In the Education Administration course, Research, I have learned how to use research skills as well as personal knowledge and experience to research a topic of interest and plan out its successful implementation. When I began the course, I was intimidated by the title. Research is typically not a topic of interest for most people, including myself. However, by choosing a topic that was of interest to me and of need on my current campus, I was able to use the skills I learned to create a plan that I am beginning to implement on my campus this fall. I am very excited that my school work will be translating to benefit the students that I teach as well as my colleagues and other stakeholders. I also learned how to better facilitate discussions and decision making at meetings by using methods such as the Delphi method, which will be a great help to me in leading the committees that I am a part of in this upcoming school year (Harrison, Edmonson & Combs, 2010). I also learned the different ways that action research can be used. It works best when it is combined with personal experience and background knowledge (Dana, 2009). Action research can be used to help understand the usage of professional development, the builing of culture on an individual campus, as well as to benefit individual teachers (Dana, 2009). Action research planning is not as daunting as it sounds, and I am glad that I know have this skill to add to my experience and prepare me to be a school administrator in the future. What I am most happy that I accomplished through this course, was the development and soon-to-be implementation of the first ever transition camp for incoming 9th graders at North Crowley Ninth grade. Hopefully my work and the creation of a committee and transitional programs will lead to an increase in successful students entering high school.
Dana, N. (2009). Leading with Passion and Knowledge. California: Cowin.
Harris, S., Edmonson, S., & Combs, J. (2010). Examining What We Do to Improve Our Schools. New York: Eye on Education.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Agreed Upon Action Research Plan
Goal: The goal of transition camp is to introduce incoming 9th grade students and their parents to the expectations of high school in order to increase success among all students.
Action/ Steps
1. Create a campus transition team
2. Hold a transition camp for students.
3. Hold an information night for parents and students.
Person(s) Responsible
1. K. Tuomey
2. K. Tuomey
L. Newton
Transition Team
3. K. Tuomey
L. Newton
Transition Team
Timeline
1. July 2010-August 2010
2. August 2010-May 2010
3. August 2010-May 2010
Needed Resources
1. I will email the entire staff and faculty on my campus and speak at our back-to-school professional development sessions in order to peak interest and gain volunteers.
2.
-Presenters (counselor, teachers, former 9th grade students, administrators)
-Presentation materials (optional packets, PowerPoint presentations, videos, etc.)
-Volunteers to serve as school tour guides
-A layout of the tour route.
-Donated give away prizes (school supplies, school spirit gear, etc.)
-A scavenger hunt for students to learn the school
Several transition team meetings will take place prior to our first event in order to establish any further needs.
3.
-Presentation boards/powerpoint presentation/videos by each department and extra-curricular activity that would like to participate
-Volunteers to speak (members of the faculty and staff)
-Former student volunteers to provide a fashion show of expectations for Crowley ISD’s stardardized dress code
-Handouts of information
-Microphone and speaker
Evaluation
1. We will evaluate our team’s progress at the completion of the school year.
2. We will evaluate the smoothness of how the event worked and how effective it was in informing the students.
3. We will evaluate our success based on feedback, comments and concerns from all stakeholders, and at the end of the year their success rates (by how many credits were earned).
Assessment
1.We will evaluate ourselves based on the goals that we decide upon together at the beginning of the year. We will use a plus/delta method.
2.
-Feedback from students, transition team members, and other faculty and staff
-Plus/Delta transition team meeting
-Feedback from the counselor after class scheduling. This will tell us if the students are more informed about credits and expectations than in years prior.
3.We will take feedback from parents and students at the event, and will send out a questionnaire by email following the event.
Plus/Delta among transition team members.
At the end of the year we will compare credits earned by ninth grade students in comparison to the last two years.
Action/ Steps
1. Create a campus transition team
2. Hold a transition camp for students.
3. Hold an information night for parents and students.
Person(s) Responsible
1. K. Tuomey
2. K. Tuomey
L. Newton
Transition Team
3. K. Tuomey
L. Newton
Transition Team
Timeline
1. July 2010-August 2010
2. August 2010-May 2010
3. August 2010-May 2010
Needed Resources
1. I will email the entire staff and faculty on my campus and speak at our back-to-school professional development sessions in order to peak interest and gain volunteers.
2.
-Presenters (counselor, teachers, former 9th grade students, administrators)
-Presentation materials (optional packets, PowerPoint presentations, videos, etc.)
-Volunteers to serve as school tour guides
-A layout of the tour route.
-Donated give away prizes (school supplies, school spirit gear, etc.)
