Final EDLD 5363 Group Video

CONVECTION WHAT?

Action Research Update

My project is basically in two phases.  The first phase is like a trial phase within my department, but it also sets up the entire school to more easily implement the web program into their current lesson plans with little interference of learning the new.

So far it has not gone well as we have come to many road blocks.  The total current collaboration has probably accumulated to 10 hours.  I discussed my idea at our Science department meeting, and then created a cheat sheet to have my department colleagues have their students create accounts during their computer lab time.  Based off of their schedule it took a week for them to do so.  Since every student has a science class we got the majority of the class into the Edmodo.com.  This is where my project came to halt.  Our lesson plans were altered do to us seeing our students struggling with some concepts and therefore we didn’t proceed and decided to re-teach the concepts, and then tested later.  I’m hoping, since we’ll have more time at the beginning of the 2^nd semester that we can implement a project through Edmodo for our next grading period.

The majority of my learning is having to still be flexible and make room for time adjustments.  It seems to be that we are constantly strained, especially to implement anything new.  Instead of moving on with lessons, we are constantly teaching and re-teaching.   

Although I’m confident in my department, presenting this system to my extended colleagues in the building is quite fearful.  We are on a campus of much newness. We have a new principle that we are still trying to get used to.  We have new grading programs, a data team system that is new to us, and new ways of implement RTI information.  Having to throw another thing at them usually (if history repeats itself) comes with great resistance. 

If anything I may introduce a different program that is similar to Edmodo for Creative Thinking purposes or I may have the campus staff implement this at a later time with a simple assignment within their classroom.  There are still many alternatives to consider and adjustments to make. And I hope to finalize those adjustments during this 2 week holiday break.

When I finally do present it to our entire campus staff, I hope show alternative successes they can implement by using the same students that they teach in a different academic area. 

Web Conference Reflection (12-16-2012)

For this conference, even thought I didn't attend, I was focusing more around my group member's conversation/comments.  We did need clarity on to where and how to post our web reflections.  We also had posted concerns about was considered live video, which was clarified as anything but still pictures.  So our Xtranormal.com video, even though not a live recording, it was still animated and this met the final project requirements.

Web Conference Reflection (11-26-2012)

I know I attended another conference but didn't see the script posted.  I can't remember which one.  Either this conference was similar to the first.  Many people finalizing groups and/or having new people needing a group.  Also there was discussion on what program/software was being used to complete the week 2 assignment and where it was going to be posted.

Web Conference Reflection (11-18-2012)

Had great informative web conference as it was very confusing based off what was being requested with the original information from what was being posted in BlackBoard for week 1.  Fortunately the instructor gives us plenty of flexability of what tools can be used (with the main consideration of we want to use it in schools, so try not utilize an expensive software that most school districts wouldn't want to pay for, and have to train).  I'm one of those that would have loved to use a big expensive production software, but simplicity is key since in the classroom we only have time for simplicity, but flexible enough to allow creative juices to flow.  We did however discuss a few Web 2.0 tools that are free and can be utilized.
We also focused on finalizing groups.  Fortunately we had a couple of members before we started the web conference so I felt more at ease going into the start of this class.

MS MovieMaker Introduction

Below is an Introduction to Microsoft MovieMaker and its beginner features:

Script for Intro to MovieMaker

Below is my Script on MovieMaker -- The vodcast will follow shortly!

Most computers running Windows will have Microsoft MovieMaker Live.  If not, you can google MovieMaker and download it to your computer.  Make sure you download a valid copy from the Microsoft Windows website.  Microsoft MovieMaker is great for those who are used frequently using Microsoft Office programs like Word, Excel, or PowerPoint.


There are three main areas of the screen.  The top area style will be familiar to Microsoft Office users as it will have the Ribbon menu at the top to select different options quickly.  The left side of the screen is a preview media player to see what your video will look and sound like as you edit it.  The right side holds your photos and videos in the order they will appear in your movie.  If you want a photo in a different spot of your movie, you can simply click and hold, then drag it to where you want it in your movie.   


