*My+Field+Study+Report

= __**ITDA – Surrey Field Study Intent Form (Oct. 4, 2011)**__ __ And Report (Nov. 22, 2011) __ =


 * 1) //How my inquiry “project” connects to an educational purpose that I feel is significant, meaningful, transformative, substantial.....//

SIGNIFICANT - In that it is a powerful way to store information that is readily available, has the ability to be shared, it is expandable and the pages have the potential to be as long as you need them to be.

MEANINGFUL - It was shown to have applications to four different places where I work with others: CT, SBT, LST and Admin

TRANSFORMATIVE - It does transform the way I communicated with my colleagues. I felt like I knew where the information was; I felt more organized. My mind was cleared to focus on the task of creating solutions for my students.

SUBSTANTIAL - To see just how much -- all that is needed is to take a look @ how many Wikis I created and just how much information is in them.


 * Support colleagues through collaboration, communication and community
 * I feel I was able to do this in the following contexts: CT, SBT, LST, Admin. My goal was to promote greater collaboration, communication BUT I think the community aspect was universally expressed as being through the 'old' tech of a conversation...

//2. My inquiry question://


 * "As I work with classroom teachers to develop IEPs that effectively support the SLD students we serve how might the use of Web 2.0 sites such as: Evernote, Wikispaces and the District eIEP help strengthen my capacity to ‘collaborate, communicate and build community’ with my colleagues?"
 * In the end, I focussed on how Wikispaces might help me meet the goals of:
 * An IEP through the establishment of a Division Wiki that I could share with the CT
 * Having a 24/7 online 'Binder' in which all members of the SBT can view, comment and edit
 * Having a site specific to the needs of the LST but also to hold specific grade level information
 * Being able to share all of this information 24/7 with Admin

//3. Sub-questions that arise within my inquiry question://


 * Will these technologies be effective only for certain teachers or will I be able to find a way to integrate these technologies with different teachers even though they have very different goals and approaches?
 * Absolutely! There were teachers who loved Wikis, tolerated Wikis and loathed Wikis. Interestingly, this fell more along Atitude rather than Generational divides. ie/ a teacher near retirement was very open and interested in using these while younger teachers (some middle aged, some even mid-twenties) talked of the down sides.
 * Can I find ways to make my colleagues feel comfortable working with a wiki-site for communication even if they are not tech-savvy?
 * Yes. In the end it was often in direct correlation to the degree of trust in their relationship with me -- pre-Wiki. But some just didn't want to mess with that 'tech stuff'. One thing that almost always helped was to come-along-side my colleague with another laptop and model the process for them.
 * Will any of this make any difference from previous years where I did not use any Web 2.0 sites to store my information?
 * It made a significant difference for me as it worked as I wanted it to. I was able to organize the info and have it readily available. Even if no other teacher wanted to use it I would use it to organize my own info.

//4. How my inquiry connects to one or more of the Program Capacities://

- I will be recording my reflections in a Blog on a regular basis. - This I did. As I read over my entries it was very cool to hear the narrative that came through. - This is my whole reason for putting this Inquiry together. - And that is what happened. In my small sample I received over 50% approval for this direction. - I will be doing this as I reflect on whether or not these sites fit the task I have for them - In my evaluation it soon became apparent that for sharing information Wikis and Google Docs were the most helpful. Evernote is invaluable to me but not really any good for sharing. The eIEP is so hard to make sense of when it is complete that it is not worth it. I would like to see how I can integrate iWorks.com and Dropbox into these collaborative enterprises in future. - By working this out in the ITDA program I will be doing this as I talk through the issues I encounter with my mentor group - I really appreciate the opportunity to talk through these projects with colleagues and my mentor.
 * Engage in critical cycles of action-reflection to understand and develop practice
 * Support colleagues through collaboration, communication and community
 * Evaluate, use and integrate emerging technologies into your practice
 * Participate and mentor in educational communities to support learning
 * Explore educational theories, research and philosophies to inform the use of technology to support teaching and learning
 * - I will be looking @ professional journals, et al. that discuss the merits of professional collaboration and IEPs.
 * - I looked into studies on Wikis in the workplace and found them to be positively received particularly as for collaborative groups.

5. An outline of the design of my inquiry: (Data collection – how? what? who? when? What are the steps in your plan?)


 * //How? - Evernote [photos, notes], Post-its [for daily observations], Edublog [journaling]//
 * - This was more applicable to my journal and online scrapbook. I came up with a table on which i could record incidents of Wiki use. It soon became apparent that there were many applications for this Web 2.0 tool.


