Action Research Update

My action research changed much earlier in the program, due to my internship supervisors. They felt greater research was needed in the new category. I initially wanted to find if the new master schedule impacted standardized test scores, but they felt that was to easy. My new research topic is detailed below.

Title:

The Correlation of Academic Achievement and Student Involvement

Needs Assessment:

On our campus, there appears to be a certain lack of accountability for some students who are not actively involved in either a student organization or athletic group.  In recent times, there has been a push to establish a sense of buy-in and accountability with the students by pushing student involvement in athletic groups and student organizations.  Is there a correlation between student achievement among students who are actively involved versus students who have no school club involvement, athletic affiliation?  Should no such correlation exist and students be encouraged to focus on studies?

Objectives and Vision of the action research project:

A vision and vision statement will be developed with input from a coach, club sponsor, administrator, and team leader.  The action research project will include measureable objectives, timelines, data, and responsible person(s).

Review of the Literature and Action Research Strategy:

The Tuning Protocol developed by the Coalition of Essential Schools Project at Brown University will be the assessment system implemented.  This instrument was chosen because of its ability to recognize the complexities of developing assessments for projects, sharing feedback, clarifying questions without judging, receiving warm and cool feedback, reflection time and debriefing to arrive at a mutual conscious.

Articulate the Vision :

Faculty and staff learned of the action research project via their respective professional learning communities meeting.  Coaches and club sponsors received more detailed information from the printed material disseminated to them for their sport or organization.  Content specialist are primarily responsible for monitoring data and distributing info to professional learning communities within the school.  Parents and communities members are not informed until research is concluded.  At this time, they will be informed vita I.M.P.A.C.T. program. 

Manage the organization:

Self – pick a sample group, work closely with sponsors, specialist, and classroom teachers t monitor students’ progress, formulate plan or course of action based on results.

Content specialist- access data ranging from standardized test scores, attendance, and number grades to compare extra-curricular participants to those who are non-participants

Coaches  & Club Sponsors – monitor student athletes and participants,

Manage Operations:

N/A

Respond to Community Interest and Needs:

The action research who determine whether a need exist to further advocate for extra-curricular activities and if so, which activities do these students seem to benefit from most on an academic level.  Student involvement is not specific to a particular race, gender, or type of student.  It does not exclude those with special needs and can accommodate those labeled gifted.  Should there be no correlation or no data to support extracurricular or determine which type if any is more beneficial, results can be used to formulate new methods and strategies of reaching students on a larger scale.

EDLD 5364 -Course Based Embedded Assignment Reflection

Overall, I feel I was successful in completing the course assignments. The discussion postings and protocols were the same as I had experienced in other classes. The use of blog post every week was good practice to prepare us for integrating them into classroom instruction. Even the Adobe desktop videoconferencing was easy to participate in and very informative.

            Despite a detailed rubric and guiding questions,  I generally started to feel more comfortable in completing the group project when we were provided with an example. Based on the conversations among my team members, I believe we all felt uneasy about whether or not our project has hit the mark.

            I learned during the project that although my technology skills are well developed, using these skills to construct an interactive, multimedia lesson is more difficult than I thought. Having technology skills alone is not sufficient to promote true integration of technology to teachers in a way that transforms instruction; it is critical to understand educational theory and pedagogy. Depending on my team members, and trusting their educational experience to help design instructionally appropriate lessons infused with differentiation opportunities through technology, led to the development of much better lessons than I could ever have created alone.
Although I have always had an open mind and a positive attitude regarding teaching with technology and using “digital native” tools, during this course my attitude toward student assessment changed. I never thought of a video game as a constant, real-time, ongoing assessment with immediate feedback on performance after each task (Solomon, G., & Schrum, L.2007), and will now look at educational applications of game-like technologies differently. I am now convinced that assessment must be frequent, and just as in a video game, there must be regular, ongoing opportunities for students to monitor their progress and connect the effort they expend to their performance and progress.

