EDLD webconference reflection #3

These past few weeks have been so very busy that I have not actually had time to attend the webconferences so I have to watch the video when I can.  What I get from the webconferences is very useful in helping me realize that everyone else feels the same way I do.  I get confused by some of the assignments and I sometimes feel I am the only one feeling that way.  It is nice to know I am not in this alone.

Dr. Abernathy is real good about making us feel better and she tries to answer the questions the best she can.  I understand why she gets frustrated at us sometimes because we are all perfectionist.  We want to do our very best so we sometimes as redundant questions so we are sure of what we are supposed to do.  I get that way with my own students in the classroom.  I have enjoyed this class and getting to use Photostory 3 and seeing what all different free programs there are out there to use.

EDLD 5363 Mulitimedia Course Reflection

At the beginning of this course, I didn't know much about video and editing.  Our first assignment was to make a digital storybook.  I used Photostory 3 and it was really easy to use.  I chose pictures of my kids and I talked about how proud I am of my kids.  It was set to a soothing background music.  Photostory 3 is very user friendly with its step by step instructions. Everyone I showed it to was very impressed.

The second week we had to edit some video footage and use Audacity to record our voice.  Editing video footage was not very easy for me.  I tried to use Movie Maker and I didn't really think I did that good of a job.  I had recorded some footage of my daughter at a football game and I figured out how to play to video while I was recording on Audacity so I would make sure my words matched with the footage.

During weeks 3, 4 and 5 we were to get into groups and make a PSA video.  My group decided on the topic of getting vaccinated.  There is a new law for incoming freshman to get the Meninitis shot.  We met through Google Docs and did all of our collaboration there.  One of my members works at a high school and was able to use her AV students for the video.  I developed the script and the rest of my team tweaked it as necessary. 

I don't feel I helped a lot with the editing and I don't feel like I really learned a lot with editing.  I really think that is something that needs to be learned hands on.  With this type of course it is hard to learn a lot of hands on things.  This is totally an online course and I had to really figure things out for myself which is very time consuming.  I think the most beneficial thing I learned is Photostory 3 and I will definitely use that again.

EDLD 5363 webconference reflection #2

EDLD 5363 Multimedia and Technology has been quite a challenging class for me.  There have been several things that have changed and the only way to find out the changes is through the webconferences.  In one of the webconferences I watched, it only lasted about 8 minutes and Dr. Abernathy just gave a little pep talk.  I really think Dr. Abernathy is a great teacher I just feel that maybe this class has some design flaws that has a lot of people confused.

I usually find out a lot of information during the web conferences.  However, in the last few that have been for this class, the video feed is cutting in and out and it makes it really hard to follow the conversations and to understand what is going on.  At one point, everyone started typing they were sorry to Mrs. Abernathy and I must have missed what she said in the video because of it cutting in and out.

EDLD 5363 week 2 podcast

This is the script of my podcast

Today I am reviewing Windows Live Movie Maker.
It is laid out much like any Windows program like Word.
There are tabs across the top just like in Word.  There is the Home tab,
animations, visual effects, project, view and edit just like in Word.
It is laid out in a very sequential order and it has the same save button.
It also has the same undo button where you can undo the last thing you just did.
The tabs allow you to move back and forth without losing your work and
the screen is divided into two parts.  The left side allows you preview your work at anytime
and the right is where you actually manipulate the video.


I made my podcast with Audacity

EDLD 5363 Week 2 review

Okay, so I have to admit I don't know anything about making a video.  Last week, I made a digital story using Photostory 3 and thought that was the easiest program to use.  I liked the layout of it because it lead you through the process page by page.  This week, we were to edit a video that we imported.  I tried to use Windows Live Movie Maker.  I am still in the process of trying to figure it all out but it has reminded me of a regular Windows program.  All the tabs are across the top and sort of in the order that you can use it in.  To be honest, it was not as easy for me to figure out.  I probablly should have watched the tutorial.  I am figuring it out slowly but it wasn't as easy as Photostory 3.  I realize that the other is with pictures and not video.  I take more pictures than I do video anyway so I think in the future I would use Photostory 3 more often. 

As far as using this in my classroom.  I am a 2nd grade teacher and I am completely overwhelmed with the new curriculum my district has implemented that I do not have much down time to make a video to enhance a unit.  In the past, I would have had the creative freedom to do such a thing.  Now, we have a curriculum that it constantly changing and we can't even download six weeks in advance because it may have changed before we get to it.  Hopefully, the creators will settle down and stop making changes so that the teachers can get creative with it and make some enhancements to go along with it.

