Smithsonian Enterprises (SE) - Digital Education Virtual Internship
Connor Hilton, 2013 Intern
About the Internship: The Digital Education Virtual Internship offers the opportunity to learn many aspects of editorial/educational writing and educational website production by assisting with content and production for Smithsonian Tween Tribune. The intern will be mentored by a member of the digital staff, get feedback from professionals on writing for teachers & students, and learn many of the skills required for web production: research, photo selection, fact-checking, editorial decision making, proofreading, copyediting, writing, and using social media.
About Smithsonian Tween Tribune: Smithsonian Tween Tribune is a network of sites that provides teachers with nonfiction reading text and tools to boost students’ critical thinking skills. The sites provide daily news stories, curated for students at different grades and reading levels – K-4, 5-8, and 9-12. There is also a version in Spanish.
Visit the Smithsonian Tween Tribune website at http://tweentribune.com/.
Learning Objectives:
The Intern will have the opportunity to:
- Draft quizzes for students that relate to a news story
- Curate and re-write stories for different reading levels
- Provide educational context to stories
- Select images that support text
- Learn about researching topics and laying out elements for an editorial calendar
Through the experience, the Smithsonian Tween Tribune Intern will gain:
- An educator’s view of using non-fiction text to teach critical thinking
- Concise writing techniques, including the ability to write headlines and post/tweet on social media with a specific voice
- An understanding of website metrics and interaction with the audience
During weekly calls with the internship advisor, the intern will review projects, and develop action plans with specific learning outcomes.
The candidate who would most benefit from the experience will have:
- An interest in the field of education
- A passion for news and writing
- Excellent research and writing skills
- Professional, mature, and an independent worker
- Knowledge of or experience with website production a plus, or the desire to learn
Terms: 6 month virtual internship. The intern should be available online during certain windows of a 9 AM – 5 PM work week, in order to communicate in real time with the internship advisor and other Smithsonian Tween Tribune staff. Otherwise, the intern can work on projects on their own schedule. The intern will need to have access to their own computer with an internet connection.
Award Package: A stipend of $3,900 will be paid for a 6 month virtual internship.
Location: Your house. It’s a virtual internship!
To be considered, please submit your materials by November 7, 2014. (Applications received after this date will be considered on an as-needed basis).
To Apply: Complete the online application through the Smithsonian Online Academic Appointment System (SOLAA). You can find SOLAA here. Under Smithsonian Enterprises, select the SE Virtual Internship Program application. You will be required to provide 2 writing samples as part of your application.
Questions can be directed to the Intern Coordinator at seinterns@si.edu.