ISTE's NETS for Teachers

After TiLT's first meeting I realized that it is time to survey our staff on their comfort level with technology in their classroom and lesson plans.  I am using ISTE's NETS for teachers.  A survey was created based on those standards in a Google Spreadsheet and has been emailed to all of the staff.  I have asked them to have it finished by Friday, February 1st.

This data will be used as a baseline.  The survey will once again be given to the staff at the end of the year to determine progress made due to our efforts.

The survey questions follow after the break.

TiLT First Meeting

I met with the Technology Leadership Team for the first time on Friday, January 18th.  I asked one teacher from High School, Gwen Gilbert, and one teacher from Elementary School, Natalie Stewart, to join the team.  In this way all grade levels are included since I teach in the Middle School.  Kindergarten through 12th grade is represented on my campus and therefore I wanted a teacher from every level.  Gilbert has shown her expertise with technology and currently serves as the campus resource person for our electronic grading system.  Stewart is a quick learner and eager to promote the use of technology in the lower grades.

We decided to name the group TiLT.  We discussed offering mini-lessons to staff members after school to cover a wide-range of technology related topics teachers can use in their classrooms.  The list we came up with is as follows:

•  Refresher training, but also beginning courses on topics for new staff.
•  Promethean Board, Promethan Slates, ActivVoters
•  Twitter
•  Edmodo
•  Moodle - Gwen
•  Gaggle 
•  Gaggle YouTube videos
•  TeacherTube
•  Helpful Educational Website
•  Worksheets
•  Educational Games
• Wiki with Helpful Educational Website *1st one - Freaky Friday
• Blogging

While there are many more topics available, these are the ones we are choosing to start with.  Our first mini-lesson will be over Helpful Educational Websites such as Khan Academy, and TeacherTube.  We will be using a Wiki at http://tilted.wikispaces.com/ to easily organize and share the information with teachers.

We will determine a date for the first training at a later time.  It was a successful meeting and I am looking forward to working with a great team!

Reflections on Web Conferences for EDLD 5363

Reflection of the Sun in a Puddle by jaydenillman

Clear as mud.  There was so much confusion over what was due when and in what form that we were not given ideas on what makes a great video.  On two occasions I made Arrangements to attend a video conference and the professor was not there.  Emails were reportedly sent out, but I did not receive them.

The last web conference I attended was filled with questions over the expectations of the assignment.  I had many questions about this myself, but it was frustrating that this conference was not about content but about semantics.  I was very disappointed.  

The only conference that I felt it worthwhile to attend, and the actual assignment itself was discussed, was the first conference out of the three that I attended.  Dr. Kay Abernathy Ed.D discussed how to create a personal digital story and gave us tips on her own experiences with this.  Abernathy discussed what worked well for her and gave us places to find useful examples.   I had high hopes for the remaining weeks as I ventured to create my own personal digital story.

Alas, it was not to be.  I worked with a fantastic group of people for the final project, however they were as stymied as I was about the requirements.  The confusion was not only with us students as Abernathy confessed that her IAs were also trying to convince her that it would be better to condense the assignments into one document.

To review, one of three web conferences I attended were on topic and covered the content of the course.  Two of three web conferences dealt entirely with how to submit what, in what form, to whom, at what time, in what document.  I found it a detrimental requirement to attend these conferences especially when they could have been viewed at a time that was convenient for me.

Please include attribution to TheBestColleges.org with this graphic.

Review of Windows Movie Maker

Personal Digital Story

Reflections on My Time in EDLD 5301 Action Research

Photo by Kevan Davis

Course EDLD 5301 included constant self reflection to become a better teacher and prepare to become a better administrator.  The Action Research Plan helped focus that reflection into a living document that can be shared with others so that they also may benefit from it.

The lectures from Arterbury and Jenkins made use of the ability to share information regardless of who is teaching the class and what time the interviews took place.  It was good to get more points of view with the interviews from Briseno, Chargois, and Lewis.  More of these would have been helpful.  It also would have been helpful to have an interview with the professor of the course, Dr. Abshire.  An introduction to the course or her introducing herself with her expectations at a very minimum would have been greatly appreciated.

