Action Research Course Reflections

Going in this research course I was expecting that I would be inundated by typical research and stuck in the library trying to find out about and assigned research topic.  I was glad to find out that this was more about putting ourselves in the position of asking a question that can make a difference in our own positions as administrators that could possibly have a positive effect on our campus environment or workplace. The course was not difficult but the timing of it could not have been worse.  With all the holiday season and school milestones for this time of year, it proved a little arduous to meet with my site mentor or spend adequate time actually completing my assignments on time.  Thankfully, I did succeed in completing the course.

The lecture videos were typically short and to the point.  They did help in getting some understanding in how to setup and action research plan.  And this may sound arbitrary, but it seemed that the professors in the video were reading straight from a teleprompter.  Although there is nothing wrong with that, it just seem fairly obvious that is what was happening.  I do appreciate their guidance through the course and they provided great insight into the use of action research and how to set it up to achieve our own "wonderings".  The videos from week 2 of the administrators that explained how action research has helped them was a great real world example to work from.  I really took to heart from the video by Johnny Briseno that it isn't really necessary to "reinvent the wheel" to develop an action research plan and just google and modify to your own wonderings. Also the fact that he stressed that none of his decisions are made without data to represent what changes should be made. That is important in backing your research and decisions.

I am glad that there were templates available to structure the action research plan.  I found that to be a skeleton to setup my work and also make new or different changes within my research plan.  My mentor and I found both the Action Research template and the CARE model helpful in developing my action plan.  My mentor is excited about what I have come up with and cannot wait to see the finished product.

Working my colleagues via the discussion board and through their blogs and wikis is great.  But somehow I feel like I am cheating.  I am not copying their work or anything but I guess I am not used to working with others to do my own work.  I do understand the concept and like the fact that we can constructively criticize each others work, but when I am working on my assignments, I feel like I am peeking over someone else's work to help myself out.

All in all, I am excited as much as my site mentor and am eager to find out how my plan will develop or what kind of changes I will have to make along the way.  I am normally a patient person, but now I am like a kid a Christmas and I cannot wait to see the results.

Week 4 Reflection for Action Research

One of the easier weeks I have to admit.  The reading I got through with a clear understanding and was able to apply what I have read to my research plan with no problem. The techniques of the CARE model, Force Field Analysis, and Delphi Method are going to help me well in presenting to administrators, faculty, and staff the importance of this and how it will add to the school improvement for all the stakeholders.  Since there were no holidays to hinder my work it went smooth and easy.  Although the meeting with my site mentor did seem a little tense because she was facing pressures of end of the semester deadlines and more holidays coming up.  With this final week being shortened I think I am going to be even more busy trying to finish before the Friday deadline.  Wish me good tidings.

Week 3 Reflection

It just seems like I cannot catch up after Thanksgiving.  I don't have the distractions I did the previous week but it feels like aftershock and I have to work twice as hard to get back on track.  I am not sure how a lot of my colleagues do it but I am sure they probably even have more outside school distractions to deal with, but they turn out great work on time.  I wish I had their resolve to keep up. I am understanding how Action Research does work and I was having a difficult time trying to apply it to how I work technically but discussing with my site mentor has helped to determine how we can work together to use both her educational background and my technical background to use this concept.  She is learning as well about action research and how maybe she can use it in other areas of her position as IT coordinator on her campus.  If I can just get back in the pack with the rest of my cohorts I think I may be successful in this course.

Action Research

Action Planning Template
Goal: Upon opening a new high school this year my site mentor ran into several asset management issue,  For example, many technology items still unboxed had been stolen by construction personnel who were still working on school grounds and had access to the building. After discussing this issue with her, I proposed to device and asset management system that would allow her to reduce loss, and also manage technology item within classrooms and labs and also on loan from the library that is not allocated to the classroom and determine popular trends with usage of the equipment. We also hope to have an inventory of the machines in the classrooms and connections to expedite repairs from district technicians.  And finally create a protocol for receiving new equipment on campus and keeping it secure until equipment has been installed and added to the inventory database.
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Survey Teachers with questionnaires regarding technology equipment in the classroom. Equipment type, peripherals, port connection if available	Glen Green Site Mentor	Prior to Winter holiday break	MS Office Word, Excel, Access	Data collected will be entered into a database for tracking purposes and other logistics
Create a protocol for movement /transfer of technology equipment across the campus	Glen Green Site Mentor	Jan 2011	MS Office Word, Excel, Access	Keep and up to date inventory of what equipment is in what location so when it is time to do district inventory, everything is in its coordinated place.
Track usage of non-classroom/lab equipment with a check out system from the library Coordinate a database system to track repairs on disable technology equipment	Glen Green Librarian	Jan 2011 – May 2011	MS Office Access, Excel	Data collect will help in decision making to purchase more or less or consider different equipment to assist in learning.
Coordinate a protocol for receiving new technology equipment into the building.	Glen Green Site Mentor Administrator	Feb 2011	MS Office Word, Excel, Access, Campus Asset Tags	Work with an administrator to assign who signs for technology equipment and establish a chain of custody and storage room that is accessible by a limited amount of personnel.
Coordinate a database system to track repairs on disable technology equipment	Glen Green Site Mentor Technology Department	On Going	MS Office Access or Excel	Assess downtimes for repairs from call in to repair of the equipment and to help expedite repairs to prevent loss of learning.

Week 2 Reflection

A tough week with Thanksgiving and trying to study.  I am thankful it's over.  The reading was long but I do get the gist of what kind of question administrators face and how they would use them in action research.  Although my background is mostly technical in nature, but having worked in the education arena for most of my career, it was difficult for me to really ask questions that would have some overall benefit for the children using technology.  Although I did come up with a few with my site mentor managerial types wonderings which we could explore for action research in technology.  So it is on to refine some of those questions and maybe I can think of something that might directly affect children and learning with technology in the process. We'll see.