Action Research

When discussing my topic with peers it seems that although the technology has been in the district for at least three years, that is how long I have work for the district, not many teachers are familiar with it. The consensus is that using Schoolnet in an additional assignment and they do not have the time to learn the application. I have revised my plan to incorporate training coupled with a survey to determine its usefulness. With money being such a huge concern at this time it would be a waste of money to continue to pay for a program that the majority of teacher are not using or are interested in using.

Action Research Week 2

In this weeks lesson I found it invigorating to read examples of administrators that embraced action research as a model to improve the environment of their schools. Input from stakeholders is necessary to determine crucial decisions. Decisions are made and finalized however, with action research ongoing evaluation is needed to ensure the expected outcome is being reached.
For my action research project I intend to research the use of Schoonet in order to determine if information posted improves the classroom environment or creates an unfair bias.

How are Blogs utilized in Action Research?

Blogs can be used as an open forum that allows for quick response by a variety people. By using a blog in Action research one is able to get the suggestion and concerns,. It can be use as a survey as well as a tool to pass information for you to your stakeholders and vice/versa.

Action Research

Action research another spin on gathering information and decision making, optimistically action research will be embraced in the educational environment. Action research will allow for all stakeholders to actively voice concerns and opinions, allowing for a more total use of information. Decision making in the schools with the use of action research is a direct contrast to the traditional research. Traditional research is the use of data, theory and analysis. Action research utilizes the actual information that is gathered in the environment of the school, not the one size fits all approach. This research method also allows for adaptations based and reflective analysis.

I learned that an administrator has an overwhelming about of responsibility and with the use of action research an administrator will be in tune with the needs of his school and find ways to improve it by listening to the concerns of his teachers, students and parents. By using action research to reflect; decisions, outcomes, and modifications can be made to any former decisions that are not functioning as expected. Action research is not new it is a used by anyone that continually desire growth and improvement, however the use of this in schools is new. Decisions will not be from the top down but from the inside out fixing the core of the problem that is the purpose of action research.

Course Reflection

• What outcomes had you envisioned for this course? Did you achieve those outcomes? Did the actual course outcomes align with those that you envisioned?
  I honestly had no outcomes envisioned for this course; my goal was to finally start my Masters in technology and I accepted all the struggles that were associated with that endeavor. With that being said I found the course to be both challenging and enlightening. The course has prepared me for what is expected of me in a master's program, also what I should expect to gain in each class as I further my education. EDLD 5306 has taught many applications that can be immediately integrated into to the curriculum. Although I felt that there were too many surveys in the first week I also saw how those assignments can be useful when assessing student learning styles. I intend to use the http://lth3.k12.il.us/rhampton/mi/mi.html survey as a way to assess the learning styles of my diverse learners and hope to use the results to integrate the use of technology.
  The web-conferences I found especially motivating it allowed student to address concerns and receive immediate responses. I have taken online courses prior to this and the advancement of technology has made online leaning easier and more in-depth. I must mention the Instructional Associate, Sarah, has been helpful in all aspects. If any questions arise they were answered immediately "kudos to Sarah." Although difficult, time consuming, and fast I learned a lot in my short time, enjoyed the course and welcome the next.
  
   
  
   
• To the extent that you achieved the outcomes, are they still relevant to the work that you do in your school? Why or why not?
  The outcomes has far superseded my expectations, and YES they are relevant to my position as a language arts teacher, the use of Wordle for example has allowed for me to instruct the students in picking out key words and become creative with the information they have internalized. I also intend on starting a Wikipage for the students that will allow them to be able to access class assignments and resources on a 24/7 basis.
  This course brought light to the different aspects that technology has to offer. As educators we must constantly educate ourselves in order to continually stimulate the minds of our students. I have always been told "Don't reinvent the wheel," Although I still agree with that statement we must frequently make improvements to the wheel in order to stay ahead of the game. I defiantly did not expect but was immensely excited to have the use of web conferences. They were one of the most useful tools of the course it allowed for personalization of the student/teacher it also allowed for the collaboration of students in regards to questions and concern of the assignments.
  
   

 

• What outcomes did you not achieve? What prevented you from achieving them?
  I believe that I achieved all the goals that I set for myself. Completing all assignment in the allotted time was extremely challenging, however being that I enjoy technology and my learning style is Intrapersonal the course was inline with my personal preferences. One major issue I experienced due to what I recently found out as my learning style, and not OCD, was the constant reworking of assignments that had already completed and turned in resulting in me falling behind on the more current assignments.
  
   
  
   
• Were you successful in carrying out the course assignments? If not, what prevented or discouraged you?
  I was successful in completing all assignments; calendars, to do list, and the use of my Android helped to keep me organized. Trying to figure out how to incorporate the assignments along with my family life proved challenging at times. With UIL classes, choir practices, piano lessons, church activities and the list goes on and on; finding time became my biggest obstacle. Followed by the sheer number of assignments each week I tried to preview, research, and collect details before actually embarking on each project. Using this strategy was the only way that I survived this course. Although I was relieved by week three the excitement was short lived, when I realized that I needed to complete a book that I had yet to pick from the library, and write a summary of the work that allowed for my fellow classmates to understand the key points of the book without the privilege of reading it.
  
   
  
   
• What did you learn from this course…about yourself, your technology and leadership skills, and your attitudes?
  This course offered so many new and interesting aspects about technology that I was not aware of. My positive attitude towards the integration of more technology into schools has now increased ten folds. I must say I have no regrets, the information although essential was offered at a fast and sometimes overwhelming pace. Everything that I acquired in this course has proven to be useful and I am thrilled to start the spring semester. I have found many uses for the information received and have started incorporating my knowledge into the classroom. I am determined, now more than ever, to incorporate more technology in my class and to request more support from the administrators. I am excited to hold my first staff development in January to share with my coworkers a small part of the knowledge that I have acquired while taking this course. I know that they will be as excited as I am and will embrace the use of these new resources such as RSS feeds and Blogs.

National Educational Technology Plan

A transformation in education must take place so that as a country we will continue to lead in the global economy. The percentage of students' graduating with higher level education needs to increase from 39% to a minimum of 60%, in order for to grow the 21^st century learner to succeed they will need to be taught and learn real live application and information based on the continually changing global market. By allowing the use technology in schools for creating, finding information and resources, the traditional classroom with transform allowing students to take control of their education. In a connected teaching model, connection replaces isolation.

Classroom educators are fully connected to learning data and tools for using the data; to content, resources, and systems that empower them to create, manage, and assess engaging and relevant learning experiences. (U.S. Department of, 2010). With the inclusion of into the plan it allows for funds to be released for professional development, often the educators may not receave the necessary training allow fir the technology to not be used appropriately or not at all.

U.S. Department of Education, National Educational Technology Plan. (2010). Transforming american education: learning powered by technology Retrieved from www.ed.gov/technology

 

Campus Tchnology Plan Presentation

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