The Harris text was a particularly useful book for Applied Research.  It offered practical applications and real-world examples of what Action Research should be and how to successfully create an Action Research Project.  The Dana text was another useful resource as the Action Research Project was being created.

Most of the assignments could be summarized in one word – summarize.  It seemed as if all I was doing was summarizing what was read week after week.  I found week three's assignment particularly confusing.  It would have been very helpful to have a template included in the assignment instead of having to get it from the resources section of the website.  I had to email the TA several times just to be sure I was completing the assignment as expected.  I found week three's assignment very confusing and extremely frustrating because of the lack of information.

The Discussion Boards were light for this course.  I tried to make my original post by Thursday so that I would receive feedback, but it was not forthcoming.  I found that most people ended up posting on Sunday, therefore it was difficult to make the required two comments on others' posts difficult.

To get an idea for this assignment I searched the Internet for ideas on this summary.  I was disheartened to find several bloggers that express some of the same concerns I have and they have yet to be addressed.  Brooke Hughes made the comment on Cordelia's Action Research Blog: EDLD 5301 End of Course Reflections, “Dr. Abshire could have been providing us with far more useful information on the weekly assignments as well as maybe narrowed questions and concerns that took up a lot of time during the web conferences.”  It worries me that if nothing has been done to address these issues in this class, what are the classes going to be like for the rest of my program?  Do the student surveys we take at the end of the course really looked at?  Are any changes being made to improve the program?  This is especially scary considering this course is named Action Research and it has been stressed that things will change throughout our Action Research and we should embrace the change for the better.

In conclusion, Action Research is a wonderful method to use to improve one's own practice as an administrator or a teacher.  It has the power to positively effect every student on a campus and possibly even a district when done correctly.  I am looking forward to my own Action Research of Awesomeness.  However I think that this course could benefit from some of its' own teachings.  I would like to see the powers that be turn this course into an Action Research project of its' own so that future students may benefit even more from seeing seeing how it can be effectively implemented in a course in which they are students.

References Follow

Modified Action Plan

First I would like to thank all of you who made input regarding the first draft of this Action Research Plan.  It is a much better plan now thanks to all of your recommendations and comments.  Secondly, if you think of any other suggestions, please post a comment with your suggestions.  They really are very helpful.  Now, onto the Plan!


Action Plan

Analyzing data – Data will be gathered by giving surveys to students about how much they feel like they are engaged in the lessons during a typical day. Teachers will be given ISTE's NET-T as a pre-test and after all the training has been completed near the end of the year as a post-test.

Developing deeper understanding – A Technology Leadership Team will be formed and will continually offer ideas for additional training and ways the training can be improved throughout the program. Additionally, surveys will be completed at the end of each training session to evaluate how effective that particular training was.

Engaging in Self-Reflection – I will continue to work on my leadership weaknesses throughout this research.

Exploring Programmatic Patterns – The Technology Leadership Team will look at identifying data patterns, gaps, and will seek ways to address equity issues.

Determining direction – The technology Leadership Team will work collaboratively to address action research questions, monitoring progress, and assessing achievement.

Taking action for school improvement – Mini-lessons will be held throughout the school year on various technology topics including technology available on the campus and web 2.0 tools. The topics of the mini-lessons will be guided by the Technology Leadership Team who will take suggestions from all staff.  The covered tool will be expected to be used in a class lesson within the following two weeks.

Sustaining improvement – The mini-lessons will continue year after year to address new and emerging technologies. We will also use them as refresher courses to others and give opportunities for other teachers to teach the lessons.


