EDLD+5326+Assignments


 * September 28, 2012 **
 * AR Project Summary: **

My action research plan lent itself to taking on a life of its own, and it definitely has done just that. Initially, my plan was to track my students’ reading comprehension progress using a different approach of technology for instruction. While this idea was great in theory, I found myself changing that approach more often than I anticipated. This didn’t necessarily eliminate the validity of my action research, but it did change the purpose of my action research in some ways.

For instance, while my original hope was to find out how much reading comprehension would improve using technology as the main means of instruction was difficult to measure, because many of the assessments were discussion forums or visuals students created from their understanding of the reading. Textual evidence was another component I wanted to measure, and this was not something I saw improving as the action research continued—instead, I saw more paraphrasing and personal opinions included in responses. While these responses were sound, they did not turn out quite the way I envisioned. This is okay though, because I did see a spike in classroom participation and insightful discussion. This, though not measured in writing, is definitely indicative of the progress my students made over the 6 months I studied them.

As I mentioned before, completing my action research has become a tedious thorn. I have a great deal of new responsibilities at my job, and completing the last part of research has become an arduous task because the students I began studying last semester are no longer in my database. I went from teaching freshmen to AP seniors, so a lot of the ideas I originally developed were not researched to the degree I had anticipated. Part of this is my perfectionism coming out, but another part of my frustration is the ever-changing nature of the action research plan.

So far, I have finished collecting all the data necessary for my students, and I am working to find the best way to compile and disseminate that data. I considered creating a Windows Live presentation that I could share with administrators, and I am still leaning in that direction. Now, the main concern I have is finding the right argument to make regarding my overall action research results.

Web Conference Reflection Sept. 8, 2012

This web conference made it very clear that a shift from one online system to another has caused a world of confusion for many. But I think that this learning experience is good for us, because as we become well versed in our roles as educators, we will also have to exercise effective leadership when students have questions and concerns. Dr. Abernathy was patient and understanding in dealing with all of our questions.

The second idea that I gained from this web conference is simple: Leadership is key. When it comes to our degree in Ed Tech, I think many people were expecting a larger focus on the technology aspect as opposed to the leadership side. However, when Dr. Abernathy made the comment that Leadership is the key component of our degree, something in my mind clicked. I realized that more than the necessity of understanding the latest web tool or design technique for site management, we will be leaders FIRST, and innovators second. This quickens a responsibility in me to take advantage of this position, and make the most of my degree by being a knowledgeable, passionate leader whose love for education doesn’t stop at technology, but rather extends beyond the classroom to the needs of the students and stakeholders.