Overall, I really enjoyed this course. The textbooks I believe are going to continue to be a resource I will continue to use even beyond receiving my master’s degree. Examining What We Do To Improve Our Schools will be a valuable tool when working on my Action Research project. It is basically handbook for completing and reporting on the project. I have also really enjoyed Leading With Passion And Knowledge. As I am entering my new position of Academic Director I intend to use this text as a guide with analyzing the data I will collect and how I will further implement my project for the good of my students. I have mentioned it before, but I would like to reiterate that all of the readings we have done for this class have directly correlated with our assignments. This has made the readings so much more enjoyable and worthwhile to make time for the readings. Other courses have assigned the readings on top of the assignments and they may not always connect with the assignment. The readings then become less meaningful and harder to accomplish when working a full time job and trying to complete an internship.
While I have enjoyed the weekly lectures, I believe
I would have gotten more out of them if the focus of the lecture was in regards
to that week’s assignment. With the last course I took, the instructor started
the lecture by focusing us on the upcoming assignment. I truly believe that is the benefit of having
the lecture at the beginning of the week.
In regards to our discussion boards, from what I can
tell there is a basic group of the same people who are will continue from class
to class as a group. I look forward to
the time that we all realize that we are here to help each other and are able
to utilize the discussion board to ask one another for help not just as posting
as a part of our assignments. To date when I have asked my peers for help or to
get clarification on a topic and have posted to the discussion board, I have
not received a response. I hope this
will evolve for us all as we continue to move forward.
I believe my blog has been my favorite part of this
course. I used a blog with my students
last year and really enjoyed receiving their responses. I have also added blogging as a tool for data
collection on my Action Research Plan.
The only problem I have come across to date is getting people to follow
me. As much as I have to say it, I hope
that peer responses will not be a part of our assignment in the future. It is really hard to have rely on other
people in order to complete your assignment.
I have not yet had any luck with finding any other
research projects that deal with student writing. I am not going to let that discourage me
though. It would be less complicated to use another’s research as a guide for
ideas of what has worked or not worked.
However, my biggest focus with my project is what my site supervisor
feels would benefit our students the most.
