Action Research Plan

Action Research Plan
Goal:	To determine if general education teachers are able to provide the necessary accommodations and modifications to special education students and if not, how can we better support these teachers in meeting the needs of our students with disabilities?
Action Steps	Person Responsible	Timeline	Resources	Evaluation
Examine AEIS reports for Galena Park ISD schools from 2009-2012	Ebony Toliver	Aug. 2012-Sept. 2012	AEIS Reports from Texas Education Agency	N/A
Survey general education teachers with at least 3 special education students in the areas of Reading and Math to ascertain level of support they currently receive and highlight areas of improvement.	Ebony Toliver	Aug. 2012 - Oct. 2012	Survey Monkey Survey Questions
Interview general education teachers to ascertain knowledge of IEP's, special education process, interventions for special education students, and appropriate accommodations and modifications.	Ebony Toliver	Aug. 2012 - Oct. 2012	Dictation of notes from interview.	Ascertain general knowledge of the special education process including IEP;s allowable accommodations, appropriate accommodations and frequency of use.
Observe general education teachers during Reading/Math instruction.	Ebony Toliver	Oct. 2012 - Jan. 2013	Dictation of notes from observation.	Look for types of accommodations/modifications in use, student familiarity, and how the special education students are included in the instruction
Examine professional development opportunities offered to general education teachers in the district that pertain to providing appropriate acc. and mod. to special education students and how many general education teachers attend.	Ebony Toliver	June. 2012 - May 2013	List of attendees List of all professional development opportunities	Percentage of General education teachers who attend
Examine the district assessments throughout the year to gage improvement among the special education population.	Ebony Toliver	Aug. 2012 - May 2013	District assessment scores from Eduphoria software, breakdown by SE(Student Expectation) and Objective	Graph of Results compared across schools in the district
Interview special education teachers to determine the various levels of support provided to general education teachers throughout the year.	Ebony Toliver	Aug. 2012 - Oct. 2012	Dictation of notes from interviews.	Use interview notes to determine disparities between the level of support special education teachers feel they provide versus the level of support general education teachers feel they receive.
Survey special education teachers in the areas of Reading and Math to ascertain level of support they currently provide and highlight areas of improvement.	Ebony Toliver	Aug. 2012 - Oct. 2012	Survey Monkey Survey Questions
Observe special education teachers during pullout sessions or during in class support during reading/math instruction.	Ebony Toliver	Oct. 2012 - Jan. 2013	Dictation of notes from observations.	Look for types of accommodations/modifications in use, student familiarity, and how the instruction meets the needs of the special education population.
Compile data and notes from interviews and observations to determine areas of strength and improvement.	Ebony Toliver	May 2013 - Aug. 2013	All data collected.

Week 5: EDLD 5363

In the final week of the course my group just wanted to make sure we had our finishing touches on our video and that it met all of the stated requirements. Group work is usually one of my least favorite tasks during the coursework. I feel that our group of three were able to communicate and compromise even while facing scheduling and location challenges. We each had different visions for what our project should look like but we were able to collaborate in such a way to make our final product something that we could all be proud of. Each member was willing to work and do their fair share which made this assignment so much easier to accomplish. Videos are a great teaching tool but they take time to perfect. I am currently looking at ways to integrate video technology into my lessons and with the advent of iPod's, camera phones it is so much easier to record and edit than in the past. It has been an interesting course and presented a variety of challenges but overall I learned a lot of new and innovative ways to incorporate technology into education.

Week 4: Multimedia and Video Technology

Collaboration in the classroom has been a relatively stagnant process. Video technology and other types of multimedia is a great way to introduce lessons and ideas into the classroom. It is becoming easier to find and connect with anyone in many new and expanding ways including mobile phones, email, instant messaging, social networks and blogs. Web cams and built-in microphones are just a couple of ways to utilize this type of technology.  Technology has rapidly improved the ability to collaborate and communicate with others in a school setting.

Week 3: EDLD 5363 - Web Conference

This week we were asked to join a group of 3 to 5 members to create an video that introduces a core concept.  We were able to read up on the Do's and Don'ts of shooting a video including camera shots, lighting and angles. I must say that it was a lot of information to take in! I feel like I need sophisticated equipment instead of the IPOD touch that I plan to shoot my video with. Being able to collaborate with a group and bounce ideas off of each other has been a welcome relief. I am not usually eager to work with a group especially they way our courses are formatted with people being all over the state and sometimes the country.  The web conference on Monday helped clarify the our group assignment and answered all of the questions that I had prior. The web conferences usually allow me to see things from the viewpoints of the other students. With the online format I often miss the interactions that you normally get in a face to face class. So far I'm on track and plan to make the most out of the course. I have already though of different ways that I can integrate video into my classroom lessons both for myself and my students.

EDLD 5363 Week 2 Reflection

Another exciting week! This week we were tasked with exploring Audacity, Lame and Creative Commons.  I am normally pretty hesitant to download free programs for fear of viruses but I had previous experience with Audacity and knew it to be relatively safe.  Audacity is a program that allows you to create and edit audio.  Lame is the program that you need to export the audio files in the mp3 format. I found the program to be relatively easy to use and pretty extensive for a free program. I also was able to receive a Creative Commons license to in essence copyright the podcast that I created and determine my sharing rights. The biggest task in creating the podcast was in the timing. We were working within a 2 minute minimum and it was very difficult to be detailed yet brief! Overall I learned a lot and will be able to share this information with students and colleagues.

EDLD 5363 Week 1 Reflection

This week I created a personal digital story using Photo Story 3.  I was a bit leery about the assignment in the beginning since it was geared toward the personal rather than general or professional. I am usually a bit hesitant to share personal aspects of my life with others. I finally decided on reading as a topic because it is a passion for me and I thought that it would be a great way to relate a little bit about myself without delving too deeply. Once I decided upon my topic the rest was easy. It took some time to find just the right pictures to express my script.

I enjoyed reading the posts of my classmates and many of the other stories were very touching and moving in different ways. I learned about hobbies that I had never even heard of! I was able to explore ways to incorporate digital story telling into my classroom as well through the readings. This will definitely be an assignment that I will use with my students!

Week Five - Teaching with Technology

During week five I was able to explore a variety of ways to use technology with classroom instruction. By exploring the web 2.0 tools, it enabled me to brainstorm different ways to use these tools to help students access the general curriculum.

Technology also allows student with disabilities and other impairments to participate more fully with their general education peers. We've discussed collaborative groups and how they allow students to communicate and discuss their knowledge and mastery of the content.

One of the final thoughts that resonated with me during week five is allowing students to set goals and track their efforts. I think the simple process of setting goals empowers student to take control of their learning.