As you can see, I have posted an update of my Action Research Project.  Please see the message dated June 13th for a brief description of why the plan needed to be adjusted. Thank you!

Action Research Plan Updated

Updated Action Research Plan

I realized that part of my action research plan includes discussions with the District Behavioral Specialist.  Our District no longer has a Behavioral Specialist position.  Therefore, I have omitted that information from my action research plan. Please see updated plan below.

June 11, 2013

I have made an addition to my approved internship plan, including  a task requiring the participation of the Intern (that's me) in the preparations for state mandated STAAR testing (April and May administrations).  As a side note, I was asked by the DTC for my assistance as CTC for Summer SSI testing, and will accept the position and the responsibilities included therein.

Web Conferences

I have appreciated attending the web conferences during the courses.  I have not been able to attend all of them, but do appreciate the most recent one on March 9th, 2013 (for EDLD 5326).  I have found the questions and answers shared by both students and professors useful while working in the program.  Thanks all!

Highlights of this course for me must include creating the blog.  My daughter has continually shared with me her blog (which contains many of her travels throughout Asia).  I have not always been very technologically advanced, or up-to-date), but I must say, learning how to create a blog has been very technologically stimulating to me.  I am quite proud of myself for learning all these “techy” new skills.  My husband has always been intrigued by computers, and is very current in his knowledge of technology. He has, in the past, invited me to “Google-sites,” drop boxes and the like---and I have usually ignored his invitations (not entirely from a lack of interest, but mostly as a result of a lack of time.  Now that school necessitates that I advance my knowledge of computer skills, I am finding those “technological” activities the most fun to participate in!

I am also very much interested in conducting new and various searches.  I love to gain more information from searching out items on the intranet. There is such a vast amount of knowledge (some accurate and trustworthy, others not so much), to be discovered at one’s finger tips. Perhaps the only thing slowing us down from receiving such knowledge is the rate at which our fingers are able to tap the keys on the keyboard and the speed at which we are able to read the words spilling out of the virtual pages.

I enjoy reading the discussion boards.  It seems apparent to me (and maybe I just feel old lately) that some students seem more comfortable “being themselves” on the discussion boards.  While I tend to be more formal, and reserved, other students truly let their personalities shine on the discussion board.  I’m not sure if there is a right or a wrong way to write on discussion boards, but I hope in the future to be a little more “relaxed” and truly be able to discuss topics, not just present topics.

I found it useful to participate in the web conferences.  It seemed there was always something that I learned that I would not have realized if I had not listened to the web casts.  Technology today is truly amazing, and I still find it enjoyable to be able to see persons who are potentially all around the world (but maybe mostly in Texas) on their web cams!

Information I found to be useful (and will try to utilize as part of continued inquiry), was the suggestion to schedule a consistent time each week for “reflection and inquiry time” (Dana, 2009, p. 19).  I can see that unless planned for, other “fires that need putting out” could squelch any extra moments that could be spent in important reflection and questioning times.

I'm a good listener.....

Hi There!  I would love to hear from you.  I'm a very good listener, and would love to get feedback from you about my action research plan!

Thank you in advance---and have a wonderful day!