 In summation, the lessons I learned in the Teaching with Technology class have changed my attitude towards instructional applications for video gaming technology strategies, improved my online leadership and collaboration skills, and left me with a new respect for teachers who have to find innovative methods to deal with such a wide variety of student skill levels and abilities.

Citation: Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2007). Web 2.0: New tools, new schools. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education, 168-176.

EDLD 5364- Week 5 Post Conference

After viewing the archive of this weeks web conference, I was made aware of what the week 5 expectations are. Usually I scan over the expected assignments and readings before viewing the conference, but this week I did not. The web conference really laid out what I needed to do to wrap up the group website, and my individual task. It also reminded me that there was a Tk20 submission and what the due date was.

EDLD 5364- What I learned Week 5

This week I was taken back by the readings for new technology in the schools. I really experienced an epiphany when I read about new types of assessments in the classroom. I had never thought of video game and application type assessments to monitor the on-going progress of students. This type of assessment can offer varied levels and immediate feedback to the students and teachers. The challenge with this type of assessment is finding or creating one that is rigorous and monitors their progress over time.

EDLD 5364- What I learned Week 4

This week I had an epiphany regarding assessments after our Week 4 readings. As we trek closer to the STAAR exam, this reading was really appropriate for me. Ultimately, the biggest lesson I learned this week in my Teaching with Technology class is that we must always remember that assessment must be used to evaluate ourselves as teachers, and our teaching methods, just as much as it is used to evaluate student learning. By changing the way we assess our students so that we are truly assessing their knowledge and skills and not just their test-taking ability, we gain a better understanding of how to improve them and how to improve ourselves as well. We must remember that we are all learners, we must learn with our students, and we can build relationships by sharing with them the excitement of creating new knowledge that is self-assessing as the lessons progress.

• Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age: Universal Design for Learning, Chapter 7
• • Rose, D., & Meyer, A. (2002). Teaching every student in the digital age: Universal design for learning. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Chapter 7. Available online at the Center for Applied Special Technology Web site. Retrieved from http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/ideas/tes/

EDLD 5364- Post Conference Week 4

This week's s conference was more confusing to me. After viewing the archived conference I still was unsure if our group must  complete the examples or if we are simply expressing how we would implement technology activities to solve the scenario. One of my group mates emailed our instructional associate, so hopefully that will clear up my confusion. I think there is a chance that I may be making this more confusing by OVER analyzing the instructions.

EDLD 5364 UDL Sample Book Link

I created a sample book with the UDL book builder website. Please check it out.

http://bookbuilder.cast.org/view.php?op=view&book=73926&page=1

EDLD 5364- What I learned week 3

This week was informational just like the previous weeks. I gained a better understanding of the Universal Design of Learning, and how to use technology to reach all learners in a classroom. I also learned more about the "digital classroom" and the direction that learning with technology is headed in the future.

EDLD 5364 Week 3- Creating UDL Lesson Reflection

I had the chance to create a UDL lesson plan this week, and it was easier than I expected. My lesson is about the geography of each biome. I have never taught about biomes before, but this was the topic my group chose. I enjoyed creating this lesson, and I think that this is something I will implement in my classroom.

