Thursday, August 12, 2010
EDLD 5301 Final Reflection
Congrats to everyone! It seems like we made it just on time right before the beginning of the new school year. This course has given me the great opportunity to learn about action research. The thing that I like the most about this class is that we can generate our own practical solutions that can be integrated into our practice in order to benefit students' learning process. I decided to do my study about effective ways that blogging can be implemented to improve ELL's literacy skills. I will keep you posted and hopefully I will have some interesting news at the end of the project. Good luck to everyone!
Friday, August 6, 2010
Revised Action Reseacrh Plan
Goal: What effective blogging strategies can be implemented in ways that will improve 3rd grade ELL students’ literacy skills?
Objective 1: Both researcher and administrators view blogging as a tool for providing effective classroom practices for ELL students. They understand that educational technology as a learning tool can increase opportunities for students.
Action Steps: Researcher will meet with administrators before school starts to understand and set the scope of the project. They perform needs analysis prior to software selection. Select software/hardware that reflects student cultural, linguistic, and learning style diversity. Researcher presents the project to staff.
Person(s) Responsible: Site supervisor and researcher.
Time Line: September 2010.
Needed Resources: Federal, state, and local guidelines. Research-based findings.
Evaluation: Conference minute, walk-through, informal observation, and lesson plan.
Objective 2: Schools offer opportunities for parents to understand literacy and have foundational knowledge of an engaged learning environment where technology is a tool for learning.
Action Steps: School creates opportunities for parental and community involvement. Parents collaborate with their children and teachers to engage in computer activities such as writing narratives, conducting small-scale research projects, and publishing newsletters. Parents engage their children in daily conversations and activities involving informed technology in addition to reading books, telling stories, and taking their children to field trips.
Person(s) Responsible: Site supervisor and researcher.
Time Line: December 2010.
Needed Resources: Parental involvement, computer, Internet access.
Evaluation: Parent surveys/interviews, school functions, parent conference.
Objective 3: Teachers allow many opportunities for student engaged learning. They understand students' individual study, writing, reading habits, learning, and language development needs
Action Steps: Teachers are periodically trained in professional development and the successful use of technology, so they integrate technology efficiently, creatively, and confidently. Administrators integrate technology systemically and simultaneously with teacher professional development. Teachers allow flexibility with students who have varying levels of English proficiency. Introduce and reinforce vocabulary within a contextual framework. Educators provide opportunities for students to speak, listen, read, and write, and communicate with each other in meaningful ways. Finally, they use technology for instruction with a point and application in real, authentic situations, and become a facilitator rather than a deliverer of knowledge.
Person(s) Responsible: Researcher, site supervisor, and technology coordinator.
Time Line: April 2010.
Needed Resources: District curriculum, research-based practices, computers, Internet access, and computer lab time.
Evaluation: Formative and summative assessments, parent surveys/interviews, lesson plans, informal observations.
Objective 1: Both researcher and administrators view blogging as a tool for providing effective classroom practices for ELL students. They understand that educational technology as a learning tool can increase opportunities for students.
Action Steps: Researcher will meet with administrators before school starts to understand and set the scope of the project. They perform needs analysis prior to software selection. Select software/hardware that reflects student cultural, linguistic, and learning style diversity. Researcher presents the project to staff.
Person(s) Responsible: Site supervisor and researcher.
Time Line: September 2010.
Needed Resources: Federal, state, and local guidelines. Research-based findings.
Evaluation: Conference minute, walk-through, informal observation, and lesson plan.
Objective 2: Schools offer opportunities for parents to understand literacy and have foundational knowledge of an engaged learning environment where technology is a tool for learning.
Action Steps: School creates opportunities for parental and community involvement. Parents collaborate with their children and teachers to engage in computer activities such as writing narratives, conducting small-scale research projects, and publishing newsletters. Parents engage their children in daily conversations and activities involving informed technology in addition to reading books, telling stories, and taking their children to field trips.
Person(s) Responsible: Site supervisor and researcher.
Time Line: December 2010.
Needed Resources: Parental involvement, computer, Internet access.
Evaluation: Parent surveys/interviews, school functions, parent conference.