-A scavenger hunt for students to learn the school
Several transition team meetings will take place prior to our first event in order to establish any further needs.
3.
-Presentation boards/powerpoint presentation/videos by each department and extra-curricular activity that would like to participate
-Volunteers to speak (members of the faculty and staff)
-Former student volunteers to provide a fashion show of expectations for Crowley ISD’s stardardized dress code
-Handouts of information
-Microphone and speaker
Evaluation
1. We will evaluate our team’s progress at the completion of the school year.
2. We will evaluate the smoothness of how the event worked and how effective it was in informing the students.
3. We will evaluate our success based on feedback, comments and concerns from all stakeholders, and at the end of the year their success rates (by how many credits were earned).
Assessment
1.We will evaluate ourselves based on the goals that we decide upon together at the beginning of the year. We will use a plus/delta method.
2.
-Feedback from students, transition team members, and other faculty and staff
-Plus/Delta transition team meeting
-Feedback from the counselor after class scheduling. This will tell us if the students are more informed about credits and expectations than in years prior.
3.We will take feedback from parents and students at the event, and will send out a questionnaire by email following the event.
Plus/Delta among transition team members.
At the end of the year we will compare credits earned by ninth grade students in comparison to the last two years.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Action Research Plan
Sorry for the formatting issues, I was unable to post the table in correctly!
Goal: The goal of transition camp is to introduce incoming 9th grade students and their parents to the expectations of high school in order to increase success among all students.
Action/ Steps
1. Create a campus transition team
2. Hold a transition camp for students.
3. Hold an information night for parents and students.
Person(s) Responsible
1. K. Tuomey
2. K. Tuomey
K. Jackson
L. Newton
Transition Team
3. K. Tuomey
K. Jackson
L. Newton
Transition Team
Timeline
1. July 2010-August 2010
2. August 2010-May 2010
3. August 2010-May 2010
Needed Resources
1. I will email the entire staff and faculty on my campus and speak at our back-to-school professional development sessions in order to peak interest and gain volunteers.
2.
-Presenters (counselor, teachers, former 9th grade students, administrators)
-Presentation materials (optional packets, PowerPoint presentations, videos, etc.)
-Volunteers to serve as school tour guides
-A layout of the tour route.
-Donated give away prizes (school supplies, school spirit gear, etc.)
Several transition team meetings will take place prior to our first event in order to establish any further needs.
3.
-Presentation boards/powerpoint presentation/videos by each department and extra-curricular activity that would like to participate
-Volunteers to speak (members of the faculty and staff)
-Former student volunteers to provide a fashion show of expectations for Crowley ISD’s stardardized dress code
-Handouts of information
-Microphone and speaker
Evaluation
1. We will evaluate our team’s progress at the completion of the school year.
2. We will evaluate the smoothness of how the event worked and how effective it was in informing the students.
3. We will evaluate our success based on feedback, comments and concerns from all stakeholders, and at the end of the year their success rates (by how many credits were earned).
Assessment
1.We will evaluate ourselves based on the goals that we decide upon together at the beginning of the year. We will use a plus/delta method.
2.
-Feedback from students, transition team members, and other faculty and staff
-Plus/Delta transition team meeting
-Feedback from the counselor after class scheduling. This will tell us if the students are more informed about credits and expectations than in years prior.
3.We will take feedback from parents and students at the event, and will send out a questionnaire by email following the event.
Plus/Delta among transition team members.
At the end of the year we will compare credits earned by ninth grade students in comparison to the last two years.
Goal: The goal of transition camp is to introduce incoming 9th grade students and their parents to the expectations of high school in order to increase success among all students.
Action/ Steps
1. Create a campus transition team
2. Hold a transition camp for students.
3. Hold an information night for parents and students.
Person(s) Responsible
1. K. Tuomey
2. K. Tuomey
K. Jackson
L. Newton
Transition Team
3. K. Tuomey
K. Jackson
L. Newton
Transition Team
Timeline
1. July 2010-August 2010
2. August 2010-May 2010
3. August 2010-May 2010
Needed Resources
1. I will email the entire staff and faculty on my campus and speak at our back-to-school professional development sessions in order to peak interest and gain volunteers.
2.
-Presenters (counselor, teachers, former 9th grade students, administrators)
-Presentation materials (optional packets, PowerPoint presentations, videos, etc.)
-Volunteers to serve as school tour guides
-A layout of the tour route.
-Donated give away prizes (school supplies, school spirit gear, etc.)
Several transition team meetings will take place prior to our first event in order to establish any further needs.
3.
