EDLD 5366 Course Reflection (Week 5)

1.1: Reflections for Course-Embedded Assignment-Web Site

Week 5 1.1: Reflections for Course-Embedded Assignment-Web Site

             When I learned that EDLD 5366, Digital Graphics was to be my replacement course this semester, I immediately started to wonder about how the content learned in this class would directly impact my effectiveness as an administrator.  To be quite honest, I couldn’t see the connection between the two at first, but as the course started to develop, I started to see that this course offered great insight into web design, use of technology tools, and important design principles.  With technology becoming one of the central components in education today, I realized that this class would provide me with great information and tools to utilize and implement both as a teacher and a future administrator.

            In this course I was first introduced to the C.R.A.P. design principles and how to create a brand.  I already had some knowledge of what branding meant, but I didn’t know that design principles such as contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity were essential components in order to create successful and appealing logo.  My initial thoughts of branding were that you chose something that you liked, or that represented you and include your favorite colors for contrast.  It wasn’t until I learned about C.R.A.P. that I really started to reflect and look closely at how my choices of colors, images, font, and alignment would make my logo and brand a true representation of my identity and beliefs.  I was also surprised by how intensively one has to reflect on values, beliefs, and even philosophies in order for it to effectively reflect on your brand.  As administrators, we will be defined by our values, beliefs, and actions.  That in itself becomes our brand, therefore it is important for us to engage in self-reflection constantly and make sure that anything that we put out there, whether it’s a personal logo, mission statement, or vision, that it is a direct reflection of our self-brand.   Lea Alcantara (2009) said it best in her blog post The Art of Self-Branding, when she stated:  “If you can’t justify a type choice or even a sentence of body copy, then you don’t have a brand.  Always have a reason”.   

            The web tools and the creation of a webpage also provided me with great learning experiences.  At first I was a bit skeptical about working on a group project, mainly because I thought we would not have many opportunities to communicate back and forth because of our busy schedules.  This was not the case at all.  Through the group webpage project, I learned how to work with Google Docs, and it has been one of the greatest discoveries for me.  Technology has never been one of my strengths, so when I discovered the use of Google Docs, I was hooked.  My colleagues and I were in constant communication, and we were able to have full conversations and share ideas on our project like we were face to face.  This is one tool that I can definitely see myself utilizing as an administrator.  I can see so many uses for it, such as sharing and discussing new initiatives with colleagues around my districts, hosting learning discussions with my staff, etc.  Also, if every student had internet access at home, this would be an excellent tool to use for homework assignments, class discussions, projects, etc.  These technology tools are a great way to not only help students become interactive and successful learners, but it’s also a great way to provide them with differentiated instruction.  Perhaps this is one of the reasons why multimedia learning is becoming more popular in classrooms across the world.  Multimedia learning allows students to interact with their own learning in a way that traditional teaching methods don’t.   Our generation of students are constantly accessing and interacting with some sort of technology outside of school, and at times there seems to be a disconnect between technology use outside school and within the school.  An article written by the Center for Implementing Technology in Education (n.d) stated that “integration of multimedia into instruction can help to reduce curriculum barriers and improve learning for all students”.    Furthermore, an online article on integrating multimedia in the K-12 classroom retrieved from Brainpop states that “when students are able to control the pace of the presentation, they learn more” (2008, September).   Technology is increasing in demand in schools and I’m glad that through this class I was able to gain some great insight as to how utilize technology not only as a teaching tool, but also as a reflective tool.

            Another thing that I’ve discovered during the course of this class is the effective use of social media for learning, sharing ideas, and collaborating on group projects.  Our discussion board is a really great tool to share with colleagues any of our ideas and our Facebook group has been phenomenal.  These discussion groups have really given me the opportunity to become part of an online learning group and they really played a big part in the completion and success of my class assignments.  Every time I had a question or concern regarding the content of the assignment I know I could just post a question on our discussion board or Facebook group page, and anybody would come to my aid within minutes.  I am very interested in doing further research on the use of social media for education purposes, and see if this is something that my students can benefit from.  I know it’s been really beneficial for me, and I’m wondering if it could bring the same benefits to my students.

            All in all, this course has not only taught me how to utilize technology tools for teaching and learning, but it’s also helped me to get rid of some of my fears in regards to technology.   I’ve always tread with care when it comes to technology since I don’t consider myself very savvy in that department, but after this course, I can honestly say that I feel more confident in my use of it, and I can’t wait to implement many of the things I learned as a future administrator.

