My Path to Becoming a Teacher

This video highlights the paths that led me to becoming a teacher. This video is only two minute long; telling a story that evolved over years in only two minutes was a challenge.  In my planning, I chose twelve images that I felt highlighted significant influences and paths in my journey.  I created my digital story using Microsoft’s Movie Maker.  This was my first experience using Movie Maker, and I enjoyed becoming familiar with the animation tools as well as visual effects tools.   I am please with the end result.   In my research, I learned that personal digital stories can serve as memoir or as a reflection tool.  This would be beneficial to students especially at the end of a unit or even the school year as students can reflect on events and learned important to them.  


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7orYu1Rpsg

Action Research Plan Revisions

I received some interesting feedback on my action research blog.  I am researching the effectiveness of Promethean Boards on learning in the ELA classroom.  Kathleen Mansfield pointed out that interactive whiteboards are used by the teacher 85% of the time and that students have little interaction with the boards.  While this wasn't a suggestion for change to my ARP, I found this an interesting area to explore in my research. Joan Evans suggested I use surveys for qualitative data.  I do currently plan to use surveys; however, Joan’s suggestion was to ask students about their feelings towards interactive white boards.  I thought this was an interesting direction since teachers simply assume students like interacting with the IWBs. I have decided to include Joan’s questions in my student survey.  Likewise, Kathleen’s comment gave me something to ponder, and I plan research teacher versus student interaction with Promethean Boards.  Once again, blogging is a great tool for getting thoughts flowing.  

Effectiveness of Promethean Boards

Action Research Plan
Goal:  Increase student learning and engagement through the use of Promethean Boards in the English language arts classroom.
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Obtain permission from site supervisor to conduct research	Rosemary Grimm	July 22, 2013- July 26, 2013	Site supervisor letter of permission	Letter of permission
Participate in Promethean Activinstruction training	Rosemary Grimm	August 5, 2013-August 8, 2013	Promethean technology, Promethean manual, conversations with teaching and learning consultants	Documentation of resources and tools available through Promethean
Research articles and studies related to the effectiveness of Interactive White Boards on student learning	Rosemary Grimm	September 2013	Articles, journals, and studies related to Promethean Boards or Interactive White Boards (IWBs)	Notes on research
Give parents consent letters for participation in research group	Rosemary Grimm	October 2013	Sample parent consent letter	Consent letter
Use parent consent letters to determine participants	Rosemary Grimm	October 2013	Signed consent letters	Compile consent letters and create a list of participants in two classes (Class A and B)
Create a survey to determine students’ experience with Promethean Boards	Rosemary Grimm	October 2013	Website: Survey Monkey	Surveys
Give survey to students	Rosemary Grimm	October 2013	Online survey, computers	Compile and analyze survey results as qualitative data. Results show experience with interactive learning with Promethean Boards
Develop ELA  lessons that are interactive and utilize Promethean technology	Rosemary Grimm	November 2013	Promethean resources, interactive websites, flip charts and tools, Common Core Curriculum	IWB technology lesson plans
Develop ELA lessons using traditional teaching strategies	Rosemary Grimm	November 2013	Workbooks, notes, outlines, worksheets	Traditional instruction lesson plans
Develop assessments	Rosemary Grimm	November 2013	Computer, curriculum assessments and task examples	Quizzes and performance task
Present instruction to participants in classes A and B	Rosemary Grimm	December 2013	Promethean Board, flip charts, interactive lessons, notes, outlines, and  worksheets	documentation of student engagement and instruction reflection
Give Assessments to  classes A and B	Rosemary Grimm	December 2013	Assessments and quizzes	Assessment results for analysis
Data analysis and comparison	Rosemary  Grimm	January 2014	Test results, jpams assessment graphs	Quantitative data:  Data results and comparisons
Write final action research report	Rosemary Grimm	February 2014	Surveys, consent forms, participant list, lesson plans, reflection notes,  assessments, data, graphs and charts	Action research report with conclusion
Share results with teachers, site supervisor, and technology coordinator	Rosemary Grimm	April 2014	Results and final report from action research	Feedback from teachers, site supervisor, and technology coordinator

Format based on Tool 7.1 from Examining What We Do to Improve Our Schools

(Harris, Edmonson, and Combs, 2010)

TECHNOLOGY AND ACTION RESEARCH IDEAS

As I ponder the upcoming school year, my class, and school climate, I'm interested in a few topics for action research.  First, I would like to see if Promethean Boards with interactive lessons truly increase learning.  Technology like this can be a huge expense for schools.  I plan on doing research on my classes.  For example, I would teach one class a concept using the Promethean Board and interactive flip charts.  Then, teach a different class the same concept but use only traditional methods.  I would use assessments and quizzes for data.  This research would benefit future decisions regarding technology investments and also, benefit teachers as they plan lessons.

