Action+Research+Reflections

07/10/10 WEEK ONE I am very intrigued by the idea of action research. One of the things I don’t like about university classes is the dull academic reading. I realized this week that is why traditional education research is often of limited value to someone who is in the trenches actually doing the work of teaching. It is completely removed from the classroom. Even the research question itself is often developed in academia rather than the real concerns and problems of a school site.

Action research, or administrative inquiry, is essentially where an educator begins reflecting on their practice. They develop a question that they want to answer and begin to research it. The question is often based on a real problem or concern that the educator is facing. They begin by doing some reading on relevant literature regarding this issue. Then, as in all inquiry, they begin collecting data and analyzing it. Ideally it will lead to improved practice and professional growth.

To me the real beauty of this model is that it is job embedded. It has real world implications that will lead to improved practice and student achievement. The single hardest aspect of this is for an educator to find or make the time to implement it. The fact that it is part of their duties and responsibilities makes it more doable and relevant.

Educational leaders can use blogs to help them in this process. The blog can be a “wondering’, an analysis, a reflection on learning, or a brainstorm on implementation. Blogs have the added benefit of beina collaborative with peers and other professionals.

07/20/10 WEEK TWO This week I began to narrow down my topics for action research. This is great because I can actually put this thing into practice. As I wrote in last week's blog, the fact that it has a practical application and is based on real needs is HUGE!

The topic I am most interested in will be the hardest to pull off. The current AUP for Los Angeles Unified has no mention of web 2.0. I have to believe that someone, somewhere is working on it. I would love to be a part of the process of updating the AUP. But I will be back in the classroom after a 4 year absence and am anticipating it will not be the smoothest school year as I feel very rusty. So to think about having time to work on something outside of my students and being at a school site seems a bit sketchy. All that to say, I would like to work on this but the reality is I don't think I will have time.

07/29/10 WEEK THREE Here is my action research plan:

ACTION RESEARCH PLAN – Roger Dreger __Goal:__ My goal is to implement web 2.0 in my classroom. I am limited by the number of computers in the classroom, and the time available in the computer lab. But I want to leverage these new technologies to improve student learning and achievement in all academic areas. Additionally, I would like to see greater communication and cooperation with the parents and families of the pupils. I want to research what other educators are doing and collaborate with my peers to learn best practices. A bonus would be to train and encourage other teachers at my site and district to utilize these new learning tools. __Action Step #1: Students will use wikis to collaborate with other students in various academic subjects.__ Person(s) Responsible: Students and teacher Timeline Start/End: Late September through the end of the school year. Needed Resources: Computers, word processing software, network connectivity. Evaluation: Are students better able to comprehend academic material? Is there an increase in understanding through the use of wikis? Are the students learning from each other rather than just from a book or the teacher? Do students grades and scores indicate they understand the relevant standards?

__Action Step #2: Students will create multimedia presentations for summative assessments.__ Person(s) Responsible: Students and teacher Timeline Start/End: Early November through the end of the school year. Needed Resources: Computers, research material, literature, word processing software, multimedia software, digital cameras, and network connectivity. Evaluation: Are students able to demonstrate an understanding of the academic standards within a given unit? Is the presentation organized with all relevant information? Are the students able to verbally communicate the information within the presentation? Are the students more engaged in their own learning? Do they have a better attitude toward the subject matter? Do students grades and scores indicate they understand the relevant standards? __Action Step #3: Student grades will be posted securely online using enGrade, a free web service, allowing families real-time access to their students progress.__ Person(s) Responsible: Students, families, and teacher Timeline Start/End: Early October through the end of the school year. Needed Resources: Computers and network connectivity. Evaluation: Are students taking more ownership of their grades? Are parents more involved in how their students are doing in school? Are parents and teachers communicating more about student progress? __Action Step #4: Students will use blogs, class discussions, and interviews to discuss how web 2.0 technologies are impacting their learning.__ Person(s) Responsible: Students and teacher Timeline Start/End: Early December through the end of the school year. Needed Resources: Computers, word processing software, network connectivity. Evaluation: Are students indicating any positive change in their attitudes or learning as a result of web 2.0? Do students have any suggestions for how to improve the use of these technologies? __Action Step #5: Teacher will continue to research and implement methods for incorporating web 2.0 in the classroom.__ Person(s) Responsible: Teacher Timeline Start/End: Early August through the end of the school year. Needed Resources: Computers, library, books, magazines, and network connectivity. Evaluation: Am I incorporating best practices for web 2.0 into my lesson planning? Am I going beyond the Teachers Guide? Am I building in a time of collaboration for my students? Am I maximizing the use of the computers I do have access to?

__Action Step #6: I will give families and students ways to communicate with me outside of school hours through a class homepage, blogs, enGrade, phone, and email.__ Person(s) Responsible: Students, families, and teacher Timeline Start/End: Early September through the end of the school year. Needed Resources: Computers, and network connectivity. Evaluation: Do parents feel they can easily contact me? When I meet with parents do they indicate they are glad to have many ways to communicate with me? Are parents using email, engrade, or the homepage to contact me?