Digital Internship 2.0 Final

Digital Internship 2.0 Final Report

by Alec Couros, PhD Marc Spooner, PhD Vi Maeers, PhD Ashley Quark

for the Ministry of Education Government of Saskatchewan and Saskatchewan Instructional Development and Research Unit (SIDRU)

March 2008

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Digital Internship Project 2.0 was a research-based training project designed to provide preservice teacher interns with focused, sustained, and pedagogically appropriate educational technology experiences. The project required the participation of interns, cooperating teachers, school division personnel, and a team of researchers and trainers from the Faculty of Education, University of Regina. Digital Internship 2.0 was managed by the Saskatchewan Instructional Development and Research Unit (SIDRU) and funded by the Ministry of Education, Government of Saskatchewan, for the period of July 15, 2007 to March 31, 2008. This report is divided into three sections. The Introduction provides an overview of the project as framed within a longer, recent history of technology-related initiatives in the Faculty of Education. The Research Process and Findings section describes the approach to data analysis and presents the findings of the study framed through four major themes. Future Directions comments on the implementation of Digital Internship 2.0 and offers techno-pedagogically informed strategies for partnerships of stakeholders within the Saskatchewan educational context. The section ends with a summary of changes to undergraduate programming at the Faculty of Education.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Research Dr. Alec Couros: Dr. Marc Spooner: Dr. Vi Maeers: Ashley Quark:

Project Coordinator/Researcher/Trainer/Writer Researcher/Trainer/Writer Researcher/Trainer/Writer Researcher/Trainer/Writer

Project Advisor Dr. Michael Tymchak, Director, SIDRU School Division Partners Kathy Cassidy, Prairie South School Division Milissa Gavel, Good Spirit School Division Stu Harris, Regina Public Schools Shelley Lowes, Regina Catholic Schools Julie Machnaik, Faculty of Education, University of Regina Marni McMillan, Regina Public Schools Dean Shareski, Prairie South School Division Ev Sillers, (formerly) Prairie South School Division To all of our cooperating teachers from various school divisions - this project would have been impossible without all of you. Contracting Agency Ministry of Education, Government of Saskatchewan

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TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY...........................................................................................................................................I ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS........................................................................................................................................II INTRODUCTION.........................................................................................................................................................1 FACULTY OF EDUCATION CONTEXT...............................................................................................................1 HISTORY...................................................................................................................................................................2 OVERVIEW...............................................................................................................................................................3 Purpose...........................................................................................................................................................................3 Participants....................................................................................................................................................................4 Project Outline...............................................................................................................................................................4 Laptops...........................................................................................................................................................................4 Professional Development Workshops ..........................................................................................................................4 Online Community of Learners......................................................................................................................................6 Opportunities to Attain Technological Hardware for Schools.......................................................................................6 Research.........................................................................................................................................................................6 RESEARCH PROCESS AND FINDINGS.................................................................................................................7 DATA ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION............................................................................................................7 FINDINGS.................................................................................................................................................................7 Effects on the Intern and the School...............................................................................................................................7

Staying current.....................................................................................................................8 Developing self-efficacy......................................................................................................8 Forming support networks and an arena for sharing and springboarding...........................8 Additional technology resource ..........................................................................................9 Catalysts of change..............................................................................................................9 Recipients of supplementary mentorship.............................................................................9 Effects on Teaching........................................................................................................................................................9

The allocation of hardware and support.............................................................................10 Greater access to a wide array of teaching tools and authentic resources.........................10 Enhanced assessment possibilities and options.................................................................11 Effects on Students........................................................................................................................................................12

Quality of the resources accessible to students..................................................................12 Motivation and comportment in the classroom.................................................................13 Perceiving lessons as accommodating and personally relevant.........................................13 Fostering digital literacy....................................................................................................14 Confidence and sense of responsibility..............................................................................15 Barriers ........................................................................................................................................................................15

Time...................................................................................................................................16 Resources in the school......................................................................................................16 Disparate school policies...................................................................................................17 Initial parental resistance...................................................................................................17 CONCLUSION........................................................................................................................................................18 FUTURE DIRECTIONS............................................................................................................................................18 COMMENTS ON DIGITAL INTERNSHIP 2.0 IMPLEMENTATION................................................................18 Laptops are Beneficial to Interns.................................................................................................................................18 Intentional Communities are Difficult to Maintain......................................................................................................19 Parental Education and Involvement Vital..................................................................................................................20

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Liberal Policies and Support are Beneficial to Technology-Infused Practice.............................................................20 Saskatchewan Has Many Great Examples - Look Beyond the Borders (for resources, practice)...............................21 CHANGES IN PROGRAMMING AT THE FACULTY OF EDUCATION.........................................................21 ECMP 355 and ECMP 455..........................................................................................................................................21 Business, Technology and Media Education................................................................................................................22 Educational Core Studies.............................................................................................................................................22 CONCLUSION............................................................................................................................................................22 REFERENCES............................................................................................................................................................24

