Final Comments on EDLD 5301

            Since my earliest years in school I have a memory of loving to learn. I was the type of child who begged to go to school even when I was sick. Many others might say that is evidence of just how sick I was! It comes as no surprise that I would choose a profession as a teacher, so that I could continue to be in the classroom and learn. I feel the same way about taking the courses in this master’s program. I again have the opportunity to learn, be challenged and to get the input of professors and colleagues.

            One of the best ways to learn is by collaboration. Although I prefer to do my own projects, I love to hear and glean ideas from my classmates. A wonderful highlight for me was to get the input of my classmates on my action research plan. Many of them already use 1:1 laptops with great success. I was so encouraged to hear that none of them regrets using laptops in the classroom, and many had ideas as to how to make adding templates and saving work more efficient. The whole action research plan seems more exciting, knowing there are others who have journeyed this road before me and are willing to share the pros and cons they have found. The use of the discussion board and blogs made this possible.

            The internet can be a great resource for finding out information about many topics. After determining my topic for an action research plan, I worked closely with a parent at the school who will be our IT support for the 24 junior high laptops. I wanted to be prepared to meet with him and have ideas about things we should consider. I went to the web and found a page that suggested 23 things to consider when using laptops in the classroom. They were simple yet practical. One mentioned that the laptop should not be the center of the activity so that the lesson could not fail or win based on the laptop. We were able to discuss these ideas and add our own questions and concerns.

            The assignments each week were extremely relevant to developing and executing an action research project. None of them seemed like a waste of time or just mere busy work. As a hardworking professional I truly appreciated this.  The assignments provided wonderful scaffolding so that I understood the intricacies of an action research and how to go about bringing it successfully to a conclusion. Each week I learned another new tidbit that aided me in putting together my plan. The assignments also kept me on task and in constant communication with my site mentor. Without the assignments I would not have understood the “action” part of an action research plan.

            I do also have a recommendation for this class. I like the use of blogs for giving reflections on what I have learned and also for receiving input from my fellow classmates. I did however find it a bit challenging to attach my action research plan in chart form and then to attach my final draft of the research plan. I was thinking that maybe a wiki page would be a better format to attach charts and drafts. A wiki page allows the maker to upload charts and documents as pdf files, or allows the maker to  attach them in much the same way you do on an email. I did see that other students were able to upload their charts in a very professional manner on their blogs and I would love to know how they did so. Once again this only reconfirms for me the importance of being a lifelong learner.

            Thank you for the opportunity to be a part of this course! Thank you also for all the preparation that went into making this course a wonderful learning experience. I look forward to hearing from my classmates as they complete their action research plans throughout this year. May the learning continue and become a source of inspiration to those we teach.

References:

Groom, D.(May 19, 2009). 23 things about classroom laptops. Design for learning. 9/01/2011, http://deangroom.wordpress.com/2009/05/19/23-things-about-classroom-laptops/

Week 4 Conversation with Site Mentor

My meeting with my site mentor went very well. We met on Friday, Sept. 16 at 2:15 pm. We are both on the same page with the action research plan. There was nothing hugely significant that she wanted me to add. She wants to know if using 1:1 laptops will increase student acheivement in the junior high so that she can look forward to the possibililty of using 1:1 laptops in the lower grades as well. My coordinating this action research takes a large burden off of her shoulders and benefits the entire school. We are both looking forward to the results of this action research plan.

