EDLD 5363 Weeks Four and Five Web Conference Reflection

I have attended all the Sunday and Monday night web conferences for this course because I enjoy the interaction amongst the students and Dr. Abernathy. Attending the conferences helps me feel more connected to the program and helps to keep me on track with my work.  Dr. Abernathy is always so helpful in answering questions, addressing student concerns, and explaining assignment components.  This week has been no different.  She spent a good bit of time explaining all of the week five assignments and correcting a few errors that were discovered in the 5.4  and 5.9 assignment documents.  It appears that my cohort (ET8041) has an incorrect 5.9 assignment document and Dr. Abernathy was very helpful in clarifying exactly what needed to be completed for assignment 5.9.

Dr. Abernathy was also helpful in clarifying the progression of courses throughout our degree program and provided information on the testing we will have to take for our administrators certification.

EDLD 5363 Week Two Web Conference Reflection

During the June 17th web conference we discussed the week’s assignments.  Dr. Abernathy stressed that she is checking our work and talking to our IA’s about grading.   This weeks assignment was to create a podcast tutorial of a video editing software.  This has been a very valuable assignment because I feel that it is closely related to what we might do with video in our classrooms and for professional development for teachers and staff.  Dr. Abernathy related that she wants us to transfer to our students what we learn as her students.

Dr. Abernathy let us know that as we think ahead to weeks three through five, we should be curriculum oriented.  She said that, in the past, she had students create a public service announcement.  Now we are to create a core content, student-centered video project of ninety seconds to two minutes in length.  She mentioned that we needed to keep the video to two minutes or less so that we could work easily with the files.  File size could become an issue as we share it between ourselves.  She suggested we design our video in the style of a flipped classroom.  She also stressed that if we had assignment documents that mention the PSA then we have old documents and need to email her to get the correct assignment files.  

As always I enjoyed this weeks web conference and I will also attend the conference tomorrow night.  I enjoy the interaction with the other students in the course and I enjoy learning from their questions and information posted during the web conferences.

EDLD 5363 Week One Web Conference Reflection

The first web conference I attended for EDLD 5363 was on June 4, 2012.  This web conference was extremely helpful because we discovered that the assignment documents that were in EPIC were old and outdated and that the EPIC courseware was incorrect.  Dr. Abernathy instructed us to follow the directions that were on the syllabus each week and not what was posted in EPIC.  This was very important because there were huge differences in the syllabus and the courseware.

I also attended the web conference on June 5, 2012 because I was able to obtain and review the correct week one assignments after the previous web conference. This web conference was beneficial because I was able to get clarification on several aspects of the week one assignments.  After this conference I was really looking forward to creating my first video for this class.

EDLD 5363 Week 2 Reflection

This weeks assignment was to create a podcast or vodcast of a video editing software.  I was excited to begin this assignment because it sounded like so much fun.  I completed all the readings/tutorials and decided that I really wanted to use a free program that was not real mainstream.  Windows Movie Maker and iTunes are great programs but I felt that everyone would be doing those.  I Googled free video editing software and spent several days downloading and trying to learn new programs.  Some of what I downloaded worked great but would not create videos with easy to use file extensions.  A lot of the programs only allowed you to upload the videos to their websites and you had to view them from there.   Some of the programs I downloaded would not work at all or they downloaded a bunch of junk with the program that required a lot of time to delete from my computer.

After a lot of frustration and wasted time I ended up using Camtasia to record my screen while creating a video in Windows Movie Maker.  Once I had the video completed I used Camtasia to add my voice narration for the vodcast.  It was easy to do and a lot of fun.

EDLD 5363 Week 2 Vodcast

Microsoft Movie Maker Tutorial

EDLD 5363 Week One Assignment Reflection

This week our assignment was to create a personal digital story.  We were given the options of selecting whatever topic we wanted and the ability to use whatever software we wanted to create the video.  I did not know where to start at first because there were just to many possibilities.  I finally decided to create my video from all of the pictures I have taken on my trips to Sicily.  I also decided to use iMovie to make the video because I do not have very much experience with iMovie but I was very familiar with other options such as Photo Story, Movie Maker and Audacity.  I thought this would be a great opportunity to learn something new.  The process was easy enough and iMovie was very easy to work with.  The hardest thing was the narration.  I kept having an echo type effect on everything I recorded.  It took a little time but I was finally able to get rid of it by turning off the voice over enhancement option the was selected by default.

Between looking through all of my photos, finding the right Sicilian folk music, and having a good reason to learn iMovie; I really enjoyed creating the video for this weeks assignment

EDLD 5363 Week 1 Video

EDLD 5301 - Revised Draft Action Plan

I tweaked the plan just a little bit.  I added the number of students I was going to be looking at and the class levels.

Revised Draft Action Plan
Goal:  What effect does the one to one iPad initiative have on student engagement and overall student achievement of 9th grade ALA students at Chapin High School?  1.    Are the ALA teachers integrating iPad use into their curriculum? 2.    Are the ALA students more engaged in their classes than non-ALA students? 3.    Do the ALA students show more overall improvement than non-ALA students?
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Observe both ALA and non-ALA Honors English, Honors Geometry, and AP Human Geography classes.	Jeannette Conti	November 2011 – May 2012	None	Classroom observations of both ALA and non-ALA 9th grade honors and AP classes
Teacher surveys on how they are integrating the iPads into their curriculum.	Jeannette Conti ALA Teachers	March – April 2012	Survey  Monkey	Analyze data, reflection of survey results, additional questions as necessary
Student surveys on how they are using the ipad in class and out of class for their schoolwork.	Jeannette Conti ALA Students	April – May 2012	Survey Monkey	Analyze data, reflection of survey results, additional questions is necessary
Post updates on my blog about the progress of my research.	Jeannette Conti	March – June 2012	http://jeannette conti.blogspot.com/	Use my blog as a reflection tool for the progress of my research.
Collect pre and post test results from class unit tests for the 47 ALA students and the 80 non ALA students.	Jeannette Conti ALA Teachers	May 2012	Pre and Post test results from each class (both ALA  and non-ALA)	Analyze the pre and post test results from each of the classes to see if there is greater improvement in the ALA classes with iPads versus the non-ALA classes.
Share the research results.	Jeannette Conti ALA Teachers and Coordinator Administration	May – June 2012	Observation notes, teacher survey results,  student survey results, pre and post test data	Share all results of my research.   Discuss what our next steps should be to make the 1:1 initiative a success.

