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Go to each months blog entry:




Month 1: MLT Reflection

Month 2: MLR Reflection

Month 3 TMD Blog Post

Month 4 & 5 ETCC & EDE updates

Month 6 DMEA Reflection

Month 7 MTA Reflection

Month 8 FPE Reflection

Month 9 GSM Reflection

Month 9 GSM Game Plan Delivery

Month 10 Learning Management Systems and Organization

Month 1 MLT Reflection

I have spent my first month in the masters program in Educational Design and Technology. The course looks like it will be very helpful and intense. My first thoughts go straight to transition, due to how little our school district deals with this  important issue. I would really like to help my parents understand this process better and I would like to provide my students with functional life skills along the way.

My cohort looks to be a great group of people and I cannot wait to get to know them.

Month 2 MLR Reflection

After evaluating your professional environment, what area(s) of interest have you focused on for your Action Research Capstone project?

I have chosen to research the effects of parental involvement on transition skills in the classroom and in the home environment for my focus in the Action Research Capstone project. The transition process in my school district needs to have many changes, and a project such as this could lend information and ideas to the district and the special needs families that it serves. It is clear that parents have little information provided to them about what happens to their special needs child after high school. Services provided to them in the “Adult world” of adults with disabilities is a lot different from the services they received in grade school, middle school and high school. I believe Involved parents lead to better prepared students in my high school Life Skills class and in the adult world of independent living and job skills.

2. Why have you chosen this direction?

I have chosen this direction on behalf of my parents and students in my Life Skills program. I serve students from their freshman year and beyond, and it is my role to provide them with functional everyday life skills so they can grow to be more independent adults after high school. Our transition process in our school district is really in need of change. Little has been done to provide information for parents to know what happens to their student after high school. They often think that their child will have to stay home, or will only be able to work in a sheltered workshop. There are steps to take while the student is in high school but those steps have not been shared readily with parents and students.

3. Describe your target audience. How do you anticipate them playing a role in ensuring that your results will make a difference in your environment?

The students in my classroom, their parents, and the school district are my target audience. I plan to use different media in the classroom to teach skills necessary for successful transition into adult life. In class I hope to use a web-based journal, video’s made by students, and interactive white board activities to teach functional life skills material. I plan on making a video for parents that gives them the steps they need to take to transition their child into adult life after high school. The video format will address those families who don’t have a computer at home. A classroom blog would address those parents who have Internet access, and wish to have a place where they can check out what transition steps they need to take. Feedback from parents and students should help the school district realize the importance of transitional information and will lead the school district into making this area of need more of a priority. The ultimate dream would to have the school district put in place a full-time transition coordinator and set up a “Transition Center” in its own independent building.

4. You should have started researching the current literature surrounding your topic, please describe any challenges/difficulties you are having with this process and/or any helpful hints/tips that you have discovered to make this process easier.

There are many articles on the transition process, and many ideas and tips that parents can use to help make the process a successful one. There have not been many articles on how to make a school district more prepared to transition their special needs populations into adult life, so I will have to rely on my knowledge and those of two other colleagues in my building. The Illinois Department of Human Services, DHS’s Division of Rehabilitation Services provides a great resource transition wheel for teachers and parents.

http://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=29764

The transition wheel would make a great webpage tool for parents who have access to the computer and the Internet. They could follow each section of the wheel, as their student becomes 14.5 years old through the age of 22.

Month 3 TMD Blog Post

1. Who are your critical friends?  What role do you anticipate your critical friends will play with regard to your AR project?

I am very honored to teach with two fantastic teachers who have been teaching each for over 25 years. They have been teaching in Special Education their whole careers and are a wealth of information that I have to tap into. The first teacher Shellie is the person that the EMDT team met in my TMD leadership video. Shellie is able to put everything into perspective when it comes to dealing with parents, and students. She will allow me to bounce ideas off of her and at the same time she offers suggestions to improve on an idea. The second teacher is my co-teacher who offers a very unique perspective to the Life Skills program that we both teach in. Marie was one of my parents, I had the honor of teaching her son who is nonverbal and has autism. Our program was growing and I no longer was able to teach the class with the number of students we had in the program. She saw the post and emailed me and asked if I thought it was ok that she apply. She was a very supportive parent and she was well versed in the area of autism as a professional and of course as a parent. Marie and I balance each other out as we teach our Life Skills program. She will give me an honest critical review of my AR project, and I trust her opinions and feelings. The most important thing is that when it comes to the subject of Transition we are both on the same page.