Week 4 Updated Action Research Plan

Goal: To increase junior high student achievement in science and history by using 1 to 1 laptops Action Step(s)        Person(s)          Timeline:        Needed                               Responsible       Start/End      Resources            Evaluation 1. Purchase 24 student laptops. Set up laptops for student use with needed software, and have a storage cart. Theresa Palanos Craig Urasaki Donna Garcia August 2011 – October 2011 Funding from the Pigs and Pinot fundraising event. Microsoft office suite. Someone to load the software. A storage cart. We will know this is completed when the laptops are fully loaded with software in the storage cart and located in the 7th grade classroom. 2. Gather data from internet sites that reference states and schools that use 1 to 1 laptops. Gather data from teachers that have used 1 to 1 laptops in the classroom. Find out the lowest grade 1:1 laptops are used Theresa Palanos Craig Urasaki Chris Picott September 2011 – January 2012  Internet sites from schools and states using 1 to 1 laptops. Teachers who have used 1 to 1 laptops.  Make a list of the top 10 pros and cons of using 1 to 1 laptops in the classroom based on other schools and teachers. 3. Develop one science and history lesson plan per chapter that requires the use of the laptops.  Theresa Palanos Craig Urasaki Chris Picott Mid-October 2011 – May 2011  Laptops with Microsoft Office Suite. Science and History textbooks to derive lessons from. Knowledge of how to use Excel.  Printed out student work from the lessons will be collected and graded to see the effectiveness of using the laptop for the lesson.

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Theresa Palanos EDLD 5301

Tool 7.1 Action Planning Template Goal: To increase junior high student achievement in science and history by using 1 to 1 laptops Action Step(s)         Person(s)       Timeline:          Needed                                Responsible     Start/End       Resources       Evaluation 4. Questionnaires for the teachers and students to be filled out after each activity that uses the laptops. The questionnaire will inquire about specific pros and cons of the use of a laptop for the specific lesson. Theresa Palanos Craig Urasaki Chris Picott Mid-October 2011 – May 2011  Questionnaire template. 7th and 8th grade students and teachers A compilation of the questionnaires with an analysis of the answers to make draw conclusions as to the effectiveness of the activity and conclusions on how to improve the use of laptops in the lesson. 5. Develop a plan for the classroom when one or more laptops are not working and are needed for that day's lesson. Theresa Palanos Craig Urasaki Chris Picott October 2011 – November 2011 IT person to contact. Check with junior high teachers and students to assess the effectiveness of the plan for days that laptops do not work.

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Action Research ET 8036

Goal: To Increase Junior High Student Achievement in Science and History by Using 1 to 1 Laptops

 

Action Step(s)	Person(s) Responsible	Timeline: Start/End	Resources Needed	Evaluation
1. Purchase 24 student laptops. Set up laptops for student use with needed software, and have a storage cart.	Theresa Palanos (7/8 science teacher) Craig Urasaki (parent and tech support) Donna Garcia (principal)	August 2011 – October 2011	Funding from the Pigs and Pinot fundraising event. Microsoft office suite. Someone to load the software. A storage cart.	We will know this is completed when the laptops are fully loaded with software in the storage cart and located in the 7th grade classroom.
2. Gather data from internet sites that reference states and schools that use 1 to 1 laptops. Gather data from teachers that have used 1 to 1 laptops in the classroom.	Theresa Palanos (7/8 science teacher) Craig Urasaki (parent and tech support) Chris Picott (7/8 history teacher)	September 2011 – January 2012	Internet sites from schools and states using 1 to 1 laptops. Teachers who have used 1 to 1 laptops.	Make a list of the top 10 pros and cons of using 1 to 1 laptops in the classroom based on other schools and teachers.
3. Develop one science and history lesson plan per chapter that requires the use of the laptops.	Theresa Palanos (7/8 science teacher) Craig Urasaki (parent and tech support) Chris Picott (7/8 history teacher)	Mid-October 2011 – May 2011	Laptops with Microsoft Office Suite. Science and History textbooks to derive lessons from. Knowledge of how to use Excel.	Printed out student work from the lessons will be collected and graded to see the effectiveness of using the laptop for the lesson.
4. Questionnaires for the teachers and students to be filled out after each activity that uses the laptops. The questionnaire will inquire about specific pros and cons of the use of a laptop for the specific lesson.	Theresa Palanos (7/8 science teacher) Craig Urasaki (parent and tech support) Chris Picott (7/8 history teacher)	Mid-October 2011 – May 2011	Questionnaire template. 7th and 8th grade students and teachers	A compilation of the questionnaires with an analysis of the answers to make draw conclusions as to the effectiveness of the activity and conclusions on how to improve the use of laptops in the lesson.