Citation:

Alcantara, L. (2009). The art of self-branding. Retrieved from   http://www.lealea.net/blog/comments/the-art-of-self-branding-part-two/

Multimedia Applications for the Classroom. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.cited.org/output_pages/printDefault.aspx?page_id=106

Understanding Multimedia Learning: Integrating Multimedia in the K-12 Classroom. (2008, September). Retrieved from http://www.brainpop.com/new_common_images/files/76/76426_BrainPOP_White_Paper-20090426.pdf

 

           

 

Week 5--1.2 Implementation in the classroom

            After creating a website in EDLD 5366, I can honestly say that the sky is the limit when it comes to implementing websites in the classroom.  This generation of students thrives on the use of technology and I think that websites are a great way for students and parents to stay informed, engaged and interact with their learning on a day to day basis.

            When implementing websites in the classroom I would make sure to make it as user friendly as possible.  I would want to make sure that this is a website that both student and parent can benefit from.  Some of the pages that I would include in my website would be the following:

·         Teacher page

·         Class Schedule

·         Class Rules/Expectations

·         Grading Policy

·         School Events

·         Homework

·         Educational Games

·         Parent Informational Page

By including these pages in my website I feel I will provide both students and parents with the necessary tools to have a successful school year.  Students would be able to access their homework assignments from home, and even enjoy some educational games to enhance their learning.  Parents would also be able to monitor their child’s learning on a day to day basis and be informed of any major events happening at school or in class.

Animation

EDLD 5366 Ancient Manuscript Reflection

Bible from Ethiopia

As I browsed online through the pages of the Bible from Ethiopia, I was blown away by the rich and vivid colors that popped from every page.  The details in every illustration as well as the geometrical patterns in each harag throughout the manuscript are so intricate and vibrant that it immediately draws the attention of the reader.

Right from the beginning of the manuscript you start to see the different design elements, starting with the contrast of the black and red text.  Throughout the manuscript you can observe the contrast used with the main text written in black ink, while the titles and necessary rubric within the text and illustrations are written in red.  Also, each of the illustrations called miniatures is outlined in different colorful borders which frame the artwork nicely.   The element of repetition is also seen through the recurrent use of harags, which are illuminations of interwoven climbing plants.  Even though each of these harags is unique in design, they are a repeated design element throughout this manuscript.  The use of decorative and ornamental birds at the top of some of the illustrations is also repeated throughout the manuscript.  The alignment in this bible is seen immediately at first glance.  Every single text frame and illustration is centered on the page.  The text within the frames is justified to be aligned to both the left and right margins.  As far as proximity, some of the illustrations have inscriptions in red either above or to the side of their frames.  I’m assuming those are notes inscribed to depict or explain what is happening in the miniatures.

The author was able to lavishly illustrate the most important events from the Old Testament in this rich and vivid manuscript.  Every miniature is meticulously painted and the intricate designs on the harags and frames around each illustration and text really exalt the importance of this manuscript.  It is without a doubt one of the most beautiful Bibles I’ve ever seen. 

Update on Action Research Project

Action Research Project Title:  Professional Development:  Improving the Experience and Outcome

Blog URL:  http://sheilamata.blogspot.com/

Number of AR Project Documented Hours:  15 hours

AR Project Summary (at least 250 words):

Like I mentioned before, I was able to identify and review literature that highlights key points of effective professional development.  I met with my campus administrators and we talked about our own perceptions of what constitutes effective professional development.  I emailed teachers explaining the purpose behind my action research and specified how they could provide their input.  I’ve also surveyed teacheras to assess their perceptions on our district’s current professional development policies and effectiveness on student achievement.  I was also able to form and meet with a focus group to get a clear picture of what teachers want out of their professional development and what they feel is lacking from several staff development they’ve attended.  Even though I’ve made all this progress in my action research project, I fear that I may have to change and start all over with a new topic.  Because of my busy schedule, I won’t be able to complete a big part of my action research which was observing and visiting with teachers, previously treained by me, on the implementation of specific curriculum.  I don’t know if I can still continue with my original plan without including that specific component.  One possibility that I see is surveying teachers again on the effectiveness of our district’s Language Arts Curriculum staff development that we attended this past summer, and using the STAAR Reading results for this school year to assess the impact on student achievement.  My only problem is that I won’t be able to see first hand how that curriculum is being implemented on a daily basis in the classroom since I don’t have the luxury of time to visit each classroom during my conference time.  Since I attended this workshop, I can also identify its strengths and weaknesses and compare it to key points in my literature review, but I don’t know if this will be enough to render accurate and valid results.  Another option I had was to totally change my topic.  This school year we are implementing PBIS, and one idea I had was to investigate the effectiveness of this program and if we saw a bigger impact in student discipline and achievement this year than our previous school year. 

