Final Reflection ED 6712

Describe the most striking revelation you had about the teaching of new literacy skills to your students as a result of this course.

After completing this course I found it very overwhelming, yet refreshing at the same time due to the amount of information that we obtained. I found new ways to introduce students to technology although I was taken back at how much I did not comprehend that using technology involved. As a teacher I am constantly wanted to enhance my knowledge base to bring new, innovative ideas into my classroom but from what I have learned the last eight weeks I found that I was only briefly introducing students to what technology had to offer and not giving them a deeper look which is a skill they will need well beyond my 4th grade classroom. I always understood that everyone learns in different ways, I just never looked at technology as an efficient literacy tool. Maya B. Eagleton and Elizabeth Dobler (2007) state that “since we believe that there is no single method of teaching that will reach all learners at all times in all places, it is imperative that we help children learn how to learn so they can adapt and extend their knowledge and strategies when they encounter new tasks in new contexts” (pg. 8). The most striking revelation I took from this course was that I need to teach students literacy beyond core curriculum and apply literacy skills to all aspects of school learning.

Describe how the knowledge and experience gained in this course will influence your teaching practices going forward.

The knowledge and experiences that I gained in this course will influence my teaching practices because I want to provide a more literacy approach to technology and incorporate technology in every core subject I teach (spelling, reading, writing, social studies, etc.) so students are literate in all aspects as 21st century learners. There was a great amount of detail involved in literacy education that it is frustrating knowing where to begin. I gained new experiences by looking at websites under a new light. I found that I just don’t look at a website anymore; I tour the website to find valid key points, detailed information, and links for proper search techniques. I found new ways to model to my students how to use the internet much more effectively. I hope to give my classes numerous opportunities to explore the web properly for good, detailed information. I want to model for them and give them many opportunities. I want my students to become good investigators of the web. I want to also begin to asses students on different scales with formative and summative assessments through observation, questioning, and good self evaluation skills.

Identify at least one professional development goal you would like to pursue that builds upon your learning in this course and develops your own information literacy or technology skills. Describe the steps you will take to accomplish this goal.

One goal I set for myself before I began this class was to develop a technology plan for my class next year. I wanted to be able to develop and teach new skills incorporating everything students will need to know to be efficient 21st century learners. After I completed this course, I took the first semester plan (that was already created) and re-wrote the entire curriculum. I want to incorporate new, improved literacy skills that will not only be self driven but also something that my students are motivated to do. I am now serving on a new technology committee in my school system and I want to bring in all of the technology applications that have been introduced so students have a broad range of new acquired technology backgrounds when they leave our school system to better equip them for college. I also want to be able to introduce new technology to fellow staff members.


References
Eagleton, M. B., & Dobler, E. (2007). Reading the Web: Strategies for Internet inquiry. New York: The Guilford Press

Jukes, I. (2007). 21st century fluency skills: Attributes of a 21st century learner. Retrieved from http://www.committedsardine.com/handouts/twca.pdf

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Program Four. Teaching Online Literacy Skills [Motion Picture]. Supporting Information Literacy and Online Inquiry in the classroom. Baltimore: Author

Week 7: Evaluating Research Methods

In Research Class we have studied several research methods, including quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods, action research, and secondary data analysis.

The research methods I have studied are in the four scenarios. My Objectives are too...

• Identify the type of research method that would best be used to answer the question.


• Provide a rationale for why you selected that particular method

Scenario 1: Ten students are available for in-depth interviews. Participants will be selected based on their involvement with the peer mediation program. They will be observed over three weeks. Analysis will attempt to determine issues concerning peer mediation.

• The best research method that is used to answer this question would be Qualitative Method. The qualitative method would be best because of the face to face interactions and the number of students being observed is a small, manageable group. The results will not be numeric or concerned with any sort of percentages or ratios.
• McMilan & Schumacher, 2008 state that "Qualitative research refers to an in depth study using face-to-face techniques to collect data from people in natural settings" (p. 183)

Scenario 2: Two classrooms of students are selected. There are 30 students in each class; each group will have similar demographics—age, sex, race, socio-economic background, etc. Classes will be randomly divided into two groups of 15 students. Of these two groups, one randomly selected group will get training on peer mediation and the other group will not. Thus in each classroom there will be one group that is trained in peer mediation and one that is not. Analysis will occur on which groups have the fewest office referrals.

• The best research method used for this scenario would be quantitative. The number of students divided randomly refers to what I understand about quantitative research.
• McMilan & Schumacher, 2008 refer to quantitative research "qualitative designs are just as systematic as quantitative designs but they emphasize gathering data on naturally occurring phenomena" (p. 26).

Scenario 3: A school counselor is interested in knowing how student attitudes affect the value of peer mediation to decrease the number of office referrals that are being filed for inappropriate interactions.

• I would gear this scenario towards action research due to the fact that the counselor will be interacting with students and attitudes which is hard to collect numeric data on.
• From what I understand about action research based on the writing of McMilan & Schumacher, 2008, " studies undertaken by practitioners in schools that address an actual problem or issue in the school or classroom" (p. 181).
• This scenario can also be under qualitative and quantitative research or mixed research.
• McMilan & Schumacher, 2008, "mixed method research designs, which combine quantitative and qualitative methods is becoming increasingly popular because many situations are best investigated using a variety of methods" (p. 27).

Scenario 4: Peer mediation has become widely used in many schools. The feelings of those involved in the process are little known—either from those doing the mediation or those receiving it. The ZASK-R Acceptance Preference Survey will be given as pre- and post-tests to 40 students participating in mediation. Follow-up interviews will be conducted on a bi-monthly basis

• This scenario also fits into the mixed method. The researchers continually look at data on a bi-monthly basis through face to face interviews. The pre and post tests fit into the quantitative design.
• Mixed Method Research according to McMilan & Schumacher, 2008, is "a study that combines qualitative and quantitative techniques and/or data analysis within different phases of the research process" (p.27).

"The times we live in are truly amazing in terms of possibilities for educational research! Powerful tools have been afforded us through the variety of technology and research methods that have been refined throughout the last half century These tools and methods allow us to address challenging questions and to have greater confidence that our results are valid and useful" (McMilan & Schumacher, p. 3)

McMillan, J. H., & Schumacher, S. (2008). Research in education: Evidence-based inquiry (Laureate custom edition). Boston: Pearson

WEEK 3 APPLICATION: Intro to Educational Research

Application: Writing the Research Questions...

I plan to determine if using technology in the elementary classroom will increase student's skills in communication and collaboration.

Who: 4th grade students in a low income community

What: educational technology and educational technology tools

Why: Impacts on students in the classroom and what advancements they gained towards communication and collaboration

QUESTIONS...

What kinds of technology are beneficial for students in the classroom and out of the classroom?

This question would be quantitaive with quasi experimental

How are students best prepared to use technology when resources are not readily available and they lack experience with technology tools?

This question would be interactive qualitative method

What technology tools best assist students with communication and collaboration in and out of school?

This question would be quantitative research with quasi experimental.