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INTRODUCTION This section provides an overview of the project as framed within a longer, recent history of technology initiatives at the Faculty of Education. The Faculty context, a historical overview of related initiatives, and a project overview are provided in detail. This introductory section also provides the relevant framework for the subsequent discussion of research analysis and findings. FACULTY OF EDUCATION CONTEXT With the increasing availability of computers in schools and universities, and with a provincial curriculum calling for inquiry-oriented teaching and learning, possibilities for integrating technology into the curriculum are expanding. Unfortunately, schoolteachers and university faculty are generally ill-prepared to adapt quickly to changing learning environments and changing pedagogies that our technological world demands. Our experience as faculty members exploring information communication technologies (ICTs) over the past 6 years convinces us that the preparation of teachers is not hierarchical; university teachers and preservice teachers need to work together in meaningful situations that explore the different ways that ICTs can be appropriately employed in teaching and learning. We need to learn and grow together because of differing levels of expertise and because the ICT landscape is constantly evolving as we are learning. There is an immediate need to develop a collaborative model that addresses the integration of ICT and the professional development of these main players. The Faculty of Education at the University of Regina has made concerted efforts in recent years to develop the skills of preservice teachers and faculty members in the use of ICTs in the teaching and learning process. Currently, preinternship students in the elementary program are exposed to ICT modules in two semesters, preparing them to explore the use of technology in their classrooms. As well, the Faculty of Education offers two undergraduate courses, ECMP 355 and ECMP 455, that focus on the integration of ICTs in the classroom across subject areas. ECMP 355 is mandatory for Arts Education students, but is an elective for all other students in the faculty. Unfortunately, due to restrictions imposed by students’ individual programs and subject areas, as well as to the number of seats available in these classes, many students do not have the opportunity to take either of these classes. Therefore, the Digital Internship Project and, subsequently, the Digital Internship Project 2.0 were developed as action-research projects to complement existing programs and to assist in preparing preservice teachers to effectively integrate ICTs in their teaching and learning. The Digital Internship Project 2.0, which was implemented in 2007-08, was an extension of the iTeacherEd project (2002-04) funded by Industry Canada’s SchoolNet E-Learning Programs (SIDRU, 2004) and was also an extension of the original Digital Internship Project in 2006-07, funded by Saskatchewan Learning. These projects were shaped largely by a national conversation on the use of technology in teacher education that produced a useful framework document in 2004 (University of Calgary). A number of recommendations were made that related to teacher education and proposed strategies to use ICTs to develop communities of practice and knowledge building among preservice teachers, cooperating teachers, and education faculty members. The report encouraged research on exemplary practices in teacher education.

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While the iTeacherEd project focused on developing an integrated model of infusing technology into teacher education, the Digital Internship Project focused on preparing and working with interns to achieve higher levels of integration of ICTs into the learning environment during their 16-week internship. Our earlier experiences showed us that it is very difficult to implement a model for technology integration that all students would experience in preparation for internship. For example, preinternship ICT modules were not very successful unless faculty members used the knowledge and skills that students developed in the workshops in specific student assignments. Faculty members were often not knowledgeable in the skill set that the students were learning in the ICT modules and were, therefore, unable to demonstrate the effective and seamless integration of these ICTs into their subject area classes. Therefore, the Digital Internship Project specifically focused on the internship as a more manageable place to provide support to students in their attempts to more meaningfully use ICTs in their planning and teaching. The Digital Internship Project 2.0, sponsored by the Educational Technology Consortium, SaskLearning, enabled the Faculty of Education to create a learning experience for 34 interns and their cooperating teachers that was qualitatively different from the experiences of the other 250 plus interns. The experience provided workshops throughout internship to enable these interns to form a community with each other, with members of the Educational Technology community, and with the project researchers. During these workshops, interns were not only exposed to new ideas, but they were also given opportunities to share their ICT adventures with the community and were provided with time to plan and problem solve with the workshop leaders and their peers. The interns were also given laptop computers to use during the internship experience. This report claims that the unique internship experience established in this project has had a strong effect on all those involved, especially the interns. We make no claims about increased achievement for the students in the classrooms involved, for that would be somewhat premature. However, we do see evidence to claim that the use of ICTs by interns has broadened the scope of classroom activities, has provided a “digital-world” connection with their students, and, in general, has better prepared them to integrate ICTs into the learning environment in their first year of teaching. The project has also provided us, as teacher educators, with a more realistic view of what interns can accomplish at this stage in their development as teachers. We trust that this report will provide a picture of a collaborative model for teacher education that involves faculty, students, cooperating teachers, and faculty advisors that might serve to benefit other teacher education institutions across Canada. HISTORY In the fall of 2006, the original Digital Internship Project was launched. The purpose of the Project was to work collaboratively with interns, cooperating teachers, faculty advisors, and IT consultants to assist interns to effectively integrate ICTs into the 16-week internship. Sixteen interns volunteered to participate in the project and each received a laptop to use throughout their internship. Digital interns participated in 4 days of professional development workshops that focused on:

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examining models of ICT integration in the classroom introducing media awareness in the classroom using specific Web 2.0 software such as blogging, wikis, podcasting, photosharing in an educational context • using technology as a part of a differentiated learning environment. • • •

As well, the Digital Internship Project was an action research project and, as a result, data collection took place throughout the internship semester and included online surveys for all interns (digital interns and nondigital interns), online surveys for cooperating teachers, individual interviews and focus groups with digital interns, and visits to interns’ schools to observe the use of ICTs in the classroom. OVERVIEW As an extension of the original Digital Internship Project, the Digital Internship Project 2.0 focused on working with interns during the Fall 2007 internship. To better understand the integration of ICTs in the teaching and learning process, action research was employed. Purpose As an extension of the original Digital Internship project, the purposes of the Digital Internship Project 2.0 built on those of the original project. The objectives of the Digital Internship Project 2.0 include: 1.

Continuing to focus on initiatives established in the original Digital Internship Project:  facilitating intern-developed integrated units and materials for a lesson repository  providing pedagogical and technical support for interns to engage with technological change and to be innovative in their use of available technological resources  increasing interns’ level of awareness and skill surrounding the use of emerging digital literacies (such as wikis, blogs, and podcasts) to enhance classroom instruction and to facilitate student learning.

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A new focus emerging from the original Digital Internship Project involved preparing interns to share information about technological media with their school community (parents, teachers, administrators, and students). During the workshops, interns prepared training materials and/or workshops to share with their school communities on the following media-awareness issues:  Cyberbullying and cybersafety  Understanding participation in digital communities as producers and consumers of media  Commercialism and marketing on the Internet  Taking responsibility as a netizen (i.e., a responsible Internet citizen).