Format based on Tool 7.1 from Examining What We Do to Improve Our Schools (Harris, Edmonson, and Combs, 2010)

EDLD 5301 - Week 4 Reflection

This has been a tough week.  For some reason I started off great.  I got the reading done and watched the video early on but I could not get started on the assignments.  I think that I am stretched to max right now with family, work, and class responsibilities.

The readings were very informative.  After reading about the Force Field Analysis, The Delphi Method, and the Nominal Group Technique; I realized that I have been actively engaged in all of these methods over the last few years without knowing the correct names of them.  The CARE Model was a new method for me.  I have not used this method nor was I familiar with the template.  I can see how this would be a valuable tool for educators to use.

I am currently working on how to make some minor adjustments to my action research plan based on some of the feedback I have received from my classmates.  Hopefully I can get that finished up and reposted soon.

EDLD 5301 - Week 3 Reflection

This week has been a struggle for me.  Last week I had a hard time narrowing down my possible research topics to one that was manageable and interesting to me, so this weeks assignment made me feel like I was playing catch up all week.  I was overwhelmed with details every step of the way.

I enjoyed the reading from the Dana text.  It was enlightening to read about the four critical tasks that you must perform when you share your inquiry (Dana, 2009, p.163).  Knowing to include the background information, the design of the inquiry, supporting data for the learning, and to provide concluding thoughts is crucial to sharing your research.  

As a teacher of Integrated Business Applications, I also enjoyed seeing the Power Point tips that were included in the assigned reading as well.

Dana, N.F. (2009). Leading with passion and knowledge: The principal as action researcher. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

EDLD 5301 - Week 3 Draft Action Plan

Draft Action Plan
Goal:  What effect does the one to one iPad initiative have on student engagement and overall student acheivement of 9th grade ALA students at Chapin High School.  1.    Are the ALA teachers integrating iPad use into their curriculum. 2.    Are the ALA students more engaged in their classes than non ALA students. 3.    Do the ALA students show more overall improvement than non-ALA students.
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Observe both ALA and non-ALA English, Geometry, and Human Geography classes.	Jeannette Conti	November 2011 – May 2012	None	Classroom observations of both ALA and non-ALA 9th grade honors and AP classes
Teacher surveys on how they are integrating the iPads into their curriculum.	Jeannette Conti ALA Teachers	March – April 2012	Survey  Monkey	Analyze data, reflection of survey results, additional questions is necessary
Student surveys on how they are using the ipad in class and out of class for their school work.	Jeannette Conti ALA Students	April – May 2012	Survey Monkey	Analyze data, reflection of survey results, additional questions is necessary
Post updates on my blog about the progress of my research.	Jeannette Conti	March – June 2012	http://jeannette conti.blogspot.com/	Use my blog as a reflection tool for the progress of my research.
Students pre and post test results from class unit tests.	Jeannette Conti ALA Teachers	May 2012	Pre and Post test reuslts from each class (both ALA  and non-ALA)	Analyze the pre and post test results from each of the classes to see if there is greater improvement in the ALA classes with iPads versus the non-ALA classes.
Share the research results.	Jeannette Conti ALA Teachers and Coordinator Administration	May – June 2012	Observation notes, teacher survey results,  student survey results, pre and post test data	Share all results of my research.   Disucss what our next steps should be to make the 1:1 initiative a success.

Format based on Tool 7.1 from Examining What We Do to Improve Our Schools (Harris, Edmonson, and Combs, 2010)

EDLD 5301 Week 2 Reflection

This week was tough.  I had a hard time deciding on what my action research topic will be.  My site mentor was full of ideas but he kept changing his mind.  Finally we agreed on a topic that fit in well with my internship plan and would not bore me to death in the process.  I learned from watching video interviews that you should select a topic that interested you and one that was practical and measurable.  The videos were very helpful and encouraging.

The readings this week were very good as well.  It was great to read several examples of action research, in real educational settings, in each of the 9 passion areas.  The readings helped me see all of the potential areas that action research can be beneficial in, while in a school setting.  It also made me realize all of the areas a principal has to deal with when they are leading.

EDLD 5301 - How Can Educational Leaders Use Blogs

Educational leaders can use blogs in several different ways.  As a school leader they can use blogs as a forum to communicate important school information to their stakeholders .  Blogs can be used to gain feedback from stakeholders on various topics of concern, as an online diary, and also as a way to model writing for students (Dana, 2009).   Blogs that are used regularly can be a great source of collaboration with and support from other educational leaders.  Dana (2009), explains that blogs are a great place for administrators to share their inquires in order to play with, develop, and challenge ideas that have developed about their administrative practices as a result of engaging in inquiry (Dana, 2009, p. 150).

Dana, N.F. (2009). Leading with passion and knowledge: The principal as action researcher. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.