EDLD 5301 Week 2 - Action Research Ponderings

I have learned so much about action research plans during the week 2 readings. I came into the course thinking that only administrators would use action research but discovered that I could use it as well. Because I have moved from teaching 1st grade for 8 years and have only taught PK for 1, I could use action research to self-reflect about my teaching methods in a new grade level. I can also use it to review methods I use to help such young students adjust to school for the first time. I definitely want to use it to promote the use of technology in all grade levels. As I discovered in our Campus Improvement Plan, one of the goals our campus had was for students to be using technology in the classroom during 70% of instruction time and I would like to focus on that goal. I have also realized that my principal has more than likely used action research in order to obtain several objectives when looking into school community, leadership, management and school performance (maybe that is why we have been an exemplary campus for the last two years). I am excited to learn how my action research plan will benefit me, my students and my campus.

EDLD 5301 Week 1 Assignment - Action Research

What have I learned about action research?
Until taking EDLD 5301, an action research course, I had not really thought about self-reflection as anything other than "thinking" about my teaching. During my readings and additional research for the first assignment, I realized action research goes much deeper. I have learned that action research is a method of self-reflections that can be used to help formally organize your data, thoughts, ideas and plans. It allows you to complete this on your own or collaborate with others that have a personal interest in your inquiry. This avenue means that you can share various experiences, include personal views and recognize different ways of achieving a goal. I have experienced the traditional educational research when reviewing test scores. We were given a specific set of data which we then reviewed and determined a goal to meet the expectations required by an outside source. I felt that the expectations were a little higher than what our students could achieve. When reading about action research, I realized that I felt this way because outside sources do not take our particular students into account when setting standards of achievement. Action research would allow a group to use background knowledge, personal insight and experiences to set more attainable goals. It also includes a step to create a maintenance plan after reaching your goal. Most people or groups do not include this step when drafting a plan. I would like to use action research to find a way to improve the use of technology by pre-kindergarten students and to find the most interesting activities in which students in my district can improve their vocabulary.
How can educational leaders use blogs?
Educational leaders can use blogs in many different ways. Administrators can use a blog to determine the satisfaction of their staff in many areas including morale, professional development needs, district policies and campus expectations. They can also use them to facilitate sharing information with staff that would normally be done through email, meetings or newsletters. Blogs can also be used to communicate with educational leaders in different districts to share experiences and ideas pertaining to issues such as attendance, drop-out rates, student morale and staff development. This would benefit all parties involved because blogs can be accessed any any location and at any time. This would also allow for a greater number of ideas being shared.