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Fostering the development of authentic digital learning communities by grouping interns with experts in the teaching profession who have been integrating technology in the classroom in innovative ways

Participants The Digital Internship Project 2.0 was met with increased enthusiasm from students, resulting in 34 students from the elementary (14 students), middle years (6), secondary (6), and arts education (8) programs volunteering to participate in the project. These interns were paired with cooperating teachers who were also willing to participate in the project. The project team at the University of Regina consisted of 3 faculty members and a graduate student researcher (Digital Internship team). Building on partnerships developed in the original Digital Internship Project, IT consultants from the school divisions involved provided a conduit to the eight participating school divisions in and around Regina (Regina Public, Regina Catholic, Prairie South, Southeast Cornerstone, Good Spirit, Horizon, Prairie Valley, Holy Trinity). The project team communicated regularly with the Professional Development Advisory Committee to the Educational Technology Consortium (chaired by Christel Gee, Regina Catholic School Division). Meetings were called as warranted by the project director and by the Advisory Committee chairperson. This project had the support of the Dean of Education and the Associate Dean, Faculty Development and Human Resources, as well as the Director of the Centre for Academic Technologies. Project Outline The Digital Internship Project 2.0 involved a number of components including laptops for each intern, professional development workshops, an online learning community, opportunities to attain technological hardware for their schools, and research. Laptops As part of the project, each digital intern had access to a laptop for the duration of the internship semester. When the call-out for volunteers took place in Spring 2007, the project was originally planning to have 17 interns participate as we only had seventeen laptops. However, at the request of some of the interns who volunteered, we invited interns to participate in the project and use their own laptop if they owned one. As a result, we were able to accommodate all interns who applied to participate in the project and all interns had a laptop to use, whether supplied by the Digital Internship Project or by the intern. Professional Development Workshops During the Fall 2007 internship, interns participated in 4 full days of professional development workshops that focused on the integration of ICTs in the teaching and learning process.

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Workshop 1 (September 20 & 21, 2007) The focus of this 2-day workshop was to provide students with an orientation to the project and introduce them to a variety of technological, computer-related tools that could be used in the teaching and learning process. More specifically, this workshop included: • an overview of the project • a needs assessment, conducted with the interns to design future workshops to best meet their needs • presentations: o “Overview of the Social Web for Education” - Dr. Alec Couros o “Directions for Technologies in Saskatchewan Schools” - Stu Harris (Regina Public Schools) and Shelley Lowes (Regina Catholic Schools) o “SMART Boards in the Classroom” - Milissa Gavel (Good Spirit S.D.) o “Blogs and Wikis in Education” - Dr. Alec Couros and Ashley Quark o “Managing an IT Classroom Environment” - Dr. Vi Maeers o “Integrating ICTs into Specific Subject Areas and Disciplines”  Early Childhood Education - Kathy Cassidy (Prairie South S.D.)  Elementary Education - Ev Sillers  Middle Years - Dean Shareski (Prairie South S.D.)  Arts Education - Dr. Norm Yakel (University of Regina) and Dr. Alec Couros  Secondary Mathematics - Milissa Gavel (Good Spirit S.D.)  Secondary English Language Arts - Ashley Quark • opportunities for independent exploration of ICTs in their classroom. Workshop 2 (October 12, 2007) After providing interns with an overview of how ICTs can be integrated into the classroom, the purpose of Workshop 2 was to provide opportunities for interns to share the work they had done so far in the semester and to start to delve into specific technological media useful for them in whatever context they were working. This workshop included: • a forum for digital interns to share their successes and challenges (Dr. Marc Spooner) • an overview of media-awareness issues (Dr. Alec Couros) • an opportunity for interns to choose the direction of their own professional development. Three different workshops were offered and interns attended two workshops of their choice. The workshop choices provided were: o “An indepth look at Smartboard Technology” - Milissa Gavel (Good Spirit S.D.) o “Podcasting in the Classroom” - Dean Shareski (Prairie South S.D.) o “Digital Video and Video Editing” - Dr. Alec Couros (Faculty of Education). Workshop 3 (October 25, 2008) The purpose of Workshop 3 was two-fold. First, we wanted to provide interns the opportunity to further in-depth exploration of how specific technologies can be used in the classroom. Second,

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we wanted interns to examine the larger processes of teaching and learning and think about how using ICTs in the classroom is one of many ways to help students learn. To accomplish this, this workshop included: • a hands-on workshop, “GPS Technology in the K-12 Classroom” - Dean Shareski (Prairie South S.D.) • a workshop entitled, “The Technology-Rich Differentiated Learning Environment” - Marnie Macmillan (Regina Public S.D.) and Julie Machnaik (Faculty of Education, University of Regina) • an opportunity for small group discussion to bring together the theory and practice of integrating ICTs into the classroom. Online Community of Learners As part of the Digital Internship Project 2.0, all digital interns were members of an online community of learners located at <www.digitalinterns.ca>. This online community became a place for interns to share their successes and challenges in their journey of integrating ICTs into the teaching and learning process. As well, members of the research team, technology consultants, practicing teachers, and representatives from Saskatchewan Learning were also active members of the site to provide feedback to digital interns. Since the end of the Fall 2007 semester, membership in the online community has swelled to over 75 members as is available to anyone worldwide who is interested in integrating ICTs into the classroom. Opportunities to Attain Technological Hardware for Schools Microsoft Partners in Learning, along with Saskatchewan Learning, provided funding for the Digital Internship Project 2.0 to help meet the needs of preservice teachers, their cooperating teachers, and their schools as they worked to integrate the latest technologies into K-12 classrooms to enhance the teaching and learning process. Digital interns were invited to collaborate with their cooperating teachers to submit proposals describing how they would use up to $1,000 in their classroom for technology integration. They were encouraged to write their proposals to purchase technological equipment such as webcams, digital cameras, digital video cameras, GPS devices, drawing tablets, or data projectors to be used with students in the classroom. At the end of the internship semester, any hardware that was purchased stayed in the schools. After the receipt of numerous proposals, 18 interns (and their cooperating teachers) each received approximately $1,000 worth of equipment. As interns utilized the equipment in their classrooms, they shared the details of the teaching and learning process in the online community. Research Data collection occurred throughout the semester using online student surveys, individual interviews, and focus group discussions. The researchers also visited intern school sites to observe the use of ICTs in the classroom. The following section discusses data-analysis methods and presents the findings of the study.

