Week 5 has finally come to an end and I have mixed emotions about finishing the course. I am happy that the course is done and over with however I am disappointed that I did not get to learn more about action research. As I reflect, I wonder what could I have done differently to produce higher quality work. Did I work hard enough? Was enough effort put into my action research plan? These are just some of the questions running through my mind at this particular time. There are four insights from this course that really jumped out during recollection time. The first is something I have discussed on Week 5’s discussion board that we learned through our readings in Week 4. We learned about the 3 strategies: Force Field Analysis, Delphi Method and Nominal Group Technique. The reason this caught my attention is due to the nature of the process and how it is very closely related to many business analysis tools. I come from a business background and anytime I show a connection with education and business, I automatically tune in closer and observe their similarities. The Force Field Method was my favorite strategy because it is very closely related to a SWOT analysis and Porters Five Forces in the business world. I feel that I learned more about the strategies used to support action research than what is action research. The second insight to this course was the in Week 3, when we had to develop our own action research plan using the Action Planning Template. The reason why I remember this section is because I remember putting a lot of effort in to my action research plan. Tool 7.1 from the Harris text was a very easy template to follow and its ease of use reduced much of the anxiety I had carried leading up to planning our own action research. I had to complete a technology internship plan for EDLD 5306 and I have to say it was way more complicated than this template. Discussion boards are becoming one of my favorite ways to acquire new knowledge. I remember taking online classes in my undergrad and would hardly ever check the discussion board for ideas and assistance. However, in this course it is the first place I check. I feel that the other student’s comments are very helpful to me and they present a lot of insight to the subject. I feel strongly about discussions boards because I am taking the same courses with veteran teachers who have been in the field for many years and have very useful knowledge and experience. For example, in week 2 of the course I posted in the discussion board my initial plan, which had many flaws from the beginning. I didn’t realize how bad it was until a very intelligent student by the name of Lorraine Lambert posted a very honest response. She wrote the following on my idea about using kindles in the classroom:
“This is an interesting idea. I like the different features of these "readers" that allow you to tailor the reading experience to individual students' needs, from the simple (changing font type and size) to the more complex (text-to-speech).
I think, however, that you will have naysayers right off the bat. Here are some things that occurred to me as I read the above:
- The money spent on the TI calculators may be the very excuse used to not purchase the
Kindles.
- The Kindle may be considered a "one purpose" tool, not versatile enough to warrant the cost and planning required for implementation in the classroom. I admit that I thought the iPad would be a better solution because it allows a much greater variety of uses in the classroom. Of course, then your cost goes up considerably!
- What grant opportunities are available to help with your project?
- While considering the "special" needs of some learners, you can also look at those that need enrichment. Your successful readers can also benefit from the Kindle and the many free books available. They could be encouraged to read 2 books to compare and contrast them, maybe as a small group book study-type activity, for example.”
Had it not been for her response, my action research would have been shot and I would have had little time to recover and create a new action research by week 4. As a result of this post I immediately changed my topic. The last thing I would like to praise and recommend for its continued use is the use of blogs. I first learned about using blogs in my first class last month. I have since then had all of my Keyboarding students open their own blog to reflect and make their own online portfolio. Blogs are incredibly easy to use and serve an extremely important purpose in reflection. I have frequently looked back at my posts to re-read and even copied and pasted some of the data for use in later works. Best of all its not plagiarizing because it is my own thoughts that I had stored away to help me in the future. This course met my expectations as I recall back to the introductory statement of the course syllabus. The last sentence of the opening paragraph states that this course and program will help students “develop dispositions and habits of mind needed for self learning and lifelong learning that will equip them to encounter problems and change with confidence” Arterbury & Jenkins, 2010). I can honestly say I am better prepared and alert on the fact that problems will occur frequently in administrative positions and these tools will help them become better at our positions through the continuous process known as action research.
Sources:
pp. 91-103 from
Harris, S., Edmonson, S., and Combs, J. (2010). Examining what we do to improve our schools: 8 steps to improve our schools. Eye on Education Press.
Lambert, L. (Sep. 6, 2010). Action Research Topic. Message posted to: https://lamar.epiclms.net/Learn/Player.aspx?enrollmentid=1416043
EDLD 5301 Research Syllabus by Dr. Elvis Arterbury, Dr. Steven Jenkins & Dr. Gary Martin.
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