EDLD 5301 Course Reflection

As I reflect on the last 5 weeks, I am amazed at all that I have learned. This course revealed the use of action research or action inquiry as opposed to traditional research methods. Traditional research is conducted objectively by outside researchers and establishes generalities and explanations. Nolen and Putten (2007) relied on Mills(2003) to define action research as any systematic inquiry conducted by teachers, administrators, counselors, or others with a vested interest in the teaching and learning process, for the purpose of gathering data about how their particular schools operate, how they teach, and how students learn. This view was supported b y Dana (2009), “In a fashion similar to the ways teachers utilize this process to gain better understandings of themselves and their teaching practice, administrators can use it to gain deeper insights into their practice as administrators and their leadership role in school improvement efforts.” These insiders look at wonderings or questions that can help them better understand a current practice and determine a way to improve this practice. They can also use the action research method to determine the best way to implement a new technique and determine its success. Action research facilities a localized approached to the cycle of inquiry, reflection and improvement.


As I have progressed through this course, I have realized the importance of detailed planning of the action research steps which required reflection and revision. During the process of conducting the entire action research plan, a continuous process of revision and reflection is normal. The constructive comments provided by my site supervisor, school librarian and peers have proved invaluable in my understanding of the importance of collaboration. Because of the continuous process of inquiry, collaboration, reflection, and improvement, the product of my action research plan will be stronger and more relevant.


This course has given me an awareness of the importance of action research as a method to provide positive change. I have gained the confidence to develop and conduct an action research plan knowing that the results of this inquiry will be beneficial to my campus.






Fichtman, Nancy Dana (2009). Leading with passion and knowledge: the principal as action researcher. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.


Harris, S., Edmonson,S., & Combs,J. (2009) Examining what we do to improve our schools: 8 steps from analysis to action. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education.




Mills, G. (2003). Action research: A guide for the teacher researcher (2nd
ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill/Prentice Hall.


Nolen, A. and Vander Putten, J. (2007) Action research in education: addressing gaps in ethical principles and practices. Educational Researcher, (36) 7, 401–407. Retrieved from http://www.aera.net/uploadedFiles/Publications/Journals/Educational_Researcher/3607/10EDR07_401-407.pdf

Real Life Research Action Examples

This week focused on real life examples of action research from three Texas school districts.  These included improving TAKS scores, the process of gaining approval for and organizing an action research project, and using a grant to develop an on-time graduation program.  Focus was placed on the importance of data driven research.  Action research should be used to develop any improvement plan. 

In order to develop research topics, the question ‘Where do I find my wonderings and questions?’ was explored (Fichtman, 2009). This section focused on nine passions that can be used to focus your thoughts when you are developing an action plan.  These passions are staff development, curriculum development, individual teacher(s), individual student(s), school culture/community, leadership, management, school performance, and social justice or equity issues.  While these passions focus on a wide range of subjects, all ultimately relate to the goal of student improvement. 

This detailed exploration of examples of action research was beneficial to understanding the process and focusing on a topic for the required research in this program.  The topic should be achievable in the time allotted and should be of concern to the school staff.  By conducting the research, the topic can be examined and improved before determining if it can be successfully implemented.

EDLD 5306 Concepts of Educational Technology Course Reflections

As I began my first online class, I was nervously excited.  I considered EDLD 5306 Concepts of Educational Technology as an introduction to the masters program and to online learning.  Other than one formal graduate course during my alternative certification program, I had not attended a university class since the early 80’s.  The learning environment has definitely changed since that time. My greatest concern was meeting the expectations set forth by the instructors and detailed in the course syllabus and weekly overviews.  At first, I became overwhelmed but the teaching and support staffs were very patient and understanding as I fumbled my way through learning new programs and the associated technology.  This allowed me to reach my goal of gaining familiarity with online learning and improving my knowledge of technology requirements for schools.  Through this course, I did gain a better understanding of the Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology and the Technology Applications TEKS.  I find myself looking at technology in a different light and have started to apply this new knowledge to my classroom.

