Week 2 Reflection for EDLD 5301

This week has been a preview to how my courses through Lamar will challenge me in my classroom. In our text this week, we read about the 9 topics that administrators typically find their wonderings on. While it is not my goal to be an administrator, I have worked to see where these areas of wonderings can be used in my classroom and in my technology leadership. I can see how I will continually refer to Dana's Leading with Passion and Knowledge throughout my career.

I know that I will look at the wondering of staff development for the purpose of my action research, but I also feel that there are several other areas in which I will look into following completion of my coursework. I am especially interested at looking into school culture and leadership. While I know many places to start with the leadership topic, I would like to get to know my school and better before embarking on a research project about school culture.

I have also learned how I really feel about intellectual property, and I certainly no longer believe that you can borrow ones ideas. (It is sad when it takes getting to graduate school to form an opinion on this topic.) Though I firmly believe that one should not reinvent the wheel (which was mentioned over and over again this week in our videos and reading) giving others credit for their ideas and accomplishments is key, even if it is just a post for a class.

Action Research Excited and Encouraged, but frustrated!

After a very encouraging meeting with my principal late in teh afternoon on July 21st, I have been confirmed in my week 1 wonderings. Because our teachers struggle to use available technology in tehir classrooms now, and we are getting new technology this year, I will be introducing a series of professional development to our teachers. While the techhnology based professional development would cover various topics from hardware to software to acceptable student use, the key to my study is the follow-up throughout the school year.

Purpose:

1. How can increased technology based professional development improve the use of technology in the classroom at PHS?
2. How can follow-up sessions improve teacher willingness to use technology?
3. How can follow-up sessions improve classroom use of technology for students?

Significance:

Teachers

• will learn and use various technology harware and software to help improve teaching and student learning.
• will learn and use communication based programs to remain in contact with students and parents.
• will work in small groups to follow-up on technology use in the classroom.
• will have access to outside professional development opportunities online 24/7.

Administration

• will see imprved classroom use of technology.
• will see increased student participation.

Students

• will utilize technology based resources in the classroom.
• will be active participants in technology based problem solving.
• will have access to online communication methods with teachers 24/7.

Parents

• will have access to online communication methods with teachers 24/7.

Community

• will see increased classroom and school use of technology.
• will see greater participation in technology based learning through communication on websites, blogs, and wikis.

Ideally, by creaing a learning environment on campus for our faculty, student participation and as a result of that participation, learning will greatly improve. Also, my hope is that in the future this will open up greater opportunities for community involvement in the technology based classroom.

So you might be asking yourself, why is she frustrated? Well, let me vent. I know that like in many fields sharing is caring. Why reinvent the wheel if there is success already in a similar or when possible exact area? Well I went to update my discussion post for my graduate class and stumbled upon a post that read almost exactly like mine, only it was typed 12 hours later and had minor differences. I hate to sound childish, but I would've appreciated credit. It took me a while to write my purpose and signifcance in a way that I knew would answer the problems in my school.

Feel free to give me feedback on my excited look at professional development for my action research project, or if you are good with confrontation, comment on how to handle this frustation! Thanks!

Research in Action-Action Research!

In reviewing this weeks literature for my graduate class at Lamar University, I intially struggled. As I am sure stood out with many others, I was, and to a lesser extent now am worried about the dredded RESEARCH! In my head I began to image dissertation style research including weeks of useless information from sources that could not really answer a thesis question that would help my classroom. I am glad to say that my perception of research, action research, has changed.

Action research can be defined as "the practitioner inquiry movement [which] focuses on the concerns of practitioners (not outside researchers) and engages practitioners in the design, data collection, and interpretation of data around their question. (Dana, 2009) Using this definition, as an educator I would research using my "wonderings" as a starting point for my inquiry. (Dana, 2009) I like that the intention of action research is to answer those questions that affect my classroom or my school. I also have a great appreciation for the professional learning and professional learning communities that action research helps to encourage and even create.

While as I stated, the thought of research, even action research, still puts that taste of fear in my mouth, I am finding questions that could be answered by action research. Of course since the focus of my graduate course is to look at action research from a school perspective, I will be utilizing action research to help seek a better atmosphere for technology based professional development in my school. I would like to also look at a more classroom centered action research project. My focus would be the use of cell phones in my classroom to help create a stronger communication environment. Some questions I would like answered might be, do students share a common text language? Does this language transfer into their verbal communication? How can I utilize students and their cell phone use to teach modern communication applications? I would also like to further extend action research on other areas of technology in my school, and potentially classroom managment practices.

Dana, Nancy Fichtman. (2009). Leading with Passion and Knowldge: The Principal as Action Researcher. Corwin.

Blogs in Education

Through technology, the way we teach, learn, and communicate has changed drastically in only a short amount of time. Like all other transitions to 21st century education, or web 2.0 tools, blogs are still a feared change in many schools.

However, blogs provide a new forum for 21st century education with a key look at how it changes literacy. Blogs can now become a place for peer collaboration, whether from am educator or student perspective. Blogs are an open forum for creativity, expression, and of course writing. Educators can post questions for students to solve, or seek answers to problems within a Personal Learning Community. Students and parents can keep up with school or classroom news and communicate in a forum common concerns or praises.

Lamar Web Conference-Sun, July 11, 2010

On Sunday, July 11 at 8:00pm, I joined my second Lamar graduate school web conference. After having a rather rough experience with the first web conference, I found the second experience slightly better, and learned why I struggled with the technology. After be kicked out of the conference several times and struggling to connect my camera and my mic to the adobe software, I realize most of my problems were due to my Internet connection. This was then confirmed through a few emails with professors in the EDLD courses. Unfortunately, the idea that it was safe to do my school work on a mobile Internet device while traveling this summer somewhat failed. The connection speed for a mobile Internet connection is far too weak to participate in a multimedia web conference. I also discovered that in order for my camera to be picked up on the Adobe software I need to have it turned on through one of my video programs. I am excited to attempt the next web conference from home on my broadband wi-fi.

Beyond the technical issues, I was able to learn a few things in the moments of the conference I was able to participate in. I am now a member of the Internship wiki for Educational Technology students. Many thanks to Peggy for sharing that with all of us new to Lamar! I also learned that I need to reference an updated Internship Handbook 3.1. I am interested to go back and review the conference to see what other bits of the conversation I missed in dealing with technical problems, but I am thankful to understand those problems.