Plan Reflection

Upon reviewing my action research plan, one of the widely expressed suggestions was that I “provide details of the assessments to periodically evaluate how effective the program is.”

After studying about S.M.A.R.T recommendations and goals, I see why it is important to be more specific on evaluations. The evaluations are the key to success as a new project is implemented into a school district, especially when there is resistance to change. Through specific and guided assessments, the teachers, administrators, and other stakeholders in the community can be on board with the changes seeping into the school district. Although technology is the way of the future, there is a huge fear of allowing too much technology into the school systems. For example, people fear purchasing Kindles for students, because it might lesson the desire to actually purchase books, check them out from the library, or even take assigned books home to read for homework. Instead of embracing the idea that young adults thrive on technology and would possibly be more likely to check out a Kindle, the school districts balk because of the cost, the insurance liability, and the ultimate lack of trust of their students.

Although most of the other comments were primarily accolades, I did receive some suggestions regarding how to efficiently find methods of funding for projects similar to my own. Grant writing (training included) was one of my ideas on how to receive money for technology advancement. Through research, I have found there are a multitude of technology grants throughout the nation, state, and even local grants available for teachers seeking a technology-based classroom.

Action Research

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Action Research

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Wonderings...

According to our text, Leading With Passion and Knowledge, there are nine passions involved in the "wonderings" of action research. These passions range from staff development, individualism, the community, leadership, social injustice and school performances. The most important item to glean from this information is that our "wonderings" come from real experiences we have encountered. Through these experiences, educators find areas of weakness, areas of strength, and areas of needed growth. By reflecting on these types of experiences, the educator can find better ways to benefit the students.

Action Research

Action research is inquiry to improve the quality of an organization and its performance. It typically is designed and conducted by practitioners (aka teachers and administrators) who analyze the data to improve their own practice. Although this research can be done individually, the ultimate goal in education is to move to collaborative inquiry. This includes all educators within the district.

Action research has the potential to generate genuine and sustained improvements in schools. It gives educators new opportunities to reflect on and assess their teaching; to explore and test new ideas, methods, and materials; to assess how effective the new approaches were; to share feedback with fellow team members; and to make decisions about which new approaches to include in the team's curriculum, instruction, and assessment plans. The process begins with learning, planning, and searching for data to be used in the research.

Action Research gives educators the skills needed to work on problems specific to their classrooms, in their schools, and most of all, on themselves. It allows faculty and administrative staff the best tool on the research market...the inside scoop on their daily lives. By using an actual research procedure, researching teachers and administrators can resolve their own teaching challenges. They learn how to ask a focusing question, define terms, collect relevant data, use an analysis process that rules out bias, and includes methods that yield validity and reliability. The findings become immediately applicable to their individual situations. The best part is they aren't reading the data from books. They are conducting their own surveys and data to see how it applies to and affects their own individualized students, teachers, and administrators.

Technology in Education

Alhough schools are using technology more, blogging has not quite caught on in the educational realm. Although some teachers implement blogging in their curriculum, few districts actually participate in teacher/administrative blogging.

Blogs can be used by the educational leader several different ways. Teachers always promote the use of journals to their students. Unfortunately, few of those teachers actually follow their own instructions. Blogging is a quick way to jot down ideas as they pop into one's head. It's always a way to blow off steam without making wrong decisions. If the person wishes to share his or her ideas, they can post them and collaborate with other colleagues. However, if they do not wish to make their ideas public, they can keep them private. This is an excellent tool to reach the minds of all people involved in education.