Every aspect of this course is relevant to the work I do at school.  With the information gained by analyzing various documents including the Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology, the Technology Applications TEKS and my school’s technology plan, I am reevaluating all aspects of technology that I use in the classroom and as the school’s technology liaison.  With each classroom lesson, I consider ways to improve my presentation of the material by incorporating new technology ideas gleaned from the information utilized in this course.  I have also realized that I must expand the students’ use of technology and offer more open ended opportunities that allow exploration of available technology.  I will also use my experiences in taking an online class to develop activities for my students using Moodle or Edmodo.  As technology liaison, I am responsible for planning and leading technology based staff developments.  Many of the tools we used in this course will be included in future staff developments as these will be of benefit to all our teachers.  The importance of continuously researching the most current technology developments was emphasized by the various weekly readings.  The establishment of a blog and a wiki gave two examples of ways to share this information with the staff.

While I now have a better understanding of the key components of technology requirements for both teachers and students as stated in the Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology, the Technology Applications TEKS and my school’s technology plan, I do feel I will need to spend more time analyzing these documents before I reach the level of understanding to truly be able to comfortably discuss all this material.  More time is required to adjust my classroom lessons to better reflect the technology proficiency expected of the students.  The completion of the draft plans for my internship and the principal’s competencies were a difficult component of the final week.  I realize the importance of these plans being put into place as soon as possible because of the 18 month time period of the program.   Developing all the activities for both plans was complicated as the descriptors were very open ended but the examples supplied in our last web conference did assist with the process.  I do feel that I will be revising my plans as I develop a greater understanding of the requirements and find activities that better reflect the required skills.

I did successfully complete all course assignments but not without some difficulty.  While the overviews and the weekly assignments were quite detailed, I did experience anxiety about completing all the requirements listed.  I constantly checked and rechecked these documents to ensure all assignments were completed on time and turned in properly. There was a learning curve associated with the Epic program.  It took me several weeks to find all the nuances of the program and to successfully access the detailed grading comments.  As this was the first time I have used Epic or any online courseware, I was expecting to have difficulty in the beginning.  I did find that my comfort level with the courseware increased significantly from the first week to the last.   My experiences with Epic will give me a better idea of how to successfully incorporate online learning courseware into my classroom.  In the first couple of weeks, I became discouraged due to the time required to maintain a fulltime teaching job and complete all the assignments for this course.  Five weeks is a very short amount of time to complete the requirements that are normally spread out over a much longer time period.  But with the support of the instructional staff, my classmates and my family, I realized that with proper time management anything was possible. 

I have always considered myself a lifelong learner and this masters program is another step in that journey.  I was educated as a microbiologist, trained as a histotechnologist, and later in life used my science education to become a science teacher.  As more technology was added to our campus, I was asked to attend summer training on the new Web on Wheels (WOW) carts. Little did I realize the love of technology that would stem from this exposure to technology and especially Web 2.0 tools.  I have attended additional trainings and taught myself to use many programs but I have reached a time where I realize that I must expand my horizons.  To truly become a technology leader, I will need to acquire a much larger knowledge base.  While I do have a greater understanding of technology than most of my peers, the job of technology liaison requires a continuous improvement of technology skills and a need to stay current on new developments and the latest research.  If I am going to train others in the use of technology tools, I must improve my leadership skills in order to present the best trainings possible to the staff.  I know that I will always want to stay current on the latest technology developments as I do truly feel that learning never stops and knowledge is power.

Web Conference Reflection

Participating in a web conference was a new experience for me.  I have used Skype so the techniques required to participate in the web conference were familiar.  The actual experience was very pleasant. I participated in the web conferences on November 16, November 17, and November 29.   It was nice to see and hear others who are participating in this Masters program and to see our instructor, Daryl Ann Borel.

In the first conference, Ms. Borel gave us an opportunity to make sure our equipment was compatible with the Adobe® Acrobat® Connect system and explain how web conferencing worked.  She answered all our questions and was very patient and supportive.  There was a very casual atmosphere and I feel this experience helped to put us all at ease.  While I am familiar with technology, I have not attended formal college courses for decades and I did have some anxiety about starting this degree program.  I knew there would be a learning curve with respect to course structure and expectations but this first contact with fellow students made me realize that we could all rely on each other for support throughout the next 18 months.

In the following two conferences, Ms. Borel shared an overview of the Masters in Educational Technology Leadership program and the first course, Concepts of Educational Technology.  She encouraged us to persevere through the next 18 months and ensured us that all our hard work would be worthwhile when we walked across the stage to receive our diploma.