10 TechTrends • July/August 2013 Volume 57, Number 4

E ach year at the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) convention

there are a group of graduate stu-dents and early professionals that walk around with large medallions hanging around them. These are the AECT/ECT Interns. They are individuals that have applied for a special opportunity to engage in leadership activities be-ginning at the annual AECT conven-tion. There are three types of AECT/ECT internships that include the Stro-hbehn Internship, the Cochran Intern-ship, and the Jenny K Johnson Interna-tional Internship. Each of these interns will be spotlighted in the ECT Corner-stone. The Educational Communica-tions and Technology (ECT) Founda-tion and the AECT fund these intern-ships each year. We will be focusing on the experiences of one of our 2012 Cohran Interns, Hyun Song Kim.

You can help support the AECT Internships through your giving to the ECT Foundation. The ECT Foun-dation is the independent charitable arm of AECT that focuses on award-ing scholarships, internships, fellow-ships, and supporting the leadership training programs for the AECT. The ECT Foundation is a 501(c)3 and any donations you provide are tax deduct-ible. All of the donations go towards

supporting the awards and scholar-ships provided to AECT members.

Finally, if you are interested in par-ticipating as an intern at an AECT con-ference you can apply soon after each annual convention for the Strohbehn or Cochran Internships at http://www.aect.org/ect/internapp.asp or the Jenny K Johnson International Internship at http://www.aect.org/ect/internation-alapp.asp. Additional information about all of the internships can be found at http://www.aect.org/ect/ect.asp.

Reflections on My Intern ExperienceBy Hyun Song Kim

AECT provides valuable opportu-nities for young researchers, and the ECT/AECT internship program in particular is a great way to get leader-ship training within the organization. The AECT/ECT internship program already has a great reputation. Several successful past AECT interns have said that it was an excellent starting point for them to become competent professionals and active participants in their academic communities. In looking back at the moment that I ap-plied for this program last May, I re-call that I questioned whether I had the ability or potential to be trained as a leader. I remember the day when

I received notice a few months later that I was chosen as one of the AECT/ECT interns. So many feelings came across my mind in that brief moment when I read the letter. I was pleased with the fact that they recognized my potential, excited by my own expecta-tions of what the internship would do for me, but also overwhelmed by the goals of the program and again, doubt about my ability to take advantage of this opportunity. For a while, I seri-ously considered turning it down. Of course, in the end, I decided to accept the internship, face my fears and enjoy the opportunity. And it was the best choice I could have made.

My ReflectionsThe internship program involves

intensive conference “networking” with leading scholars in our field through shadowing scholars, attending division leadership meetings, and breakfast with some of the leaders of AECT. This pro-gram provided me with the chance to meet leading scholars who are actively involved in the AECT community in different positions and discuss re-search, teaching, and service in depth. At the first morning in Louisville, we engaged in discussions regarding the AECT organization and future directions with Dr. Childress and at

ect Cornerstone

2012 Cochran InternBy Christopher Miller

Volume 57, Number 4 TechTrends • July/August 2013 11

the other days of breakfasts we had a chance to discuss the responsibility of scholarly work, ETR&D publications, and possible career paths for young scholars with Drs. Spector, Hannafin, and Gibbons. Building relationships with leaders and faculty members from different universities and insti-tutions and having the opportunity to be mentored by senior professors regarding various areas of profession-al development was priceless. Shad-owing the leaders was also invaluable for me. All of the scholars I shadowed were warm, passionate and sincere to talk about their own career and to an-swer my questions. They were willing to mentor me, teaching me how I, as a young scholar, can contribute to our academic community. In addi-tion, I attended many business meet-ings of subfield organizations. Attend-ing division business meetings helped me learn more about the organiza-tional structure of AECT, understand how different divisions and affiliates work for the AECT and what hap-pens behind the scenes. I better un-derstood how leaders contribute to managing and running the organi-zation successfully.

Besides leadership experience during the convention, I also ap-preciated being able to connect with my fellow interns. I have been enjoy-ing sharing my research studies and scholarly interests and working with my fellow interns on our class proj-ects. I hope we will be lifelong friends supporting each other.

I began the internship with more concerns and anxiety than excite-ment, but I finished with a sense of fulfillment. To accept the internship was the biggest decision in my life because I am a quiet and introverted person, better at listening to others than leading conversations. As a result of this experience, I am confident to take the initiative, as well as being a careful listener and collaborator who values the opinions and ideas of oth-ers. Through this great opportunity to join the AECT Internship Program, I explored the possibility of taking on a leadership role in the future and to learn about my potential for serving the community. As a past planner for the KSET affiliate, I will keep assisting KSET members establish networks with international scholars

from the U.S. and other countries at the convention. In the near future, I would also like to begin as a commu-nications officer to be more involved in the Design and Development and Research and Theory divisions.

The AECT convention is a large and national conference. Certainly, it is not easy for many doctoral (and masters’) students to march up to leading scholars in some hallway dur-ing the convention and start a con-versation. The ECT/AECT internship program will definitely open doors for you to communicate and interact with leading scholars in our field. If you have inherent leadership skills, ECT internship program will hone them. If you are not an innate leader, this opportunity will help you gain confidence in taking initiative and re-sponding to challenges proactively as a leader. What I am recommending is that you seek this amazing oppor-tunity! If you have a chance to be an intern in the future, you will become more actively involved with the AECT by getting to know people and explor-ing potential ways that you can serve the organization.