Personal Digital Story

I found this experience not only interesting but revealing. The interesting part is related to the process. Defining the topic and collaborating with a partner using web 2.0 tools isn't easy and requires coordination and disposition from both parties. My partner and I shared our ideas and exchange our different points of view about the content of our script. From there we went on different paths. I used Photo Story 3 to develop my project. From there, I gathered some pictures and develop a story board. That gave me a clear idea on how to arrange the content to try to explain my story. Photo Story 3 embedded instructions make it easy to developed the video. I had a few difficulties with the audio and recording setting. These are probably some of  the issues I need to address during the following activities.

The revealing part is about the personal content that is used to create the video. To be able to express and share these personal recollections make this product unique. I probably will be using the application to share and express my appreciation to several personal experiences that will be worth to keep.

On the professional side, this practice allow me to gain more experience on how to develop products related to education that I could generate and share with my students.

Action Research Draft on Internet Safety

The following link has an update on my Action Research project. Some problems were faced last year that we expect to overcome this school cycle 2011-2012.

https://sites.google.com/site/lamartechnolgyleadership/action-research-project

Approved Action Research on Internet Safety

This is the latest version of my action research and it took several stages to have it approved. I know this won't be the last one. All your comments are welcome and I will try to share my findings during the process.

The action research will kick off after spring break vacations. Most of the practice will be performed at the school lab and we will be offering the students after school lab hours to allow more interaction time. To simulate real life scenarios we will suggest some sites to access sources that normally are blocked.  Specific web sites could be unblocked at the district level for short periods of time and we will be working to have them ready before their practice.  Since school networks are always controlled and restricted we will try to emulate some scenarios. At this moment the Edmodo, an educational social networking program, is a possible choice to let the students acquire some experience for the real world wide web social networks.

Action Research Draft on Internet Safety

The attached image has my Action Research Draft on Internet Safety. Please, take a look and let me know your comments.

Finding your wondering

After thinking about it, I came to the conclusion that a wondering could be explained as an internal reflection of the teacher, administrator or leader who consciously observe, analyze and define a solution to a problem.  The process starts with a particular event that needs to be address and modification are considered to improve the results. To be able to define a wondering demands the knowledge of many factors like staff development, curriculum, teachers and students, the culture of the school, how the leader is perceived, school performance and the social environment too. Once the wondering has been target and action research plan is consider as a option for the improvement. Sometimes this wondering can evolve and become complex, but that is no unusual when you are on the look for excellence

How educational leaders might use blogs?

Educational leaders could take advantage of this web based tool. Not only they could publish their findings by adding any sort of media but they could create a network of inquirers for data acquisition. A network of educators could find it useful too as a way to share, exchange ideas, and get feedback from colleagues. 

Action Research

I understand action research as a methodology used to correct a problem in the school environment. This methodology can be describe as a cycle of reflections and actions. Teachers and administrators could define an issue, and a plan to solve it must be defined.  The teacher put in practice those steps. At the end of the time frame, data is analyzed. If necessary modifications on the plan are made and must be executed again. One important advantage to consider on this process would be the absolute disposition of the teacher to modify their practice since they are an important component on the process.

 As a teacher, I could think of several opportunities to use action research.  Standards from 3rd to 5th grade require the students to successfully complete the state TAKS tests to be promoted. I could use district assessment and school data to target the lowest population and define a plan for improvement. This could be applied for subjects like Math, Reading and Writing. The plan could be used specifically to target that group during tutorials, small group instruction or centers.

 Another  application could be the effective use of technology in the classroom. Not only the use of the equipment but the mastery of the skills. By using several defined practices  the students could become familiar with the equipment and by using a software platform they could acquire knowledge on a subject. At the end, students could demonstrate knowledge by developing a project. Students who can't complete the assignment could have a remediation process were skills to be reinforced are practiced. Later they could re-do their work. By having this information  filed, teachers could define a better process for their students in the following years.