The second group of critical friends are my FSO Teacher Techies team. I am so excited that I have met this group of people as I “fly” my way through this EMDT masters program. They truly are people that I trust and honor their opinion. They are all experienced teachers and we share many of the same ideas and feelings about education. The critical critiques and suggestions offered come from their heart and with a feeling of respect, which makes it easier to accept and learn from. We are able tor rely on each other and do not hesitate to call, text, iChat, or google+. I cannot wait for graduation to thank them all in person.

Month 4 Emergent Technologies & Education Design and Evaluation

Extremely busy month but had a great time working with my team mates. Here is my ETC Blog: http://educatorsinger.blogspot.com

You can also fine our Teacher Techie Website at: https://sites.google.com/site/teachertechies/

AR MONTHLY TIMELINE

 MONTH 1-5  JUNE TO NOVEMBER

Month 1 – FOCUS.

This month we were to choose a focus for our Action Research. Was that a hard task? As it turned out the answer is no. I knew from the beginning that if I had the chance to research the transition process from student to adult life with a disability then I would take the opportunity.

Month 2. – Literature Review –  Writing has always been very tough for me, so coming into the Literature Review was a very intimidating. Researching my the two subtopics proved to be very interesting, but at the same time a very worth while experience. Learning the APA style of writing has proved to very challenging.

Month 3 – My Literature review Draft is almost done. Have to make some corrections based on of the peer critiques I have received from a teammate. These peer critiques will bring focus to what I have already done and will do in the future

Month 4 – Revision done on Literature Review based on what my peers have suggested. I find a great comfort in that process.

Month 5- This is a busy month getting the Action plan done, and then taking my literature review and putting into a script form. The script will lead into a digital story video based on my literature review. I will provide a description of what tool I will use to collect data and prove that the data was helpful.

MONTHS 6-9 DECEMBER TO MAY

 Month 6 – Begin implanting the Action Plan with target audience BUT will have to work around Christmas break. Action plan will be documented with videos, interviews, and surveys with parents and students. Literature review script will be put on video.

Month 7 – Continue to collect data under the Auction Plan, realizing that data in cycle 1 will have to be analyzed as cycle 2 is modified based on cycle 1 results. Data will be documented and my critical friends will be key to how I interpret the data and make changes. We will experience making our own music to use as background in our next video project in month 8

Month 8 – Video trailer month using pictures, and original music created and produced by myself. I will continue to work on my Action plan, documenting the results as we progress in the month.

Month 9 – Completion of Action Plan documented and recorded into Cycle 1 and Cycle 2 sections of my blog.

MONTHS 10-12

 Month 10 – Action Plan is completes and Cycle 1 and Cycle 2 data is posted and documented with video, pictures. Data tools will be discussed along with the data collected in pre and post-test surveys. Final conclusions will be made.

Month 11 – Action Plan will be put into a presentation form for either a conference at the at the state level or published in a professional journal

Month 12 – Final video presentation posted for EMDT panel to view. Video posted on Final Presentation page of blog. The time to reflect on the EMDT journey all if the ups downs and all that I have learned. GRADUATION and meeting all of my new friends.

Month 5 Blog Post

Cycle 1 Preparation 11/20/2011

Well here we are and the end of month 5 and I will have to say that it has been very hectic. Let’s look at the preparation for Cycle 1 Data activity:

My target audience for my are the students and parents of my Life Skills classroom.The target audience will cover 18 students and their parents. Not all of these families have computer access, so some data collection will be sent home with students.  The students will continue to learn functional life skills on an every day basis. The only changes will be the introduction of Web 2.0 Tools to use in class during certain subject hours. The parents of my class will be given a Pre-Survey  that will gather data covering Computer access, email usage understanding how to use the computer, in the first section. The last section is all about the Transition process from high student to an adult with a disability. Specific topics and family issues are part of the survey. I plan on giving the link out to the survey this week and handing out printed out versions to those who have no computer access. During this time I will be working with my students using Web 2.0 tools to teach basic geography using Comic Life, and a language arts lesson on descriptive adjectives using Word It Out. The language arts lesson will have a reflective survey about the lesson, and it  serve as an assessment tool at the same time. The geography lesson will also use Comic Life to share information about two states of their choice.

