My Action Research Plan: Incorporating Technology into the Classroom

GOAL: The development of an effective plan and set of guidelines for schools

to incorporate technology, specifically the Apple iPad, into classroom instruction.

OUTCOMES	ACTIVITIES	RESOURCES/ RESEARCH TOOLS NEEDED	TIME LINE	Benchmarks/ Assessments
Locate and interview staff members of pioneer districts using the iPad	·       Conduct internet searches for articles on school districts using iPads ·       Interview principals of these schools ·       Interview recommended staff members of these schools ·       Compare data received from these professions with that from articles on the use of iPads in an educational setting	·      Internet search engines ·      Various types of articles on technology in the classroom ·      Access to pioneer principals and teachers	Completion by July 31, 2012 in order to develop an initial strategy to take to department for collaboration	Self assessed based on information gained from pioneer professionals
Determine the level of training needed for teachers and students before incorporating the iPad into instruction	·       Question pioneer professionals on the training they received and obtain their opinion on its effectiveness ·       What training have they since wished they would have received ·       Internet searches for articles, videos, and presentations on proper uses and training in an educational environment	·      Internet search engines ·      Articles, videos, and presentations on technology in the classroom ·      Access to pioneer principals and teachers	Completion by August of 2012 in order to develop an initial strategy to take to department for implementation	Evaluation of initial training plan by social studies department. Evaluation will include suggestions for improvement
Locate and determine the availability of classroom resources for the iPad	·       Question pioneer professionals on the amount of quality resources they were able to find ·       Question pioneer professionals on the best location to find the resources ·       Conduct internet searches for iPad resources in the classroom ·       Conduct Apple searches for classroom applications	·      Internet search engines ·      Articles, videos, and presentations on technology in the classroom ·      Access to pioneer principals and teachers ·      Apple application searches	Ongoing throughout the course of this research. Completion by May 2013	Evaluation will be on the resources themselves to determine whether or not they are able to fit in the curriculum
Determine the benefits of using an iPad in teacher led lessons	·       Question pioneer professionals about their experience ·       Own experience using the iPad in the classroom ·       Question MHS staff about their experience ·       Internet searches for articles, videos, and presentations on benefits of using the iPad to lead instruction	·      Internet search engines ·      Articles, videos, and presentations on technology in the classroom ·      Access to pioneer teachers ·      Access to MHS staff	Ongoing throughout research. Completion by May 2013	Evaluation will be the overall effectiveness of using the iPad verse more traditional methods of teacher led lessons
Determine the benefits of using an iPad in student led lessons	·       Question pioneer professionals about their experience ·       Own experience using the iPad in the classroom ·       Question MHS students about their experience ·       Internet searches for articles, videos, and presentations on benefits of using the iPad in student led instruction	·      Internet search engines ·      Articles, videos, and presentations on technology in the classroom ·      Access to pioneer teachers ·      Access to MHS students	Ongoing throughout research. Completion by May 2013	Evaluation will be the overall effectiveness of using the iPad verse more traditional methods of student led lessons
Discover if changes in student  motivation exist in a technology based classroom	·       Question pioneer professionals about their experience ·       Own experience using the iPad in the classroom ·       Question MHS students about their experience ·       Creation of an internet based classroom	·      Internet search engines ·      Articles, videos, and presentations on technology in the classroom ·      Access to pioneer teachers ·      Access to MHS students ·      Web 2.0 ·      Google sites ·      Wordle ·      Office applications	Ongoing throughout research. Completion by May 2013	Evaluation will be the overall effectiveness of using the internet based classroom in generating student interaction and work
Develop a usable template for incorporating technology into a World Geography classroom and a generic template for other MHS classrooms	·       Compare data from pioneer interviews with onsite data collected during the course of the school year at MHS ·       Determine the successful and unsuccessful activities ·       Include a list of resources by unit for a World Geography classroom and a generic list of education resources	·      Utilize all resources from the research in the completion	Completion by July 2013
Present findings	·       Present specifically to World Geography department ·       Upload findings on Social Studies department shared folder for all to view ·       Disseminate generic information for all staff to view	·      Common course planning meeting for World Geography ·      MISD Social Studies shared folder ·      Microsoft Office presentation tools	May - August 2013