EDLD 5397 Internship for Supervision

Week Discussion:

Part 2A) Share at least two internship activities you experienced that led to significant learning (knowledge and/or skill)

Two internship activities I experienced that led to significant learning were completing and compiling the campus comprehensive needs assessment and serving as campus technology champion. The Campus Needs Assessment provided information about demographics, student achievement, school culture and climate, staff quality, recruitment and retention, curriculum, instruction and assessment, family and community involvement, school organization, and technology. I learned the importance of teachers working collaboratively as a team to research, compile and develop the objectives for the campus improvement plan based on the comprehensive needs assessment.

Serving as the campus technology coordinator for Classwork is the second activity that I have experience significant skills. I had the responsibility of monitoring, updating, and importing data into this program. I learned that some teachers never used the program and others used it occasionally. The district spent several thousands of dollars to implement this program to help our students with math, reading, and science in grades 1-5. I experienced teachers and students not remembering passwords and usernames. Some teachers thought the computer lab was the only place this program can be utilized and others allowed their students to use it in workstations.

Part 2B) What was one of the biggest surprises you experienced thus far in your internship (can be positive or negative; if negative, please omit any reference to school or personnel)?

One of the biggest surprises I have experienced thus far in my internship is how some teachers are reluctant to learning new technology or using it with their students. I have provided workshops on how to use Smart Notebook and interactive whiteboard activities. Some teachers complain about having to attend the training and refuse to participate in any of the activities. Their attitudes and behavior surprise me because I have always admired their classroom management. This experience provided me with some insight about how some teachers refuse to change to meet the 21st Century learners. 

Week 2 Discussion:

Part 2A)Identify your progress and gaps in mastery of the national standards (ELCC and/or ISTE Administrator/TF) and/or state competencies.

The greatest progress I have made has been in the areas of Technology Leadership Standards I, II, III, and V. In TL I, I have offered and participated in a variety of professional development opportunities that facilitated the continued growth and development of the understanding of technology operations and concepts, such as PD360, Classworks, and Educational Technology courses.I have provided training to our staff on PD360, Pearson Success, Smart Notebook 10 and various campus initiatives.Another activity I completed to help improve my leadership was modeling and providing assistance to teachers using Skyward and Atomic Learning.

In EDLD 5364, I learned how to collaborate using Google Docs to work on a group project. I was unaware of the resources available until I enrolled in the Educational Technology program at Lamar University.During this activity, I learned collaborative groups can benefit the gifted and talented students because it can provide them with the ability to explore and share ideas with other gifted and talented students across the globe without ever meeting them or leaving the classroom. Groups can help meet the diverse needs of the students. As a leader I must facilitate the development of professional learning communities to support instructional improvement, analyze instructional resources, and evaluate programs to help address the needs of all learners. This activity help me to increase my understanding in TL IV.

One area I still need to address is Technology Leadership Standard VI. I have not had the opportunity to teach my students about cyber ethic and legal issues because my school has move twice during the last year and half.At the new building, we are having problems with some programs not being compatible with the new system.

Part 2B)What has been the biggest surprise to you in your understandings? (can be positive or negative-please omit names if negative)

One big surprise from my learning and understanding has been how much free software and programs available to use with students.One such program has been Scratch.Scratch is a great program to create interactive stories, animations, games, music, and art to share on the web.Another program available on PCs is Window Movie Makers.I was amazed about how easy these programs can be incorporated into a learning environment. 

Week 3 Discussion:

APA

I learned from the tutorial that APA (American Psychological Association) was written by social and behavioral scientists to make writing consistent, simply and concise in the sciences. It has standardized how quotes, references, research papers, citations, and format are used. APA provides a guide to formatting the margins, font, page numbers, indention, and titles. Also, it shows how to write with non-bias language. I truly did not understand APA writing until I attend Lamar University in 2008. Since graduating in 2009, APA has published the sixth edition with reference to citing the electronic sources. I have encountered difficulties with APA quotes from electronic sources without page numbers, but I am improving with practice.

IRB

My district does not have an IRB policy but it does have an education research policy that states anyone researching information about students for education research must use de-identified student level data from education records by attaching a code to each record that may allow the recipient to match information received from the same source. The information used for research must follow FERPA. Lamar IRB policy follows all federal laws and guidelines for using human resources and must have written permission from the human research target. I researched the district’s website for policies on human research practice and did not find one for human research.