The process of creating both a pre-survey and post-survey was interesting to learn how to do, and in the end it was easier to make then I thought. I have made some changes in it since completing the EDE course yesterday. The survey had a demographic section but it was not functional. I went back into to Google docs and made the information into check boxes, that worked great!

The Google site and Google tools suite was very interesting to learn how to use. The EDE class was very helpful but at the same time very taxing, and sometimes frustrating. Having to work on assignments, on the AR website, our group website and teaching full-time really presented a challenge. I love the group project work, the collaboration between people who have never met. It is the best way to work in this course environment. It is fun, it is entertaining, but it also is accountability, support, and stimulating all at the same time. Our TeacherTechie website really came out great. Our professor liked the lay out, the simplicity of it, and the information that was shared. We worked well as a team, and we did have some issues that hung us up from time to time. We did not let that stop us and we worked through those issues by supporting each other and not getting angry and causing drama.

The skills learned from the Google site will come in handy to enhance this AR website. The web 2.0 tools have already been used in my classroom. The experience so far has been one of fun, frustration, joy, accomplishment, tiring, exhaustion, and anxiety. 5 months has gone fast, and I hope the remaining 6 do as well.

Month 6 Blog Post Digital Media and Educational Applications

Cycle 1 Observations – December 3, 2011

My cycle one trial is underway and as of this last Friday I have gotten partial responses from my parents. I have created a classroom Edublog and have placed a link to my Google Docs Survey. I have had 6 parents answer the survey, and still waiting to hear from 9 other parents. I put out a reminder via email and via the blog website. That is probably the most frustrating part of this cycle. It is funny too, that my AR project will focus on how communication between home and school affects the education of my students.  I have a feeling that I will have to call those parents on the phone and ask them to do the survey.

Cycle 1 Observations – December 4, 2011

Last night I entered the two handwritten surveys that I had turned into me. It was a little disappointing knowing that I have several other forms out there, and I need to get them in. Of the two forms that I did have, one is questionable. From the looks of it I think the student filled it in and not the parent. This parent works for a social service agency that works with student with disabilities, and she of all parents should be able to provide me with the data I am looking for. She has not returned email, or phone calls in the recent past, so I may have my work cut out for me. Have I tried to communicate with the parents? Yes I have. They have received a flier, email notice twice, and a blog entry to ask them to fill out the survey. I will phone call those parents that have not completed the survey, but I know that some of those parents will not answer the phone or have one that works.

I still believe the DVD of transition information is the way to go. The data I have collected so far is not surprising because the parents that have responded are those that are fully engaged with their students education a future life as an adult with a disability. The DVD will be a supplement for those parents, but will be a real eye opener for the other parents that are not as engaged with their child’s transition after high school.

The fact that I am learning FLASH this month I think will help in the presentations on the Transition DVD that I am making after I gather data from the parents surveys. That data will influence what needs to be put on the DVD.

The functional life skills that I am teaching my students using new forms of media by using Web 2.o tools is coming along slowly. I have managed to get two more work stations working in my room, so now every one has a computer to use. The difficulty comes with the school district and what types of Web 2.0 tools I will be allowed to access. I have had some dialogue with two of my assistant principles about the need for district to lighten up on some of the blocking activity they do. The class has learned how to use “Word It Out”, and Comic Life.

So far so good, I think I am on track.

Cycle 1 Observations December 5, 2011

The data from the reflective survey take from the language arts lesson should be done this week. I had to have the students reenter their responses after fixing the worksheet. The parent online survey are coming in slowly, but that was expected. I sent another notices out today on the classroom blog. Earlier I had discovered a handwritten survey that was done by a student NOT the parent, so that will have to be redone.