Objective 3: Teachers allow many opportunities for student engaged learning. They understand students' individual study, writing, reading habits, learning, and language development needs
Action Steps: Teachers are periodically trained in professional development and the successful use of technology, so they integrate technology efficiently, creatively, and confidently. Administrators integrate technology systemically and simultaneously with teacher professional development. Teachers allow flexibility with students who have varying levels of English proficiency. Introduce and reinforce vocabulary within a contextual framework. Educators provide opportunities for students to speak, listen, read, and write, and communicate with each other in meaningful ways. Finally, they use technology for instruction with a point and application in real, authentic situations, and become a facilitator rather than a deliverer of knowledge.
Person(s) Responsible: Researcher, site supervisor, and technology coordinator.
Time Line: April 2010.
Needed Resources: District curriculum, research-based practices, computers, Internet access, and computer lab time.
Evaluation: Formative and summative assessments, parent surveys/interviews, lesson plans, informal observations.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Developing an Action Reseacrh Plan
Goal: What effective blogging strategies can be implemented in ways that will improve 3rd grade ELL students’ literacy skills?
Objective 1: Both researcher and administrators view blogging as a tool for providing effective classroom practices for ELL students. They understand that educational technology as a learning tool can increase opportunities for students.
Action Steps: Researcher will meet with administrators before school starts to understand and set the scope of the project. They perform needs analysis prior to software selection. Select software/hardware that reflects student cultural, linguistic, and learning style diversity.
Person(s) Responsible: Site supervisor and researcher.
Time Line: November 2010.
Needed Resources: Federal, state, and local guidelines. Research findings.
Evaluation: Conference, walk-through, informal observation, and lesson plan.
Objective 2: Schools offer opportunities for parents to understand literacy and have foundational knowledge of an engaged learning environment where technology is a tool for learning.
Action Steps: School creates opportunities for parental and community involvement. Parents collaborate with their children and teachers to engage in computer activities such as writing narratives, conducting small-scale research projects, and publishing newsletters. Parents engage their children in daily conversations and activities involving informed technology in addition to reading books, telling stories, and taking their children to field trips.
Person(s) Responsible: Site supervisor and researcher.
Time Line: December 2010.
Needed Resources: Parental involvement, computer, Internet access, conference time.
Evaluation: Parent surveys/interviews, school functions, parent conference.
Objective 3: Teachers allow many opportunities for student engaged learning. They understand students' individual study, writing, reading habits, learning, and language development needs
Action Steps: Teachers are periodically trained in professional development and the successful use of technology, so they integrate technology efficiently, creatively, and confidently. Administrators integrate technology systemically and simultaneously with teacher professional development. Teachers allow flexibility with students who have varying levels of English proficiency. Introduce and reinforce vocabulary within a contextual framework. Educators provide opportunities for students to speak, listen, read, and write, and communicate with each other in meaningful ways. Finally, they use technology for instruction with a point and application in real, authentic situations, and become a facilitator rather than a deliverer of knowledge.
Person(s) Responsible: Researcher, site supervisor, and technology coordinator.
Time Line: April 2010.
Needed Resources: District curriculum, research-based practices, computers, Internet access, and computer lab time.
Evaluation: Formative and summative assessments, parent surveys/interviews, lesson plans, informal observations.
Objective 1: Both researcher and administrators view blogging as a tool for providing effective classroom practices for ELL students. They understand that educational technology as a learning tool can increase opportunities for students.
Action Steps: Researcher will meet with administrators before school starts to understand and set the scope of the project. They perform needs analysis prior to software selection. Select software/hardware that reflects student cultural, linguistic, and learning style diversity.
Person(s) Responsible: Site supervisor and researcher.
Time Line: November 2010.
Needed Resources: Federal, state, and local guidelines. Research findings.
Evaluation: Conference, walk-through, informal observation, and lesson plan.
Objective 2: Schools offer opportunities for parents to understand literacy and have foundational knowledge of an engaged learning environment where technology is a tool for learning.
Action Steps: School creates opportunities for parental and community involvement. Parents collaborate with their children and teachers to engage in computer activities such as writing narratives, conducting small-scale research projects, and publishing newsletters. Parents engage their children in daily conversations and activities involving informed technology in addition to reading books, telling stories, and taking their children to field trips.
Person(s) Responsible: Site supervisor and researcher.
Time Line: December 2010.
Needed Resources: Parental involvement, computer, Internet access, conference time.
Evaluation: Parent surveys/interviews, school functions, parent conference.