 * //What?//
 * 1) //a personal wiki to act as my working portfolio// (my CW-wiki)
 * 2) //wiki-sites per division; per areas of need// (Done for Div's 3, 4, 5, 6 but 5 and 6 were given to another LST teacher)
 * 3) //a portfolio for student samples on Evernote// (Done -- used almost exclusively for my own record keeping)
 * 4) //a Blog// (In the end this was even more fun than the project itself. It was very cool to see how it looked in the end)
 * 5) //a system for dealing with Post-its notes as they are written// (I made the table instead and had it attached to a file folder)
 * 6) //an eIEP (for @ least// __//one//__ //student)// (Not done. We do not like how it looks when done. We are designing our own now)
 * 7) //a survey of my teachers to find out how useful they find this approach to be// (Done. On Survey Monkey. Cool)


 * //Who? - Keith (6/7), Chelsea (5/6), Marie (5)// Yes (but declined it), yes (loves it!), yes (loved it but then it was stopped as she was given to another LSt to work with), SBT (positive!), LST (positive!), Admin (very positive!) were added to this list in the end.


 * //When? - Sept. 19 - Oct. 31// (Done as planned. Thank God I have so much support for and accessibility to tech @ my school)


 * //What are the steps in your plan?// (See below. Done as planned!!)


 * **Step** || **Action** || **Due Date** || **Completed?** ||
 * 1 || //Initialize// //Inquiry// || Sept. 23 || Y ||
 * 2 || //Familiarize// //teachers with the systems I will use// || Sept. 23 || Y ||
 * 3 || //Organize// //the class lists// || Sept. 30 || Y ||
 * 4 || //Invite// //my teachers to be participants in the wikis// || Sept. 30 || Y ||
 * 5 || //Prioritize// //students by need// || Sept. 30 || Y ||
 * 6 || //Maintain// //these systems// || Oct. 7 || Y ||
 * 7 || //Observe// //how effectively this is meeting my goals// || Oct. 4-31 || Y ||
 * 8 || //Record// //thoughts, observations, successes, questions// || Oct. 4-31 || Y ||
 * 9 || //Share// //these with my mentor group// || Oct. 4-31 || Y ||
 * 10 || //Survey// //teachers for their T.O.S.Q.s// || Oct.31 || Y ||
 * 11 || //Gather// //all relevant data collected// || Nov. 4 || Y ||
 * 12 || //Reflect// //on mine and my teacher’s T.O.S.Q.s// || Nov. 11 || Y ||
 * 13 || //Report// //on mine and my teacher’s T.O.S.Q.s// || Nov. 22 ||  ||
 * 14 || //Revise// //my presentation based on feedback// || Dec. 2 ||  ||
 * 15 || //Publish// //the final draft of my Inquiry to the IDTA// || Dec. 6 ||  ||

//6. My plan for sharing my conclusions: (How will you communicate what you have learned?)//

