Reflection time

Upon completion of our third course we were asked to reflect and post to our Wiki and BLOG, below is that reflection:

Self-Assessment

I have to say that I learned the most through this course with creating a logo and working collaboratively on the website. I knew what a logo was and that it was important in corporations and I knew what self-image was and how it pertained to individuals. I did not, however, understand the strong correlation between the two (Shawble, 2009).  This new information had me examining my postings on social networks and other public access domains. I even asked my friends and family to give me a list of words that describe who I am to help in creating my logo. I have to say that I will never look at the McDonalds “M” in the same way again.

Learn as a Learner

Throughout this course I skimmed over the reading at the beginning of the week to see if there was new information that I needed to pay close attention to later in the week when I sat down to do my assignment. I have to say that aside from this particular reflection I was good at getting my assignments due well before the deadline. I think what helped me to avoid procrastination was that I had to collaborate with other people to get the assignments completed and I did not want to appear dis-interested in doing what was needed to obtain a good mark for the assignment.

Lifelong Learning Skills

I have to say that information that I learned that was new to me was the digital blooms taxonomy and the design principals. Before this class I did not know that it mattered where things were placed on a page, why repetition was important, that alignment mattered, or that contrast could help bring a web page together  (Rundle, 2006). I had heard of blooms taxonomy and knew how applied to learning in the classroom in relations to the TEKS; however, I did not know how or even that they applied to technology learning in the classroom (Churches, 2008). The picture that my college, Dawn Walker, found and inserted in our collaborative website, helped to pull each level together. I believe that the information that I learned about design principals and digital blooms taxonomy will help me in more purposefully designing lessons and planning for my future students. As a lifelong learner I am continuing to work on my ability to reflect on my own experiences and I continue to work on building up my technology capabilities beyond simple internet browsing and word processing. There are many things that I feel that my continued time in my program will help me to work on those areas, so I plan to continue on the path of obtaining my master’s degree.

Implement use of web sites in PK-12 classroom

I would implement the use of web sites into a PK-12 classroom through planning of daily lessons. I would take the time to investigate different sites that would be beneficial to the learning needs of my students. I would also use web sites to help me plan. In my current assignment I use web sites for many things: I use them to keep my students’ parents up to date on daily happenings in the classroom, I use web sites to find different ideas for centers, workshops, and small group activities. I also use websites in large group instruction and at learning stations.

Bibliography

Churches, A. (2008, April 1). Blooms Taxonomy Blooms Digitally. Retrieved August 10, 2012, from Tech & Learning: http://www.techlearning.com/article/blooms-taxonomy-blooms-digitally/44988

Rundle, M. (2006, April 10). How C.R.A.P. is your site. Retrieved August 12, 2012, from Think Vitamin: http://thinkvitamin.com/design/how-crap-is-your-site-design/

Shawble, D. (2009, February 5). Personal Branding 101: How to Discover and Create your Brand. Retrieved from Mashable: http://mashable.com/2009/02/05/personal-branding-101/

8/13/2012

I know that it has been a while since I posted anything on here, but I have been busy developing a website with several LAMAR collegues. I wanted to say that I have yet to revamp my action research plan, which I am sure is going to jump up and bite me because the start of a new school year is upon us alread and I am going to have to do a new action research plan, the start of a new year, and a different class for my graduate studies...WOW! Anyway, I want to take a minute and post a link to the website that we created, I am proud of it and hope that you can find some useful information in it as well.

https://sites.google.com/site/lamartchnologyteachers/home

 I have been doing a lot of thinking and collaborating this week on my action research plan. I am thinking that while my current plan has a lot of value, I am thinking that at this point I may go ahead and revamp it and switch gears. My degree is going to be in Instructional Technology Leadership and after attending the WOW! academy this past week and knowing that there is technology in our current newly adopted curriculum that is currently not being implemented, my site supervisor and I believe that this is where my focus should be. 

http://prezi.com/yldt6osnxu_t/wow-tools-2012/
cel.ly

Here are some technology tools I am being introduced to. Just thought I would pass it along :-)

I have to say that as a whole, I learned a lot about action research. The Dana text helped me to learn more about why I need to share my action research and how to go about reflecting and making changes. This text has also helped me to know what kinds of things to look for and questions to ask to help focus my research project. I have also learned more about reflection and blogging through my fellow classmates and have enjoyed their comments on my progress thus far. One of the biggest moments of clarity for me during this course was learning through the interviews and texts that I could use the work of other researchers who have had the same questions. I came with the belief that it would be “cheating” to an extent to use anyone else’s ideas, when in fact it is not. They have done the work tested it and it worked for them, so I should not try to “reinvent the wheel”. I also feel that I still have a lot to learn which I think will start to iron out as I begin the literature review of my action research.

Here are my responses to the comments I have received on my blog thus far. Thank you for taking the time to give me feedback!

