Action Research Description

Action research sounds to me much like the scientific method.  First you have a question, and then you construct a hypothesis. Then you test and analyze your results.  Only you are doing this as an administrator or educator.  Much like the scientific method, if your findings are not positive or the outcome is unfavorable you can try other test to get favorable data that you need so that it is an on-going experiment. Although you might achieve success in one area, you them might want to use this same formula on another subject area and see if you can get the same results.  It is not only limited to the administrator, but it is a chance to reach out to the classroom level on a regular basis on teaching strategy.
I am a technologist who happens to have a background in education but not much practical experience.  I have more technical knowledge than I do education right now. But I have a "wondering" since we are not in a environment where computers are 1:1 with students as of yet whether it is feasible to have a technician on hand at the school or rely on the school district's assigned IT technician help on a scheduled basis.  An article I had to read in my last class sparked that question because the writer was so frustrated with the IT tech because it seemed like the particular school  was just one of his/her many school they have to serve and it was not personalized service so the tech was being badgered by the author.  Well if the tech at least has a more dedicated educational background, then the tech would know and understand how computer downtime or problems affect the learning process.  Many techs just see a computer being down as just another problem they need to attend to and move on to the next issue without thinking what the computer is ultimately used for or the end product that comes out of it.

Educational leaders can mostly use blogs to share ideas based on their action research.  Then get feedback from local or global colleagues on what they may do different or sharing thoughts on how they tried what the administrator tried in their post.  So it is a free way to get the word out on what works real-timewithout having to publish in a magazine and having to wait for publications weeks or months later.

Getting ready for my 2nd class Research

So I was successful in completing the first course in my Masters program, and now I am onto my second.  I only got a week break in between so next week is another 5 weeks of brain trauma.  I already bought one of my books.  it was available in eReader format. So since I am an educational Tech major I went on ahead and downloaded it in  e-format to be consistent.  Let's see if the format of the reading makes any difference with my comprehension issues.  Well off to school.  See ya.

EDLD 5306 Course Reflection

Although I previously worked in an educational environment as a teacher and a technical support personnel, I never saw the connection between the two entities.  I just thought that teacher taught with the technology tools given to them by the district; whether it be computer; technology a/v  equipment, software training, etc. and the techs just fixed it or made it ready to use for them.  Now I see a big difference than what I thought before.

From learning about Web 2.0 tools to learning Cyber Ethics and about intellectual property, there is much to be taught to both sides, the teacher and the tech supporter. And ultimately to pass down to the student/learner.   I knew that teachers had to at least have competencies to, what we use to joke about as tech support people, how to turn it on.  More so how to connect and get it started.  But what I have learned now is that we are in a mix of generations now that many veteran teachers have resisted or not taken in learning computers and many pre service teachers are like us and have grown up around computer and not fully prepared to use them in the classroom to students who expect that, being that they were born into this digital age.  I now understand it is not a joke to have the teachers, administrators and staff using technology in whatever way possible to get our new digital learners adept and ready for the world they will lead into once they graduate and that they are evaluated using the Texas STaR chart.

 

For me this was a difficult transition of what I was used to almost 20 years ago learning from a text book, library and writing using pen and paper.  The only time I was ready to use a computer was when I was ready to do a final draft of a paper.  Now about the whole process of learning in by the computer and no hard copy involved.  I am still stuck on the old premise and I had to print everything out to read it and highlight particular point of interest to me and then look back on them and post them using our Web 2.0 tools.  I think I am about half way there to where we would want out student to have 2^nd nature.  I almost feel lonely doing this because there isn’t a physical class setting involved.  Being a technology oriented person I have adjusted and learned how to use the tools and how to coordinate with my cohorts in completing assignments and asking questions.  Even though we do communicate and collaborate via our wiki’s and emails and blogs, I still feel like I am floating in cyberspace along with the rest of the world of strangers but with a small strewn out group in the big cyberdome.

