Action Research Report(updated)
Abstract or
Executive Summary
(This
is a ½ to 1 page executive review of the completed action research study -
basically, an overall summary. Wait
until you have the results and conclusions of your research study to write this. The purpose of an abstract is for the reader
to quickly see if this is a report that they wish to read. So, be sure to include the basics, i.e.,
school, location, problem addressed, intervention, and results as clearly and
succinctly as possible.)
The Effectiveness of Wireless Internet and
Bring-Your-Own-Device on Freshmen STAAR Scores
By: Dawn Walker
Introduction
/ Background (Section One)
As we continue into the 21st century, technology is our
future, so it was inevitable that our education system continued to move toward
more technology learning in the classroom. Robinson High School, a suburban 3A
public school in central Texas, installed wireless internet and provided all
students and teachers with a login to the system. As a science and technology teacher,
I was compelled to find a way to use the wireless access to improve my freshmen
biology EOC scores. Our English scores
and our overall Hispanic student scores were also a source of concern, so the
need to improve scores and justify the time, effort, and money put in to
implement wireless internet and BYOD made sense to go together into research to
improve our school.
Several challenges were imminent as I proceeded through my research. The
first challenge was the technology itself. Looking back, the teachers should
have been trained on initially getting their students onto the system and
ensuring that all devices worked properly. Another issue was that not all
students have a device to access the network.
In order to address the challenge, I donated several devices and I am
looking at inviting others to do the same. When I am teaching and using the
technology, I must either have an alternative to using devices such as using
individual whiteboards or assign groups with at least 1 device per group.
The problems that I
confronted during my research were numerous. First, we had a late change in
principals which did not allow me to communicate my wants and the project
itself as we started school. The next
problem was teaching schedule changes starting the 2012-2013 school year. I did
not end up getting my technology integration PLC period in which I intended to
use to help the teachers with technology usage and training. The last problem
that I confronted was the lack of enthusiasm by the teachers to try to put the
use of technology into their lessons.
Ultimately, I would
like to find out if or how the technology helps our students be more successful
on the End-of-Course tests, specifically in my area of biology and the previously
low-performing English/reading tests. There are several sub-questions that I
hope to answer along the way such as
- How
are inquiry and reflection fostered by using tech tools and devices?
- What
supports are needed to help teachers utilize devices in the learning
process?
- How
are teachers using devices in class?
- What
can I learn from their implementation that would help spread this work
among other teachers?
- How
can we use devices to better prepare our students for tests?
- What
are students’ attitudes towards device use in class?
- How
can we help all students have devices to use in class?
- What
has worked/not worked in other schools implementing BYOD?
- Is
there a significant increase in biology and English EOC scores for
freshmen?
- Is the
increase in scores in part due to the implementation of BYOD?
As in all cases, the
students ultimately should benefit from my research. The outcomes for the
students will hopefully include improvement in attitudes about their learning,
increased effort in problem-solving and inquiry, and overall improvement in
test scores. Overall, my study will add to student academic achievement in the
classroom.
BYOD – Bring Your Own
Device – Students are allowed to bring their own tablets, handheld devices, smart
phones, and computers to connect to the wireless internet and use in class.
EOC – End of Course
Exam that students are given in Texas at the end of the year to test their
achievement in each core subject area
Literature
Review (Section Two)
Even though technology
use is increasing in our students, schools do not have the funding to provide
1:1 computing for each student. Bring Your Own Device is a less expensive
alternative to providing each student a computer or even worse, not letting
them use technology at all. Many articles and blogs are currently addressing
the reasons for and even the reasons against BYOD. Scott Meech states that BYOD is the future of
Ed Tech. In his article on the website EdReach, Meech goes on to say that
trying to ban devices costs the school resources, has a negative impact on
school culture, and prevents more effective learning in the classroom
(2011).
In his list of pros and
cons, Ianin Sheffield lays out many more benefits to learning such as new
horizons becoming apparent and BYOD supporting independent learning. His cons
list offers many cons, but none of which decrease learning (2011). After
looking at the research, Robinson ISD board members, superintendent, and
technology leaders decided that BYOD was the path that our school district
would take.
(more research to be added)
Action
Research Design (Section Three)
Subjects
The target population
for the research study is all freshmen at Robinson High School. These freshmen
will be taking four End-of-Course exams in May of their 9th grade
year.
