted to contrast my previous teaching experience with a school widely regarded as excellent. I found a Beacon of hope…

Having a point of reference with which to compare my experience at Beacon made for a steep learning curve. I quickly experienced some of the essential elements of a solid technology plan…I discovered how a school truly can teach with the latest innovations in digital technology without being about technology. Many students and teachers at Beacon have become tech savvy in the truest sense of being technorealists. They understand the benefits and shortcomings of using technology and choose their tools wisely…

My internship at the Beacon School has restored my faith in the power of public schools. Given the right set of circumstances, technology does in fact provide opportunities to revolutionize the way people learn, share, grow, and function."

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