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RESEARCH PROCESS AND FINDINGS This section begins with a description of the data analysis and the presentation methods used throughout the study. This description is followed by a discussion of the findings as revealed through the emergence of four major themes. DATA ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION Data-analysis procedures most closely adhered to the social constructionist application of Grounded Theory (GT) methods as outlined by Charmaz (e.g., see 1983, 1990, 1995, 2005, 2006). Nevertheless, methods, techniques, and suggestions from Strauss (1987), Strauss and Corbin (1990, 1998) and Glaser (1978, 1992, 1994, 1998) also imbue the present application and analysis. What follows is intended as a mosaic - a constructed picture - pieced together and developed as the result of 11 interviews, three focus groups, intern logbooks, as well as other artifacts resulting from the digital internship project. Naturally, they are not intended as isomorphic accounts of any one individual digital internship experience but rather as a general account of the digital internship project based on details and insights brought to light throughout the course of the research. It should be noted that for brevity and clarity it was decided to highlight and feature direct quotations from the participants who appeared to provide the clearest articulation or the most insightful account of any particular aspect of the digital internship experience; although for any given finding several participants could have been quoted. A conscious attempt was made on the part of the research team to keep this written report’s length to a minimum and to let the participants “speak for themselves.” Further to that point, the full transcripts are available upon request and would be gladly provided to interested parties. FINDINGS The findings that follow have been grouped into four major themes: (a) effects on the intern and host school, (b) effects on teaching, (c) effects on students, and (d) perceived barriers to implementing and incorporating technology into the classroom. The reader is reminded that these themes, and the categories they subsume, are presented separately merely for discussion - they often overlap and/or may operate together. Effects on the Intern and the School The digital internship project had an impact on the development of the intern, as well as on the host school, in a variety of ways. For the interns, these effects included: staying current, developing self-efficacy, forming a support network and creating an arena for sharing and springboarding. In terms of the school, the interns were perceived as welcomed additional

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technology resource personnel, acted as catalysts of change facilitating the adoption of technologies, and were the recipients of supplementary mentorship and tutelage from more technologically savvy cooperating teachers. Staying current The digital internship project helped provide an opportunity to stay current with the latest technological innovations and applications: Amanda explains, I think we have to be always be updating our technological knowledge a lot … I liked that we learned a lot of new stuff … that was really interesting about making technology useful in the classroom.1 Developing self-efficacy The experience provided a warm and supportive environment to grow and to develop selfefficacy; Tracey states, I am that much more confident in trying things now, and thinking, 'You know what? I can use technology for this. I can do this … I'll try that. If they can do it, I can do it.' Part of it for me is that I didn't grow up around computers, so it's been really scary, and it's becoming less scary. Now, I want to know more. Elaborating on how the digital experience has affected her, Heidi states: I wouldn't have been challenging myself and I wouldn't have been growing in ways that I've been growing and I feel that my professional development having been part of the digital internship is like leaps and bounds from where I was. Forming support networks and an arena for sharing and springboarding In-person as well as virtual digital support networks involving peers and faculty were formed as a result of the project. Amanda explains, I use the laptop and also just knowing other people that were in the project, so if you had a problem, or even asking Alec or you or anybody, just knowing that you had somebody there to solve, if you were doing something that wasn’t working … Just knowing somebody is there to help you. Moreover, connecting with peers in this project either in person or via the Ning community also provided an opportunity to learn and to springboard off each others’ ideas, successes, and failures. Continuing her discussion, Amanda states, So basically you’re seeing what somebody else did, asking them, ‘Well, did this work?’ Okay, well then maybe this won’t work for this age group, you know, different age levels of students, very different. So I think that’s basically like almost like a sounding board or bounce ideas off of one another, I think. That’s basically what I used it for. 1

Italicized text indicates the participants’ verbal responses.

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Additional technology resource At the school, the interns felt they were perceived as knowledgeable and competent with technology as a result of either their age or involvement in the digital intern project. Cari describes her experience: As a young teacher at school, what are you expected to do? Well, [you're] kind of expected to be the one who knows how to run all the projectors and how to make the video for the Remembrance Day thing and how to – you know, and for the graduation and the PowerPoint for this or whatever. So that’s why I decided to do it because I wanted to learn kind of like for myself - for professional development. So that when … they want me to do something, then I’ll be able to say, 'Sure, I can do that.' Catalysts of change The digital interns acted as a catalyst to using technology in the classrooms and within the school by advocating for its use and providing assistance. April details, I've actually had a lot of people around here that were like ‘Thank you for telling us’ … because when I got Ann Forest to come in from the system, I invited anyone else. The other two interns came and the LRP resource teacher came and she was like ‘thanks for doing that.’ The teachers were like, ‘We've never seen this equipment used so much – it was just kinda like sitting there before.’ April further explains how grateful the teachers were. I've had a lot of ‘thank yous’ from teachers around here. Like even just putting stuff on the back of the SMART Board; here's a shortcut, here's a bunch of websites. That's where it is if you want this and you want to do it later. Recipients of supplementary mentorship For other interns, being part of the Digital Intern project helped them receive extra tutelage from their more knowledgeable coops. Crystal describes how she benefited from extra learning opportunities: But I don’t think I would have gotten on the SMART Board. I think I would have sat there and looked at it, wishing and dreaming and hoping. But because I’m a digital intern, and I didn’t know how to use it, my coop was more understanding to help show me how to use it because she knows how to use it. Effects on Teaching Participation in the digital internship project had a variety of implications for teaching. Intern teaching was perceived to be benefiting from: the allocation of hardware and support, greater

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access to a wide array of teaching tools and authentic resources, enhanced assessment possibilities and options, and increased ability to engage parents. The allocation of hardware and support Before even beginning, simply having the use of a laptop had a positive effect. Heidi discusses, I think it was hugely beneficial if nothing else came out of the digital internship, having that laptop available for lesson planning, for researching things. I even let some of my students use it when there was a shortage of other computers. I can't image actually being an intern [and] not having a laptop after having [had] it. However, April helps to clarify that it is more than acquiring access to a laptop; rather it is the support that accompanies the hardware that is equally important. So that way the support really, really helped. Otherwise, if you would have just given me this computer here, you know, 'Here's your test run - we'll see you in December,' I probably wouldn't have done a whole lot with it because I had no idea how to start. Greater access to a wide array of teaching tools and authentic resources Interactive whiteboards and other new technologies facilitate teaching by allowing preparatory work to be done prior to the lesson in ways that are not possible on a traditional chalkboard. Cari explains, So I put all of the SMART Board’s software on my laptop, and then I’ve been bringing them and just doing the lessons. And I did the graphing and that math – I’m doing the Math 10. And the graphing works really well on there. Because you start out – and I’ve got my axis laid out, and I can do all that prep stuff. Like as opposed to doing the notes on the board.” Access to a wider array of resources is also made possible through the Internet and other technologies in ways that cannot be compared to more traditional means, for example, books, VHS videos, CD-ROMS or other modalities. Access to the Internet permits the use of a more varied and expedited variety of teaching tools and resources that may simply be unavailable in any other format. Amanda explains the advantages associated with the ease of the format. And some of the things, too, it’s just sort of a technological replacement of what you would have done in the past. Like, we listened to the ‘War of the Worlds’ radio broadcast, which I just got off the Internet. In the past you might have had a CD or a tape or something you would play it off of.

