Sunday, July 25, 2010
Action Research Topic
This week I had to select an action research topic for my graduate research class at Lamar University. I am in the Educational Technology Leadership degree program so I wanted to select a topic in the area of educational technology. This area is so broad with so many possible topic choices. These ideas range from how can a school fund more technology in a classroom to what is the value of social networking in education. I have tentatively selected the following action research topic: Which format of electronic textbook better serves the needs of our K-12, 21st century learners, store and retrieve or on-line/interactive? I believe this topic to be of great value to our campus and district as well as to other districts wanting answers to this particular question. I look forward to beginning my first action research project.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
How educational leaders might use blogs?
Blogs would be a very beneficial tool to educational leaders by providing a forum for educational leaders to collaborate on projects. A project could be as simple as collaborating on a meeting agenda to as complicated as working on an educational action research project. The blog would allow all participants to make comments and allow the originator to make changes as necessary.
What is action research and how might I use it?
Action research is the process by which an educational leader studies one’s own practice by asking a question, exploring existing research relating to that question, interpreting the findings, applying what was learned, reflecting on the change, and starting the process all over again. “Elliot (1988) describes action research as a continual set of spirals consisting of reflection and action.” Action research is a very influential tool for “learning and reform” and is intended to bring about some form of change. Action research unlike traditional research is conducted and used by the one that actually conducts the research which results in that research actually being implemented.
Educational leaders can use action research in many ways but I see myself using it in three ways; district-wide meetings, campus leadership teams, and professional learning communities. Some districts are replacing their traditional, non-productive meetings with action research by allowing their administration to cooperatively work on current district problems through action research instead of traditional methods. Secondly, leaders are forming leadership teams on their campuses to tackle campus problems through action research. Lastly, professional learning communities are formed by combining several campuses or districts into one collaboration to study their schools through action research with one’s peers.
Dana, N.F. (2009). Leading with passion and knowledge: The principal as action researcher. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Educational leaders can use action research in many ways but I see myself using it in three ways; district-wide meetings, campus leadership teams, and professional learning communities. Some districts are replacing their traditional, non-productive meetings with action research by allowing their administration to cooperatively work on current district problems through action research instead of traditional methods. Secondly, leaders are forming leadership teams on their campuses to tackle campus problems through action research. Lastly, professional learning communities are formed by combining several campuses or districts into one collaboration to study their schools through action research with one’s peers.
Dana, N.F. (2009). Leading with passion and knowledge: The principal as action researcher. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Web Conferencing
Web conferencing is a powerful educational tool. It can bring together students from across the country or across the globe in one virtual classroom. This virtual classroom is a haven to exchange ideas and help one another learn in many formats. It takes the “distance” out of distance learning.
Web conferencing can be a very formal or informal event. Facilitators can lead in a more formal lecture-style fashion with questions at the conclusion of the lecture or attendees can exchange questions and answers with one another and the facilitator in a more informal discussion format. This form of communication’s range of possibilities is endless.
Web conferencing gives distance learning a more personal touch than would be normally allowed. It makes education more intimate and allows the student to connect with the instructor and other students which would traditionally be missing in a conventional distance education setting.
As with all technology, the only barrier to this tool is the possibility of technical difficulties. One must bear in mind, “stuff” happens, and you will get through the challenges and eventually it will run smoothly. The more familiar one gets with the operation of a new system the better it will work.
All in all, web conferencing can be a wonderful instrument to use in education, especially distance education. Educators need to use this tool to create wonderful centers of learning with a more personal touch.
Web conferencing can be a very formal or informal event. Facilitators can lead in a more formal lecture-style fashion with questions at the conclusion of the lecture or attendees can exchange questions and answers with one another and the facilitator in a more informal discussion format. This form of communication’s range of possibilities is endless.
Web conferencing gives distance learning a more personal touch than would be normally allowed. It makes education more intimate and allows the student to connect with the instructor and other students which would traditionally be missing in a conventional distance education setting.
As with all technology, the only barrier to this tool is the possibility of technical difficulties. One must bear in mind, “stuff” happens, and you will get through the challenges and eventually it will run smoothly. The more familiar one gets with the operation of a new system the better it will work.
All in all, web conferencing can be a wonderful instrument to use in education, especially distance education. Educators need to use this tool to create wonderful centers of learning with a more personal touch.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
LMS STaR Chart Summary
LMS's overall STaR Chart scores dropped slightly. All key areas were classified as developing technology for the 2008-2009 school year. Key areas should improve with last year's implementation of three technology integrated components.
