Final Reflection for EDLD 5301

I have been a part of the education community for twenty plus years. I was not familiar with the term action research until this class. Based on what I have read and learned, I like the idea using action research to facilitate change.  According to Dana (2009), “action research refers to research intended to bring about change of some kind, usually with a social justice focus, whereas practitioner research quite often has a goal only of examining a practitioner’s practice to improve it or better understand what works “(p. 6).  As a software specialist, I believe it is important to strive to improve or better understand what works for me on the job.  By using action research strategies, it will be easy to determine how the technology department impacts student performances.  It makes sense for the technology department and teachers to collaborate on activities that impact student learning. It also makes sense to systematically collect data about the effectiveness of an activity and technology tools used to enhance the activity.  As I reflect on what I learned from this class, I can apply various techniques of collecting data. Ongoing data collection will indicate the maximum use of technology tools used for developing and implementing   interactive lessons. 

There is an eight step guideline for school leaders to gauge school improvement processes and boost student achievement (Harris, Edmonson and Combs, 2010). I summarized from the reading, school leaders must have continues improvement plans. It is important for schools to move beyond the maintenance strategies and plan for the future. 

Another thing I learned from this class is how to be an online learner.  I consider myself to be more of a one-on-one person who likes seeing facial expressions when talking.  At first, I was a little frustrated with using the discussion board, blogs and wikis. I am beginning to feel more comfortable using these Web 2.0 tools. I enjoyed posting messages about my action research plan and having others respond. Action research provides an opportunity to give support and encouragement while developing a plan; collecting and analyzing data; and communicating findings to show how and why your services or tools are important to optimizing student learning. 

I am ready to revise my action research project to address the comments and questions given by my site mentor and colleagues.

References

Dana, N. F. (2009). Leading with passion and knowledge: The principal as action researcher. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Harris, S., Edmonson, S., & Combs, J. (2010). Examining what we do to improve our schools: 8 steps from analysis to action. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education

Action Research Plan -- Week 4

What specific challenges do you foresee in implementing and sharing your action research project?

How do you plan to address those challenges?

The main challenge that I see in implementing my action research study is time management. The months of March and April require me to spend time updating the labs for TELPAS and End-of-Course testing. Another concern is that I do not want my inquiry to take away from classroom instruction or interfere with student learning. Since my inquiry is classroom-based research and will involve collecting data and photographing participants’ use of the Ladibug document camera, it is with upmost importance that the building principal, teacher, parents and students are fully aware of the goals of my project. In addressing the issues of time, all participants will need to agree upon a scheduled time for observing, interviewing, surveying and photographing. Also, prior to collecting data, I will get parent consent.

This week I also received comments and feedback from the class colleagues. All comments were appreciated and helped me adjust my plan. If there are any other concerns or challenges, I will address them as they arise by re-planning my action research.

All comments are valued, so please continue to monitor my plan.

Action Research Plan

Ladibug – Action Research Plan
Goal: To determine if using document cameras in classroom will influence student learning and teacher instruction.
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
1. Determine focus group	Myself, building principal and mentor	March 21, 2011	Discuss with mentor; also notify building principal I will be conducting action research project with a kindergarten class	Defined and selected group
2. Create  to questionnaire to determine the frequency of use since the kindergarten classroom received the document camera	Myself	March 22 - 23, 2011	Questionnaire  created by me	Record data in spreadsheet
3. Create simple survey to determine the students thoughts about the Ladibug	Teacher, students and myself	March 24-25, 2011	Survey created by me	To determine the pulse of student thoughts/record data
4. Create and implement an interactive lesson aligned with kindergarten curriculum to use with the document camera	Myself and teacher approval	March 24 - 28, 2011	Lesson plan and document camera	Visual and engaging lesson plan
5. Record teacher practices and student participation during the interactive lesson	Teacher, students and myself	March 31, 2011	Lesson plan and document camera	Photos of the opportunity, teacher and student reflections
6. Provide survey to students again to determine thoughts about the Ladibug	Teacher, students and myself	April 4 - 6, 2011	Survey created by me	To determine the pulse of student thoughts/record data
7. Provide survey to teachers again to determine if interactive lessons impacted teaching methods and strategies	Teacher and myself	April 4 - 6, 2011	Survey created by me	Recorded data from spreadsheets
8. Finalize action research project	Myself, teacher, building principal and mentor	April 11 - 15, 2011	Time, effort and observations	Recorded data from spreadsheets, interviews, journals and observations used as evaluation tools

Format based on Tool 7.1 from Examining What We Do to Improve Our Schools

(Harris, Edmonson, and Combs, 2010)

Understanding Action Research

This week’s readings presented several examples of action research. After reading and reflecting on the examples, I realize action research is not a project where I learn more about a topic or try to solve a problem for a right or wrong answer. I learned that action research is quest for knowledge about how to improve teacher instructions, foster effective leadership and management skills, promote social justice, and enhance school performances. Action research involves all stakeholders working together and having a shared vision to determine how we can do things better to impact student achievement. 