I decided to use comic life as part of my geography lesson. Each student will choose two states and us Comic Life to tell us facts about their states. The way the express their facts through Comic Life will display what they have learned about their states. Using the Web 2.o tools have engaged my students and I am looking forward to finding out how they feel about these new tools. I will have to create a new reflective survey for them to use this week, as midterm grades are due. This represents a small change in the plan but I think it will be beneficial to my project.

Month 7 -MTA

It is month 7 already, so it is time to evaluate where this Action Research project is at.

• Are you still on target to complete both implementation activities? If not, why? Analyze any potential hurdles, how do you plan to address these conflicts that may postpone your implementation?

1. I have the student survey component completed, and I need to put that data in readable form. I will chart the answers out and show the correct and incorrect category words.
2. The parent survey’s  are not completed, it was expected due to the past history of how my parents respond to notes, email, and phone calls. This issue will have to be dealt with after school this week, on the phone. I foresee two rounds of calls this week, the first call will only have some parents answer the phone. The second call should take care of it.

• Estimate how long will each implementation take to complete.

1. The  completion of cycle 1 should be at the latest the middle of next week (01/11/12).
2. Cycle 2 involves video/movie creation, and a couple live interviews. This secant of the project could prove to be the hardiest to complete only due to schedules of those that I need to interview.  I will allow 3 weeks for this to be completed.
3. The persons to be interviewed will be sent a set of questions ahead of time, so they can formulate their answers.

• Will you be completed with the implementation process by month 9?  If not, why?

At this point in time I do not see a problem with completing the implementation by month 9 .

Month 8 – FPE, Cycle 1, Cycle 2 Reflection

1. What changed in your set up from Cycle 1 to Cycle 2?

The Action Research project that I have chosen to do has had it’s up and downs, not because of the project itself but more because of my classroom environment. Life Skills special education comes with no real set curriculum, so my co-teacher and I find ourselves constantly changing what we teach, and the way we teach the material. These changes can come daily, or in some cases with in hours of each other. We have a very diverse class of students that encompass several different types of disabilities, Autism, Aspergers, Downs Syndrome, Fragile X, Cognitive Disabilities, and Other Health Impairments. Cycle 1 was a pre and post survey about descriptive adjectives, and the lesson was entered in Google Docs. The first hurdle was getting the whole class into Google Docs. That went smoother than I thought, I showed them how to navigate and get to the pre-survey. The survey was simple and was set up correctly, and my students were able to fill it out with little help.

Once we moved on to the Web2.0 tool “Word It Out” it was clear that my students with a lot of patience and help they will be able to use this tool. So time was a factor and struggling with what the school district was blocking. So moving on to cycle 2 I knew that I would have to allow more time, and would have to choose what Web 2.0 tools to use wisely. Time allowed my students to learn how to use Comic Life, Popplet, and Wordle in a social studies and science classes. Moving on to cycle 2 I know that time is going to be a factor, and communication with my parents is going to be key to the success of this project. I also found out that one of my key sources is about to retire from her present position, so I have to interview her as soon as possible. I will have to call some of my parents, because they have not answered the survey questions. The only other problem for cycle 2 is that I am in the midst of IEP conferences, but this also can be a plus because we can talk more about the transition process for their child.

2. What’s happening that you did not expect?

As I said in the last question I learned that time was going to be a major factor during this project. I was surprised that my students were able to pick up on the Word 2.0 tools as well as they did. Some of them caught on quickly and they really got into popplet. The class really got into my original song “Laundry Laundry 123” and I think it will stick with them.

I did not expect my source for the subject of guardianship to retire, and move onto another position in the community. I will have to set up an appointment right away. I have run into a glitch with the website, but should have that under control.

3. How are you tracking data differently?

Data collection with half of my parents will take place over the phone or during an IEP meeting. I will call the parents who did not answer the survey and get those results.

I am video taping more of my students performing functional life skills.

4.   How has FPE contributed to your Action Research project?

FPE has allowed me to use visuals that help my students understand the material being presented to them. I will use the techniques from this class to improve on my original song and video “Laundry Laundry 123”. This functional life skill is so important for their independent living skills. In the future I can see how making short videos can be not only fun, but can really play to the learning styles of my students.