EDLD 5363 week 1 web conference

EDLD 5363 is the Mulimedia and video class.  When I first started it, I was very nervous about having to make a video and photostory.  Dr. Abernathy holds several web conference throughout the week to answer any questions we have and to also fill us in on the course.  I found the information she had to share very helpful and she is also very supportive of our efforts.  Dr. A explained that the reason we work in groups is for our benefit in the class and so we aren't trying to do everything alone.  Many people in today's society just want to do it themselves so they know it is done right, but mostly done their own way.  It is important to be able to collaborate in a group.

The most frustrating part about the web conference is not the cutting in and out of video, but the repetitive questions that people ask.  So many of the things asked, Dr. A had already talked about.  There were also a lot of questions asked that could be answered if the person just read  the assignment thoroughly.  Now, I'm not saying I know it all but I really try to make sure I ask an important question that also benefits the group, not just myself.

Now that I have used Photostory 3, I am so excited about it.  It was very user friendly and made me look like a video expert.  I showed my video to some teachers I work with and they were amazed at how beautiful it turned out.  I am not so overwhelmed or nervous about this class anymore.

edld 5363 photostory

EDLD 5364 Week 2 Reflection

Week 2 of EDLD 5364 has been great!  Last week we made teams, so this week our team met for a chat session at http://www.chatzy.com/.  We were able to sort through some of the assignment that we needed to get done.  We assigned roles to each member of the team and discussed what subject to base our lessons on.  We also tried to narrow down the lessons as to what we would focus on.  Not only can you chat at this site but you can go back to it and see the conversation after the chat is over.  That was really useful because I had forgotten something we talked about and I could go back and look at it.

Along with http://www.chatzy.com/, we have been brainstormimg ideas through Google Documents.  Google Documents is really easy to use and is like being in a chat room.  If I am in the document that my team is on,  I can see what they are typing as they are typing it.  There is also a chat function that I discovered while working on the document.  While we are making changes to the documents, other people that are allowed to make changes can chat before typing it on the document.

I was really concerned, at first, with having to be on a team with people in different parts of Texas.  Not one of us is actually close enough for us to meet to do the project.  Technology today has made being in different parts of the state not a problem anymore.  We can email each other, we can schedule meetings for the chat room and we can collaborate in Google Documents.  All of these things have allowed us to meet and discuss just like if we were in a class together at a university.

I am anxious to find out what all we will do in the next weeks.  All of the new technology that I have learned so far has given me ideas to use in my classroom and I continue to improve my instruction.

EDLD 5364 Week 1 Reflection

Teaching with Technology EDLD 5364 is the third course in my pursuit of my Master's Degree.  I am very excited and looking forward to getting started with the group project that we have assigned for this class.  I am a second grade teacher and this year is my 14th year to teach.  All of my experience has been in second grade and with the same district.  Over the years I have seen education change from teaching with thematic units to switching to a phonics based program.  The goal was never to bring in more technology as part of the curriculum.  My principa'ls main goal has always been about student success in reading and math.  We did upgrade from an overhead projector to an ELMO projection system.

This has been the first week of EDLD 5364.  In this class so far, I have joined with a team of other classmates and we have collaborated on a group blog where we have posted all of our team information.  I have also read many articles and parts of two books.  I also stay in touch with my classmates through the discussion board where we give feedback to each other about a significant quote.

The first book is Web 2.0: new tools, new schools by Gwen Solomon and Lynne Schrum (2007).  "Today's students know that they are tech-savvy and report that their schools are not." (p 31).  This is a growing concern and I read it over and over in other articles that I have had to read  for my classes.  I do see that schools are not able to keep up with changes in technology as fast as technology is changing.  One of the problems is funding.  Schools only get so much money and have to spend it in wise ways.  I also see that schools are trying to incorporate technology but some teachers are resistant to it.  We have teachers who are used to the way that they have always taught and live by the motto "If it isn't broke, don't fix it".  There is always room for improvement and we must keep up with the changing times.  I am really looking forward to this class because I think that it will show me some ways to help bring technology into the classroom so that the students are learning about technology while also learning the basics.

Reference:

Solomon, G. & Schrum, L. (2007).  Web 2.0: new tools, new schools. International  Society for Technology in Education.