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Amanda explains how the Internet goes beyond traditional modalities, Some of the sculptures and some of the artwork that I’ve brought in aren’t available in books. They’re very difficult to find. You’re not gonna find them in a school library. So going onto the Internet, finding them, putting them into a PowerPoint makes them more accessible to students. Using digital technologies - the Internet, a laptop, and a projector - offers the intern and/or cooperating teacher the opportunity to incorporate real-life, authentic examples into their classroom. Amanda explains: Trying to explain how large these works are in real life is sometimes difficult, if you’re showing them a teeny little picture that’s in a book like this rather than a large projected image …. And also, just having the larger images or using, like with Andy Goldsworthy, it has a video of him sewing the leaves together that I found on YouTube. Actually having the artist there, like almost there, you know, he’s not really there, but virtually there sewing the leaves, and they’re like, ‘Oh, that’s how he put it together,’ and then actually seeing the artwork being disassembled as it flows down the stream brings it and makes it more alive to them than them just reading, ‘Oh, he sewed these leaves together, and they went down the river and that was it.’ [To see this actual example from YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5qrE_rBrJQ&feature=related] Enhanced assessment possibilities and options Many aspects of assessment are enhanced via technology including documentation, review, and parental involvement. In the context of her Grade 6 environmental art class, Amanda explains how newer technologies allow teachers to more easily and efficiently capture temporal works (in this case, art works) And I use digital cameras for my environmental arts work. So those are transient or intramural sculptures and they aren’t meant to last, so they’re made out of dirt, and then we put the dirt back … So the digital cameras captured those. Amanda also explains how the digital camera provides her with the ability to review and adjust her lessons, as well as to better “ground” her assessment of actions that she may have initially missed. To document the artwork … Yeah, to see participation. I’ll use the participation to see, ‘cause even though I was viewing it that day, just to see, and also to see what they can do with it, you know, for moves, to know what they can do with the props when they’re dancing, and just see how different students used it, and maybe I can add, upgrade their levels or that kind of thing. So more an exploration for me as well, to see what they can do, and also participation, ‘cause you catch things on video that you don’t catch if your back is turned in a dance class, ‘cause it’s a very active situation.

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Expanding on the benefits of digital recording and authentic assessment Crystal observes, We were going to use the digital camcorder for just digital stories and just videotaping the kids for like authentic documentation. Like it’s good to take down but when you have proof and you can grab it that easy and just put it on the web for parents to see, you know, even kids to see it playing back. Crystal’s previous example introduces another advantage of this type of documentation in that it greatly facilitates the teacher’s ability to share students’ work with parents. Sherrice describes what she did in the classroom. We did like the Itsy Bitsy Spider and we did the picture quickly and we recorded our voices on there but we just went to like the record button, so each slide you have to record separately. So they have like their words. So we're gonna pull them out and they have it saved on their computer so if you just log onto any computer it'll be right on there … I guess, and then something to kind of show the parents what they've been doing. This type of sharing can also encourage parents to become more engaged with their child’s school learning environment. Sherrice elaborates, So I find it's very, very concrete documentation and the parents – even if they don't realize sometimes this is what we're documenting and this is what we're looking for, they just like having the pictures to see you know, especially for the ones that have kids for the first time in kindergarten, what's kind of happening … I've had nothing but good comments about the technology that I've integrated into the classroom when talking to the parents. They're like, ‘Oh really! How is that working?' or 'Oh, that sounds neat!' and 'What can we do?’ and that kind of stuff. So I think the parents see the need kind for their kids to be aware of things and to like you know, this is a whole new realm almost, even from when I was in school.’ Effects on Students Digital interns felt that employing the newer technologies had a number of positive effects on their students learning in terms of the quality of the resources they were accessing, their motivation and comportment in the classroom, how they perceived lessons as more accommodating and personally relevant, how the project fostered digital literacy, and how it instilled a greater confidence and sense of responsibility. Quality of the resources accessible to students Brenda describes how she feels computers and the Internet have helped students access better quality materials, [When they] go on the computer and they came back with a lot of more in-depth stuff than they could have found, I think, in the library looking at the books there. So I was

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kind of impressed in that way and I think that it's impacting their learning more – well, I think this because of like writing about Africa, maybe because they're so far away and the Internet can give the ability to, I don't know, research different areas. Scott elaborates, Well, the technology kind of takes down the walls, right? So it opens up their eyes to see what’s going on, if they can read about it and see different things than in their textbooks . . . . So that’s kind of what the technology does, is open doors and windows to other places in the world, or at least that these kids don’t really – they’re very confined to South Hill, Moose Jaw. So we can open up collaboration and learn from other cultures. Motivation and comportment in the classroom According to Heidi and Tracey (respectively) students react positively to technology incorporated into the classroom, They love it. They absolutely love it. They're enthused. They look forward to coming to class. It gets them up and moving and I like it, too, because I'm not just direct teaching all the time .… I see them way more excited about learning when they’re getting some of their technology integrated into it. According to TIF, this may at times be as a result of students realizing that with the Internet involved the audience is potentially far greater than solely the teacher; she states: But the writing that I got from the blogging, when they did do it, was really, really good. Like you could tell that they were excited that their teacher wasn't gonna be their only audience for their writing. As soon as I said the whole world has access to reading your writing, the writing was really good. As far as student comportment, Tracey attests that it helps with classroom management, and they like that kind of thing, because I do have them come up to the board and write stuff on the white board, and they love it - although caution should be exercised here. Technologies should not be perceived as a short cut to classroom management or as a way to motivate students in and of itself since, as Crystal admonishes, as the novelty of existing technologies wears off, so too will these changes in behaviour. Crystal clarifies her point: I think the more and more you use the technology, the more and more class management problem that comes with it. Because they’ve used the SMART Board so many times now - it’s not so special anymore. Before I would set it up, and I didn’t have to say a word; the class was quiet. And then, now, it’s like as you saw - it’s typical classroom management. Perceiving lessons as accommodating and personally relevant