The timeline and other details:

Action Steps	Person(s) Responsible	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
1. Form a Technology Leadership Team (TLT)	Kubala	Start: 11/01/12 End: 11/05/12	People	3 – 5 People who are interested in helping other staff learn more about technology.
2. Survey Staff using ISTE's NET-T plus additional questions created by the TLT	Technology Leadership Team (TLT), All Staff on Campus	11/05/12 11/15/12	ISTE's NET-T	Goal of 75% of staff returns completed survey
3. Evaluate Survey, Set Goals for Technology Use	TLT	11/15/12 12/07/12	Completed Surveys	Set no more than 3 goals for campus technology use
4. TLT will meet to plan implementation of mini-lessons during January.	TLT	11/15/12 12/14/12		Plan at least 3 mini-lessons for the month of January
5. TLT gives at least 3 mini-lessons each month	TLT	01/07/13 05/10/13	TLT	Surveys will be handed out at the end of each mini-lesson to determine the effectiveness of that particular lesson.  A lesson plan using the tool will be expected to be created by the teacher within two weeks following the training.
6. TLT will meet at least once per month to determine upcoming lessons for the month	TLT	01/07/13 04/10/13	TLT and surveys from each mini-lesson	Have plans setup for the next month
7. Survey Staff using ISTE's NET-T plus additional questions created by the TLT	Kubala	05/10/13 05/24/13	TLT and completed ISTE's NET-T
8. Review Results of all Surveys and plan for the following year	TLT	05/10/13 06/01/13	TLT	Have a plan in place for next school year with improvements in place from lessons learned this school year.
9. Report Findings	Kubala	07/01/13	Information gathered from TLT	Share data with Site Coordinator, Staff, District, and all interested parties.

I Do CARE!

Picture By USAID Afghanistan

In Action Research there are many models and methods to evaluate the forward movement of the project.  The CARE Model is one way to evaluate what needs to be improved but also keeps in sight those things that are currently being done well. CARE stands for Concerns, Affirmations, Recommendations, and Evaluations. Concerns are what a person would like to improve. Affirmations are what should not change at the school, it is what is being done well. Recommendations are the how the Concerns are going to be addressed. Evaluations are how all of the progress is going to be measured. The CARE model will be of great use in my Action Research plan. This plan appeals to me personally because of the Affirmations. It is important to keep in mind that we are doing many things right. We should not lose sight of that when starting to make improvements.


Examining What We Do to Improve Our Schools Sandra Harris, Stacey Edmonson, Julie Combs

Tool 8.1 CARE Model: Planning Tool

Identify Concerns that must change (look to the future)
(Assign points to concerns from 1 to 3 in the order of the most important issues to consider.)

1. Students need to know how to use the technology used in College and the Workforce.
2. Teachers need to know how to help students learn how to use the technology.
3. Teachers need help in becoming comfortable with technology and how to use it in their lessons.

Identify Affirmations that must be sustained (look to the present)
(Assign points to affirmations from 1 to 3 in the order of the most important issues to consider.)

1. Most teachers are concerned about what is best for the students.
2. Staff members are very supportive of each other.
3. There is an environment of looking for the good in students.

SMART Recommendations that must be implemented:
(Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timely)
(Assign points to recommendations from 1 to 3 in the order of the most important recommendations to implement.)

1. Mini-lessons (30 to 60 min) will be offered after school once a week on how to implement technology and web 2.0 tools into teacher's lessons.
2. Mini-lessons will be limited to one tool at a time.
3. The covered tool will be expected to be used in a class lesson within the following two weeks.

EVALUATE – Specifically and Often
(Identify the best ways to evaluate the implemented recommendations.)

1. Surveys on the mini-lessons will be available after each mini-lesson.
2. Pre and Post ISTE-T test will help determine if teachers know more about how to utilize technology in their classrooms by the end of the year.



Thank you for taking the time to read this post.  It would be of great benefit to my project if you took just a moment more and made a comment.  Thank you!

(Un)Foreseen Challenges

Photo by Anthony Doudt

As I contemplate on my Action Research, I find myself thinking about everything that could go wrong.  I know this is not the best utilization of my brain power.  After all, I do consider myself a pretty good positive thinker.  However, I think this may be a good exercise to undertake so that I can at least try to be prepared for those things which I think might be most challenging.

• It may be difficult to find three to five people at my campus who will be willing to be part of the Technology Leadership Team (TLT).
• Mini-lessons will be offered.  Scheduling after school may prove to be difficult.  Our campus has K-12.  K-8's end of the day is at 2:50 while 9-12's end of the day is at 3:45.
•  Days of the week may be difficult to schedule for the mini-lessons also because of the myriad of commitments families have.
• Attendance will not be mandatory and therefore may be low.
• Frustration at having to learn new ways of doing things may be high.
• Frustration at slower learners from those people who already know the tools may be high.

