Week 1-What is classroom research and how can I improve technology integration in my classroom

Action research is a practical way to look at your work to make sure it is really what you would like. Since action research is done by the individual it is also referred to as practitioner based research (J.M. 2002). The key idea of self reflection is vital to the idea of classroom research. It is important for teachers to reflect on how effectively they are incorporating technology. They also need to be able to adapt to new forms of technology and put in the effort to learn it enough for it to begin to be utilized on a daily basis.

The basic steps of an action research process constitute an action plan (Sagor 2000):

·  Selecting a focus

·  Clarifying theories

·  Identifying research questions

·  Collecting data

·  Analyzing data

·  Reporting results

·  Taking informed action

Teachers need to remember that action research is open ended. They must not start with a fixed question. Teachers should instead start with a idea that they would like to explore further. According to McNiff, the “research process of following through the idea, seeing how it goes, and continually check whether it is in line with what you wish to happen (pg 6).” Action research should help you live in a way that you feel is good (Raunch pg 15).

When relating action research to improving technology integration, one should focus on how do I improve my work. Teachers should constantly be thinking of ways to improve how they deliver information to their students using technology. Technology can be used to help students who may be struggling with a specific idea or topic. While this helps an individual student it may help more, so is always work trying.

Taking what teachers learn before they are in a classroom is important to remember, but the majority of ideas and forms of implementing technology are best explored in a classroom. This is because it is much easier to practice effective implementation of technology with actual students to assess the success or failure of a new technology. Teaches must also utilize the knowledge of their fellow teachers and principals to avoid mistakes when implementing technology (Terrance, 2000).

           

J.M. (2002). Action Research for Professional Development: Concise Advice for New Action Researchers. Retrieved September 15, 2017, from http://www. actionresearch.net/living/bentwood/bapp.pdf

Raunch, F., Schuster, A., T., Pribilla, M., & Townsend, A. (2014). Promoting Change through Action Research. Retrieved September 15, 2017.

Sagor, R. (2000). Guiding School Improvement with Action Research. Retrieved September 15, 2017, from http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/100047/chapters/What-Is-Action-Research.aspx

Terrance, E. (2000). Action Research for Professional Development: Concise Advice for New Action Researchers. Retrieved September 15, 2017 from https://www.brown.edu/academics/education-alliance/sites/brown.edu.academics.education-alliance/files/publications/act_research.pdf