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Technology can offer students the vehicle that allows them to represent their learning via a wide spectrum of intelligences and sign systems through which humans think and communicate, thus increasing the potential for learning and perceiving lessons as more personally relevant. Heidi describes a recent class project in which her Grade 9 students were involved. Well my Grade 9 students are doing Mythology, Indigenous Narrative Unit right now and so basically we read a whole bunch of different stories, and they had to recreate the stories using a digital medium in whatever capacity they want, they can recreate stories … We've just taken that and we've incorporated it into a digital, you know, method. I guess you could say, so they're videotaping themselves acting or they see it as a PowerPoint to tell the story … It's just a different option I guess. Sherrice elaborates on this point. I think it enables them to do more, especially with some kids. Like some kids I see, what they can do on computers, I’m amazed that they can do it. Like we have this one, he was showing me today this music program that he uses. Like I've never seen it before . . . So it's just an opportunity for especially kids like that, who for them, it's like a way of learning for them, when they can't do the everyday stuff that maybe every kid is used to doing in the traditional ways and stuff. But when you give him something like that, it's completely like, ‘Wow, I can't believe he just did that.' Adding her observations on the Adaptive Dimension afforded through technology, Crystal states, I think it encompasses traditional learning but changes it up a little bit to sort of process children in different ways. Like we had a child who’s got - who’s autistic, loves the computer. Will go up there every single time you ask him to. Pencil and paper, he can, you know, buck it sometimes. He just doesn’t want to do it. But it’s just - for different children, I think it’s a really good tool, like for the ones that don’t participate normally. If I can get them up there and participate with the SMART Board because they want to touch, and because they’re touching, they have to learn. Fostering digital literacy Naturally, access to computers and other technologies paired with technologically able teachers at the school is an important contributor to the development of digital literacy in students. The importance of this opportunity cannot be understated, especially for students who do not have such access at home. Nathan explains, And you have to really careful about that, too, because not everybody has computers available to them. I mean sometimes that’s something. We assume students have computers at home, and we assume they have Internet. You have to be very careful to make the technology available to them at the school, because they might not have it at home.

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The following focus group exchange demonstrates how digital interns, as future educators, are not only keenly aware of the importance of cultivating digital literacy, but also of the importance of not inadvertently privileging one socioeconomic group over another as a result of incorporating technology into the classroom. Their debate highlights the importance of considering questions of technological access in students’ home when assigning homework. Male 1:

We're gonna shove them into a technology-filled world. And I don't know, maybe it's our job to at least give them the surv - you know, when you talked about survival skills and just give them the survival skills they need or maybe even give them the opportunity to enhance their own learning through technologies but you're gonna have to.

Female1:

I think even, you know, a matter of what you've got at the school and a matter of knowing that you know what situation these students are in. So what are you gonna plan for them to do, right?. So obviously, you're gonna plan something that can be easily accomplished in the time that you have in the school where the technology is, you know, like, yeah. It would be hard sometimes.

Female 2:

Like I think it's both.

Female 1:

It would be really hard to say, ‘Okay, this has to be done’ and they're not gonna have homework because they can't do it at home, and how am I gonna arrange my class time, you know, but

Female 3:

But to me, like for those kids, if they don't have a computer at home, where are they gonna learn? Like, they may as well learn it at school.

Male 2:

Give them the opportunity. But yeah, yeah, then on the other hand of that, if they don't have it at home then, yeah, school is the only exposure they have to it and when they go out in the world they're gonna be expected to have a certain level of technological literacy to go with that. You know, for almost any job you have.

Confidence and sense of responsibility Tracey feels that the equipment itself associated with technology has had a positive impact on the students: Even their confidence level and being responsible has improved a lot, because every time they take a camera or a video, you are taking it, you are responsible for it. You have to return it in the same shape it's in. Barriers

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The main barriers to the implementation of technology into the digital internship classrooms were perceived to be time, resources in the school, disparate school board policies, and initial parental resistance. Time Time was identified as a barrier in several ways. One such manner was underestimating the amount of time required to complete the technology-enhanced projects. For example, Jennifer states, I think you go into it thinking “I’ll do this and I’ll do this and it would be really cool to do podcasts.” And then you get into it and you just realize that it takes so much time. For Heidi the lack of time occurred as a result of not being able to access a sufficient amount of computers (a theme further explored under the section, “Resources in the school”). If I had had more time though, or even a pod of computers in the classroom, we would have been able to incorporate more with the blogging and the website, but yeah. Other times, the delays are caused by technical glitches or the at times capricious nature of external technological resources, Cari explains, It tells them that their mail address is already being used and they can’t … they can’t figure it out. And now I’m feeling like I’ve already dedicated two classes pretty much to that alone, and I don’t feel like I can afford to take another class to do it without getting anything, like as far as when it’s math out of it. Resources in the school Crystal describes the difficulty of using the four computer pod system. Like just one student at a time, but, you know, it’s hard to send them off to 25 different computers around the school and run from room to room, you know, and do a project, to put four on at a time here, it would take me months. Similarly, Brenda found that at times, you spend more time trying to get them on to the computer and in the right area than I think that they ever spend time doing work. Tracey had difficulty with central system capacity, as well as the pod set up and limited SMART Board access. Apparently, we're linked in our network with downtown areas, and apparently, their network slows down a lot when the students are playing games, so they discourage playing the games. If we didn't have the four pods, it would often make it easier, because then I have to go through every classroom teacher down the hallways, okay, are your computers free? Are your computers free? Which has held me back in some of the stuff … So the SMART Board, I would love to be on it more. It's really difficult to get that room though. We only have one SMART Board. We have over 500 students here… there's a scramble for that room. Other times, it is a physical hardware defect, as in the case of April. So I did that and then but some of the days I had it and the cord from the Smart Board, the pins were broken in it, but I had no idea, so it wasn't working. So I was kind of like,