These are just some of the challenges that I can foresee.  I know many more challenges will poke their heads out at me while I am in the middle of this process.

What suggestions do you have to minimize these challenges?  Are there any challenges that I am missing?  All (constructive) comments are welcome!

Thanks in advance for your help!

Here's the Plan. . .Part 2

And now for the timeline to make it all happen. . .

Action Steps	Person(s) Responsible	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
1. Form a Technology Leadership Team (TLT)	Kubala	Start: 11/01/12 End: 11/05/12	People	3 – 5 People who are interested in helping other staff learn more about technology.
2. Survey Staff using ISTE's NET-T plus additional questions created by the TLT	Technology Leadership Team (TLT), All Staff on Campus	11/05/12 11/15/12	ISTE's NET-T	Goal of 75% of staff returns completed survey
3. Evaluate Survey, Set Goals for Technology Use	TLT	11/15/12 12/07/12	Completed Surveys	Set no more than 3 goals for campus technology use
4. TLT will meet to plan implementation of mini-lessons during January.	TLT	11/15/12 12/14/12		Plan at least 3 mini-lessons for the month of January
5. TLT gives at least 3 mini-lessons each month	TLT	01/07/13 05/10/13	TLT	Surveys will be handed out at the end of each mini-lesson to determine the effectiveness of that particular lesson
6. TLT will meet at least once per month to determine upcoming lessons for the month	TLT	01/07/13 04/10/13	TLT and surveys from each mini-lesson	Have plans setup for the next month
7. Survey Staff using ISTE's NET-T plus additional questions created by the TLT	Kubala	05/10/13 05/24/13	TLT and completed ISTE's NET-T
8. Review Results of all Surveys and plan for the following year	TLT	05/10/13 06/01/13	TLT	Have a plan in place for next school year with improvements in place from lessons learned this school year.
9. Report Findings	Kubala	07/01/13	Information gathered from TLT	Share data with Site Coordinator, Staff, District, and all interested parties.

Form used from:

Harris, Sandra, Stacey Edmonson, and Julie P. Combs. "Examining the Work: Taking Action for School Improvement." Examining What We Do to Improve Our Schools: 8 Steps from Analysis to Action. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education, 2010. 85. Print.

Here's the Plan. . . Part 1

WOOOHOOO!!!!  I've made a plan and here it is.  I have to tell you that I am really excited about implementing this on my campus!

1. Examining the work: Setting the Foundation – Through meetings with teachers and my site supervisor it was agreed that teachers could use more technology during their lessons.
2. Analyzing data – Data will be gathered by giving surveys to students about how much they feel like they are engaged in the lessons during a typical day. Teachers will be given ISTE's NET-T as a pre-test and after all the training has been completed near the end of the year as a post-test.
3. Developing deeper understanding – A Technology Leadership Team will be formed and will continually offer ideas for additional training and ways the training can be improved throughout the program. Additionally, surveys will be completed at the end of each training session to evaluate how effective that particular training was.
4. Engaging in Self-Reflection – I will continue to work on my leadership weaknesses throughout this research.
5. Exploring Programmatic Patterns – The Technology Leadership Team will look at identifying data patterns, gaps, and will seek ways to address equity issues.
6. Determining direction – The technology Leadership Team will work collaboratively to address action research questions, monitoring progress, and assessing achievement.
7. Taking action for school improvement – Mini-lessons will be held throughout the school year on various technology topics including technology available on the campus and web 2.0 tools. The topics of the mini-lessons will be guided by the Technology Leadership Team who will take suggestions from all staff.
8. Sustaining improvement – The mini-lessons will continue year after year to address new and emerging technologies. We will also use them as refresher courses to others and give opportunities for other teachers to teach the lessons.
   
   
   Based on the 8 Steps outlined in:
   
   Harris, Sandra, Stacey Edmonson, and Julie P. Combs. Examining What We Do to Improve Our Schools: 8 Steps from Analysis to Action. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education, 2010. Print.