EDLD 5301 Action Research Plan reflection week 5

When I first started this class, I didn’t really know what was meant by an Action Research Plan.  Then, as I read and delved into the class, I became excited about the work that I could accomplish through this action research plan.  I began to think about the different areas that I could do my research in.  My thoughts went straight to my students and how I could help them.  We have had so many changes in our curriculum over the past few years that I have lost the passion for teaching that I once had.  It seemed to all revolve around the test scores and not about the lessons themselves.  My students were the guinea pigs and the results were not impressive. By having the assignment of creating an action research plan, I have been able to bring in some technology that has made the lessons more engaging.  The students are more interested and the scores are getting better as a result. I have also really benefitted from the discussion board.  I have not met these people face to face but we have small chat sessions about our action research plans.  I have received excellent feedback from my other classmates and the feedback has helped me to see the action question in a new light.  A few classmates on the discussion board have similar type action research plans and I have been able to read their posts and also the replies of others to their posts.  The people in this class are from all walks of life and work in different types of settings.  Some work in a college setting and some in an administrative setting, these different backgrounds helps me see my research plan from a different point of view.  I see things from an elementary educator’s point of view, so it’s hard to see things from a different angle. The internet has also been an excellent resource for me to use.  I can google any question or statement and have thousands of websites at a touch.  I have researched other action plans and also researched my action research topic.  The web has so many different types of sites to look at.  I also go to the blogs of other action researchers.  I like to read their blogs and see what they have posted about their plans.  It gives me lots of great ideas and gets my creative juices flowing when I’m sparked by their blogs. This class has also made me work harder on my lessons as a result of my action research plan.  I have not really started the action plan just yet, but I’m in the process of starting it.  I have had a few hurdles due to the weather with getting everything set up.  I am not going to let it be a set back, it just makes me realize that sometimes things don’t go smoothly all the time.  I am committed to making this class and to the entire program.