Developing a classroom website can be an exciting but time consuming project for teachers. Is it worth it?  I would like to research the effectiveness of a classroom website on parent involvement.  Right now, our school is struggling with parent involvement.  I’m interested to see if parents would use a class website to stay connected with their child’s school life.  Currently, teachers in my school do not utilize class websites.  I would create the website for my class and use my students’ parents as a source of data in the form of views, comments, and surveys.  I teach three classes of seventy students.  My findings would benefit other teachers who are considering website communication.  At the conclusion, I could also do a professional development around creating a class website.  This information might open a door to a new way of communicating with parents.

Some teachers are resistant to using technology in the classroom. Many teachers view technology as "just playing" or "entertainment."  I confess, I've had these thoughts myself.  But technology is here to stay, and when embraced, it's exciting to think about the possibilities.   I would like to see if professional development increases technology usage among teachers.  I am constantly discovering new ways to implement technology into my lessons.   I would enjoy sharing these ideas with other teachers in a series of professional developments.  For example, I would lead professional development on using blogs, Tagxedo, Animoto, Newseum and Promethean tools.    Data in the form of pre and post surveys as well as teacher interviews will show if the professional development was effective.  This knowledge would impact future decisions regarding professional development. It's exciting to realize that educational technology opens the door to a wealth of action research ideas. 

    

Blogging and Education

Blogs can be a valuable tool in education.  Through blogging, a novice or expert can be creative, develop writing skills, reflect, and collaborate with others.  Blogging can provide a way for any professional to develop insightful writing.  Administrators can use blogs to reflect on current practices or action research.  Principals can also use blogs to develop professional intellect and greater understanding of issues.  Blogs can also provide a way for principals to stay connected with other principals.  Through collaboration, principals can share best practices and ideas.

    

Blogs are great tools for educators and their students. Educators can design a blog around a particular subject area or grade level in order to share ideas with other teachers.  In this way, a teacher can share instructional successes or creative projects to benefit other teachers.   Blogs can also be a great way to communicate with parents; for example, a blog can be used to post homework assignments, events, class projects, and photos.   Blogs can be used to integrate technology in the classroom.  Teachers can use blogs to motivate students to read and write.  Students can write entries to a class blog as well as read and post comments to their classmates’ post.  Blogging does take dedication and time, but it can provide a wealth of insights and ideas. 

   

      

Action Research Discoveries

I am pleased to discover that action research is different from traditional educational research.  According to Dana (2009), “Administrative inquiry refers to the process of a principal engaging, in systematic, intentional study of his/her own administrative practice and taking action for change based on what he/she learns as a result of the inquiry” (p. 2).  I plan to use action research to improve my instructional practices and to discover new innovate ways to implement technology into my lessons.

Administrators use action research to develop inquiry to gain better understanding of a problem or question.  Action research is a type of professional development guided by interest and needs seen by the administrator.  Most importantly, the administrator is the researcher.  As a result, h/she analyzes data, reads literature and shares information with others in order to make changes beneficial to the school. It’s exciting to know that administrators and educators can take ownership of their professional development.

Inquiry and reflection go hand in hand; I feel that I am a reflective person by nature.  Reflection leads to new areas of inquiry.  Engagement in inquiry requires an administrator to think intuitively about problems and then seek information such as data and literature to investigate problems and solutions.  As information is presented to teachers and colleagues, reflection becomes collaborative.  

Benefits of conducting action research include school improvement, collaboration and ownership of continual professional development. According to Dana (2009), “principals become role models for the teachers and students in their building” (p. 12).  Through action research, administrators are modeling behavior.  They become learners and leaders.

Dana, N. F.  (2009). Leading with Passion and Knowledge: The Principal as Action Researcher.  Thousand Oaks, CA:  Corwin Press.

Action Research Project

 

 

My name is Rosemary Grimm, and I will be researching the effectiveness of Promethean Boards in the ELA classroom.  In preparation for my research, I will be participating in an in-depth training session in the usage of Promethean Board software and hardware. 

 

 

Promethean Planet