Month 9 Action Research Blog Entry

1. Methods

I chose to use a mixed approach for my data collection in cycle 1. I started out using a Google docs survey about what a descriptive adjective is as a way of giving my students a tool to write out descriptive adjectives about themselves and about a partner. This exercise was all about how to describe themselves and others around them, something very difficult for most of my special needs students. The qualitative data was represented by the types of words they used about themselves and later about their partner. These words were descriptive and told us how students viewed themselves. In some case they were right on, and in others, they were not so on target. I suppose that from a quantitative view I could figure out the percentage of how many students used words correctly vs how many used them incorrectly, but that was not the point of the exercise. To followup I had the students fill out a worksheet using the adjectives they had come up with about themselves and their partner.

2. Synthesis

Cycle 1 and cycle 2 now have really become two separate sections in this action research project. Cycle 1 was centered on my students learning some functional life skills by using Web 2.0 tools. The lessons learned turned out to be academic and functional. I was able to use the following Web 2.0 tools: Word It Out, Popplet, Prezi, Comic Life and VoiceThreads. I used each of these to teach social studies lessons on the 50 states, and science lesson on reptiles, and mammals. The MTE class came at the right time, so I was able to create an original song and video lesson called Laundry Laundry 123. My students learned 10 steps to do a load of laundry. The descriptive adjective lesson taught my students how to use a Google doc survey and worksheet. These Web 2.0 tools proved to more engaging and my students picked up on them fairly fast. The difficulties they have mostly have to deal with computer skills that are necessary to do research and then transfer their research into a specific Web 2.0 tool. I believe my students have learned some other avenues to express what they have learned and have gotten away from worksheets. Students have also learned how to collaborate with each other to discover new bits of knowledge.

Cycle 2 shifted to concentrating on my parents of my students. The results are yet to be complete for a variety of reasons, some of which I can control others I cannot.I was able to post a pre-survey  for my parents to answer questions about their knowledge of the transition process and computer usage. I had to call some of the parents on the phone in order to collect data. The summary of data is pictured here.

You can see that 18 people responded and some of those were people who had a lot of computer experience and were from middle class white-collar working families, had a computer in the home, and were involved with the education of their student.

The other half of my parents are from single parent homes, two parent homes, receive free and reduced lunch, SSI (Social Security Supplemental Income) funds, LINK and WIC funding from the state of Illinois. These parents have some computer skills and in some cases limited access to a computer, usually the public library. Some of these parents do not take a proactive stance when it comes to their students education. I had to reach these parents via a phone call and added their data. Providing transition information to these parents is important to the IEP process and to the future of their student as an adult with a disability.

I should find out that these parents do not have a clear understanding of what the transition process is all about, even though we have given out this information on several occasions and in some cases several years.

3. Games

It has been interesting that each months classes have given us more information, new tools, or tweak’s on the tools we already have used during this whole Action Research process. This months class will add more opportunity for my students to engage in the learning of functional life skills through a game. I anticipate making up a game either using a functional cooking skill or doing the laundry. The laundry lesson would be turned into a game and would utilize the original song “Laundry Laundry 123” from the MTE class as part of the game makeup. I could use the verses as hints during the playing of the game. I could make a game out of the different kitchen  utensils and appliances we use on a weekly basis in our cooking  program.

Gaming and Motivation Lesson Plan

LESSON PLAN

 Objective: Students will participate in a game that demonstrates the use of Web 2.0 tools that were used in class.

Materials Needed: Interactive Whiteboard, Active Expressions Remotes, Active Inspire Pens. Board must be in Dual Mode for some questions as indicated. Internet access.

Introduction: The class will review how they used the following Web 2.0 Tools:

Popplet

Word It Out

Comic Life

VoiceThreads

Use examples of students work for review.

Object of the game: Highest Score Wins between two teams

Teams must answer questions using: Matching, Multiple Choice, True False.

Setup: Interactive Whiteboard with Active Expression remotes assigned to each student.

