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.

EDLD 5301 Week 1 - What I Have Learned About Action Research

I have learned that even though there are several different terms that can describe it, action research is really just the systematic, intentional study of the administrators own practices and taking action for change based on the results of what was learned (Dana, 2009, p. 2). Educators need to be fully involved in action research in order to be truly effective. All professionals need to be willing to look at what they are doing and seek feedback from others as to what they maybe able to do to improve. If you are not willing to that then you are not going to be effective for long. Action research is especially important for educational leaders to perform. For decades educators have allowed outsiders to dictate what we should be doing in our schools to help our students achieve success. These outsiders rarely have any clue at all what it is like in a real classroom and they cannot possibly understand how different the classrooms are from one school to the next.

I can use action research in several ways. I can use it to help determine teaching strategies that could be more effective ways of engaging my at risk students. Action research can be used to help me, as CATE department chairperson, plan professional development opportunities for my teachers that they will find relevant and engaging. Introducing my teachers to action research and having them study something that they need improvement on or are curious about themselves would also be a very relevant professional development activity for my department.

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