Approved Action Research Plan

I was finally able to meet with my site supervisor on Friday and get my final approval for my Action Research Plan.  We went thru each activity, the time frame, how I will be collecting data, and the challenges that could come up as I implement my plan.  There were no major revisions made to my plan, except for two things that I was already planning on doing, except I hadn't included them in my template.  I've added a section for dissemination of background information and reasoning behind my research to encourage teacher buy-in, as well as a time frame for teachers that will serve as a guide for completion deadlines and meeting dates, like surveys, focus group meetings, etc.  These two activities will be done with plenty of time before I begin with my first campus activity, which is surveying teachers.  I also extended the time frame for my observations to give me enought time to observe every teacher.  This made my research extend till January, but I think it's the best thing so that I have enough time to implement every component of my research plan, while not neglicting my duties and responsibilities as a teacher.  So, without further ado, here's my FINAL & APPROVED Action Research Plan!

Sheila Mata-Action Research Plan
Goal:  To assess the perception of professional development amongst teachers in my campus, find out ways to make those sessions more meaningful, and identify the type of support needed for practices to be implemented with fidelity.
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
1.     Met with site supervisor to discuss professional development as an improvement area for our campus and current teacher selection criteria for attendance.	Sheila Mata	March 6, 2013	None	Review practices for teacher attendance of professional development sessions.
2.     Literature review on professional development	Sheila Mata	March 2013-July 2013	Lamar Online Library Internet	Review and identify literature that highlights key points of effective professional development
3.     E-mail teachers in my campus with background and reasoning behind my action research plan.	Sheila Mata	March 2013-April 2013	E-chalk	N/A
4.     Conduct teacher survey on perceptions of professional development	Sheila Mata	May 1, 2013-May 31, 2013	Surveymonkey.com	Review surveys and identify differences between new and veteran teachers.
5.     E-mail teachers deadline timeframe for completion of surveys and focus group meetings	Sheila Mata	May 1, 2013-May 31, 2013	E-chalk	N/A
6.     Meet with focus group for teacher discussions on professional development	Sheila Mata	May 1, 2013-May 31, 2013	*Team leaders for every grade level *Questionnaire on professional development	Field notes on focus group discussion.
7.     Attend Trainer of Trainers Workshops	Sheila Mata	June 2013-August 2013	La Joya ISD Calendar of Summer Workshops	Identify key points of highly effective professional development in attended workshop
8.     Plan for summer staff development session using literature review on components of highly effective professional development	Sheila Mata	July 2013-August 2013	Material/content for staff development Literature review	Review plan for staff development session and identify components mentioned in literature review.
9.     Meet with site supervisor to present plan for staff development session and identify any problem areas or resources needed.	Sheila Mata	July 2013-August 2013	Material/content for staff development Literature review	Review plan for allocation of resources.
10.   Conduct a staff development session	Sheila Mata	August 1, 2013-August 30, 2013	Material/content for staff development	Evaluation form from teachers
11.   Obtain teacher evaluation of my staff development session	Sheila Mata	August 1, 2013-August 30, 2013	Staff development evaluation form	Collection and review of evaluation forms
12.   Monitor teachers implementation of learned content during staff development session and provide needed support	Sheila Mata M. Ramos	August 2013-November 2013	Monitoring & Feedback form	Field notes on monitoring and discussion with teachers.
13.   Conduct final teacher survey on support received after staff development session.	Sheila Mata	December 2013	Surveymonkey.com	Review teacher surveys and compare results to first survey.
14.   Share project findings with administration, teachers, and curriculum coordinators.	Sheila Mata	January 2014	*Action Research Artifacts/Results *Power Point *Literature Review *Educational Blog: http://sheilamata.blogspot.com/	Collect and review evaluation form on presentation, blog comments, and e-mail feedback.
15.   Meet with site supervisor to discuss how research findings can improve campus professional development procedures/effectiveness for 2014-2015 school year.	Sheila Mata M. Ramos	January 2014	*Action Research Artifacts/Results *Literature Review	Feedback from site supervisor.
16.   Revisit my action research plan, post it in school website, as well as educational blog for sharing and continuous improvement opportunities	Sheila Mata M. Ramos M. Alaniz (Technology Specialist)	January 2013	*Action Research Artifacts/Results *Power Point *Literature Review *Educational Blog: http://sheilamata.blogspot.com/	Review comments and feedback from site supervisor, curriculum coordinators, and colleagues.