There is no doubt that a journal provides an opportunity to think back or reflect on activities that stood out during an internship experience. New ideas, concepts, and personal thoughts are some of the critical aspects that I ought to consider when writing the internship journal. Before devising my journal, I thought that there were some days that I would not get what to record down in my journal. However, after revisiting the course readings, I realized that there were lots of details to record on my form. For this reason, aspects related to personal, professional, and civic development had to form a critical section of my journal. This is done to ensure that all experiences are recorded, proper experience is reflected including the connection of these experiences to learning, and finally, analyzing these experiences and their related interactions.
First, before devising my form, I had to go through a thought process to come up with the most appropriate things to record down. Here is the outline of how I devised my form. First, I decided to record the things that I liked most and the things that I liked least at my site as well as how these things made me feel. Second, I decided that I will record all the compliments as well as the criticism that I received on my site and how I felt about them as well as my reactions to them. Third, I decided that I will record all the new things that I learned at the site. Therefore, I recorded the things I learned about myself, others as well as the changes or growth I realized in me during this activity. Finally, I also decided to record the impact I had on my site, the things that I felt proud of, the new skills and other things that I learned as well as what I would change if I were the one running or in charge of the site (Sweitzer & King, 2014).
There are some reasons why I devised the log or the journal. However, the main reason for devising the form is to help me get feedback from my instructor and supervisor as well as to help me reflect on my work, experience, and feelings. Another important reason for devising my internship journal is to help ensure that I do not forget the important details of my experiences on my site. Additionally, the journal also helps me in reflecting my experience back at the site and making connections with my life as well as the course work. I also devised the log to help me remember some of the people I worked with. Getting to remember the people I worked with helps me understand how to interact with people from different cultural background. Finally, I also devised my internship journal to help me get a feel for what future interviews are likely to be like as well as to have evidence of what I have done in the past. Normally, being in the field gives one a real feeling of what to expect in the future when looking for a job (Sweitzer & King, 2014). Also, the journal can act as a reminder or evidence of the things I have done or learned in the past. Finally, I realized that the journal was able to help me record some of the advantages as well as disadvantages of taking up this career as well as other possible careers available in this field.
Synopsis of the main activities in the field
While in the field, some of the major activities that I took part in was meeting and presenting my objectives to the practicum supervisor. Sharing our objectives with the practicum supervisor was just a way to ensure that we all know the goals that we want or should achieve at the end of our internship. Another major activity that I have experienced on my site is meeting and interacting with other students from different cultural backgrounds. Meeting students from diverse backgrounds helped me understand how different people think, act and do various things. Interacting with these students was the best part of my internship. The experience made me feel happy, excited while at the same time humbled. I realized that there are lots of things to learn from different people since different people have diverse points of views (Narayana, Olk & Fukami, 2010).
During this month I accrued a total of four hours. Nevertheless, it was a great learning experience. Being that my major is conflict analysis and resolution, my practicum site managed to equip me with some skills that I need. First, while at my site, I was able to learn some competencies of effective communication skills. Communication skills are imperative when it comes to conflict resolution. An example of one important communication skill is active listening. Active listening is a great skill while addressing issues during a conflict. Additional skills that I also acquired at my site include the skills of negotiation, facilitation, and mediation.
Conclusion
Internships acts as outstanding ways to implementing theoretical lessons and applying the lessons in real life situations. Devising an internship log or journal can prove to be a complex task. Sometimes it is hard to decide or even know what to include in the journal. However, after revisiting my course work and course readings, I realized that when devising an internship journal, the main elements to include are our interactions, lessons learned, our experiences as well as our reactions and feelings. Many reasons can explain why we need an internship journal. The most important reason is to get feedback from the instructor and support from our fellow students. Another reason is to help us reflect on our experiences in the future and to link the experiences at the site with the course work as well as our lives. Moreover, internship log also helps a stunt in keeping a record of growth as well as skills acquired. While at the site, my internship log helped me realize the amount of contribution that I was making while at work. My internship journal helps me remember the significant details of my knowledge.
References
Frederick H. Sweitzer, Mary A. King. (2014). The Successful Internship: Personal, Professional, and Civic Development: Cengage Learning, 4 (1). 1-368. 049538500X, 9780495385004
Narayanan, V. K., Olk, P. M., & Fukami, C. V. (2010). Determinants of Internship Effectiveness: An Exploratory Model. Academy Of Management Learning & Education, 9(1), 61-80. doi:10.5465/AMLE.2010.48661191