Geography of Biomes

Lesson Overview

	Title:	Geography of Biomes
	Author:	Jennifer Winston
	Subject:	Geography
	Grade Level(s):	6
	Duration:	2 weeks
	Subject Area:	Social Studies
	Unit Description:	After researching and reading about biomes, students will be able to identify and describe the geography of each of the six major biomes of the world by making biome mobiles.
	Lesson Description for Day:	Read aloud a book about biomes to the class and complete in class assignment.
	State Standards:	California Grade 6 5.d  Students know different kinds of organisms may play similar ecological roles in similar biomes. Grade 6 5.e  Students know the number and types of organisms an ecosystem can support depends on the resources available and on abiotic factors, such as quantities of light and water, a range of temperatures, and soil composition. Technology Standards: 2.6) Deliver multimedia presentations: a. Combine text, images, and sound and draw information from many sources (e.g., television broadcasts, videos, films, newspapers, magazines,CD-ROMs, the Internet, electronic media-generated images).		e
Goals
	Unit Goals:	• Student is able to to describe biomes • Student is able to compare and contrast biomes • Student is able to identify important facts based on prompts.
	Lesson Goals:	Unit goals are for each student to identify the geographic characteristics of each biome.
Methods
	Anticipatory Set:	Read aloud a book about biomes to the class and ask the following comprehension questions: • What is a biome? (an environment) • What are the six major biomes in the world? (tundra, evergreen forest, deciduous forest, grasslands, rainforest, desert) Explain to students that the biomes often have different types of animals and plants, or fauna and flora, which have adapted to the environment. Tell students that sometimes, the same animals and plants can live in more than one biome. Ask students: • Could a polar bear live in a desert? Why or why not? • What animal could live in a desert? Why? Tell students that they will get a chance to find out more about the different biomes because they will be researching and creating biome mobiles.
		Recognition Task
	Introduce and Model New	Model for students how to make the mobiles and write the steps on the whiteboard.
	Knowledge:	Recognition Task
		Tell students that they will first research the different biomes and fill out a Biome printable for each biome. They can use text books, trade books, internet or other resources. Explain the different sections of the printable and the definitions of terms (climate, terrain, etc.). Cut out the biome cards (6 altogether). Strategic Network
	Provide Guided Practice:	Students will then use the blank documents to draw a realistic picture of the biome based on the facts they have collected. Students will then color and cut out the animals and plants on the Flora and Fauna printable and glue the animal and plant that best fit the biome onto the picture.
		Strategic Network
	Provide Independent Practice:	Students will also draw their own plants and animals on their picture. Students will then cut a piece of construction paper to mount the picture and then glue the biome facts on the back of the construction paper. Students should have six rectangles with pictures of the biomes on one side and the corresponding fact card on the backside. Check students' work to assess understanding of concepts. Students can now create their biome mobile. They can cover the hanger with construction paper and punch six holes in the top part. Student can then punch holes in the top of their biome cards to attach the cards to hanger with fishing line. Have students cut varying lengths of fishing line so that the cards are staggered. Student can write "Biomes" or another title for their mobile on the hanger part. Affective Network

Assessments
	Formative/Ongoing                                Assessment:	Quiz of biome characteristics.
		Ask students to share their mobiles with the class or in groups. These make wonderful decorations in the classroom.
	Summative/End Of Lesson Assessment:
	Websites:
	Materials:	Lesson Materials • Hangers • Construction paper • Crayons, scissors, pencils, glue, hole punch • Fishing line • Printable documents (3 copies of each per student) • Flora and Fauna printable • Books about biomes   Some great suggestions:   What is a Biome? (Bobby Kalman)   A World of Biomes Series (Philip Johansson)   Biome Atlases (Library Binding)

EDLD 5364- Week 2 Post Conference

I did  not attend the live chat, however I did watch the archived version. I was specifically watching this archive for clarity of the group assignment. After this weeks chat, I have a clearer idea of what the expectations are from this assignments. I was able to better understand the lesson plan requirements, which was helpful to myself as well as my group. I was also able to look at examples of previous group work.

EDLD 5364 What I learned Week 2

This week I had the chance to learn about UDL. UDL stands for Universal Design for Learning.
UDL uses a variety of methods to address the different portions of a learner's brain. There are Recognition Network Tasks which deal with gathering facts and categorizing information, the "what" of learning, Strategic Network Tasks which deal with planning, performing tasks and expressing ideas, the "how" of learning, and Affective Network Tasks which control learner engagement, motivation and interest, the "why" of learning. The lesson model also incorporates both summative and formative assessments to demonstrate the efficacy of the lesson. To learn more, refer to What is Universal Design for Learning?

EDLD 5364- What I learned Week 1

This week I was excited to learn about the theory of constructivism. This theory was relates to educators facilitating student learning by helping them discover know knowledge coupled with their past experiences. I suppose I am a believer in this theory, because I notice that student retain more when they discover with guidance. Also students learn and retain knowledge when they are able to blend new information with existing information. Teachers are not obsolete in this theory as it may seem.