Action Research Plan

The purpose of my action research is to determine if the use of repeated reading of poetry is beneficial to students who struggle with fluency in primary grades. As a second grade teacher, I plan to utilize the repeated reading strategy to determine how effectively it is in small and whole group instruction with struggling readers. The progress of plan is on schedule, since it was developed in 2009. It has some limitations because the expand of the research period. I have been using DMAC data to track the progress of my students onTPRI to determine if repeated reading is improving fluency. My site mentor and I met on January 30, 2012 to discuss my internship plan and action research plan.

Week 4 Discussion:

Part 1: Share a brief overview of your Action Research Project and why you chose to work on this topic.

The purpose of my action research is to determine if the use of repeated reading of poetry is beneficial to students who struggle with fluency in primary grades. As a second grade teacher, I plan to utilize the repeated reading strategy to determine how effectively it is in small and whole group instruction with struggling readers. This study will involve second grade students who are classified “at-risk”, reading on level and students reading above level. The data will be collected from the first ten weeks when the students will not be exposed to repeated reading of poetry and the last ten weeks students will read poetry chorally in whole and small group settings. Finally, I will compare data collected on the beginning, middle, and ending TPRI and four Rigby PM Assessment given throughout the year to determine if this repeated reading and poetry made a difference in the fluency rate.
As a second grade teacher, I begin each year with struggling readers and by the end of the year; they are required, by the TEKS, to read at 90 words per minute. Once students begin to decode individual words automatically and rapidly, they are on their way to becoming fluent readers. A second grade student who is reading at 60 words per minute or less also need help achieving automaticity through practice opportunities on a regular basis. I want to determine how I can implement poetry effectively in my classroom to ensure that my students develop into fluent readers. Using new strategies for increasing achievement is important for me as I strive to improve my instructional approaches each year. This action research will allow me to use the data in my classroom to determine if my use of poetry and repeated reading is beneficial to all of my students. I hope to find different ways of incorporating these strategies in my classroom to help all readers, and especially struggling readers, develop a love for reading and increase their reading achievement.

Part 2A and B: Describe the importance of this Comprehensive Report, and how it may contribute to improving your professional development, as well as addressing an important topic of leadership and learning. Part 3: Draft Action Research Project Report (Continued from Week 3)

The importance of the Comprehensive Report is for me to monitor progress of student’s learning, and the degree of implementation of teaching and learning strategies through multiple data sources. The use of a variety of assessment and the observation approach to collect evidence of learning is an important factor. Reflecting upon the curricular and strategic plan for teaching reading will allow me the opportunity to make adjustments based on evidence of successful learning and teaching. The Comprehensive Report is similar to the comprehensive needs assessment the District Improvement team is currently undergoing to help develop the district goals. Reflective analysis of the data gives me a chance to think about my personal knowledge and skills that I have obtained during my action research work in order to establish a baseline from which I can gauge my learning. The research can be improved when I share my learning with others to help us focus on areas of growth and adjustments that I need to make with my students to improve fluency.

Week 5 Discussion:

 Part 2A: Discussion Board -Identify professional, state organizations that have helped you in your internship. (Remember no names and/or titles).

I have had the opportunity to participate in three professional organizations. One organization has given me the experience of becoming a trainer to help provide professional development for other members and leaders.I have trained on the power of language, developing community partnerships, and organizing for change.This organization indirectly has improved my ability to be a leader of change for the 21st Century learner.Another organization I serve as a board of director member and have learned how to develop budgets, how to handle personnel issues, how to negotiate during grievances, keep current about education laws, and how to advocate for policies and funds to support the 21st Century learner.The last organization has provided me with a lot of valuable information to help on my journey to becoming a 21st Century Leader.It provides me with useful webinar for principals, blogs with tips and tricks, and online learning community. All these organization have indirectly assisted with my ability to fulfill my internship by providing me with opportunities to network in a leadership role.

Part 2B: Give a brief explanation. - In working with parent groups, what has been your greatest surprise? (Remember no names and/or titles).

Over the years, I have become less surprised by parents.Parents just want the best for their children. Overall, parents participate in PTA and attend programs.Each year I organize Public School Week for my campus and have over 400 parents to attend the breakfasts provided for mothers, fathers, and grandparents during the week.The biggest surprise I guess would be the involvement of our parents from one minority group has declined. The recent change in demographics has caused another group of students’ parent to become involved in all activities, which requires us to have a translator for all meetings.