Apple never ceases to amaze me with their applications for tablets. I found today's session very meaningful because of all of the resources I became aware of. Admittedly I downloaded quite a few apps on my phone as Dr. Dunn was sharing them. Sessions like today are what many teachers need. There is a wide world of technology at teachers' fingertips but rarely any professional development on the use of technology for instruction. My school is one of the fortunate exceptions, however.

New Albany Elementary has instructional coaches in the areas of math, literacy, and technology. Because technology was eliminated as a special class and replaced by Mandarin Chinese (completely different and long story), the administration at New Albany decided to create instructional coaches for technology. Our coach provides frequent trainings and information sessions on the use of tablets in school. These meetings are hands-on just like class today and are very useful. The coach has also created web forms for sharing of activities and resources created by teachers. Since the creation of a technology coach position the use of technology in the classroom greatly increased. I know most schools don't have the resources to afford a technology coach, but I highly recommend one.

I am feeling good about my prospectus assignment for this class. The framework is easy to follow and the literature review has prepared me with the content for the bulk of the assignment. I have a good understanding of developing the methodology for the prospectus and appreciate then practice before I take EDUC 919 next week.

Thank you for everything Dr. Dunn! I have thoroughly enjoyed the class.

Day Three Reflections

Today's class session was information-rich. I really appreciate the advice and information that Dr. Dunn shared about the dissertation process at Liberty. I feel a little more comfortable with the process and confident that I will successfully complete the necessary work and make the study my own. I think that successful dissertations are 'owned' by both the writer and the committee.

Additionally, I learned a lot about uploading videos and using YouTube, which I previously have not had experience with.

The analysis of a strong versus weak WebQuest better enables me to create one that will be both interesting and meaningful for my staff. Simplicity in such assignments is key, as the WebQuests with an overabundance of detail were unappealing. I look forward to utilizing WebQuests for professional development purposes because they might be more engaging than long meetings or in-services.

Today was a good class!

Day Two Reflections

What I like about this class is that virtually everything we have learned about has a practical application for my profession. I am literally getting something out of everything that we cover. I particularly enjoyed seeing the tools such as the screen recorders and other web tools. I feel very optimistic about the opportunity to create a video that will engage my colleagues and provide them with a necessary support, which is actual training on an e-textbook that was just given to staff without training. For my webquest assignment I plan on doing something similar with educating staff members on using data to drive instruction.


I appreciate and have become more comfortable with the process of synthesizing research and classifying sources based on common themes. I am not too sure if I have actually done that in past classes. This literature review assignment is preparing me greatly for 919 and for the dissertation process in regards to the literature review.


My frustration for the day lies with my personal technology. Dr. Dunn had inquired about my Microsoft Surface and I am personally not recommending it at the moment. I bought it thinking it functioned well as a computer, but there is some heavy lifting it simply cannot do. Also, I had to purchase a new keyboard at Best Buy during lunch, which did not work when I returned. I now digress.


Though I am in the developmental stages of each of the assignments, I look forward to seeing how this work evolves over the course of the week.

What a first day!

It was an overwhelming, yet informative and enriching first day of class. I am grateful for both Dr. Dunn and my classmates, as we will learn so much from each other this week. There were certainly several 'nuggets' of useful information that I gained from today's session.

First, I gained a better understanding of the other topics for the literature review projects. At first, I was not familiar with the term analytics as it was stated, but after discussion I understood what it was. My school has been using several electronic tools to track student progress and make important instructional decisions. As an instructional coach and chair of Multiple Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) I have worked with several tools, such as AIMSWEB, Measures of Academic Progress (MAP), and TestingWerks, which is a user-friendly database for all assessments.  I have used these sources to make decisions to improve tier II and tier III instruction for struggling math students. Data and technology is valuable when both are used to improve the educational experience for the child. Additionally I would like to know more about augmented reality because I haven't a clue. I look forward to that presentation.

A classmate mentioned the use of data and lack of sharing and professional development in her school. It is critical for educational leaders to be transparent with student data and work to support teachers and in turn support students. Any sports car is only as good as its driver. The same goes with technology in the educational setting. Both student and teacher users must be competent with the tools. As I find that there are large research gaps in the use of technology in schools I also know that there are gaps in the amount of training that teachers receive in the use of technology. Proper training must accompany new devices and initiatives.

Finally, I really appreciate the readiness for EDUC 919 and the dissertation process I was afforded today. Dr. Dunn helped me better understand how to organize a literature review and critically analyze a journal article. This is something I have not been too comfortable with. This understanding comes at a great time, as I take 919 next week.

Overall, it was a great day!