>> >> >> >> >> 1. **The goal in using wiki sites to store information here at Maple Green was to make the lines of communication between us clearer, more democratic, more accessible and more collaborative.** >> >> //How well do you feel this objective was achieved?// >> not at allsomewhatreasonablyvery wellexceptionally >> 11.1% (1)22.2% (2)11.1% (1)33.3% (3)22.2% (2) >> >> >> 2. **Did you find the use of a wiki site to be a valuable means of communicating and sharing information with each other here at Maple Green?** R: [a: 9, s: 0] 2/9 -, 6/9 + = MAJORITY (67% +) >> //How valuable?// >> not at all 22.2% (2) -- of some value 0.0% (0) -- valuable 11.1% (1) -- very valuable 44.4% (4) -- extremely valuable 22.2% (2) >> >> 3. **Did you find that the use of a wiki solves logistical problems for colleagues that want to work together?** >> >> //I...// >> have no comment 11.1% (1) -- strongly disagree 0.0% (0) -- disagree 11.1% (1) -- agree 66.7% (6) -- strongly agree 11.1% (1) >> >> >> //I felt supported...// >> not at all 0.0% (0) -- minimally 22.2% (2) -- most of the time 11.1% (1) -- the majority of the time 11.1% (1) -- all the time 55.6% (5) >> >> >> //I would say...// >> it's not worth the effort to learn 11.1% (1) -- somewhat worth the effort to learn 0.0% (0) -- >> >> AVERAGE APPROVAL RATING (67%) >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >>
 * 1) //Summarize themes in my blogs on my Edublog// Act & Reflect
 * 2) //Review the content on my Wiki-Pages// Evaluate & Integrate
 * 3) Summarize themes in my colleagues responses Commune & Collaborate
 * 4) Review and summarize what I found in my research Explore & Research
 * 5) //Report on this using some kind of Presentation tool// Create a Keynote
 * 6) Listen and Reflect on the input I receive on my Inquiry Project from my Mentor Group Participate & Mentor
 * My Inquiry Question Reflections
 * =__WIKI SURVEY RESULTS NOV, 2011__=
 * My Field Study Survey Proposal
 * My Field Study Survey Proposal
 * Response (R) : [answered (a): 9, skipped (s): 0] 3/9 -, 5/9 + = MAJORITY (56% +)
 * R : [a: 9, s: 0] 1/9 -, 7/9 + = MAJORITY + (78% +)
 * 1) **Did you feel supported as you were asked to work with this technology?**
 * 2) R : [a: 9, s: 0] 2/9 -, 6/9 + = MAJORITY + (67% +)
 * 1) **What would you say to anyone considering using a wiki to improve the lines of communication with their colleagues?** R: [a: 9, s: 0] 1/9 -, 6/9 + = MAJORITY + (67% +)
 * worth learning 22.2% (2) -- worth using 22.2% (2) -- worth initializing/creating 44.4% (4)
 * 1) **What** **aspects** **of the wiki sites you participated in did you find to be the most valuable?** R: [a: 9, s: 0]
 * Ability to input new information
 * The collaborative aspect - anyone can add/delete information to keep the site current
 * The sharing of resources & links - The ability to share information about student progress with other staff members
 * Having the data/information accessible at home
 * Instant access to student info. How easy it is to share info.
 * Quickness of communication
 * No participation
 * I especially like the ability to edit lists and share information with the team immediately . It's easier than trying to email everyone.
 * Using the tablets at SBT meetings and seeing that data was well organized on the site
 * 1) **How (if at all) did the use of a wiki improve your ability to collaborate and communicate with your colleagues?** R: [a: 8, s: 1]
 * Due to time constraints it creates an easy venue for colleagues to see your thoughts, ideas etc
 * Good
 * It may cut down on actual face to face time when communicating, however, I still do that more than using the wiki.
 * The sharing of resources & links - The ability to share information about student progress with other staff members. It makes this information more easily accessible.
 * Instant communication and documentation
 * Didn't use it
 * All the information about SBT was available to me no matter which school I was working at. It gave me the ability to communicate with the team as a whole instead of trying to find everyone's emails.
 * I felt like it was imposed on me === I tried to integrate it in my practice, but found that too cumbersome; that is not because I'm any type of luddite, either
 * 1) **What problems did the use of a wiki create for you?** R: [a: 8, s: 1]
 * I haven't experienced any yet.
 * becoming familiar with the program
 * None
 * Some minor formatting limitations
 * None at all, made things easier
 * Mostly technical
 * Didn't use it
 * It was on a different site that my other two SBT team data
 * 1) **What suggestions would you make to improve the effectiveness of the wikis used here at Maple Green?** R: [a: 7, skipped q: 2]
 * I need to use them for a longer time to determine this.
 * Make sure everyone knows how to use it
 * Tagging the wiki site/address so that it becomes easier to check in readily
 * None.
 * Need time for oral conversation
 * I like to talk to people face to face.
 * I think I'm missing out understanding the benefits === but that's my issue, I'm sure Seems like everyone else thought it was great. I simply didn't take the time to integrate it into my work
 * 1) **If there is anything further you would like to say about using wikis at Maple Green feel free to add your thoughts below.**
 * 2) R: [a: 6, s: 3]
 * I wish every teacher would use the wiki for home communication with parents.
 * As a lu[d]dite I am sure that once I 'catch on' things will become easier
 * Thanks for teaching us! I appreciate learning about the new technology.
 * This is the first school I have worked at that has used wikis and I have quickly learned to appreciate them as a valuable information-sharing medium.
 * An asset to teaching the more it is used the better it becomes believe in concept but need thinking time to develop it
 * I appreciate Chris' leadership in trying to integrate technology at Maple Green. I still think that whatever system we use should be interfaced with our main system (ie. FirstClass) I want to have one site that handles everything