To begin the research, in July 2012, I sat down with my other campus
integration specialist and we reviewed the tools that we already knew about and
how they could be used in the classroom. Then before the new school year
started, I started looking into blogs and research on the internet about what
other schools were doing with their BYOD and more tools and applications to
use. I have continued to do this throughout the research process. At the
beginning of school we shared some tools briefly at faculty meetings, but due
to having new administration and not enough time to meet to discuss time during
the beginning of school in-service, we did not get to present these the way we
wanted. So in early October, we planned 2 hours of in-service specifically related
to using tools in the classroom. Due to a change in scheduling, my PLC period
had to be removed and I have not been able to visit with the subject areas to
assist them in using technology specifically suited to their subject area. I
have consulted with different students and teachers about the technology that
is being used in class for the last 4 months and found that it is not being
used as often as I would like. My plan
is to meet with the technology director and administer a survey to the freshmen
students in the next few weeks. The survey will find out how many are
consistently bringing devices to class, which classes they are using those
devices in and how often they are using them. I also plan to go into some
classes that are using the technology and observe how the teachers are
individually using it as we get closer to testing. My next data collection will
come when we get the EOC test results back for the freshmen, which will most
likely be in late May 2013. My final survey for the year will be surveying the
teachers during the last week of school. I would like to focus that survey on
finding out how often the teachers used the technology and how they feel the
program can be improved. Communication used to monitor the project has been
through emails, meetings, and interviews.
In order to build a shared vision for
the project, we met as a faculty to discuss possibilities and attend
in-services for the BYOD and how to incorporate the technology into the
classroom. Motivation for teachers has included recognition for using
technology in the classroom through the Get Spotted program. This program
identifies those using technology and rewards them with wearing jeans with
their Get Spotted t-shirt and puts them into a drawing for free technology such
as iPads and other comparable items. Parents have been notified of the use of
technology tools in the classroom and many calls have been fielded to answer
questions and discuss students bringing technology devices to school. Outside
of parents and students, I do not know of any specific communication with
non-parent community member regarding the technology use in school. I would
like to involve the community more by asking them to donate new or used devices
to the school for use by students who do not have access to devices on their
own.
Data
Collection
Data collection will
include informal discussions with teachers and students as I receive
information of technology usage in classrooms, observations, surveys, and test
score data. Two surveys will be administered. The first will be a survey of all
freshmen. It will include multiple choice opinion questions that are yet to be
determined. The second survey will be with the teachers in the school. I will look at the group responses as a whole
but also look at freshmen teachers as a group also. To disseminate my final results, I will analyze
the surveys from the students and the teachers, and the end-of –course test
results. To help make recommendations for the school and the teachers, I will
utilize the technology director, the principal, and the freshmen teachers with
the overall goal of promoting school improvements.
Managing
Resources
Managing resources for this
project has not been difficult. The monetary resources needed to implement the
wireless came from the school and were going to be spent regardless. There are no monetary resources necessary to
run the program. The human resources included using teachers to present
technology in the classroom that they were already using. Because the presentations
were during school time, teachers were eager to help.
Skills that are
necessary for this program include technology skills, planning skills, and
communication skills. High technology skills are needed to be able to use the
technology and show the teachers how to use it. Communication skills are
essential to get the teachers to not only buy into the program but also
effectively share instructions with them so that they are comfortable to use it
in the classroom. Planning skills were used to plan the in-service and the
appropriate steps to get from the beginning of the plan to the end. No
community resources were utilized to implement the project.
Findings
(Section Four)
Data will be collected, analyzed, and added as it
becomes available.
Conclusions
and Recommendations (Section Five)
Conclusions will be made at the end of the study.
Improvement
to the School Learning Community and Culture
What I hope to see at
the end of the project is that anyone can walk into any classroom in the school
and when appropriate, teachers are allowing the students to utilize technology
tools and devices for achievement and assessment. I also hope to see a significant increase in
End-of Course scores.
|
Subject Area
|
2011-2012
Scores
|
2012-2013
Scores
|
|
Biology EOC
|
|
|
|
English EOC
|
|
|
|
Algebra I EOC
|
|
|
|
World Geography EOC
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Effects on school
culture will be assessed after final data has been collected.
School
Professional Growth Plan
Professional Growth
Plan for the 2013-2014 school year:
(Growth plan goals will
be added after data collection)
Tags
Bring
Your Own Device, BYOD, technology, freshmen transition
References
(Final Section)