Teams: Chosen by roll of the dice on the board. Evens VS Odds. Evens will be the first team up to start.

TEAMS RECEIVE A POINT FOR EACH CORRECT ANSWER.  TEAMS LOSE ONE POINT WHEN THEN EVIL INTERNET FILTER MAN APPEARS OR OTHERWISE INDICATED.

Word It Out

1. Word It Out produced what is called a Word Cloud

(Two Player Mode)

True                False

Point Value – One point for a correct answer

2. Word It Out was used to make a picture of descriptive adjectives

(Two Player Mode)

True                False

Point Value – One point for a correct answer

3. HEAD TO HEAD matchup between members from each team.

Uncover 3 descriptive adjectives on the board using the pens to drag the cover box away. Once you choose one it is yours. If the Evil Internet filter man is picked your lose your turn AND a point for your team.

Popplet

1. Popplet was used to talk about state facts? (Two Player mode)

True                  False

Point Value – One point for a correct answer

1. Popplet allowed you to type in facts about a state? (Two Player mode)

True                False

Point Value – One point for a correct answer

1. Head to Head – One member from each team is to make up 3 popplets about their state – Time limit 5 minutes – Program will be up and running on two workstation computers. The Evil Internet Man will show up on the board if they go over their time. Penalty is loose one point. Teams are rewarded one point for every correct fact in the popplet.

Comic Life

1. Comic Life was used to Illustrate facts about Spiders (Two Player mode)

True                      False

Point Value – One point for a correct answer

1. Comic Life was used to create a story of facts about your mammal (Two Player Mode)

True                      False

Point Value – One Point for a correct answer

1. HEAD TO HEAD – Each team member will uncover 5 mammal pictures and earn a point for each correct answer or loose a point for an

Incorrect answer. If they choose the Evil Internet Man the team looses a point and the other team is given a bonus point.

VoiceThread

1. VoiceThread is used to make short 30 second videos. (Two Player Mode)

True                False

Point Value – One point for a correct answer

2. Uncover 4 facts about VoiceTreads by dragging the box away to reveal a word. Receive one point for every correct answer. Loose a point if the Evil Internet Man Appears (Teacher keeps track of what team uncovers a correct answer)

3.VOICETHREADS allows for how many different types of comments

Multiple choice answers on the Active Expression Remote by the whole team. The team with the higher percentage of correct answer receives 5 points for their team.

1. 2
2. 4
3. 5
4. 1

Correct answer is b

Duel Mode must be set on Promethean board to make head to head competition possible.

Correct Answers will have a musical sound bite

Incorrect answers will reveal the Evil Internet Filter man.k

Month 10 AR Blog Post

1. Is there a connection between the data produced from your Cycles
and the research reported in your Literature Review?

Yes there is a connection between the data produced in my cycle and my Literature Review. The data shows that even students with special needs, and wide ranges of IQ’s can learn using many different learning styles, and methods. When these methods challenge a student and fully engage them through the use of different learning styles, students do learn the material. Web 2.0 tools can be used to teach these tools, and my students have been fully engaged as we used those tools.

2. How did your AR project turn out for you? Describe as a practioner,
how did this project improve your practice.

Teaching a Life Skills classroom has always been a challenge. We have no set curriculum to follow, and we must be able to adapt to many changes on any given day, week or month. Adapting to our students abilities and learning styles always is a challenge. This AR project has opened my eyes to a new set of technology tools that can be used by my students in a successful way. Creating video’s to train students on a Web 2.0 tool have become a lot easier. My students love to see and hear me on the big screen. I will continue to use the tools I have learning throughout this course of study, because I know it has made me a better teacher. I can truly say my students are engaged in their learning.

3. Is a personal learning environment or an LMO something that could
be part of your AR project in the future? Why or why not.

The LMS schoology is going to be what I will use. It will reach half of my parents, so that is better than nothing. The best thing is that schoology will help me be more organized as we set off together learning these Functional Life Skills that are needed as an adult. Posting assignments, gathering homework, and allowing students to collaborate and blog about each others work will be lots of fun. The grading portion of schoology will not be used much, because our school district uses Skyward as a gradebook.

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