LMS STaR Chart Summary
View more presentations from Tammy Alford.
National Educational Technology Plan (NETP): Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology
The National Educational Technology Plan (NETP): Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology draft was released March 5th of this year. The plan is calling for action in educating America’s youth in technology so we can prosper and grow as a nation. The current administration is focused on achieving two goals through this plan. One is to increase the number of two and four-year degree college graduates to sixty percent of the American population. The second goal is to help everyone regardless of socio-economic standing to achieve a college education and lucrative career. These are considerable goals but can be achieved with everyone’s combined effort.
The NETP has developed five goals to achieve the goals set by the administration. These include goals in learning, assessment, teaching, infrastructure, and productivity. Learning should not only be “engaging and empowering” but it should ready students to compete in a global economy not only ethically but also with wisdom and imagination. Assessment should be used to gage achievement and to calculate what really matters. Teachers should be connected and professionally developed to motivate successful learning. Learners and teachers should have 24/7 infrastructure in place to retrieve the information they need. Technology should be developed more advanced and reasonable requiring less investment of time and personnel.
We live in a global marketplace with the most advanced technologies available at our fingertips. There is no reason for America to be in the economic distress we are currently witnessing. We have access to the best educational institutions in the world yet we have just a mere thirty-nine percent of our population receiving this education. Through the achievement of the NETP goals, we should once again see America as the leading nation.
The NETP has developed five goals to achieve the goals set by the administration. These include goals in learning, assessment, teaching, infrastructure, and productivity. Learning should not only be “engaging and empowering” but it should ready students to compete in a global economy not only ethically but also with wisdom and imagination. Assessment should be used to gage achievement and to calculate what really matters. Teachers should be connected and professionally developed to motivate successful learning. Learners and teachers should have 24/7 infrastructure in place to retrieve the information they need. Technology should be developed more advanced and reasonable requiring less investment of time and personnel.
We live in a global marketplace with the most advanced technologies available at our fingertips. There is no reason for America to be in the economic distress we are currently witnessing. We have access to the best educational institutions in the world yet we have just a mere thirty-nine percent of our population receiving this education. Through the achievement of the NETP goals, we should once again see America as the leading nation.
Progress Report on the Long-Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020
The Progress Report on the Long-Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020, was released in December of 2008 by the Texas Education Agency. Overall the plan is realizing improvements in all mandated areas. The largest advancements were seen in leadership, administration, and instructional support and infrastructure for technology.
Leadership, administration, and instructional support jumped seven percent in the advanced and target technology progress levels with infrastructure for technology moving up six percent in the same levels. The area of leadership, administration, and instructional support is just shy of having half of Texas campuses falling in the advanced and target technology levels with four percent of those in target technology. A vast sixty-four percent of the state’s schools are in the upper technology progress levels for infrastructure in technology with seven percent in the highest target technology level. These two areas are very critical in seeing improvements in the two weakest achieving areas.
The two poorest performing areas are educator preparation and development and teaching and learning. Teaching and learning has twenty-five percent of the schools falling in the advanced and target technology progress levels. Although, teaching and learning did see a five percent improvement in the highest progress levels, there still remains much room for achievement. Educator and preparation and development only saw a three percent improvement with a total of twenty-one percent of the schools falling into the advanced and target technology progress levels. These areas are not where they need to be for Texas to meet its Long Range Plan goals. Increases were seen so progress is being made but not at the level we need to meet those goals.
Leadership, administration, and instructional support jumped seven percent in the advanced and target technology progress levels with infrastructure for technology moving up six percent in the same levels. The area of leadership, administration, and instructional support is just shy of having half of Texas campuses falling in the advanced and target technology levels with four percent of those in target technology. A vast sixty-four percent of the state’s schools are in the upper technology progress levels for infrastructure in technology with seven percent in the highest target technology level. These two areas are very critical in seeing improvements in the two weakest achieving areas.
The two poorest performing areas are educator preparation and development and teaching and learning. Teaching and learning has twenty-five percent of the schools falling in the advanced and target technology progress levels. Although, teaching and learning did see a five percent improvement in the highest progress levels, there still remains much room for achievement. Educator and preparation and development only saw a three percent improvement with a total of twenty-one percent of the schools falling into the advanced and target technology progress levels. These areas are not where they need to be for Texas to meet its Long Range Plan goals. Increases were seen so progress is being made but not at the level we need to meet those goals.
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