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‘Oh man, what do I do? My whole lesson is on my Smart Board and it's completely shot and I can't do anything because the cord's broken.’ So stuff like that was frustrating. Disparate school policies Scott states, I've just been trying to kind of figure my way out through a new system with my school division and a computer system and stuff. And lots - the hardware that I'm using I have voice recorders and digital cameras, but it's not compatible with the Sun system. I can't hook up through the USB so it takes away from a lot of that use. . . . And there are USB ports but they don't let you plug in any hardware and you can't download like required flash or new programs on the computer. So it can't access like Google Earth and it can't access anything that you need a download for. For Natalie the lack of wireless was frustrating: And also the wireless Internet thing was a big issue with me, because trying to get into the - there's no wireless Internet with the [board], so trying to connect into their - with their other cords and all that stuff. Initial parental resistance For some digital interns it proved difficult to overcome initial parental resistance and fear of the dangers the Internet might pose to the safety of their children. In this case it was the parents’ first exposure to this type of blogging technology. Tracey elaborates, It’s the first time these kids have blogged. The parents were all concerned, so I made it very secure, and it's too secure. The next time I blog, it's open to anybody to add comments to. Of course, I would still moderate them all to make sure we're not getting nasty little comments or, you know, make sure they're appropriate. But I would open it up because the kids have lost a lot of interest in it now, just because they're seeing nobody else blogging. So they've lost interest. Jeannette describes a comparable situation Like I explained like that it's a private website, but people can't Google it. But if you know the address, you can see it, and I said that we wouldn't put their names with the pictures. And not one said ‘Yes.’ Jeff: Oh my goodness. I had - it took us a week and a half but we got all 24. But we had them to an Open House where we showed off the blogs, and we had different videos on why blogging is good for student learning and all this different stuff. And it took a little bit of doing but we got it.

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CONCLUSION The research team is confident in stating that the core participants of Digital Internship 2.0, the interns, perceive it as a positive, transformative educational experience. Intern growth is a key finding, and the data analysis supports the development of self-efficacy, greater use and access to educational resources, formation of knowledge networks and changes in the understanding of technology within the context of instruction, and student learning, motivation and assessment. The data analysis also supports the positioning of digital interns as technology leaders in several instances. Tech-savvy interns may provide cooperating teachers and their schools with emerging, innovative approaches to practice in cases where more traditional approaches are prevalent. Barriers to technology integration have also been identified. More specifically, time, school resources and equipment, disparate school policies, and parental resistance perceived to counter the integration of technology into teaching practice. The identified barriers are not new and continue to be challenges for interns, teachers, administrators and parents.

FUTURE DIRECTIONS The following section comments on the implementation of Digital Internship 2.0 and offers techno-pedagogically informed strategies for partnerships of stakeholders within the Saskatchewan educational context. The themes presented here are derived directly from the data analysis and informed from a project administration perspective. The section also includes recent responses by the Faculty of Education to increase technological competencies of preservice teachers. COMMENTS ON DIGITAL INTERNSHIP 2.0 IMPLEMENTATION The previous section details the findings of the project from the perspectives of interns. This section will begin with observations gained through the administration and coordination of Digital Internship 2.0 and from peripheral perspectives gained through the challenges inherent in the promotion of technology and media literacy strategies at the Faculty of Education. Laptops are Beneficial to Interns For the term of the project, interns stressed the importance of having access to a personal laptop for lesson planning, resource gathering, instruction and student assessment. Students were reluctant to return the laptops and the majority spoke of how important the hardware resources were to their internship experience. Anecdotal reports from teachers in teacher/laptop projects (e.g., Regina Public Schools) support the idea that the personal laptop may help to transform the ways in which teachers search and manage resources and apply gathered media to instructional

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practice. Since the end of this project, several of the digital interns have purchased laptops to prepare and plan for their first year of teaching. The intern/laptop piece of this project comes at an important time when the benefits of personal laptop projects in schools are being touted (e.g., 1:1 projects) and hardware costs have decreased significantly (e.g., OLPC/XO2, Asus Eee3). Alberta Education has recently launched the Emerge – Learning Project4, a wireless 1:1 laptop project that will involve over 200 teachers and 2000 students in 49 schools across the province. Digital Internship 2.0 supports the idea that the practice of preservice and practicing teachers is benefited by the use of personal laptops. While 1:1 projects are beginning to take shape in Saskatchewan, the researchers encourage the Ministry of Education to facilitate dialogue between school divisions and with both of the provinces’ teacher education programs. One:one programs are not simply hardware expenditures; they require intricate systems of support, professional development, teacher training and parental input for any measure of success. Intentional Communities are Difficult to Maintain A social networking service called Ning5 was used to facilitate and maintain the connections between digital interns, project coordinators, faculty and teachers. This site replaced the Drupal-based6 community from the first year of the project. While the technical skills required to setup a social network service are minimal, facilitating and maintaining a sense of community that promotes communication and resource sharing is difficult. While some of the digital interns frequently utilized the site for posting and sharing their work or for asking questions, there were other much less frequent users. While it was found that some of the interns embraced the social network we provided, others used it very minimally. PEW Internet & American Life Project7 released several reports in 2007 that speak to the high adoption of social networking sites by tweens, teens and young adults. Without closely analyzing the allure of social networking services, educators may assume that the technology itself is enough to attract and maintain educational, online communities. Remnants of McLuhan’s (1962) “global village” metaphor entice us as we envision the potential of technologies empowering personal relationships across vast geographic and cultural divides. Yet, research into the use of social software by this population seems to indicate that the tools are more commonly used to maintain existing relationships with people in close physical and social proximity; they are less likely used to create or discover new relationships (Licoppe & Smoreda, 2005). Thus, it is important to better understand the possibilities for social software and the implications for educational communities of learners/practice. Research in the Saskatchewan context is needed.

