My Action Research Project was to create a series of videos on student behavior to reduce the number of discipline referrals for the year. Every week, we showcase a new video on the topic that has had the most referrals. The first couple of weeks, we worked on videos that dealt with student attire. Many of the students were not aware of the attire for school and by watching the videos they understood what was allowed and what was not. Another video series was on the use of electronic devices throughout the school year. The number of referrals has significantly gone down from the same time last year. At the end of the school year, there will be a survey conducted by the students to see if they feel that the videos they watched helped them with any of the areas being shown to reduce referrals. Other videos include the behavior of students during state testing. It is very important for students to know what is allowed and what is not allowed during the state testing days. The students seem to be responding more to the videos on behavior than if it were just being announced on the intercom. At this point I have spent at least 270 hours on my project since the start of the school year. I feel that it has made a significant impact on student behavior and discipline. Many of the students can relate to the videos and enjoy watching them on our VBrick system every morning.

EDLD 5366 Course Embedded Reflection

When I was registered for this course I was extremely excited about taking it. In reading through the syllabus I began realize that this would be a very fun and exciting class for me. My first assignment went over CRAP which I had not been familiar with. I have seen many websites, posters and flyers without really thinking about the principles of design that were used to create them. Looking at the examples I began to appreciate the simplicity of the CRAP that is used to design these sites and posters. When I designed my personal logo I became so involved in the principles that I made half a dozen logos all with different CRAP! Our class began to form our groups so that we could work together on our final website project. I was very lucky in that I was able to pair up with very eager and talented peers. I have experience in working with websites, designs, logos and animation. I however did not have the experience in working with other people on such tasks. The process of building a site and sharing information between us was almost flawless. My approach while completing the assignments was to communicate with my peers on the website process. Our main means of communicating was through email and Google docs. Our group also participated in weekly phone conferences so that we would be able to discuss what was needed and what was expected throughout the class. This course has taught me that it is possible work as a team to create a website that combines all of our experiences and knowledge. This is a great method to have students learn to work collaboratively on one website while they each contribute their own ideas, suggestions and opinions. Students could use the websites to express themselves, communicate with other peers and share information amongst their peers.

EDLD 5363 Web Conference Reflections

June 5, 2012 In week one of the web conference, Dr. Abernathy wanted us to promote technology integration in our classrooms. She advised us that the purpose of the course was to learn about multimedia and video technology in the classroom. The week one assignments on our digital story and advised us to view Joe Lamberts video and website to get ideas. Discussion on video editing software such as Adobe Premier but advised us to find free open source software if Premier was not available. Also discussed clarification of the Instructional Associates assigned to students. June 17, 2012 This week the discussion was on the project and the content. Dr. Abernathy advised that the project should not be a PSA, but instead and introduction to a Core Curriculum subject area which would reflect the style of a flipped classroom. Dr Abernathy discussed creative commons and Audacity review and how to post tutorials for the assignments. In order to collaborate effectively she suggested that we post all documents to Google docs so that all members of the team would have the same work and proper documentation for their work. July 1, 2012 This week was for clarifications and included how to list the assignments to TK20. We were advised that there is no discussion board for week 5. Evidence of collaboration must be submitted by means of Google docs. We reviewed assignments 5.8 and that we needed to post to eportfolio and not the discussion board. Assignment 5.9 is a reflection on what we have done. We need to document any information even if we have not worked on it.

My Life in Pictures

My name is Adriana Zavala and this is my story. My life has been one of constant change and opportunity, always moving and making new friends. It has made me who I am today… this is my story. I was born in Reynosa Mexico on the Texas Mexican Border. I am the youngest of four children. I lived there until I was three. My parents moved us to McAllen Texas so that we could attend school. We lived in a one bedroom apartment until the age of 10. We moved to Edinburg Texas and I lived there until the age of 12. Once again, we relocated and moved to Alice Texas, where I would spend my adolescence. Growing up in Alice I made many friends and participated in sports. I lived there until the age of 17 when we again moved to Weslaco Texas. While in Weslaco, I decided to receive my GED and attend college. I received my Associates degree in technology management. While living in Weslaco I met my future husband. My family moved back to McAllen but I continued to date my husband. We dated for six years when we decided to get married in 1996. We both received jobs in Tulsa OK and moved there for two years. After those two years we moved to Dallas, Texas and both of us worked for American Airlines. We got to travel and enjoy our first years of matrimony. In 1998 my first daughter was born and in 2001 my second daughter was born. That same year we moved to McAllen where my son was born in 2003. I worked many jobs but felt that I needed to continue my education in order to better provide for them. In 2005 I enrolled at South Texas College and received my Bachelor’s in Computer and Information Technologies. With this degree I was able to enroll in a teacher certification program. My first teaching job was with Valley View ISD in which I am the Audio/Video Production teacher. I decided to enroll at Lamar University and receive my Master’s. My goals are to become a director for career and technology.

Action Plan Template

Reflection Week Two Action Research 5301

Week two of our Action Research course provided me with information on how to select a topic of my research.  I watched three interviews with scholars that have received their Doctoral degree and use Action Research in their districts.  The readings in the Dana text focused on the nine topics that administrators have “wonderings” on.  Each of the topics gave examples of what research question was used.  The meeting with my site supervisor to discuss which three topics I would be able to perform action research on was discussed and approved. 

Action Research Blog

Action research is a methodology used for bringing about change.  It is a cyclical process in which you use your experience to pose a question or “wondering” to find a solution.  Action research differs from traditional research in that you do not rely on outside experts to tell you what you need to do to improve your school.  The purpose of action research is to use the administrators or teachers as the “head learners” and engage in the process of bringing about change by reflecting on their own actions.  Administrators are directly involved in process of gathering data, analyzing the data, developing a plan of action and sharing this information with other staff members.  One of the ways that we can use action research at work is to find pose a question to which we can make a change for the better of the school.  An example of such as question would be “how can the use of digital video assist in promoting positive behavior and discipline for students and teachers?”   By researching and engaging in this research, we can find a solution to the problem and implement the possible solutions then sharing the findings with the rest of the school. 

Blogs are a great way for administrators to reflect on their thoughts.  By posting their reflections on blogs, they can share information with colleagues find ideas and practice inquiry.