Technology Reflection and Status Update

My knowledge of technology is fairly extensive.  This does not mean however that there is not room to learn more or improve on my skills and knowledge.  The best thing I have discovered lately is livebinders in this class  I have already begun implementing the use of livebinders in my position, not only as a coach but also a classroom teacher.  I am also trying to learn more about how to use livebinders so that I can teach others in my department and we can use it as a collaborative tool.  This has been a great course in terms of using the concepts learned immediately and directly in everyday teaching.

My campus internship has been going well.  My on-site mentor has done a great job of involving me in many aspects of the everyday workings of a campus.  I have a couple of activities left such as textbook distribution methods, transportation safety, and food services operations which I will do in the fall.  As far as hours are concerned I have already met or exceeded the requirements.

My research project is a different story.  I have collected all my data but as of now I have not put it all together in presentation form.  I have a blueprint in my mind but have not had the time to set down and put it all together on paper. As soon as the first week of school is over I plan to set aside time to get this project completed.

Web Conference Reflection

The web conference attended was interesting.  There was a lot of discussions concerning the blocking of collaborative on line tools by local school districts. Students discussed other options other than facebook which can be used in the classroom setting.  One option was using edmodo, which is a facebook for education tool. Also discussed was the use of google docs in for collaboration in and out of the classroom. Also discussed was the way that students learn to cheat when using such tools as dropbox.  Overall it was concluded that there are many tools which can be used when trying to use technology for collaboration.

Research Action Plan Update

The purpose of my action research plan is to determine the effectiveness of how the North East School District administers the standardized benchmark test.  So far when I begin discussing my research plan people think that I am trying to abolish the benchmark; that is not my intention.  I am trying to determine if there is a better way to administer the test in order to maximize the results it has on student testing.  I have learned through meetings with administrators and subject deans that the district itself is trying to come up with a better way already when administering the benchmark.  In talking to former and present fellow teachers I am learning that the top concern is the time it takes away from student learning. Many feel that there is a better way to administer the benchmark where it does not take away so much classroom time and does a better job of measuring student success.  I was lucky enough to set in on a conference that dealt with the selection of questions for the math benchmark.  It was interesting to witness the disagreements surrounding the weight placed on each TEKS that had to be addressed.  I have been able to collect data on past test results but as of today not been able to study the results.  I also am currently involved in sending out my surveys and hope to get those results soon.  My next step in the process will be to set down and put all my data collection together and begin deciphering it to see if indeed there is a need to reassess how the benchmark is presented to the students.

Class in Review

It has been twenty years since I actually did any type of research. This entire class was a topic of new learning. I never knew that action research even existed. At the beginning of the class I was a little intimidated by the whole process. However, after diving in and discovering the benefits to action research compared to traditional research I now have a new appreciation for research. I find that action research is more structured than traditional research and I now feel it will become a part of my professional growth.

I feel that there are many things in this course that will help me in the future. I will discuss three. The first would be the creation of a blog.  I always knew the benefit of using a blog but was never aware of how to create a blog.  Now I will be able to setup blogs for different reasons and hopefully be able to better myself as an educator.  Second, the assignment which involved completing the research plan template was very instrumental in showing me the importance of planning.  Before the assignment I was not sure how I would be able to complete the research.  After the assignment I now feel very confident that I have prepared myself through planning allowing for success.  Thirdly,  the reading assignments which cover all the different aspects of action research has allowed me the opportunity to insure that all bases are covered when not only completing the research but also making sure that the cycle of action research is continued to hopefully improve the student learning on my campus and in my district.

Tools which have been very helpful in this class obviously must start with the discussion board.  Having the ability to read what other colleagues are considering and also to gain their opinions on my topic is very beneficial to my success.  The blog is another tool which I do plan on continuing the use of and possibly expanding its role to better improve my action research efforts.

Again, this course has allowed me to put at ease any fears I had concerning research.  I cannot help but feel that all educators would benefit from this course whether as a class or as a professional development course.  I will now go to teacher inservice this next week as we prepare for a new school year with something to share with my colleagues and hopefully make my school more effective and efficient in regards to student learning.

At the recommendation of my site supervisor I will remove the action parent surveys from my action plan.

Action Research Plan Template

Action Planning Template
Goal: Is to change the process of administering the Math benchmark tests in the NEISD.
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Will set the foundation	Kelly Parker	8/20/12	Will inform fellow teachers at departmental meeting	Want teachers to understand my objective and seek assistance from any volunteers
Access copies of the schedule for administering the benchmarks and the actual STAAR and TAKS test	Erin Ibarra – Math Dean at C.T. Johnson High School	7/26/12 – 8/2/12	Testing Schedule for 2012-2013 in NEISD Secondary schools	Determining number of instructional days lost for testing.
Compare benchmark grades with assessment grades from same school year for students in Algebra 1, Geometry, and Exit Level students	Kelly Parker	8/6/12-9/6/12	Compass resource data base through NEISD.	Looking to see if benchmark grades are lower, higher, or same as assessment grades.
Teacher surveys	Kelly Parker	9/6/12-10/6/12	Teachers from Math department at C.T.  Johnson High School	Looking for teacher’s point of view as to how effective is the process in giving the benchmark. Is there a better solution?
Student surveys	Kelly Parker and teachers from the selected math courses	9/6/12-10/6/12	Students from the selected classes	Looking for student’s point of view as to how effective is the process in giving the benchmark. Is there a better solution?
Parent Surveys	Kelly Parker	9/6/12-10/6/12	Parents of students from the selected classes	Looking for parent’s point of view as to how effective is the process in giving the benchmark. Is there a better solution?
Look outside the district for data and info	Kelly Parker	10/6/12-11/6/12	Former colleagues from other districts in the region	Trying to determine if other districts measure their student’s progress by other means than the benchmark.
Research data from online resources	Kelly Parker	10/6/12-11/6/12	Will search Google as well as AASA, NASSP, NAESP, as well as others.	Attempt to find other opinions regarding benchmarks.
Accumulating data	Kelly Parker	11/6/12- ?	Will begin putting all data together into reader friendly format for presentation	Have I done enough?  Will step back and determine if what I have done is enough to reach my objective.
Search for problems that may affect solution	Kelly Parker	?-?	Will discuss with on-site advisor and school Principal possible problems.	Are there problems and if so how can they be rectified?
Determine true effect of changing process of administering the benchmark	Kelly Parker	?-?	Is a total change district wide going to insure better performance on the year end assessments?	How have different processes resulted in other districts?
Monitoring results to insure sustained improvement	Kelly Parker	School year 2013-2014	Has the new approach resulted in better performance?	Student scores

Research Plan Description

Changing the process our district uses to administer mathematics benchmark tests is my action research goal. The question which guides all inquiry is ' What effect does the current process of administering the mathematics benchmark test have on standardized test results at the high school level in the North East ISD?'. My target population will be students in algebra 1, geometry, and juniors from 2011-2012. My on site supervisor wants this presented to central office personnel if the findings are as predicted. This is the reason for such a large sample. Research data will be collected from test scores as well as teacher and student interviews. If anyone knows of other means of data I can look at please let me know.