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http://www.laptop.org http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASUS_Eee_PC 4 http://education.alberta.ca/admin/technology/emerge.aspx 5 http://www.ning.com 6 http://www.drupal.org 7 http://www.pewinternet.org/ 3

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Parental Education and Involvement Vital While parental resistance to educational technology initiatives is discussed in the second section of this report, it is an important, prevailing theme that deserves additional attention. It is stressed because it is clear that without parental permission (e.g., waivers), many of the more innovative practices with technology would not have been possible. Several interns reported having difficulties with parental consent and perceived many parents to be fearful of technology in schools. Popular news sources inundate the public with negative stories regarding technology and use. Recent items such as the student facing disciplinary action at Ryerson University for instigating a Facebook study group8 or the more serious alleged abduction of a 14-year-old Saskatchewan girl by a 41-year-old man9, do not aid in promoting an image of technology in education as either appropriate or safe. The narratives often lost to the public, teachers, administrators and parents alike, are those of critical researchers who debunk the myths of the wildly unsafe, predator-abundant Internet environment. For instance, a recent study asserts “The publicity about online ‘predators who prey on naïve children using trickery and violence’ is largely inaccurate” (Mitchell, Finkelhor, & Wolak, 2007). Parents need to better understand the realities of the Internet. This knowledge is not to be gained from the literature alone, but may best be discovered through participation in online communities focused on parental awareness of emerging social technologies. Parent 2.010, a site initiated by Cindy Seibel, Director of Information Technology Services, at the Calgary Board of Education, is an engaging point of entrance. It is recommended that the Ministry of Education consider provincial parental education initiatives through consultation with its partners. Liberal Policies and Support are Beneficial to Technology-Infused Practice Digital Internship 2.0 partnered with eight school divisions across the province. Disparate school policies and technology support structures were identified as barriers in the second section of this report. While this disparity was problematic for interns, the researchers gained insight into the diversity of technology governance approaches across the province and how specific policies affect practice. The availability of resources like YouTube or Edublogs, content-filtering policies, wireless accessibility, the ability to install educational software or the availability of technical support varied greatly in each division and, in some cases, varied from school to school. From a review of examples of technology-infused practice throughout the project, it can be concluded that interns who worked in divisions with more liberal technology policies and wellstructured technology support tended to demonstrate more innovative practice than interns who worked in more restrictive environments. While there are exceptions, interns that excelled in the more restrictive environments possessed great technical skills to compensate for policy limitations. The effects of technology policy on teacher practice are likely of interest to divisions 8

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2008/03/06/facebook-study.html http://www.cbc.ca/canada/saskatchewan/story/2008/03/28/abduction.html 10 http://parent20.wikispaces.com/ 9

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that are investing heavily in hardware, software, and professional development programming. Additionally, a forum for technology policies and implementation approaches of Saskatchewan school divisions should be shared with educational partners for comparison, contrast and general awareness. Saskatchewan Has Many Great Examples - Look Beyond the Borders (for resources, practice) Digital Internship 2.0 would have not been possible without the assistance of our partners and, especially, the cooperating teachers. While there was evidence to support the positive influence of the interns in their schools, there were also many examples of innovative, technology-infused approaches to student learning frequently used by several of the cooperating teachers. When these types of strategies were prevalent, interns felt more comfortable using technology and less comfortable with traditional approaches to instruction. This is not surprising, and it emphasizes the importance of viewing the internship as a mentoring relationship. For most interns, it is likely that they need to view and experience innovative instructional strategies before they will feel comfortable with their own. It would be impossible, and likely unadvisable, to pair every intern with a teacher who excels in technology-infused instructional approaches. However, the exemplary approaches are important and need to be celebrated, observed and studied. There are any educators in the province doing incredible things with technology. Interns and teachers alike would benefit from having these examples widely available and accessible. CHANGES IN PROGRAMMING AT THE FACULTY OF EDUCATION Digital Internship 2.0 and related initiatives have influenced recent undergraduate programming changes at the Faculty of Education. Changes have been made to reflect the needs identified by school divisions and the needs of preservice teachers. While the changes are far from ideal, they indicate more responsive approaches to technology integration at the Faculty of Education. ECMP 355 and ECMP 455 ECMP 355 and ECMP 455 are currently the only two courses available to undergraduate Education students that focus on educational technology and media. As mentioned in the first section of the report, the course is mandatory for all Arts Education students, but has been only an elective for other program groups and subject areas. However, recent changes have made ECMP 355 mandatory for Math Education and Business Education students for Fall 2008. This change will open up greater access to ECMP 455 as a senior elective.

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Business, Technology and Media Education The Business Education program has proposed a recent change to encompass a greater emphasis on educational technology and media. The proposed new program will be dubbed Business, Technology and Media Education (BTME) and will include a technology-rich course stream. Proposed courses include: • • • • • •

“Technology in Education” “Media Literacy & Digital Citizenship” “Digital Media Production” “Leadership & Administration of Educational Technology and Media” “Hardware, Software & Servers” “Technology in Education” (postinternship).

It is hoped that the program will appeal to preservice teachers who are highly interested in technology and media as instructional tools and would like to acquire technical, pedagogical and leadership skills before entering the field. Educational Core Studies The Faculty is undergoing a larger, program renewal process. One of the relevant changes is the introduction of four Educational Core Studies (ECS) courses that will be required for all students, and will be shared among program and subject areas. Planned for each of these courses is a built-in technology component. With proper implementation, this would assure that all preservice teachers are exposed to some level of educational technology theory and practice through various stages of their program.

CONCLUSION This report describes the results of Digital Internship 2.0, a research-based training project designed to provide teacher interns with focused, sustained and pedagogically appropriate educational technology experiences. The report’s three sections provide an overview of the initiative, reveal the findings of the study, and summarize recent changes to undergraduate programming in the Faculty of Education, at the University of Regina. While the project is viewed as a success, it has been made clear throughout the project that various implementation issues at the Faculty of Education, in school divisions, and in the classroom can impede the educational benefits of carefully planned technology integration. Fortunately, most of the identified issues can be improved or eliminated through fostering improved communication and collaborative policy development among government agencies, teacher education programs, and school divisions. While many of the identified barriers can be resolved, it is in this final note of consideration where urgency is necessary. While the focus of this study was not on the student learners themselves, it is through the perspective of the interns that the increasing disparity of

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technological knowledge between teacher and student becomes apparent. It can be generalized that students are learning in new ways, with new tools, and that much of this learning happens outside of school. Acknowledging that this gap exists does little to mend the issue, but it is a start, a first step to understand that the world has changed drastically, and schools are being left behind. We've reached the point in our (disparate) cultural adaptation to computing and communication technology that the younger technical generations are so empowered they are impatient and ready to jettison institutions most of the rest of us tend to think of as essential, central, even immortal. They are ready to dump our schools. (Cringely, 2008)

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