· Lectures - I am assuming this is referencing the video lectures. These were helpful in getting our week started and informing us of what was going to happen that particular week. I appreciate that fact that I was able to see my instructors communicate with their students via video and then interact with them via Adobe Connect Pro and web conferencing.
The interviews with the three administrators were also very helpful for the fact that they had conducted action research and actually applied what they had discovered.
· Readings – I thoroughly enjoyed reading both texts, Leading with Passion and Knowledge and Examining What We Do To Improve Our Schools. It made me realize the vast responsibilities principals are accountable for and that the student body is always changing and evolving based on the era, the environment, and the school culture. These texts were enlightening to say the least. I especially appreciate the section in Harris’s text concerning the Force Field Analysis. He even provided a website with templates and several other resources to use for action inquiry. I will be referencing this book and the website quite a bit.
· Searches, like electronic searches of topics and questions – This course did not specifically address searchers except in regards to “Action Research.” My action research evolved from observing students on my campus and listening to what other teachers have commented about the students in their classrooms.
· Assignments and activities – The activities were confusing at first. However, the web conferences proved to be very valuable in allowing me to ask questions and hear the other classmates’ questions, which in turn provided clarity. Although the conferences at the beginning of the course were sketchy due to echoes and losing our instructor a few times, the last three conferences were much better. The web conferences gave a sense of connectivity as if in the classroom but with the added benefit of saving gas and time by not having to drive on the road.
· Discussion Board – The discussion boards were helpful in getting to know our classmates. I felt like I connected with a few of them and interacted via email on a more personal level. This was helpful. Another plus was discovering what towns or cities people were from. Several individuals are from North Texas. I am blessed by being located in Southeast Texas, very close to the professors and Lamar University.
· Blogs – After the first week, we were provided with a blog with all of the topics and all of the blog information. In my opinion, this was very overwhelming. Dr. Jenkins mentioned during the web conference that they were going to split out the blogs by topic. This will be very beneficial so we do not have to peruse the subjects that do not pertain to our research. I did enjoy getting feedback from my cohorts by checking to see who posted anything on my blog. In the Instructional Technology track, we are using a wiki to post our research as opposed to a portfolio. The use of the wiki has proved to be extremely beneficial with my research. Wikis are so functional that I even required my high school students to create wikis to upload their class projects.
Harris, S., Edmonson, S., & Combs, J., 2010. Examining What We Do to Improve Our Schools. Larchmont, New York. Eye On Education, Inc.
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