ELDL5301 Course Reflection

     The second course of the technology master’s program was Action Research. This has proven to be a very beneficial class for me. The course instructor included three insightful interviews of Lamar Alumni that has proven success with action research. It was great to see the research from a standpoint of someone who has experience with it. Sometimes it’s hard to visualize an idea without firsthand knowledge of it. The three men shared very different aspects of the research project. Tim Chargois does research at the district level, while the others are participating in research for the campus level. It opens your eyes at the possibilities out there.

     Meeting with my mentor to agree on a topic and revise plan proved to be a difficult task. She is the school counselor and her duties include TAKS. The weeks we needed to meet were in the middle of the TAKS season. We ended up meeting via email and in the hall. She was able to guide me as much as possible, but the timing was just bad. It all worked out in the end and we feel my topic is well thought out and will be beneficial to our school.

     The web conferences started off great and then chaos set in. As a technology guru, I wished I could have done something more to help. I need to learn more about that system, so that maybe in the future I can be of some value. The information was great and Dr. Jenkins did his best to keep us engaged and actively participating. The conferences were full of good information, both course-wise and teaching-wise. I was grateful to be able to attend the meetings and look forward to the last one tomorrow.

     The textbooks selected were perfect for the course. I purchased a hard copy of the Harris book, and a digital copy on my IPAD of the Dana text. I was glad to see the digital version of the DANA text, less bulk to tote around. The texts were full of great information and I enjoyed reading them for the most part. Like most texts, some parts were tougher to hold my attention than others. Basically they helped me accomplish what I need, so they served their purpose. I foresee hanging on to those two texts for future references.

     The courseware was pretty straight forward, one assignment each week and the discussions. I enjoyed participating in the discussions. Everyone seems to give thought to his or her responses and I appreciate that. I really enjoyed looking back to the first week to see how far we have come in just five short weeks. That is kind of amazing. I didn’t think it had been that long, then looking back it seems like so long ago I typed the first discussion prompt. Everyone seems to have grown and the discussions were a way to get great feedback.

     Overall the course was well laid out and I enjoyed it. I worked very hard in this course and I hope my efforts show through my research in the end. There was a ton of information to learn very quickly, but it was set up nicely in that it was easy to handle. The professor did a great job, as did the IA in relaying all the information and answering questions. Thanks for a great course.

My Action Research Plan

ACTION RESEARCH PLAN

Cherie Stanley

EDLD 5301

ET8031

GOAL: The goal of my action research will be to determine why the teachers on my campus are not utilizing the technology available to them and find ways to encourage them to use the technology more often and more efficiently.

Action Steps	Persons Responsible	Timeline: Start/End	Resources	Evaluation
1. Meet with site mentor and discuss topics of interest for research.	Cherie Stanley Linda Applewhite	April 2001 – April 2011	Conference with site mentor	Various topics were discussed and agreed upon
1.1  Select a topic.	Cherie Stanley Linda Applewhite	April 2011 – April 2011	Conference with site mentor	We selected the best possible topic for the school and my degree plan.
2. Locate and analyze the campus star chart. 2.1 Decide on which teachers to include in the surveys based on the star chart findings.	Cherie Stanley Linda Applewhite	April 2011	Conference with site mentor	We discussed including all teachers (providing they are willing to help) since our school is so small.
3.  Create surveys to admin- ister to teachers about why they do not use the given technology and what would encourage them to use technology more often. 3.1 Survey a random selection  of students to find out if they  feel actively engaged in class and if they feel that technology is being used at an optimal level	Cherie Stanley	May 2011-June 2011	Survey Monkey and printed question-naires Teachers and students	Survey results when all surveys are completed.
4. Conduct outside research to gather more data 4.1 Reflect on the information I have gathered and decide what information is missing.	Cherie Stanley	June 2011 – August 2011	*Internet *Facebook *bzz agent *journals articles	Collect and analyze data from outside sources to help my research findings
5. Interview/observe at least one teacher per grade level on their technology use and at least 2 program teachers. 5.1 Decide if there are problems that are causing the lack of use. For example, internet drops in a bad place, broken equipment.	Cherie Stanley Teachers	Aug. 2011 – Sept. 2011	Conferences and observations with teachers	Collect data and match what I had found through the surveys
6. Create a staff development based on the survey findings of the highest needed area.	Cherie Stanley	Sept. 2011-Dec. 2011	Internet Powerpoint Smartboard	Have teachers evaluate my professional development activity to determine it’s effectiveness
7. Observe to see if the teachers are trying to implement what we went over in the professional development	Cherie Stanley Random Teachers	Sept. 2011 – Dec. 2011	Surveys, obersevations, and questionnaires	Collect data to see if there are any changes in the use of technology
8. Compile and analyze all data. Share the findings with the principal, mentor and possibly campus staff.	Cherie Stanley Random Students	Dec. 2011 – Feb. 2012	Research, All surveys, interviews, observations, and notes	Final evaluation of my work.