My "Wondering"

One of the areas in Action Research that is of particular interest to me is staff development as it relates to integrating technology into the classroom.

An article on Edudemic stated, "75% of students said that technology helped them achieve their academic goals, but only 66% felt prepared to use that needed technology when they entered college."  This is just one of many studies that find students more excited about entering a classroom where technology is embraced than a classroom where the latest technology used is a book, paper, and pencil.

Teachers are uniquely placed to demonstrate how to embrace and learn new technology.  They can model to their students how to learn new technology because teachers have to learn how to use it before they can teach it.  This allows students to see lifelong learning in action, not just talked about by their teachers.  Teachers are a powerful role model.  Let's take advantage of that and use it to encourage and excite our students about being in our classroom.

My "wondering" is, "How would student engagement and behavior change if teachers used more technology and web-based activities during instruction?"

The Many Facets of Action Research in Education

I recently had the opportunity to read Chapter 2 of Leading With Passion and Knowledge: The Principal as Action Researcher by Nancy Fichtman Dana.  Dana describes nine areas that are ripe for Action Research.  Dana describes those areas as, Staff Development, Curriculum Development, Individual Teachers, Individual Students, Community/Culture Building, Leadership Skills, Management, School Performance, and Social Justice.

I would have considered Staff Development, Curriculum Development, Individual Teachers, and School Performance as areas conducive to Action Research, however I would not have thought about the other areas.

Dana makes the case for Individual Students on the basis that some students do not fit the mold of the average student.  These students need to be served in the best way possible and Action Research should be done in order to find what ways these students are best served.

Community/Culture Building, before reading the text, I would have thought as being mostly directed by factors that were already present at the campus.  Factors that could not be influenced.  I now see how a positive culture can be encouraged and how to move away from a negative culture on campus.

I believed Leadership Skills and Management were skills that were more of a innate quality, but I now see how those qualities can also be fostered and learned.

The area of Social Justice was one that was never given much thought.  The text enlightened me to several ideas and processes that should be looked at closely as a principal.

All of these areas are important to administrators on campuses.  I look forward to moving on with my own action research ideas and seeing them through to fruition.

Blogging for Educational Leaders

Blogging is a fantastic tool for educational leaders.  Blogging can give insight into what a leader is thinking and why they are taking the actions they are.

Leaders can also introduce new topics for discussion and see what others' opinions are.  It does not require the discussion to happen in real-time so people can read and respond at their leisure.  This would be a great time to link to a particularly good article for discussion or Web 2.0 tool for ideas on how to incorporate it into a lesson.

Teachers can use blogs in their classroom by having their students create one.  Creative Writing, reflection on a current event, a book review, and answering questions about a famous scientist are just a few ideas on how to incorporate blogging into the classroom.

Teachers can introduce new topics before students come into the classroom.  This may be one way to start flipping the classroom.

These are just a few ideas for using blogs in an educational setting, but there are many more.  Check out the following links for more information and ideas:
http://www.emergingedtech.com/2010/08/blogging-in-education-today-a-multipart-series/
http://www.det.wa.edu.au/education/cmis/eval/curriculum/ict/weblogs/
http://oedb.org/library/features/top-100-education-blogs

The best way to learn is to jump in.  Start today!

I hope to see you on your own Journey to Awesomeness

Action Research and its' Uses

Action Research is when a person wonders how a particular practice can be improved. They systematically look at their practices and then make changes based on those observations.

Action Research is particularly interesting to me because I am naturally curious. I am continually trying to improve my craft of teaching and Action Research gives me the best way to implement change in my practice and to analyze how the changes affects the outcome. Change can then be introduced to enhance the outcome.

Through Action Research I plan on evaluating the use of technology on my campus. By analyzing the teachers' interests I hope to bring the use of technology into more classrooms more often. Using Action Research I can make sure that technology is not being used just for the sake of using technology. I hope to introduce ways of communicating between the experienced users and novice users so that a learning community will be formed.

I am looking forward to generating excitement and opening new ways of learning to the teachers and students on my campus. With this blog I will chronicle the journey I am taking on implementing Action Research on my campus.

You are cordially invited to come join me on my quest for awesomeness.