Objective 3: Teachers allow many opportunities for student engaged learning. They understand students' individual study, writing, reading habits, learning, and language development needs
Action Steps: Teachers are periodically trained in professional development and the successful use of technology, so they integrate technology efficiently, creatively, and confidently. Administrators integrate technology systemically and simultaneously with teacher professional development. Teachers allow flexibility with students who have varying levels of English proficiency. Introduce and reinforce vocabulary within a contextual framework. Educators provide opportunities for students to speak, listen, read, and write, and communicate with each other in meaningful ways. Finally, they use technology for instruction with a point and application in real, authentic situations, and become a facilitator rather than a deliverer of knowledge.
Person(s) Responsible: Researcher, site supervisor, and technology coordinator.
Time Line: April 2010.
Needed Resources: District curriculum, research-based practices, computers, Internet access, and computer lab time.
Evaluation: Formative and summative assessments, parent surveys/interviews, lesson plans, informal observations.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Week 2 reflection
The one thing that I enjoyed the most during the second week of our course is realizing that action research teaches us to get behind the wheel. We decide what topic or concern we would like to deal with and then we learn from what others had done. We digest the information to translate it and apply it to our particular situation. Another benefit of the inquiry process is that we don't have to wait for others to do something about our issue, we can do it ourselves! Because the action research starts with some self-reflection we have the benefit to choose a topic that we really like and this will help us to work harder, keep focused, and get the most out of it.
Finally, I would like to share a couple of videos. The first one is totally related to my project on how to use blogging to improve literacy skills and the second one should provide some fun math time to you all.
CNN World Report Blogging in Education http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRyh4UeP-IY
The new math http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfCJgC2zezw
Finally, I would like to share a couple of videos. The first one is totally related to my project on how to use blogging to improve literacy skills and the second one should provide some fun math time to you all.
CNN World Report Blogging in Education http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRyh4UeP-IY
The new math http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfCJgC2zezw
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
How Educational Leaders Might use Blog
I believe I found a very sound yet simple explanation on the website Supporting Blogging.com
http://supportblogging.com/Educational+Blogging
According to the site Blogging is the posting of journal-like pages to a website. While these pages can contain photos or media, they are primarily focused on the easy ability to post written thoughts to a website. In a broader and more educational system, blogs are about communicating. You observe your experience, reflect on it, and then write about it. Other people read your reflections, respond from their perspectives by commenting or writing their own blog article. You read their perspectives, often learn something through their eyes, and write some more. Educational Blogging is blogging by students, teachers, administrators, industry experts, and other involved entities that focus primarily on the educational process and educational interests.
In the context of education, I agree with their approach of using blogging as a tool that teachers introduce to their students, then use as a means of promoting learning. One of the great educational benefits of the read/write web, and blogging particularly, is the opportunity for the student to become a "teacher" by presenting material to an audience. When we teach, we learn. Leaders can chose to either use blogging themselves or promote their use in the classrooms. I think that the ideal situation would be that the principal chooses to systematically blog and promote blogging school-wide. Blogging is a very powerful tool that educational leaders can use in order to engage the entire community, not only students, in active learning. Blogging also promotes literacy, collaborative work, and exposes the community to real world situations. Principals could invite school community members and others to participate in different school projects taking advantage of the Internet which means that the contributors can be located anywhere in the world and difference in time zone are not necessarily a roadblock.
I would like to wrap up with a couple of real examples of how blogging can be used by educational leaders. Some British scientists claim to have solved the scientific, philosophical mystery: Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Why is this relevant? I am not an expert on the subject and I don’t know the answer, but according to one of the researchers "Understanding how chickens make egg shells is fascinating in itself but can also give clues towards designing new materials and processes." He also commented "Nature has found innovative solutions that work for all kinds of problems in materials science and technology — we can learn a lot from them." This may be the topic for a project at High School or College level, or it may simply be the reason to write your opinion and practice Standard English. If you want to know more about it follow the link.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38238685/ns/technology_and_science-science/
The other example is the news about Thierry Henry, famous French soccer player, joining the New York Red Bulls. If you follow soccer you know who these people are. I like soccer, I follow it and more importantly my students like soccer as well. I would use this piece of information to engage students in active learning. We could study France and USA. We could compare and contrast the two countries or cultures. We could review prediction skill, is he going to be as good as he was in Europe? How many goals is he going to score? What are the teams they will beat? Soccer is fertile field for teaching and learning, I like it and my students like it so it is a win-win situation where the sky is the limit in terms of educational activities. If you want to get further detail on the transaction follow the link.
