Well, we come to the end of our second course! I have to say that both courses have been informative. I really liked the weekly web conferences. It was nice to see other's comments and question because many of them echoed my concerns. The people who had web cameras it was fun to put faces to names!

I am really looking forward to having a week off. Although I will start working on my internship and inquiry plan. Time goes by so fast. I don't want to be a cautionary tale of someone who didn't have any internship hours or un-researched topic.

For everyone who celebrate Easter; have a happy and safe one!

For all those who celebrate Passover;  chag Pesach sameach!

Wow! only one more week to go!!! Does anyone else feel like this went quicker than the first class? I met with my site supervisor and she was very positive about my plan. She also helped to insert my action research into my internship plans. I was trying to post it here but it just comes out a big white blob!  :-p 

I put it on my webpage that we made in EDLD 5311. Check it out if you want to.
WARNING!!! It is massive. 

https://sites.google.com/site/edtechwithmarydunn/my-combined-internship-and-action-research-plan-s

I still have to sit down with a calendar and put dates on it.  Did Dr. Abshire say we needed to have our research project done by our 7th class? I can't keep all this straight in my head.

I appreciate all the support that my followers give me. It is so nice to read everyone's comments.  

I apologize for the tardiness of this post. After meeting with my site supervisors and taking into consideration their input, this is the 2nd draft of my plan. I welcome any thoughts!

Action Research Plan
Goal: I want to find out if ACC students who have taken developmental class in reading, writing and math have gone on to take college-level classes and how many dropped out.
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
I will email each individual campus’ Supervisor of Admissions and Records and the Executive Director of Admissions and Records to determine how many students are currently enrolled in Developmental Reading, Writing, and/or Math classes.	Supervisor of Admissions and Records at the eight individual ACC campuses and Linda Kluck, Executive Director, Admissions and Records	3/25 - 4/18/2013	Access to the names and email addresses of the supervisors and the executive director of admissions and records.	This will give me a raw number of students enrolled in one or more developmental class to begin my study. I may need to narrow down the number of campuses that I will study.
Interview the instructor(s) of a Developmental Reading, Writing, and Math at the all or some of the   campuses I decide to study.	Instructors of a Developmental class.	4/22-6/22/2013	Access to the individual instructors. Compile a list of questions for the interviews.	By interviewing the instructors I can find out how their classes are progressing and other positive or negative factors of teaching these classes.
Gather online data from other 2 year colleges for the type of developmental classes that are offered.	Mary Dunn	5/20-7/12/2013	Access to online services and search engines such as Google, Yahoo, Bing	I will be able to compare other 2 year college developmental class enrollment to ACC’s.
Pass out questionnaire to students currently in a developmental class to anonymously answer about the experience they have had in class.	Mary Dunn	6/10-7/3/2013	Develop a questionnaire. Access to classes	This will enable me to find out just how students taking these classes feel about them.
Compile answers to the completed questionnaires	Mary Dunn	7/8-7/26/2013	Completed questionnaires	I be able to determine the number of positive and/or negative answers to the questions.
Conduct interviews the staff of ACC Learning Labs	Mary Dunn, Staff of learning labs	8/5-8/23/2013	Access to the Learning Lab Staff. Compile a list of questions for the interview.	I will find out how the resources of the Learning Labs are utilized by students enrolled in at least one developmental class
Interview the instructors for results of the   MATD 0332 (Math Plus) Basic Math with Collaborative Learning that ACC is piloting	Mary Dunn Instructors of MATD 0332	9/3-9/13/2013	Access to instructors of MATD 0332 and their classrooms/labs Compile interview questions.	I will be able to find out how effective this new math class is. It has only been offered in the Spring and Summer ’13 Semester.
Conduct research both online and in literature about other alternative developmental classes being planned or  piloted	Mary Dunn	9/23-10/5/2013	Access to internet and search engine. Access to ACC and Lamar Library.	I will discover if there are any alternatives to developmental classes.
Obtain statistics on the success rate of students enrolled in developmental classes and  then proceeded to enroll in  college-level courses	Mary Dunn Admission and Records offices	10/14-11/1/2013	Access to records of students who transitioned from developmental to college-level classes.	I will be able to  determine if developmental class help students to succeed in college level classes
I will analyze and compare data that I have compiled through the inquiry research project.	Mary Dunn	11/4-11/29/2013	Access to all data collected	This will be allow me to compare and contrast the information that I have received through this project.
Prepare a report on my findings and present it to my site supervisor and other interested parties.	Mary Dunn	1/2014	Final report	This will be the culmination of my study.

Week 2 reflections

The videos of the 3 leaders was good to watch.  They all had some really good points. They all seem to work really hard. I think it was interesting to hear from the different positions: principal, director of research and superintendent. I could see how action research works on all levels. I was very impressed about the different foundations that are funding the studies. You have to put a lot of work in to receive that kind of resources.

I liked reading how different schools started their wonderings to begin an action research paper. I especially enjoyed the action research that the principal from Park Forest Elementary School in Pennsylvania. I liked the way the whole school participated in the project and each grade had it's own grade/age appropriate observation journals. The way she incorporated all the levels of core curriculum in the environmental project. I am a true believer in hands on experiences are the best form of learning.

Thanks to everyone who commented on my post last night. You all gave me great advice!

I struggled with this week's assignment. This was mainly due to not feeling connected to the readings. The readings dealt with principal action. Since I do not wish to get my principal certification I found it hard to focus on the "passions." I feel that my research topic about developmental classes in a community college setting is a good one. So week 3...Here I come...ready or not.

How blogging is usefull to educational leaders

Blogs are useful to educational leaders in that they reach a wider readership. Educational leaders that are thousands of miles away can converse with each other without having to travel to meet. Blogging helps educators to reflect on their day to day practices in order to become more intentional in the things that they do. Blogging just makes sense in the techno based world.

What I have learned about action research

This has been a very informative week for me. When I first saw the subject of this EDLD 5301 course "Action Research" I thought "What the heck is that???" I have now learned that action research is a much more personal type of research in the educational realm. Instead of looking at the research of others and regurgitating statistics and data. I have chosen a topic that is of great interest to me. I acknowledge that I have a negative bias against the topic that I have picked. I hope to be pleasantly surprised and find that developmental (remedial) classes in the context of higher education (community college) are helpful. I promise to keep an open mind in order to become a successful educational leader.

I now feel confident that I will be able to move forward with my research and hopefully make a difference in my "little corner" of the world and beyond. A part of me is afraid that I am opening a "Pandora's box" and the powers that be are not going to be happy with my findings. I have found that some my associates are very closed minded. My site supervisor supports my project and that makes me feel a little better.

Action research is the perfect venue to explore the pros and cons of developmental classes in higher education. I hope to find answers to my questions about this practice. Is it helpful? Is it worth the time and effort of both the students and instructors? Is there something better out there that would help people that want to go to college but lack the knowledge or skills to be successful in college level classes?  It is nice that I will be getting feedback from my peers.