References

Dana, N. (2009). Administrator Inquiry Defined. Leading With Passion and Knowledge: The Principal as Action Researcher (p. 1-27). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

How educational leaders use blogs?

Blogs are defined as being a Web 2.0 tools for reflective journaling. Educators, who blog summarize, discuss and share ideas on specific areas of interest. Blogging also supports digital literacy. Blogging creates an opportunity to connect with others building a network of colleagues and collaborators.

References

Dana, N. (2009). Administrator Inquiry Defined. Leading With Passion and Knowledge: The Principal as Action Researcher (p. 87-89). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

What I have learned about action research and how I might be able to use it!

Based on the readings from Dana (2009) Leading with Passion and Knowledge, I have summarized that action research means involvement. It is not simply one person observing and giving constructive comments on how a problem can be changed. It entails everyone to take ownership of the problem and change it collaboratively. It makes me think about the Chinese proverb, “Tell me and I will forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and I’ll understand.” Action research is a systematic method which requires constructing, organizing, analyzing and communicating how information is collected and applied.  The information collected is utilized by interviews, personal accounts and case studies in an established timeline. The knowledge gained from action research, whether optimistic or adverse, produces change.

As a software specialist for my district, I can engage in action research to enrich working relationships between the technology department and district campuses’ technology technicians. Developing an action research plan will help me understand my work performances and gain knowledge in research methods. I will work with each individual campus’s technology technician to determine the issues that need to be researched and as a group will make decisions to enhance learning and change.

References

Dana, N. (2009). Administrator Inquiry Defined. Leading With Passion and Knowledge: The Principal as Action Researcher (p. 1-27). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

EDLD 5306 Course Reflections

Course Reflections

1.       What outcomes had you envisioned for this course? Did you achieve those outcomes? Did the actual course outcomes align with those that you envisioned?

My superintendent extended an invitation to attend an information session about the Lamar Master’s program.  After listening to the presenter, I felt like this would be a great program to participate in.  I envisioned that I would gain technology concepts and skills to improve my job as a Software Specialists.  My goal is that I become proficient in using new technology and Web 2.0 tools so I can help teachers gain a sense of comfort and confidence in integrating technology into their curriculum.  At this time, I don’t think I can say, “I have achieved my goal”, because learning is a lifelong process and technology is changing every day!  The course objectives – improving instruction and learning while emphasizing technology techniques – are definitely aligned with what I envisioned, and I’m enjoying getting more and more involved in the program. 

2.       To the extent that you achieved the outcomes, are thy still relevant to the work you do in your school?  Why and why not?

I have been in the educational system for twenty years. I have been a Software Specialist for the last six years.  As a software specialist, I am responsible for installing software and managing and keeping up with the licenses. I also, facilitate workshops and training sessions on how to use the software.  I want to expand my job duties to teaching methods on how use the software to improve classroom and management and promote student learning through inquiry. Now that I am aware of how and why to use blog and wikis, these tools can help me communicate and collaborate better with teachers and students in my district.  

3.       What outcomes did you not achieve? What prevented you from achieving them?

My expectations are attainable; therefore, nothing has prevented me from achieving them.  It has been a challenge using the APA format for citing my works. When reviewing my classmates’ blogs and wikis, I noticed that they are more confident in being creative. I learned from the readings that I am a digital immigrant. My curiosity and willingness to learn will prepare me to be a better learner and leader in the future.

4.       Were you successful in carrying out the course assignments? If not, what prevented or discouraged you?

This is my first online course and I believe I was very successful in completing my course assignments.  However, I was overwhelmed by the quantity of the assignments.  While I possess the basic technology skills for an online course, I need to improve my time management skills and use the rubric as a final check point before submitting my assignments. Learning and using the APA style and formatting for referencing my writing correctly has also been a challenge. I have book marked and joined several RSS feeds to show me examples of how to correctly cite and reference writings using the APA format.

5.       What did you learn from this course….about yourself, your technology and leadership skills, and attitudes?

I learned after reading several of the assigned articles that I am a digital immigrant. I have not embraced the used of Web 2.0 tools because of my fears and not necessarily because of my willingness not to learn.  I know my district is filtering and blocking inappropriate and social networking site, but I fear that it is not enough.  As technology leaders we must stress and teach the importance online safety.  The more I learn the ways of the digital naïve; I am confident that I will push for the use blogs and wikis as applications for integrating technology in the curriculum.  I realize the importance of the Long-Range Plan for Technology and STaR Chart reports.  The data from the reports will serve as an outline to better utilize technology in my district.