Class Reflection

I cannot believe it has already been 5 weeks! I have learned so much in this class, and I have developed a newfound passion of action research! I have enjoyed all the lectures, but I really enjoyed learning about the action research purpose and its effectiveness. The text chosen from the course, Leading with Passion and Knowledge , by Nancy Fichtman Dana, was enlightening. I really enjoyed learning about The Passions that drive your journey. Chapter two described finding a wondering, which unlocks inquiries that you are interested in and passionate about. I realized how much I enjoy implementing technology in the classroom, which led to me researching technology topics. After collaborating on the discussion board and other classmates’ blogs, I narrowed my topic to researching the flipped classroom method. Through my research I found so many wonderful resources. I also enjoyed creating our blogs. This cohort has worked so well together, I love the creation of a Facebook page. We would talk throughout the week and would help each other with questions or challenges. I thought that we assisted in each other and fed off of each other. I loved going through the blogs and hearing about what others plan to do their research on. To me, the blogs made the class smaller, I felt they I wasn’t alone on this journey.

I thought the web conferences were great, It was a time to ask questions, and to get direct feedback. I felt connected, and when  I couldn’t attend the web conferences, I would go back and watch them during any free time. Technology helped us stay together in this course. With that said, I think the discussion board was the most valuable resource. I enjoyed reading comments from my classmates, and I took their feedback into consideration.

Overall, I enjoyed this class, I enjoyed the collaboration with others. I look forward to moving on to my next course. With each completed course, I am adding to my learning, and I am looking forward to being a school leader even more. This course gave me the knowledge to make a change within my school and feel confident in doing so.

 

Action Research Plan and Week 3 Reflection

Action Planning Template
Goal: How can implementing a flipped classroom increase student achievement and engagement in the elementary classroom?
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Research and evaluate information on flipped classrooms at the elementary level	Debbie Wolff	Present 07/12- 08/20/12 Currently am researching various information on flipped classrooms, created pinterest board and joined “flipped classroom Network”	Created a pinterest board for flipped classrooms: Brianbennett.org Edudemic.org Edweek.com Knewton.com Flippedclassroom.org Flippedclassroom.com Youtube.com	Learn about the flipped classroom model; apply information to an elementary classroom. Watch various flipped recordings on different topics to gain an understanding about utilizing a flipped classroom.
Decide which days and lessons will be flipped lessons. I am planning to flip the lesson, not the entire class due to the elementary age and level of engagement.  Record actual lesson via flip camera or webcam	Debbie Wolff	8/30/12-6/5/2013	Brianbennett.org Edudemic.org Edweek.com Knewton.com Flippedclassroom.org Flippedclassroom.com Youtube.com Flip camera Web cam	Talk to other 3rd grade teachers, I want to introduce a topic using the flipped model. Have students and parents share their feedback on my website.
Choose 4 students at random from my math flipped classroom and 4 students from another 3rd grade general ed classroom. Assess their knowledge and understanding in a particular math topic. I want to compare and contrast their strengths and weaknesses.	Debbie Wolff	10/15/2012-1/15/2013	Irving ISD teks check and other formal district assessments, which will be documented at a later time.	Analyze overall scores for specific content, which was flipped and also compare similar content, which was taught as teacher led whole group.
Survey students in my flipped math classroom, on the following: Has watching a video before class helped them understand a math topic? Do they typically watch the video at home or at school? Would they prefer to work as a class to learn the lesson or on the computer?	Debbie Wolff	11/14/2012-3/15/2013	Survey monkey	Analyze data and compare to student testing data to rate effectiveness