Action Research Plan

Week Three Assignment, Part 1 – Writing an Action Research Question(s) or Problem Statement: How can the iPad benefit students with special needs? Can the teachers incorporate the use of the iPad into the curriculum to help benefit the students with special needs? Will the students be able to become more successful with the iPad, such as the students that are non-verbal? Could this be correlated into the students home to allow them to become more successful? Week Three Assignment, Part 2 – Developing an Action Research Plan Action Plan Goal: To find the benefits of the iPad with Special Needs students Action Steps Person Responsible Timeline: Start/End Needed Resources Evaluation Introduce some students to the iPads Lori Dyess May 2012/Dec. 2012 iPads and assistance from teachers and paraprofessionals. When we start to see the students use the iPads on their own successfully. Have non-verbal students work with iPads Lori Dyess January 2013/ May 2013 iPads and assistance from teachers and paraprofessionals, specified apps. Find if there was any improvement in social and educational situations. Have some students work with iPads on their own Lori Dyess January 2013/ May 2013 iPads and assistance from teachers and paraprofessionals, specified apps. Find if there was any improvement in social and educational situations. Week Three Assignment, Part 3 – Steps to Follow in Your Action Research Plan ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT PROCESS OVERVIEW 1. Examining the work: Setting the Foundation – in other words, identifying needs or topics for action research and this may emerge from the Site Based Decision Making Committee, or from needs like those identified in your intern plan. Through meetings and interviews with the teachers and paraprofessionals and other key stakeholders involved with the students that have special needs, it is known that these students could be a huge benefit especially for the non-speaking students and also a benefit for the other students as well. 2. Analyzing data – you have had many opportunities to do this, and you examined at least 9 data gathering strategies from your text in Part 2 of this week’s assignments. Research online how the iPad can benefit special needs students. There is a person that is trying to accomplish 500 iPads in 100 schools online, his name is Gary James. Look up articles that have information about the iPads with special needs students. Go to library and discover the information that can be acquired about the use of the iPad with special needs students. 3. Developing deeper understanding – these are additional data collection techniques, as well as, examining qualitative data through active listening, focus groups, etc. May come across situations where I need to find other ways to introduce or teach the iPad to the students. Possible find other questions and/or answers that I am not planning on at this time. Interview with teachers and other staff members to find the best way that the students could become successful and how they could incorporate the iPad into the curriculum. 4. Engaging in Self-Reflection – this summarizes much of what you have been doing in this course, and throughout the program, beginning with your many self-assessments of leadership in EDLD 5311. Did I find the correct way to introduce the devices successfully to the students? Did I communicate what was needed of the teachers and other staff members? Could I have done anything to make it better? What could have been done to make this more of a success? Does anyone need any more information about the project? Are the students, staff and teachers prepared to start the project? 5. Exploring Programmatic Patterns – This includes asking the appropriate questions, identifying data patterns and gaps, and learning to address equity issues. Discuss with site mentor and supervisor the pros and cons of the reflection. This will help me find more feasible solutions to any problems that I have encountered at this point. What areas need to be reexamined? 6. Determining direction – Working collaboratively to address action research questions, monitoring progress, and assessing achievement. Do I know what I want to achieve? Have I addressed the resources? Do I have a mutual approach to the project? Will the timelines be able to be accomplished? How successful will I be able to monitor the project? How can the level of success be measured? Will I be able to effectively rework and advance the progress on the plan based on the evaluation? 7. Taking action for school improvement – Using appropriate steps or templates like the SIP or PIP Plan of action to guide the action research. Develop a plan of action. Monitor the project and complete a summative evaluation of the results that I find upon completion of the project. 8. Sustaining improvement – Learning to use the tools of action research as an on-going process for professional development and school improvement. If the students are successful in the educational environment, I will share with others on my campus as well as others in the district that has students that could benefit from the use of iPads. I will also share with the other students in the class as well. Week Three Assignment, Part 4 – Sharing Your Action Research Plan, Progress, Findings, and Recommendations When sharing information about the project I will make sure that it is shared with my supervisor and my mentor. If the project is a success, I will share the information with the district administers to allow them to share with the other campuses as they see fit. In sharing this information, I will make sure that the people receiving the information will be aware of the reason that I chose this project. I have a special place in my heart for the special needs students and think that there are many other aspects in the world that could help them become more successful in the educational environment. I will make sure that I share the information that shows where I got my information from. To help back up my information that I give out I will have include how I achieved the outcome that I came up with in the end. I will have my resources listed along with the statements that back up my findings in my project. I will have a clear case as to why or why not the iPads are successful with the special needs students. To finally sum up the project, I will go through the process that I completed to find out the end result. In order to complete the summary I will have to analyze all aspects of the project as I complete each section and sometimes while doing the area is in process.