To select the most popular options in video editing you can select the Home section in the Ribbon menu. You will see that by just clicking a few icons you can add videos and photos to your movie; you can add music, narrate your movie,  or you can even auto-create your entire movie to a specific theme that will have presets of transitions, panning, zooming, and flow.  Also the on the Home section of the Ribbon menu, you can create title screens, credit screens, and add captions to certain photos.    


When you save your movie, you save it as a project so that it keeps all your photos, music, and selections in one folder.  When you are ready to finalize your video, you can share through different mediums like YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo, or Flickr.  You can also create movie files to replay on your computer, your favorite mobile device, or share by email.
I hope this shows you the basics and simplicities of Microsoft Movie Maker.  For users familiar with Microsoft Office products this will be a cinch to adapt and create something to make you proud!

Personal Digital Story Video

Personal Story - Script

Below is my personal digital story script to create a quick video.  The video will follow:

Several months ago my wife and I were having a…”discussion”.  The topic was of adding an addition to the family.  My argument was that we didn’t have the time or resources to provide a healthy upbringing.  Her argument was a counter to every excuse I had.

A couple months after our “loud conversation” we brought home new life.  And although he was cute, I was not looking forward the upcoming responsibilities.  I would lose a sense of restfulness by having to wake up a couple of times in the middle of night to provide his needs.  I would constantly have to watch over him to make sure he was not getting into…“trouble”.

He was growing so quickly and every day I wish I had put my foot down a little more firmly in order to avoid this painstaking daily situation.  There’s the feeding, potting training and having to deal with destructive surprises every now and then.  With so much newness in my life, especially at work or things relating to my work, this was something that didn’t seem like a priority. After, what continues to be, a huge physical investment, little did I know I would receive a huge gradual and mental reward.

I never grew up with dogs, but I did have a comprehension of their species and my understanding of them was that they need lots of room to be themselves.  Although I never wanted a dog, I did care about them enough and respect them enough to know that they deserve more than what I could provide.

So, what do I do in order to embrace my new family role?  I research.  I began to read and embraced the philosophies of the Dog Whisperer, Cesar Millan.  His teachings for a happy and healthy dog are Exercise, Discipline and then Affection…in that order.  Although, I wish I was home 24-7 and didn’t have so many other obligations in order to properly raise the dog, I’ve tried to fulfill these things as best as possible.

So what, exactly, have I gained?  When the Dog Whisperer visits with people on his show, he usually has to fix people problems before he fixes dog problems. So I thought, to myself, what do I need to “fix” about me in order to maintain a healthy connection to my dog.

Even though I feel I never have time for, Roscoe, I can’t ignore the fact that it’s not his fault for misbehaviors and wild actions. So it helps me to identify weaknesses about me that need to become strengths in order for the dog to be a happy and healthy dog.  For every weakness I identify, I ask two other questions: 1) where do I need to work on that weakness in other parts of my life and 2) what would it look like if the weakness became a strength?   

The weaknesses I’ve identified are patience, consistency, leadership, and at times, compassion.  These are things, not only Roscoe needs from me, but other people in my life a well.  I hope that I become more patience, more consistent, a better leader and a compassionate individual to others as well. 

Never did I think a dog could change aspects about me.  It’s great being around an animal that can pick up on my emotions; emotions that I can’t hide with a fake smile or sarcastic humor.  It’s also great having to communicate with something on a basic level.  If I’m not all there, he picks up on it, and instantly attacks my weaknesses.  He forces me to be on my A-game, with patience, consistency, leadership, sprinkled with compassion.