Comment 1: Martha MartinezJune 28, 2012 1:46 PM After reviewing your Action Research Plan it seems that parental involvement is a big problem. And I wonder about: Does their cultural background influence their participation? Are their communication barriers for these parents? Is your study taking place in a public, private, or charter school? What are the activites that are taking place at school and that parents are not participating? Are the activities during various times of the day, that would be flexible for parents? How are parents being informed about these activites? (communication) These were just some of my wonderings, I hope they help you in your action research project :) Reaction: My response to these six areas are: Yes I do believe that their cultural background influences their participation; however, the only way I know to address this is to ask the parent panel how best to help them stay connected with their student. Communication barriers are indeed a factor for these parents and with the addition of another bilingual administrator and with the help of the current bilingual staff I hope to address this issue. (I found out first hand last year how important it is to make sure I have everything I send out translated) My study is taking place in a public school. The activities that are taking place with little parental involvement are: conscious discipline information sessions, literacy and math nights, and in the year before last we had literacy and math functions during the school day that had low participation. I plan to address the hour of activity with the parent panel. This is something that I hope to improve upon this year. I hope to make sure that the meetings and activities are posted clearly on the website, board at the front of the school. I hope to get participation from fellow teachers by getting the information on their webpage and monthly home to school calendars. I also hope to find out from the parents at the beginning of the year about what their preferred method of contact is and go that route rather it be telephone, email, or note home. Comment 2: ACelesJune 27, 2012 10:12 AM Charity, After reading your action research detailed outline, I think you have a solid plan to back up your action research. Parental involvement is an important factor in each child’s success in every area of life: academic, social, spiritual, athletic, etc. Because most parents are so busy in their daily activities that can be overloaded and challenging, it takes away valuable time to get involve in their children’s academic endeavor. I can speak as a parent of three, respectively in elementary, high school, and recently in community college this summer. As a teacher as well, I understand how frustrating it can be sometimes to setup a conference with the parent of a student who is failing or sleeping in class (which is so common these days) or one with behavioral issues and the parental support is either lacking or inexistent. Sometimes, some parents get excited and get involved in the lower grade levels of their children’s lives and drop the ball as they get older. I hope your research results and recommendations go beyond pre-k and kindergarten levels. You have the ball rolling, keep up the good work and press on Charity! Reaction: My response to this is that I do hope that this is something that can be beneficial for grades beyond pre-kindergarten. However, at this time I plan to make no adjustments as my campus is strictly pre-kindergarten. Comment 3: lidane85June 27, 2012 7:09 PM Charity, You were one of the four blogs I recorded to visit throughout this course. I am interested in your research because I work at the primary level and parental involvement is key for students' success at any grade level. I think you are right on track with your plan. I have worked for two different districts and we have had math/literacy nights for parents at both. We have done them several different ways, so let me know if you need some ideas or want to run any ideas by me. I noticed you said you would consider your plan successful if you had 20 parents out of 400 participate. I was wondering if you had a baseline to work from. Has your school not had any kind of parent involvement or just very little? I know it has been helpful at our schools to offer food and a movie or activities for the kids while the parents participated in the training. We have also had training where the parents make things to take home to work with their child at home (flash cards, patterning, etc...). We still offered the food and care for the other children in the household. I hope some of my ideas helped. Please, let me know if I can be of further assistance. I think your project is looking great! Reaction: My answer to this is to include researching past experiences that our campus has had providing food at various functions. I know they have not done it the two years that I have worked there, but I don’t know about before my time there. As for make and take we have tried those, but we have not asked the parents the types of things that they would like to make which is something that I plan to address in the parent panel discussions.

Action Research Plan Outline Form

After comparing my plan and the example I have decided to turn it into more of an outline form of which is used in the example. SETTING THE FOUNDATION— Through collaboration with fellow teachers, teaching assistants, and our campus administration our school has decided that increasing parental support at academic and informational meetings held during and after school is at a critical need at the pre-kindergarten level. ANALYZING DATA— I plan to use surveys at the beginning, monthly, and end of the year to continue to analyze the effectiveness of this research. I also plan to keep an eye on sign in sheets for various academic events held during and after school. I will also look up current / past research projects for increasing parental involvement to find ways and try to implement them at my current level taking note of what works or does not work. DEVELOPING DEEPER UNDERSTANDING— I plan to use the interviews of my colleagues, parent focus group and general observation to monitor the progress of this research project. The documents that I will use to develop a deeper understanding are the sign in sheets and surveys collected throughout the process. ENGAGE IN SELF-REFLECTION— Are my goals realistic for a year time frame? How much cooperation / support can I expect from my colleagues and parent focus group. Have I covered all areas and kept my eye on the target; which is increasing parental support at academic and information activities held at the campus during and after school? EXPLORING PROGRAMMATIC PATTERNS— Make sure to have regular meetings with site supervisor to go over findings and discuss impact of solutions proposed and determine where to make changes or keep going in instances of success. Make sure to listen to colleagues and parents in the hallways and out in the community for impacts of research and be willing to make adjustments when necessary. DETERMINING DIRECTION— a.     Are you clear on what you are attempting to solve? Yes, I believe that I am clear: I am attempting to increase parental involvement at academic / information sessions held during and after school hours. b.     Have you adequately addressed the skills and resources questions? I believe that I have, but this is something that I will need to keep an eye on throughout the research project. c.      Have you established a collaborative approach to the issue? I believe through the established committee at the school with fellow faculty and the proposed parent panel that I have established a collaborative approach. d.     Are your timelines realistic? Yes, I believe that a year is sufficient to begin to increase involvement, although I think that this is something that can continue to improve even if I am successful this year there will be a new batch of parents coming through who have different needs and the plan will require adjustments. e.     Do you have a reasonable plan to monitor the project? I feel that I do with a parent panel of 20 and the current faculty committee put in place at our campus. I also plan to have surveys at the beginning and end as well as monthly throughout the project. f.       Do you have a reasonable plan for determining the level of success? I feel that if I can get more than 20 parents out of 400 students to participate in events at school through the year that I will consider this plan successful. g.     How will you revise and improve the plan based on monitoring and evaluation? Through the monthly meetings of faculty and parent panel I will make adjustments according the consensus of the group and through meetings with my site supervisor and other administration. TAKING ACTION FOR SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT Again, the staff parental involvement committee and the parent panel will be the committees that I will work to form to assist me with my action research project. SUSTAIN IMPROVEMENT I hope to find ideas and implement improvement that could be carried out from year to year with only minor tweaking due to the change of parent base. I also hope to develop online tools through the district website which could easily be used from year to year. I will make sure to do my reflections on my blog to share with my fellow colleagues.