-Presentation boards/powerpoint presentation/videos by each department and extra-curricular activity that would like to participate
-Volunteers to speak (members of the faculty and staff)
-Former student volunteers to provide a fashion show of expectations for Crowley ISD’s stardardized dress code
-Handouts of information
-Microphone and speaker
Evaluation
1. We will evaluate our team’s progress at the completion of the school year.
2. We will evaluate the smoothness of how the event worked and how effective it was in informing the students.
3. We will evaluate our success based on feedback, comments and concerns from all stakeholders, and at the end of the year their success rates (by how many credits were earned).
Assessment
1.We will evaluate ourselves based on the goals that we decide upon together at the beginning of the year. We will use a plus/delta method.
2.
-Feedback from students, transition team members, and other faculty and staff
-Plus/Delta transition team meeting
-Feedback from the counselor after class scheduling. This will tell us if the students are more informed about credits and expectations than in years prior.
3.We will take feedback from parents and students at the event, and will send out a questionnaire by email following the event.
Plus/Delta among transition team members.
At the end of the year we will compare credits earned by ninth grade students in comparison to the last two years.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Research: Week 2 Reflection
The second week of my Education Administration course, Research, has been an interesting one. I was given the opportunity to brainstorm on how I could use action inquiry (or research) to positively affect my campus. I came up with three things that I would like to learn more:
1. successfully transitioning 8th graders into high school
2. positive community mentorships for at-risk males
3. instilling cultural awareness on campus
Through much thought and guidance from my supervisors, I have decided that the area that I am most passionate about and that will most immediately impact my campus is the topic of transitioning students in to high school effectively.
I am interested to see what I find; I will keep you updated!
Monday, July 12, 2010
What I Have Learned About Action Reasearch Thus Far, Summer II: Research
This is the first week of my graduate class entitled, Research. The name of the class, I will admit, is a little intimidating. However, after my readings from this week, I have learned a lot about what action research or inquiry really is, and I am interested. Action research is a type of research that involves personal questioning and reflection in order to make changes and improvements. This can be done on a personal level by a teacher or administrator, or on a larger level by examining the school as a whole. Action research is different that the traditional research that we are all accustomed to, because it is done by the actual participants. For example, action research at a school would be performed by the teachers and administrators on the campus, rather than academic scholars and experts. I like this idea; to me, the real experts are the ones involved in the action everyday! I feel that I will be able to use action research based on my experiences teaching on a 9th grade campus. I want to understand what we, as teachers, administrators and parents, can do more effectively to help students make the difficult transition from middle school to 9th grade more successfully. The work load and rigor, along with the social and academic aspects of high school are vastly different that the prior 8 years of a students educational career, and the first year of high school often catches many students (and parents) by surprise. By researching what can be done to minimize the shock of the transition process, I think I could see a positive change in the amount of 9th grade students that receive credits for their 9th grade year, and therefore stay on track for high school graduation.
How Administrators Can Effectively Use Blogging, Summer II: Research
Blogging can be used in a variety of ways to communicate with stakeholders. It can enable administrators to relay information to teachers, parents and students, without dealing with the complicated computer science involved in managing a school website. This information could include the school's mission statement and goals, updates on the school's progress and state report card, expectations and TEKS for all courses of study, and general announcements such as yearly calendars, weather closures and sporting events. I also think it would be very neat to see a school administrator provide a weekly or monthly blog based on his or her opinions and sitings, updating stakeholders on what is going on at the school. A blog could also be used as an open forum for ideas and suggestions from stakeholders upon the administrator's prompting. This can be done safely on a blog, as posts can be viewed by the administrator before they are visible to others. There are many different ways to a blog could be used effectively by a school administrator!
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
My Reflections, Week 5
When I heard the title of the course, Instructional Management, I actually did not know that the coursework would be based around technology. I thought it would be on the PDAS system, lesson planning review, and curriculum selection. As I delved into the course I discovered that is was focused on technology and its implementation and expectations on school districts across Texas. I expected to learn a lot about what kinds of technology are available and how administrators play a role in developing and evaluating technology usage on their individual campuses. The course outcomes did align with what I envisioned, however it was also much more. I achieved my goals of learning more about new tools for teaching with technology, which I am happy about because not only will this course help me when I become an administrator, but it will also help me in my current teaching position.