Action Planning Template

Action Planning Template
Goal: Improve critical thinking and problem solving skills by implement blog-based technology like Edmodo.com.
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
PHASE I
Communication with school principal for support on implementing Edmodo across the campus to increase critical thinking and problem solving skills.	School Principal, and Perez	11/05 – 11/09/2012	Time to meet with principal	Discussion with principal over this topic.
Have students be set up in Edmodo accounts throughout the campus	Perez and Science Department Teachers	11/12 – 11/20/2012	Computer Lab time or access to laptop carts.  ½ day of instruction to provide directions to students on signing up.	Will have a collaborative list of students in the entire campus signed on to Edmodo.com
Have students practice using Edmodo 3-5 days out of the week by having students answer the classroom Essential Question through Edmodo.	Perez and Science Department	11/26 – 11/30/2012	Access to laptop carts.	Posted answers from students on the Essential Questions
Discuss with students various posts and how they can become better answers by providing skills of a critical thinking	Perez and Science Dept.	11/27 – 12/03/2012	Posts from Edmodo	Classroom discussion.
Students begin research on the advantages and disadvantages of energy resources.	Perez and Science Dept.	12/03 – 12/05/2012	Access to research via books, articles, Internet, and classroom notes to discover advantages and disadvantages of various energy sources	Completion of Energy Charts that list information, including but not limited to advantages and disadvantages, of various energy resources.
Students begin online debate via Edmodo over a superior energy source for our area by stating their advantages of their energy source, while stating the disadvantages of other energy sources to make theirs superior.	Perez and the Science Dept.	12/06 – 12/12/2012	Access to laptops, or netbooks, or computer lab times.	Check for increase critical thinking skills and possible problem solving skills based off of student responses.  Discuss with ELA department on characteristics of good critical thinking skills.
PHASE II
Train remaining staff and introduce them to Edmodo.  Also share results from students’ online debate within Edmodo.	Perez	2/05/2013	Access to laptops for staff	Response from training
Have teachers set up their classrooms/periods (Edmodo refers to these as groups) so students can join them.	Perez and JWMS (J. Wessendorff Middle School) teachers	02/06/ - 03/4/2013	Dedicated computer lab time and teachers taking 10 minutes from their instruction time have students join their group/classes	Collaborative list from teachers and students having Edmodo accounts with full class schedule.
Students answer open ended questions during the beginning of their computer lab times in each of their content areas	JWMS teachers	03/18 – 04/30/2013	Classroom laptops or computer lab time.	Posts from students and suggestions to improved responses.
Prior to the STAAR exam, teachers will assign a persuasive essay to students to see if they are able to communicate critically over a debatable topic.	JWMS teachers	05/01/ - 05/15/2013	Persuasive Essay Assignment	Grades from students and acknowledgements of improvement in critical thinking skills.

Steps to Consider in Action Research

1.    Examining the work: Setting the Foundation – in other words, identifying needs or topics for action research and this may emerge from the Site Based Decision Making Committee, or from needs like those identified in your intern plan.

Improvement of increasing Critical thinking skills as well as problem solving skills of the student body.

2.    Analyzing data: you have had many opportunities to do this, and you  examined at least 9 data gathering strategies from your text in Part 2 of this week’s assignments

There are many examples students utilizing Edmodo (an educational based blogging/Facebook style website).  Some students have also been exposed to it during their elementary years.  If students can focus educational discussion on Edmodo, it can increase peer support of critical thinking.

3.    Developing deeper understanding: these are additional data collection techniques, as well as, examining qualitative data through active listening, focus groups, etc.

Utilizing data collection strategies 4 (Docs/Student Work) and 7 (Reflective Weblogs) will help see improvement in critical thinking among the student work.  It is also accessible anytime and anywhere there is an internet connection.

4.    Engaging in Self-Reflection: this summarizes much of what you have been doing in this course, and throughout the program, beginning with your many self-assessments of leadership in EDLD 5311

·         Is utilizing Edmodo as a critical thinking building tool easy to implement?

·         What could be some of the road blocks that the non-tech natives will be intimidated by?

·         Even though there are many tools in Edmodo, what would keep the teachers intrigued on using Edmodo?

·         Will be something that will also need to utilized on a professional level, so teachers are more consistently exposed to Edmodo?