http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/worldcup/story/france-star-thierry-henry-joins-new-york-red-bulls
http://supportblogging.com/Educational+Blogging
According to the site Blogging is the posting of journal-like pages to a website. While these pages can contain photos or media, they are primarily focused on the easy ability to post written thoughts to a website. In a broader and more educational system, blogs are about communicating. You observe your experience, reflect on it, and then write about it. Other people read your reflections, respond from their perspectives by commenting or writing their own blog article. You read their perspectives, often learn something through their eyes, and write some more. Educational Blogging is blogging by students, teachers, administrators, industry experts, and other involved entities that focus primarily on the educational process and educational interests.
In the context of education, I agree with their approach of using blogging as a tool that teachers introduce to their students, then use as a means of promoting learning. One of the great educational benefits of the read/write web, and blogging particularly, is the opportunity for the student to become a "teacher" by presenting material to an audience. When we teach, we learn. Leaders can chose to either use blogging themselves or promote their use in the classrooms. I think that the ideal situation would be that the principal chooses to systematically blog and promote blogging school-wide. Blogging is a very powerful tool that educational leaders can use in order to engage the entire community, not only students, in active learning. Blogging also promotes literacy, collaborative work, and exposes the community to real world situations. Principals could invite school community members and others to participate in different school projects taking advantage of the Internet which means that the contributors can be located anywhere in the world and difference in time zone are not necessarily a roadblock.
I would like to wrap up with a couple of real examples of how blogging can be used by educational leaders. Some British scientists claim to have solved the scientific, philosophical mystery: Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Why is this relevant? I am not an expert on the subject and I don’t know the answer, but according to one of the researchers "Understanding how chickens make egg shells is fascinating in itself but can also give clues towards designing new materials and processes." He also commented "Nature has found innovative solutions that work for all kinds of problems in materials science and technology — we can learn a lot from them." This may be the topic for a project at High School or College level, or it may simply be the reason to write your opinion and practice Standard English. If you want to know more about it follow the link.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38238685/ns/technology_and_science-science/
The other example is the news about Thierry Henry, famous French soccer player, joining the New York Red Bulls. If you follow soccer you know who these people are. I like soccer, I follow it and more importantly my students like soccer as well. I would use this piece of information to engage students in active learning. We could study France and USA. We could compare and contrast the two countries or cultures. We could review prediction skill, is he going to be as good as he was in Europe? How many goals is he going to score? What are the teams they will beat? Soccer is fertile field for teaching and learning, I like it and my students like it so it is a win-win situation where the sky is the limit in terms of educational activities. If you want to get further detail on the transaction follow the link.
http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/worldcup/story/france-star-thierry-henry-joins-new-york-red-bulls
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Action Research
Just five days ago, even less than a week, I heard about action research for the first time in my life. This discovery represented, not shocker at all after seven classes, one more time that I learned about a significant topic of education that has been around for a while and that I had not been able to take advantage of due to my lack of knowledge. Today, I still feel like action research truly represents an uncharted territory, but I am willing to review the literature, meet the deadlines of the coursework, and get my hands dirty in order to master this powerful tool. According to the literature action research is a cyclical process rather than a linear one. Educators are encouraged to be reflective of their own practice in order to improve their quality of teaching process for themselves and most importantly for their students. The administrator inquiry can be used in multiple situations in educational settings like school-based curriculum development, professional development, PLC’s and School Improvement Plans. The self-reflective nature of the process makes us aware and critical of our own practice. The cyclical nature of the process promotes a constant search for improvement that begins with wondering that leads to literature reviewing, data analysis, collaboration with peers, supervisors and colleagues, action planning, and evaluation. I would also add that action research increases data analysis skills, problem-solving skills and promotes collaborative decision-making. Additionally, the process facilitates the creation of achievable action plans with a sense of ownership due to the active participation of people that is directly involved with the problematic situation instead of outside experts. As for my action research project I decided to study the effects of blogging on reading skills. How can we use blogging to improve comprehension, vocabulary, summarization, and so on. I have a particular interest for our ELL students because they represent a significant subgroup of Texas' student body and they deserve to get the best education we can provide.
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