PhotoStory Storyboard

https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Aovh-glTNLPRdG5OWXhSLUtObEVHb2VaaHJ3S1pxLWc&hl=en&authkey=CK2Q8lU

Action Inquiry Question and Plan - Week 3

Action Inquiry Question -

Can a technology rich classroom improve academic success compared to a typical classroom environment?

For this next school year, I will be the Technology Facilitator for Quest Early College High School. The next three years, this high school will be going through some changes along with some physical moves. The incoming freshmen for the fall will be the “Early College” part of Quest, and the 10th, 11th and 12th graders will continue to be “Quest High School”. I will not only focus my attention on the incoming ninth graders and implementing technology into their curriculum but my action research will be conducted on the 10th and 11th graders. I will be able to compare previous years assessments with these group as we create a richer technology classroom for their next 2-3 years.

I created an Action Planning spreadsheet using the Tool 7.1 template in Google Docs. The link to access this spreadsheet is located below.http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=tQKujejVs_LWp2xTz0o0B_Q&hl=en&authkey=CLW86egE#gid=0

Action Research Possiblities...Week 2

Possible action research topics:
1. Can a technology rich classroom improve academic success as compared to a typical classroom environment?
2. Can the use of cell phones enhance student engagement in a classroom setting or will they become a distraction?
3. How can I build my own knowledge base on the use of technology into the classroom and how can I encourage/support the use of technology by the teachers at my school?

After meeting with my site supervisor, we have decided that the number 1 research plan is what the school would like to implement and follow throughout this school year. My new job will provide me with the opportunity to work with the different curriculum teams for all grade levels at the high school with the sole purpose of implementing technology into all facets of the classroom.

Educational Leaders use of Blogs

The use of weblogs is excellent way for an administrator to capture "thinking" when collecting data for action research. Through this type journaling, the leader can track the data collection necessary for action inquiry while also sharing the blogs with others involved in the action research.

Action Research

Action research, also known as action inquiry, is a process whereby a practitioner or teacher focuses on a concern of theirs and then engages other teachers in the action plan. The practitioners will create a design, collect data, research literary material and implement the action strategies and evaluate their effectiveness. It is through action research that practitioners are engaging in the study of their own professional practice. This action inquiry is created within and not by outside resources which also creates ownership in the process. According to Dana, it is through action research, that we can improve schools from the inside out rather from the outside in. Thus the action research process is an tool for improving both teaching and learning.

Marjorie Ringler, states that action research is essentially an extension of "good teaching" whereby the process validates the teachers effective practices in the classroom. Learning issues are addressed and teachers are motivated to improve their teaching to address those issues.

Ringler M. (2007). Action Research an Effective Instructional Leadership Skill for Future Public School Leaders. AASA Journal of Scholarship and Practice. 4(1), 27-28.

EDLD 5368 - Final Course Reflection

As an online instructor at our local community college for over five years, I see the benefits of this form of instructional learning to be very beneficial to those who need to fit schooling around a work schedule. The same hold true for teachers who need to plan professional development around a long school day or well deserved summer break.

I enjoyed designing my professional development course to enlighten teachers to Web 2.0 tools and how they can be implemented in the classroom curriculum. Through reading “Understanding by Design” and using the backward design, I was able to take my goal of integrating technology into curriculum and create an online course. My future plans for this course is to move it over to a better learning management system and to continue to develop and expand the course so that I might implement the class with the teachers at my new job in the fall.