The outcomes that I achieved by learning more about technology implementation and technology standards on Texas campuses will absolutely help me in my current position because I am an administrative intern and a member of my campus's site based decision making committee. I plan to use the information I learned about the STaR chart and long range technology plan to help plan professional development sessions in the next SBDM committee meeting. Part of the actions plan that I developed in this course was to use what I learned to help educate other teachers on my campus about the type of technology evaluations and expectations that we have, and also to consult with member of the SMDM committee and our district technology coordinator on why we as a campus and a district do not include technology as one of the aspects of our Campus Improvement Plan and District Improvement Plan, respectively. I also plan to use the new ideas about technology in the classroom in my role as a regular and pre AP World Geography teacher. I can already envision all the ways I can use technology in a social studies class.
I think I accomplished all of the goals that I set out to accomplish when I entered this course. I learned a lot and feel much more comfortable looking at technology data, which I previously either didn't understand or knew existed! My understanding of a principles role in technology increased greatly, however if there was one thing I feel I could have done better on, or understood more thoroughly, it would be the action plan that I created in week four. I feel like I created the action plan to the best of my ability, but I do not feel totally comfortable yet with the process, only because I have not done it before. This helped me get acquainted with the process, so hopefully practice will make perfect.
I feel like I was very successful in carrying out the course assignments for instructional management. I consider myself somewhat technologically savvy, and this course enabled me to use my skills to produce work, while learning about technology in the education world that I was previously unaware of. The only issue I ran into along the way was formatting. My computer has the new 2007 Microsoft Office program, which I saved many of my assignments on. This made it to where other students who had an earlier version of Word could not open my files on the discussion boards, and my instructional coach could not view my PowerPoint slideshow on my blog. Both of these issues were resolved when I changed the formatting of my documents to save to the earlier versions. Other than simple formatting issues, I feel that I was successful in my coursework and I learned a lot form the information and the application.
I learned a lot in this course about technology that can be used in the classroom and how schools are guided and evaluated by the state based on technology usage. My personal philosophy on education has not changed much since the beginning of the course. I love the idea of implementing new technology in the classroom because I am from a young generation that has grown up immersed in technology. If we allow our schools to slip too far below this technology curve, we will lose the majority of engagement from our students, especially in the secondary schools. With that being said, there are things that have to happen before technology can be implemented in schools successfully. Proper planning has to take place before implementation begins. This comes from surveying teachers to evaluate the needs in the classrooms, and formatting budgets and selecting products from their feedback. Training in the ethics of technology usage should also be done for teachers and students (if at all possible). This will help ensure that technology is beneficial for the students and school district, not a liability.
Blogging is a great tool for learning and communicating that I suspect will become more and more prevalent in educational classes, especially at the secondary and post-secondary levels. Blogging can be used as a type of discussion board, similar to the ones we used in this course, to communicate with fellow students about new information and the sharing and evaluation of ideas. It can also be used to post work for teachers to view and grade. And vice versa for teachers to post assignment updates for their students, and important information. I think creating and using a blog could be an interesting way to start a research project in a high school or middle school classroom. The blog could be created, and a post written after each piece of research is completed. There are millions of ways teachers could implement blogging as an educational tool, and I'm sure there are websites already created to help aid in this process.
There are always concerns in regards to utilizing new forms of technology in the business world, especially in education. The internet is a wide-open venue that provides anyone the access to information. Administrators and teachers may have concerns about student usage of the blogs, student safety, and teacher safety. Opening up classrooms to the World Wide Web can be scary to some because of the predators and malicious people that wonder the web also. However, if teachers and students are trained effectively on appropriate behavior while using technology, these problems can be minimized, and technology can be integrated into the classroom for the benefit of the students. Teachers and students need to know what is appropriate to post on the internet, and what type of sites and predators to avoid. Pen names could also be created for blogging, rather than using real names. There are many ways to keep this type of technology usage safe; school districts just have to take a proactive approach to doing so.
Blogging can be used in a variety of ways to communicate with school stakeholders. It can enable administrators to relay information to teachers, parents and students. This information can include the school's mission statement and goals, updates on the schools progress and state report cards, expectations and TEKS for all courses of study, and general announcements, such as weather closures, yearly calendars, and sporting events. I think it would be very neat to see a school administrator provide a weekly or monthly blog based on his or her opinion, updating stakeholders on what is going on at the school. I always like hearing (or reading) a firsthand point of view about current events. Teachers will also find blogging as an easy and effective way to communicate with their students and their students' parents. Blogging is quick and much easier to manage than a traditional website, because of this, it can be updated more often and provide a more constant and up to date form of communication between all school stakeholders. Teachers can use blogging to share upcoming important dates, such as project due dates and test schedules, post expectations, supply lists, and a general outline of the goals for their course. I currently use a user-friendly website to communicate with my parents and students, and I like the idea of utilizing a blog to do the same.
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