Course Embedded Tracking Roadmap

Student Name:		Dana Chelette
Course-Embedded Internship Tracking Roadmap
		Course	Brief Description of Activity					Date Completed
Domain I: School Community Leadership	Competency 001	EDLD 5339 Log-1 4 hrs	Interview two school leaders regarding campus organization and management and Site-Based Decision-Making (SBDM) policies and procedures, which include issues of campus vision and mission.
		EDLD 5333 Log-2 2 hrs	Create a personal vision of leadership.
		EDLD 5388 Log-3 6 hrs	Study your school's history, traditions, shared beliefs and values; method of inducting new teachers; identity of stakeholders; acculturation factors; and affiliation factors and then construct a School Culture Factors Summary with suggestions to strengthen each area of the culture.
		EDLD 5352 Log-4 6 hrs	Look at the strengths and weaknesses of your campus as you examine and apply data from the Texas Campus STaR Chart, a technology data-gathering tool provided by the state. Complete a three year comparison of the Texas Campus STaR Chart data from your campus with statewide summary data.
	Competency 002	EDLD 5326 Log-1 6 hrs	Develop a plan for a family-school-community partnership(s) to increase student achievement.
		EDLD 5326 Log-2 6 hrs	Develop a presentation to be given to key stakeholders in your school that emphasizes the importance of parental-community involvement to student achievement.
	Competency 003	EDLD 5333 Log-1 7 hrs	Attend a Site-Based Decision-Making (SBDM) meeting, record reflections, and interview the principal and one other staff member regarding collaboration, consensus-building strategies, ethical relationships, typical agenda items, etc.
		EDLD 5345 Log-2 5 hrs	Review Chapter 247 of the Texas Administrative Code, "Educators' Code of Ethics," conduct observations and/or interviews in your school, and use the results of those observations/interviews to complete the "Code of Ethics Mindwalk."
Domain II: Instructional Leadership	Competency 004	EDLD 5333 Log-1 10 hrs	Conduct a data-driven, comprehensive needs assessment using the latest AYP and AEIS data, a multi-year history of this data, and a comparable improvement report.
		EDLD 5335 Log-2 3 hrs	Describe Curriculum Management Audit standards, compare the audit standards to the campus curriculum program, and make suggestions for improvement of academic performance through use of the audit standards.
	Competency 005	EDLD 5335 Log-1 4 hrs	Use set criteria to evaluate a teacher's edition of a textbook or a curriculum guide for a content area or a campus objective selected for a learner-centered staff development experience.
		EDLD 5388 Log-2 4 hrs	Complete and submit the Survey of School Context and then meet with at least one, or preferable more, faculty members from your campus (or district) to compare results. In this meeting, discuss whether any items should be added to or deleted from the Survey to make it a better fit for your campus (or district). Write a report on the results of the meeting and summarize your learning about the culture and climate of your school based on the School Context Survey.
	Competency 006	EDLD 5388 Log-1 6 hrs	Conduct a teacher quality survey which looks at factors such as the years of teaching experience of campus teachers, degrees held (bachelor or master), teacher ethnicity, compared with ethnicity of students and community demographics and prepare a report of your findings.
		EDLD 5345 Log-2 2 hrs	Conduct an interview with an administrator at your school regarding strategies for recruiting and retaining high-quality teachers and administrators.
		EDLD 5345 Log-3 2 hrs	Assess the policies and procedures in place in your district related to teacher mentoring programs by assessing the district's webpage or contacting the district Human Resources Office and reflect on the policies in place for mentoring/induction.
		EDLD 5345 Log-4 4 hrs	Complete the Cultural Proficiency Receptivity Scale, use the Cultural Proficiency Professional Development Rubric to assess the level of professional development at your campus or workplace, and identify and describe where and how your campus has responded to each of the elements of Cultural Proficiency.
		EDLD 5311 Log-5 4 hrs	Create a professional vita that highlights your leadership accomplishments and servs as a motivational tool to seek new opportunities for improvement and professional growth.
		EDLD 5311 Log-6 5 hrs	Collaborate with the school supervisor and develop the 18-month internship plan. Plans will be based on self-assessment findings, professional goals, and the unique needs of the intern and school.
		EDLD 5344 Log-7 15 hrs	Design a remediation to a situation you would like to improve in your school. In your School-Based Analysis, you familiarized yourself with special education policies in your state and school district. For your Application, you will use this knowledge as you follow a fictional student, Julia, who has just enrolled in your school. You will develop and Individualized Education Program for "Julia," monitor how her program is implemented in the classroom, and use your knowledge of student rights and school management to make sound decisions when she engages in behavior that calls for disciplinary action. This assignment will require you to use knowledge gained from lectures and readings, and from communication with leaders at your school, including your principal, special edcuation coordinator, and classroom teachers. Your final step will be to make suggestions about how management policies and procedures for special education students at your school can be improved. In all instances, you are expected to cite relevant law and/or plicy that you used to formulate your answers.
		EDLD 5301 Log-8 8 Hours	Students engage in identifying an action research topic(s) or research questions and designing a draft action research plan completing a recommended template or format of a blueprint of the action research plan.
		EDLD 5301 Log-9 5 Hours	Students review comments from colleagues and site supervisors and engage in revising their draft action research plan. By the end of Week 5, students should confer with their site supervisor(s) and agree on an action research topic and plan.
	Competency 007	EDLD 5388 Log-1 5 hrs	Discuss state and federal legal requirements for Response-to-Intervnetion (RTI) plicy and make application of RTI through a case study process.
		EDLD 5333 Log-2 4 hrs	Demonstrate leadership for accountability by researching best practices, including specific professional development to address a target area and list the strategies and rationale for using each strategy.
		EDLD 5311 Log-3 6 hrs	Interview two administrators using the assigned questions. Reflect in this log what you learned from those questions and how this activity helped you master the domains and competencies.
Domain III: Administrative Leadership	Competency 008	EDLD 5339 Log-1 10 hrs	Analyze the processes in place for campus budgeting and the alignment of the budget with the Campus Impreovement Plan (CIP).
		EDLD 5333 Log-2 10 hrs	Conduct a data-based needs assessment. Based on the areas of need identified, create a campus action plan to address the needs identified including professional development plans, allocation of resources to support the plan, and any tools needed for school improvement efforts.
	Competency 009	EDLD 5339 Log-1 5 hrs	Analyze the scheduling process in place on campuse, cite course material and personnel interview to justify conclusions, and weight the effects of the schedule on campus goals and objectives, student needs, and effective and efficient use of time, personnel, and resources to ensure a safe and productive environment.
		EDLD 5339 Log-2 5 hrs	Analyze campus goals and objective and the use of resources such as time and personnel to address the issues of a safe and productive school environment.

My Action Research Plan (week 3)

Action Research Plan

How to increase student engagement with the use of a Promethean SMARtboard?

1. Setting the Foundation: I first decided to research using the Promethean SMARTboard as I was developing my Internship plan from EDLD 5306.  I knew that there was this technology at my school but it was not being used.  We had a short inservice on how to use it, but with there only being three of them on a campus of over 30 teachers, no one jumped to take it.  It has been on the campus for over two years, at least.

