Week 2 Research Class Reflection

     During week two of the research class, many examples of action research were given in the readings. One of the things learned is that there are several practical ways of doing action research. It's not some sort of boring and drawn out academic jargon. This results of this type of research is very useful and can be modified at certain to accommodate changes that may come along. 

     Action research also appears to be a relatively simple method of inquiry. So far, it appears that the most challenging thing about research, right now, is figuring out what topic to inquire about. At the current moment there have three questions formulated for the beginnings of my action research project. It is my hope to be able to further develop those questions into an acceptable work with some useful findings.

Educational Leaders use of Blogs

Educational leaders can greatly benefit from the use of blogs in their action research projects. It can be used as a source of data collection. Blogs also offer the option for others to provide feedback in order for the active researcher to gain more insight as to how to further develop a solution to their current problem/issue that that needs improvement (Dana, 2009, p.87-89).

Reference:

Dana, N.F. (2009). Leading with passion and knowledge: The principal as action researcher. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

What have I learned about Action Research?

I have learned that action research is when educational practitioners engage in the process of purposeful study of ones own daily activities and/or practices in the educational setting. After careful study has been given to the activities and/or practices, the practitioner is to take an active role in changing whatever needs changing as a result of their studies.

This type of research would be very beneficial to me as an educator. Action research can help to improve my classroom by causing me to reflect on classroom management, instruction, and/or other classroom issues that come up. Classroom instruction would probably be one of the things that I would want to research on a periodic or yearly basis. After each year, it should become a habit to reflect on what worked well, what could have been done better, where could improvements be made, and how should it all get done. Collaborating with other teachers would most definitely be of great use. More than one brain working to get things done is always better than one.

Another use for this research style would be for when I am serving in a leadership role where it would be my duty lead and make changes within an organization. I know that this course and research type is primarily used for the educational setting, but I have noticed that action research can be of useful outside the education sector as well. I would like to explore how action research could be used in that way.

Reference:

Dana, N.F. (2009). Leading with passion and knowledge: The principal as action researcher. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

EDLD 5306 Course Reflection

Concepts of Educational Technology- 5306

Course Reflection

            Upon starting this class, it was not completed known to me what all I would learn. The course was approached with an open mind, excited, and ready to learn something new. The course outcomes were just what I expected and more.

            Achieving course objectives was rather fun on many occasions simply because the assignments were of high interest. It hardly seemed like classwork; it was more like working on several hobby interests. As I was working on the assignments I began envisioning how each new skill could be incorporated into the classroom environment.

Even though much of the weekly readings were very interesting and insightful, I sometimes found it challenging to complete all of the readings in a timely manner. For a brief moment I felt a little discouraged but making a workable plan for completing the work had to be done.

I’m consider myself to be tech-savvy, but there was a lot more information learned that was not know to me before. I enjoyed learning about wikis, blogs, and embedding video into my sites. Some of what has been learned has already been shared with fellow educators, which places me in a leadership position as a resource person.

District Technology Plan

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Week 2 Web Conference Reflection

Time of conference: 20:00

Date: 11/23/10

            In Week 2’s web conference, many of the classmates in the Concepts of Educational Technology class were able to meet for their first required web conference. It was great to be able to place faces with the names of the individual names that were once seen only on the discussion board. It was also nice to have an opportunity to interact with course professor.

            During the web conference, Dr. Abshire discussed many of the requirements for our internship and many of the requirements for graduation upon completion of the program.

            It was very difficult to follow the discussion during the live web conference due to technical difficulties. After the conference, the recorded version of the conference could be viewed. Even though there were some issues with the recording, enough information was received to make sense of the information being communicated. Other students were also able to ask questions and get them answered.

Blog Posting #3 – National Educational Technology Plan

           The National Technology Education Plan draft states various goals and objectives for increased learning and improved instruction for all teachers and students in the United States. It provides a reasonably thorough overview of what is expected to happen and be seen done in school districts throughout the nation with regards to educational technology usage.

            New and veteran teachers are expected to know and implement the educational technology goals and objectives in the classroom and wherever necessary. This would include not only access to educational tools for in-school use but also for home use. Educators should offer learning experiences that are online and can be readily accessed from a personal computer at home and/or other locations where Internet access is available. To ensure that this is properly done, teachers are to undergo professional development training during pre-service training, for new teachers, and ongoing job-embedded training experiences.

            Students have host of information to learn throughout their schooling years. They are to learn knowledge and skills that will prepare them to be successful, responsible citizens who apply their learning in an ethical reasonable manner. The students are expected to be able know the basics of various computer basics before they enter high school, such basic keyboarding, hardware and software options, and the use of different peripherals.  

            Though the plan is well put together, there is a major concern. The plan mentions that it wants to ensure that teachers and students will have at least one electronic device that has Internet capabilities and the proper software options to complete certain tasks whether they are at home or at school. It would be good to know how this will happen when every home is not equipped with a computer and does not have proper Internet access that is affordable and available.

Source:

U.S. Department of Edcaution (2010, March 5). Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology [Draft]. Retrieved from http://www.ed.gov/sites/default/files/NETP-2010-final-report.pdf