Monday, August 30, 2010

Sunday, August 8, 2010

NEW FOCUS

Due to my new job I have decided to redirect my "wonderings". My new focus will be redirected to how CTE teachers and English teachers can collaborate. Any advice or input is greatly appreciated.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Action Research Plan

I. Outcomes

Performance outcomes will stand as increased technology use in core subjects. Core content teachers will attend professional developments on how to increase technology use in lessons, and how follow-up from administrators, peer coaching, and self-reflection will scaffold the training. The goal stands as having content area teachers attend professional development trainings and ensure that newly acquired skills are being implemented through a series of scaffolding projects.



II. Activities

A. The professional development course must be research based, infused with hands-
on activities, attended by not only core subject area teachers but also by an
administrator, relevant to all subjects, and conducted on site.

B. Follow-up activities will include administrators visiting classrooms to observe newly
acquired skills in action. The administrator will not serve as a micro-manager, but
modell action inquiry by observing the lessons and consulting with the teachers on
what worked and what was a more forced integration. Because the administrator
also attended the same professional development they should have a plan of
action prepared for the teacher to review data, look at best practices, and revisions
that need to be made to plan to ensure success.

C. Exemplar lessons will be video-taped and shared with all those who attended the
professional development training. It will be used as a peer-coaching tool and will
be uploaded to the district's website for all teachers to view.

D. Self-reflection will include all the participants forming a wiki in which to post
teacher successes, set-backs, best practices, administrator input, and a forum for
non-participants to leave feedback. In addition classroom blogs will be created
to gain input from students about the engagement level and success of a particular
lesson that was technology heavy.



III. Resources/Research Tools Needed

A technology professional development course that is dynamic, research-based, and can be conducted on site.

Committments from administrators, teachers, and campus technicians to fom a team, create a wiki, video-tape lessons, and meet with other teachers, administrators, and school board members to discuss the success of their technology intergration.

The appropriate technology tools such as: computer lab time, projectors, white-boards, classroom set of cell phones, a CRS, and any other device that the district has adopted and may be accessible to the teacher.

The video recording of exemplar lessons and subsequent postings on the district web sites.

The creation of the Action Research Plans from administrators for teachers to complete throughout the project.

A technology derived self-reflection from teachers via the wiki, blog, or webpage.

The creation of classroom blogs to gather student input.

The creation of a wiki for all stakeholders to submit their input.



IV. Responsibility to Address Activities

The district Technology Director will choose the best technology professional development and will attend the training.

The campus administrator will choose teachers to attend the technology professional development and create an action plan for teachers to complete throughout the training, the implementation, the observation, the self-reflection, the peer-coaching, the wiki, and the classroom blog.

The teachers will complete the action plan and report findings to their department, campus administrators, district employees at School Board Meetings, colleagues, parents, and students.

The campus technicians will video-tape exemplar lessons, post wikis and blogs to the district web-site, and aid teachers in their technology needs.

V. Timeline

A. Summer 2011 -

1. Technology Professional Development
2. Administrator created Action Research Plan to be completed by teachers.

B. In Service Week-

1. Creation of a team of administrators, teachers, and campus
technicians to make the committment to see the research project through
fruition.
2. Creation of a wiki for all parties to post progress in their
technology intergration endeavors.

C. Fall Semester 2011

1. Two meetings with all team member to asses progress
2. Wiki status
3. 1 observation by administrator in each content area
4. 1 video recording from each content area and posted to district website
5. 1 School Board Meeting
6. 1 meeting with district Technology Director
7. One on one review of action plan between administrator and teacher

D. Spring Semester 2012

1. Two meetings with all team member to asses progress
2. Wiki status
3. 1 observation by administrator in each content area
4. 1 video recording from each content area and posted to district website
5. 1 School Board Meeting
6. 1 meeting with district Technology Director
7. One on one review of action plan between administrator and teacher


E. Summer 2012

1. Review of Action Plans
2. Technology Professional Development
3. Creation of 2012-2013 team


VI. Benchmarks/Assessment

A. Teacher complete action plans.
B. Working wiki that will act as a peer coaching tool.
C. A pool of technology integrated exemplar lessons that will function as coaching
tools.
D. Revised lessons based on collegue, parent, and student input.
E. Creation of a team each year that will build upon the successes of prior teams.