REFLECTIONS ON EDLD 5301

EDLD 5301 was an enlightening course for me because it dealt with some topics that I had very little experience with during my educational career.  The primary topic of the class was action research.  Before the course began, I had no idea what the difference was in traditional research and action research.  Through the lectures and the assigned readings, I found a wealth of information in this area.  I not only understand the importance of action research, but I also have a solid grasp on the step-by-step process it takes to complete an action research project.  Any good leader is never completely satisfied with his/her organization.  There is always room for improvement, and a good leader will question things from time to time with the sole purpose of being able to better the organization.  This is where action research comes in to play.  Because every situation is different, leaders must learn how to take data and apply it to their unique circumstances.  I believe that I have learned how to do this and will be able to use this tool as I become a leader of a school in the future.

I am excited about starting my action research project this fall.  My principal (also my site supervisor) and I have had several meetings about the project, and I know that he is genuinely interested and excited about seeing my recommendations.  My topic is BYOT or “Bring Your Own Technology.”  We implemented a program last school year that allows students to bring electronic devices to school and utilize our school district’s network.  The program definitely has some areas where improvement is needed, and my principal realizes this.  Our hope is that the data we collect and analyze will help us come up with a better plan of action with regard to the technology at our school.  I have also visited with the assistant principals on our campus, and they are onboard with my research project as well.  Their help will be crucial to the success of my research, so I am excited that they are willing to help me with this endeavor.

Another topic that was covered in-depth during EDLD 5301 was blogging.  I think that I am a technologically savvy person and educator, but I have never used this tool in either my personal or professional life.  What I found the most beneficial with blogging is the feedback I received from various followers.  The old saying that “two heads are better than one” is certainly applicable to the topic of action research, and blogging is one way to get valuable input from people who see things in a little different light than I do.  Many of the followers of my blog gave me advice on my project that I definitely plan to utilize.  I am grateful to these people for their kind words of encouragement and their constructive criticism, and I hope to continue to benefit from their input in the future.  I can see myself continuing to use a blog both as a classroom teacher and as a future leader.  In addition, the web discussions that were assigned during the course were another blogging tool where I received the feedback I needed to reinforce my thoughts or to challenge my thoughts on a particular topic.  I do have a concern with blogging.  During the summer months, educators have plenty of time to spend looking at and following other people’s blogs.  My thought is that this will diminish as the school year begins and we all head back to our full-time jobs.  I hope I am wrong.

As the class draws to a close this week, I am thankful for the help of several people: (1) my classmates, (2) Dr. Abshire, (3) Dr. Perez, (4) Dr. Arterbury, and (5) Dr. Jenkins.  Each of these individuals was very helpful throughout the duration of the class.