Constructivism modifies that role, so that teachers help students to construct knowledge rather than to reproduce a series of facts. The constructivist teacher provides tools such as problem-solving and inquiry-based learning activities with which students formulate and test their ideas, draw conclusions and inferences, and pool and convey their knowledge in a collaborative learning environment.

• • Citation: Abbott, J. (nd). Building Knowledge: Constructivism in Learning. [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F00R3pOXzuk
   
•  

EDLD 5364- Week 1 Post Conference

This weeks chat was informational, however I was less than excited to notice there is more group work. I just watched the chat on Thursday and started emailing people in my section to find group mates.
Overall, though, it was a positive experience, great questions were asked, and everyone received excellent answers and feedback from our instructor. Despite the the element of group work, there were no technical and user issues.

EDLD 5366 Digital Graphics & Web Design Week 5 Reflection

-->

During EDLD 5366 I learned a wealth of knowledge from the week one through four readings and assignments. Throughout the course I had the opportunity to use my imagination coupled with creativity and the information embedded in the course to help me successfully complete the assignments. The information I learned could carry over into the classroom or any future leadership assignments.

            Week one I focused on using the CRAP model provided by Dr. Cummings to evaluate and describe the pieces provided in the assignment. Before this course I was aware that there was a method to designing a visually pleasing piece. After reading the week one readings, I discovered what the elements make up a balanced digital piece. After this assignment I became more aware of the contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity of pieces.

            With week two I was able to learn about branding, and created a logo. I was able to process the importance of creating a brand , and what elements to incorporate into it. I enjoyed brainstorming about my goals and words that describe me. I feel like the process of branding could be a student or staff activity. Branding can help one to focus on their goals and what it must take to achieve them. I could use this assignment in my history classroom by having student create a brand or logo for past presidents and historical figures that we study.

            Week three animations provided me the opportunity to experiment with movement and creating a animation with a stick figure. Before this course I had never heard of free tools like Stykz . After completing the week three assignment with this free software, I envisioned the different ways my eighth grade students would enjoy using this product. Animations are an engaging way to draw students into an assignment and instruction. During this assignment I learned new free ways to incorporate technology into my classroom.

            Week four was more about group work and collaborative assignments for me. I had a wonderful group, and we started working early on the website. Our goals was to create a visually enticing website that would deliver meaningful information while adhering to the rubric guidelines.  After the website was finished we were pleased with what we had created. I personally realized that a website could be used in education to benefit students, staff, and parents. I really like the idea of having a website that shares free web 2.0 tools for teachers to use in the classroom. I feel that if teachers have more resources or websites like this available, they would focus more on incorporating technology. Websites can also be used to post assignment guidelines or notes for students.

Resources

Churches, A. (2007, April). Bloom’s digital taxonomy. Retrieved from http://www.techlearning.com/article/8670

Robin Williams: The Non-Designer’s Design Book, Third Edition.

Alcantara, L. (2009). The art of self-branding. Retrieved from http://www.lealea.net/blog/comments/the-art-of-self-branding-part-one/

EDLD 5366 Week 1 Reflection

The ancient manuscript I chose to discuss is the Bible from Ethiopia. I believe I chose it because it is easy to relate to this work, even though I cannot read the text. In the book I can see the writer was artistic, yet methodical in his creation of this piece of history. Contrast is shown in the vivid, bright colors he uses on the pale page. Within the pictures is even more contrast with color. The paintings are very detailed and crisp. In addition, some of the text is in red, indicating it may be more important. Repetition is apparent throughout in the borders of the drawings, the pillars and arches and their details, as well as the similarities in all the intricate artwork. Alignment is very simple and symmetrical, but affective. Most things are centered on the page, but it would make the eyes flow as they should when reading the text. Proximity seems to be represented in different areas of the book. The first page appears to contain a title, telling us what will be coming in the text. Most pages containing pictures have text to go along with them. I am sure the text would be an indicator of what appears in the picture itself. The book presents itself as being regal. This along with the vivid colors might designate its importance to those reading it.