What I am going to take with me from this is that technology is still growing and the global community is going to continually change the shape of education and just like the tech support person I am, I will have to keep up with all the latest technology changes in education just like I do with all the latest computers and gadgets and how to fix them.  My son who is a 3 year old “digital native”(Prensky,2005/2006) already knows how to navigate around an iPod Touch to get to his educational games and knows how to navigate on my laptop to get to his PBS Kids educational website and TV on my computer.  It startles me some that he has a 9 year head start on me because technology has always been around him. And I didn’t get to use this stuff until I was 9 years old and it was on a very limited basis and not common place like it is today.  I think I am also jealous of him. But as technology grew I got in at the right time to soak up what was going on with it and use it to my advantage.  The knowledge I brought into this class was asset management.  One of my favorite parts of my jobs where I have dealt with asset has been  asset and property management.  Through this course I got a little better idea on how schools systems use theirs and ideas on  how to improve on future asset tracking.(Holub, 2007)

I think learning with others who have learned previously the same way I learned has helped me adjust, many of us ran into similar difficulties and were able to share with each other possible solutions as well as viewpoints on what we have read about.  Even though we are far apart, we can still communicate in an instant. Much like passing notes in a real world class but it’s email now.  This is just a shift in the way kid now will receive information and we are going to be the “Connectors” (Gladwell,2002) to disperse this information to them in a high tech fashion that they are use too.

Prensky, M. (2005/2006). Listen to the Natives.  Educational Leadership, 8-13.

Gladwell,  M. (2002). “The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference” [Audiobook]

Holub, P. (2007).  Assessing Your Assets.  Technology and Learning, 16-17

EDLD 5306 Course Reflection

I enjoyed Concepts of Educational Technology course I took.  I am glad I finally decided to take the step to get back in school and do this.  At first I was excited and did not realize how much work would be involved in the course.  I think the thing that overwhelmed me most is that since it is a 5 week course it would be accelerated and involved a lot of outside time for the work and mostly for the reading.  I gained much insight into the fundamental issues technology specialist and administrators in the schools have to deal with on a yearly basis.  Since I come from the technical side of I did not realize that the technology specialist in the schools had to deal with outside stakeholders and rating teacher competencies. I just really thought they trained the teachers in-house and ordered software and hardware.  So this was an eye-opener for me.  Mainly what I want to achieve out of the program is to bridge my technical skills with my teaching skills and help to give a better understanding to educators, technologist, and administrators what each entity does to serve each other and no one entity is trying to hinder another but help to achieve the ultimate goal which is student/learner success in technology and their education.

I was able to achieve a rapport with my cohorts and able to share ideas even though most of us are a distance away from each other. The majority of the issues discussed in this class, I would agree with most of my cohorts to say that they are very relevant to what we face with education.  Especially in how to teach the "Digital Native."   This is a new challenge for us being I think the transition generation that grew up around the times when all of these tools were being developed.  We have to use what we know and integrate it into what we know is going to be to keep the "digital native" interested in our classrooms.

I was not able to achieve full success with a small bit of the reading because of external forces in my life.  And I was not able to attend all of the web conferences like I would have like to because I looked at one source and it had them scheduled for the 4th days of each week, and come to find out they were scheduled for a day prior to them in another source.  So the inconsistency threw me off.  I wish I could have attended them all, then I could have gotten some clarity with Ms. Borel and other classmates online real-time. That could have made a difference on a couple of assignments.  This is a great way to share information face-to-face so to speak.  I wish there was a way we could have conferenced together outside of official web conferences.  I hope that sooner or later we learn more tools that will help to integrate technology into the classroom like this course did.  I do consider myself very tech saavy but after taking this course I feel like I have only brushed the surface of tools available.

I am learning that there some educational views from educators standpoints that I may have to voice my professional opinion. From a technical standpoint, that there may be limitations to what teachers want given the current infrastructure, and on the  other hand I may see limitless possibilities in other areas of instruction given the current infrastructure and I feel like I will be fully utilized as a technician and technology leader with what I have learned. So I am very upbeat in the prospect of what I can contribute from my experiences.

EDLD 5306 Web Conference Week 2

This is the 2nd web conference I have been able to attend.  I am glad I attend the first so I could get the bugs out and am able to connect correctly.  I attended the conference on Tues. Oct 12.

Daryl Anne informed us that we needed a gmail account setup in order to share the site.  Also she gave us useful information regarding Internship.  She said that it will entail an 18 months.  Also she directed us to the Internship Handbook Ver. 3.3.  Our course based assignments will include 100 hours of activity and our field base will also include 100 hours. 33 activities will come from the textbook.  And a summative final report will be done before the internship is over.  Also she went into doing our CV in Week 4.

I do like to do the web conference because it gives a little bit back to the traditional class room setting with having a teacher in front of the class so to speak but more of in an advanced technological way.  And it beats having to drive to class and drive home too.