2.  Analyzing Data:  I plan to do quite a bit of research on the internet to find lessons that will correlate with the curriculum that my school is currently using.  I will also try to plan some lessons using the board and creating the lessons myself.  I will also research student engagement activities and find what is successful at holding their attention longer.

3.  Developing a Deeper Understanding:  To develop a deeper understanding of engaging students during reading and math lessons I plan to research lessons on activities that I feel are the most problematic in class.  There are numerous lessons that are engaging but there are also lessons that are stale and need a boost.  I also plan to conduct a survey to formulate ideas about improving technology at our campus.

4.  Engage in Self-Reflection:    After I have researched lessons and developed some of my own I plan to incorporate them into my lesson plans.  I will use self-reflection to look back over the same lessons from previous years and see how I have improved them or not.  I also will use my past years annual evaluations by my principal and compare them with this year’s evaluation.  I will look at several areas; the use of technology, student participation and active engagement.

5.  Exploring Programmatic Patterns:  Research will probably require the biggest amount of time for me to get started.  I can already see that a problem with getting more technology will arise due to budget cuts that all districts are experiencing.  I also fear that some students will still be off task during the lessons no matter what types of technology I use.  The goal is to at least increase the number of students who are actively engaged during the lesson.

6.  Determining Direction:  My first step is to receive instruction on how to use the board.  Secondly, I will do research and develop lessons to correlate with my current curriculum.  Next, I will conduct the lessons using the Promethean SMARTboard.  After the lessons are over, I will review the student’s performance.  I will also review their journal writing about the lessons.

7.  Taking Action For School Improvement:  This process of action research has lead me in a direction that I had been wanting to go in but was never quite sure how to.  Since taking these past two classes I have learned so much technology that will improve my skills as a teacher.  The use of the Promethean SMARtboard is just one step that I am taking. 

8.  Sustain Improvement:  I will continue to do research on lessons and to improve on them.  Hopefully, this will be an ongoing action research plan that I will always do.  Curriculum is always changing and it will take time for me to be able to incorporate the Promethean board into my everyday lessons.  As students get used to seeing the lessons and become comfortable with using the technology I will be able to allow them to do more with it.

EDLD 5301 Action Research Refelection: Week 2

Week Two of Action Research had me reading Chapter Two of Leading with Passion and Knowledge: The Principal as Action Researcher by Nancy Dana.  The chapter discussed nine different passions (or areas) for action research.  All of the passions (or areas) play a crucial role in the efficient running of a district.  If I were an administrator, I would make sure that my employees were using action research, not only for themselves, but for the campus. 

Curriculum is among one of the most important of the passions.  A district has to make sure that it has the most updated curriculum that is meeting all of the TEKS and preparing for the state tests TAKS.  Action research would allow a district to make sure that it was getting the best curriculum if the research was done before selecting a curriculum versus having a curriculum that does not meet all the needs and having to work twice as hard to compensate for that.

After learning about action research, I will always refer back to this class and try to always remember how effective it can be for teachers and administrators.  Whenever a need arises, I will use action research.

Blogging and Administrator's EDLD 5301

Blogs are a very useful tool for many reasons.  Administrators can use blogs to communicate with other administrators and teachers.  For teachers, this would be ideal to communicate with an administrator because it would reduce the anxiety with meeting in person.  They may feel more freedom to speak open and passionately.  For administrators, it could be used as a sounding board for ideas and would reduce the need for meetings that waste time and can become unproductive.  Blogs allow you to get right to the point.  You can post links to other websites, use pictures and graphs along with text and it can be updated regularly.

Wikispaces are a lot like blogs with the exception that each person can alter what someone has written.  Wiki's would also be useful for action research in that once the inquiry is started it can be updated and added to by different people, not just the original writer of the post.  With a blog, the followers can make comments but not add to the original post.  With either a blog or a wiki, anyone with internet access can become part of the conversation and can do it from work or home so that inquiry can be done at anytime.

Action Research EDLD 5301

In this week's assignment I learned about administrative inquiry and action research.  Both of these terms refers to an individual or team delving head first into a situation or problem that they feel affects them directly and needs further research to improve upon.  This is a new idea that I feel would have enormous, positive impact for administrators.  Often, I see administrators rely on consultants to come in and fix a problem that they do not have direct impact on.  After the consultants do their inquiry and give a plan, it is often useless then discarded.  Many times, the teachers then have had to work on inservice days to formulate the plan that the consultant could not do.  The reason for this dilemma is that the consultant was an outsider. Action research is conducted by the ones who will actually benefit from the results so that the ones conducting it often are more careful and deliberate with their study.