Week 3 Assignment, Part 3
Draft Action Research Project Progress Report
Action Research Draft Report
Paula Ceaser
James Madison High School – Houston ISD
What are the effects of technology on Classroom and Students?
I felt that on my campus that it was a need to focus on technology since the world as we know it today is focused on using technology. When students are using technology as a tool or a support for communicating with others, they are in an active role rather than the passive role of recipient of information given by a teacher, textbook, or broadcast. The student is actively making choices about how to generate, obtain, manipulate, or display information.
Students in a ninth grade math class through teacher guidance will be allowed to use technology to collaborate and elaborate classroom learning. For many students this will be the first time to use such a collaborative technological resource. I am hoping that this new format will excite and encourage communication and collaboration that will facilitate classroom learning.
Using Web 2.0 tools such as blogs can enhance learning. “Blogs promote open dialogue and encourage community building in which both the bloggers and commenters exchange opinions, ideas, and attitudes.” ( Solomon, G. & Schrum, L. (2007). P55) The use of blogs is a good way to differentiate learning for students. It is important to reach all students, and make learning more meaningful and relevant. “It is a wonderful way to differentiate student learning.” (Pitler, H, Hubbel, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007).P35) “Using a blog truly promotes an interactive learning experience.” ( November, A. (2010)p43)
I met with two ninth grade teachers and explained my action research project. I also discussed the need to raise math scores and that I was hoping that the implementation of blogs would help. I shared the research that supported my plan.
To help eliminate the chance for lack of implementation I set up classroom blog for each teacher and showed them how to log on, make posts, and help students to log on. I used an educational blog site so that the teachers would feel more comfortable with the implementation of their use. Facebook has often given blogs a negative connotation in education circles. I again stressed the research that blogs can enhance learning. I also made sure that teachers understood how the use could help them differentiate learning.
During periodic planning meetings I would check to see if teachers were using the blogs and how they were implementing them in the classroom. One teacher tried to implement the blogs, but she utilized them to their fullest potential. She would erase student inputs between classes instead of letting all her classes collaborate. I tried to work with her to stop this and explain that even if one student copied what another student wrote they were learning. It may be that the student did not have the knowledge to write on their own, so by copying it was reinforcing learning and helping to remediate. The other teacher were not implementing blogs into their classroom and I continued to try to get their buy in and implementation of blogs.
Because blogs can help differentiate learning it will help all students especially those with special needs. Through communicating with classmates an ESL/bilingual will be able to see English grammar modeled. Because blogs are typed at the students own pace, students that require more time for assignments can take it without being conscious for their slow production responses. They can also work from various sites including home, computer lab, public library, and auxiliary classroom computers.
Resources
November, A. (2010). Empowering students with technology. Thousand Oaks,
CA: Corwin.
Pitler, H, Hubbell, E, Kuhn, M, & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with
classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Solomon, G, & Schrum, L. (2007). Wev 2.0 new tools, new schools.
Washington, DC: International Society for Technology in Education.
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