And Then My Life Was Enriched
My Internship Experience
These past few semesters have given me some of the most enriching moments of my life. But the one that will remain most notable is my internship with the Bibb Association of Educators (BAE). With the approval of the organization’s president, Robert Shepherd, I was given the opportunity to share my skills with elementary and high school students. At LH Williams Elementary, I taught photography to the Beta Club and digital storytelling to the 3rd graders. I also produced social media blasts for Read Across America, as well as the upcoming BAE Awards. Not only did I hone my technology skills, but I honed my interpersonal skills as well.
The Bibb Association of Educators is an organization that functions as a teacher’s union. They are a subchapter of the Georgia Association of Educators which is a subchapter of the National Association of Educators. Because it is a nationally recognized organization, it is imperative to promote various events and updates via social media. The project I spent the most time on was Read Across America (which took place February and March). I took photographs at various events and uploaded them to the BAE photo account (Photoshelter). We also used the photos for promotional purposes on Twitter and Facebook.
I taught digital storytelling to third graders. Of course, I had to keep it basic as they were limited to how much time they could spend on one subject. Nonetheless, the experience allowed me to know the children on a deeper level. Through digital storytelling, the kids were able to share their thoughts and concerns about issues that effect them. They learned how to record their voices and choose pictures that correspond with the storytelling process. I feel that digital storytelling is a tool that should be implemented into school curriculum.
I also taught the Beta Club basic photography. The students were given the opportunity to go around campus and take pictures. Many of the photos are now on display in the school’s front office. I taught them how to look for colors and shapes. Watching the excitement in their eyes was probably the most memorable part of the whole process. The school provided them point and shoot Canon cameras to work with. The month of February was pretty much dedicated to their learning how to use the cameras. Afterwards, it was a done deal! They were off and shooting everything in sight. The Board of Education even allowed us to leave the campus and go shooting in the neighborhood. It was an amazing experience.
When I wasn’t working with the kids, I was managing the social media for BAE. Most of the work was done using HootSuite which allows one to post on multiple social media sites. We mainly posted on Twitter and Facebook. In March, the Georgia Association of Educators gave BAE control of their social media accounts. That allowed us to gain new members in the local chapter. It was a win for us as we were already doing heavy marketing for Read Across America.
Of course if one is going to market, one has to have marketing materials. Part of my duties was to create flyers and marketing post using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. Because I am proficient in these programs, I was normally called upon on a regular basis to create promotional content. I created flyers for Read Across America, the Central High School dance, and recently, the BAE Awards. This experience gave me confidence in my graphic design skills as I am now the go-to person for anything Adobe related.
When I wasn’t creating promotional content or working with children, I was creating and updating web content for both BAE and LH Williams Elementary. It only made sense, since I am the one doing most of the photography and the flyers. I also created videos for the websites. As we speak, I am working on a video for the BAE Awards ceremony which takes place on May 20th.
All in all, I was given the opportunity to utilize all of my skills. I don’t know what my future holds, but this internship gave me a trajectory of where I would like to go. I want to work with kids. With the internet being as new as it is, I believe that there are ways to self-discovery using the internet. And there are ways to teach it. That teaching begins with the youth. This internship allowed me to experiment with ways to accomplish that. A couple of things not mentioned above were teaching how to use tablets and social media responsibility, which are both just as important. I care for the youth more than words can say. New media and communication allows me to transcend those words, because sometimes the visual is just as important.
P.S. To see more photos of my internship experience, check out my website SoulChap.com.