5.    Exploring Programmatic Patterns: This includes asking the appropriate questions, identifying data patterns and gaps, and learning to address equity issues

See what Robyn (CITS Rep) can do to help putting out “fires” for teachers struggling with Edmodo.

How to enforce feedback from students and/or possibly grade student feedback to so that students will frequent the Edmodo program.

6.    Determining direction: Working collaboratively to address action research questions, monitoring progress, and assessing achievement

1. Are you clear on what you are attempting to solve? – YES
2. Have you adequately addressed the skills and resources questions? – YES
3. Have you established a collaborative approach to the issue? – YES
4. Are your timelines realistic? – YES
5. Do you have a reasonable plant to monitor the project? – YES
6. Do you have a reasonable plan for determining the level of success – how do you evaluate if the plan is effective?  -- This will be based off of student improvement and teacher participation.
7. How will you revise and improve the plane based on monitoring and evaluation?  If students/teachers are not participating, what is action is needed to ensure teacher participation.  What is it that making it difficult or obstacles for the students and/or teachers to be participating in the Edmodo program?

7.    Taking action for school improvement: Using appropriate steps or templates like the SIP or PIP Plan of action to guide the action research.

Plan was implemented in Part 2

8.    Sustaining improvement: Learning to use the tools of action research as an on-going process for professional development and school improvement.

Utilize these skills and online resources to improve students’ critical thinking and problem solving skills.  I’m sure Edmodo will not be around forever, but the trend of online collaboration and communication will not be going away anytime soon. I’m sure there will be a “new and improved” tool, but at least we’ve learned the basics of how this can be implemented on a campus level.

Critical Thinking Slideshow

I like this slide show on critical thinking and problem solving to help me envision a successful action research project.

Critical Thinking In Education from erusten

AR and the SM

Going through our readings this week allowed me to reflect on the fact that Action Research (AR) is based off of what I've been teaching for years, the Scientific Method (SM).  The first step in the scientific method is to identify the problem.  With our profession, this isn't difficult to do.  The second step is to create reasonable hypothesis.  Going through our readings and looking at all the questions posted by the examples (summarized on pgs 65-66), I realized these are all samples of hypotheses.  From here an action plan, or experiment if you will, is going to be/were developed and executed that will/did eventually lead to some conclusion.  Seeing it at this standpoint has allowed me to approach our action research with real life science.

Blogging for the Old People in Education

I can see how blogging can be a great tool for teacher and administrators.  Essentially it's writing in a journal electronically.  For some of us, this might be easier to blog since we type faster than we write.  This can help create ideas, write down how ideas were implemented, their criticisms, their praises, and have it all done chronologically.  This great when we're seeking to improve our programs the following school year.

Butterflies on Speed Pills

What I’ve learned about action research?  In one of our class texts, it mentioned two paradigms in research; process-product research & qualitative/interpretive.  Both were complex and usually involved outside individuals.  The refresher of action research is it basis of in-house research and collaboration.  With the other two paradigms, staff members would possibly be criticized by principals because of what they heard from principal’s meeting.  Then it became a game of “here is what you need to do to fix it, now do it”.  With action research we now have collaboration to the core with administrators/practitioners and not just from them.  The dictatorship of school house seniority has become the cohesiveness of true democracy. 

 

I also was intrigued by the principal/teacher inquiry.  I can see the difficulty of prinicpals having to invoke principal inquiry at any given point during the school year.  But, as a teacher, I must also relate to the Mike Connolly comment of describing principals as “butterflies on speed pills”  Working on a Masters Degree, being department head, trying to be a good husband to my wife, a good father to my children, a good packleader to my dog, a good collegue, oh and a good teacher (I forgot what I did for living) has made me a “butterfly on speed pills” in my own rite. 

 

I once saw a sign outside a church say, “If you’re too busy to read the Bible, then you’re too busy.”  In essence, it’s time to put life in check and prioritize, organize and strategize.  If we all could do this, the true definition of synergy would be evident.