Action Planning Template

Action Planning Template
Goal: To determine if the implementation of technology used in applied classes increases student achievement.
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Research various sources to gather information about the benefits of technology in applied classes.	Monica Billek-Burton	March 18th  2013 March 30th  2013	Professional Readings, Blogs	Collection of professional readings such as articles, podcasts, and blogs as reference
Survey teachers regarding their comfort level and familiarity with their classroom use of technology.	Monica Billek-Burton	April 12th  2013-April 29th 2013	Google forms for Surveys	Spread sheet with answers from surveys
Survey students regarding their familiarity and comfort levels with technology.	Myself	April 12th 2013- April 29th 2013	Google form for survey	Spread sheet with answers from survey
Examine prior year TAKs, Proficiency and Benchmark scores of students to get a baseline of student performance	Monica Billek-Burton,  Teachers	March 22nd , 2013 – April 10th	Data collected from student hard or electronic folders : TAKS, Proficiency, Benchmark, Report-cards	Spreadsheet of student data
Meet with teachers to provide tools for creating and implementing technology into their lesson plans.	Monica Billek-Burton, Teachers	April, 2013	Binders with tools such as websites and ideas and examples of lessons for various subjects	Teacher responses
Join technology committee ( “The Geek Squad”)	Monica Billek-Burton	March, 2013 – June, 2014	Question that teachers need investigated, and issues teachers are having with implementing technology	The committee  will assist with  evaluating the effectiveness of the types of technology being used, and looking at ways we can help teachers to incorporate technology effectively
Meet with teachers bi-weekly to provide ongoing mentorship	Monica Billek-Burton	April, 2013 – June, 2013	Professional development materials	Response to teachers inquiries
Based on data, determine which types of technology integration were the most effective	Monica Billek-Burton, Teachers, Site supervisor	June, 2013 – July, 2013	All data collected from surveys,	Researcher and Teacher notes, end of year student survey answers, and assessments
Conduct “exit” interviews at the end of the semester to establish teacher growth and increase of technology use	Monica Billek-Burton	June, 2013	Interview questions	Data will be collected and compared to earlier surveys to determine the impact of the use of technology
Share findings with site supervisor and teachers	Monica Billek-Burton	June, 2013	Report of findings	Demonstrate how implementation of technology affected student performance

Format based on Tool 7.1 from Examining What We Do to Improve Our Schools

(Harris, Edmonson, and Combs, 2010)

Week 2 Reflection

Week two was stressful and painful both literally and physically!  I pulled my back and was incapacitated for most of the week, so here I am playing catch up!  On the brighter side, I'm grateful to have gotten an extension, and can say I gained great insight about action research from reading  Dana's Leading with Passion and Knowledge.  I have a much better understanding and appreciation for the process and importance of action research. It can be used for a variety of questions/problems by campus leaders and teachers alike.

I was able to meet with my site supervisor at the beginning of the week to discuss my topic for action research, which is the implementation of technology in applied classes to improve student achievement.  Since my background is in special education I'm really looking foward to conducting this research, which will hopefully prove to be a positive experience for all involved!

Blogging for Educational Leaders

Blogging is a great way to share general/non-critical information.  It can be a great tool for leaders to convey positive feedback, celebrate accomplishments and solicit the opinions and input of others.  It's also a convenient way to engage in mass informal communication with students, parents and the community and get instantaneous feedback.

Action Research Journey

Action research is a powerful tool Administrators can use to facilitate change within his/her school.  It involves self-reflection of the researchers existing practices.  It is a systematic approach to solving problems and implementing change.  It requires the administrator to set aside time to ask the important questions, collect and analyze data, explore research options, and then begin the process of formulating a plan for change.  This process keeps the administrator actively involved, because it requires him/her to keep track of the interventions that have been put into action, by examining the progress or lack thereof, and if necessary,  reformulating a plan for redirection. Traditional research is in sharp contrast to action research in that the administrator is asked to rely on the expertise of outside professionals, who for the most part are university researchers and are removed from the culture of the school. The process of asking questions, data collecting and analyzing are steps that often have to be repeated in action research, but is essential for the process to be successful. Though it can be time consuming, action research is an investment that can yield great results for the improvement and benefit of the administrator and school.

Why take the time to engage in action research?

Action research is beneficial for many reasons.  It is very effective for improving teaching and learning, and provides the researcher opportunities for professional and personal growth.  The researcher can expand on his/her existing knowlede, and engage in collaborative discussions with fellow professionals, which can yield to measurable results.