Reflections of class 2.

This was a very interesting class from the start. When you hear the word research project you think well I guess I better get ready to bury my head in a book, and start gathering information. That was not the case at all. Starting out the first few weeks I liked where we were going with the class. I find that when I watch the videos every week I can get a real feel for whether I am going to learn a little or a lot. Every week I felt I was going to learn a lot. The only bummer is I just don’t know how much of this I will be able to use when I am an administrator. Maybe during summers, or long term projects. But ask any principal and they will tell you all about the time they do not have. My project is about assessments in math for K-2.  When we read about the section on strategies for sustaining improvement I was able to piece together good info about my project going forward. Using the force field analysis, and finding out what that was. I also liked using the action planning template from the Harris text. This was a good way to have a very realistic timeline for the project. I also enjoyed from the Dana text. This had tons of great information that helped me gather information for the project. I also got to try a lot of things for the first time. I started up my own blog. This is cool, but I have to admit I did not think my blog would be school related. I thought if I ever did one it would have something to do with sports. Blogging is something that I think that I might use a lot going forward. I just don’t feel comfortable using it all of the time. I wonder if over time my comfort level will ease and this is something that will just happen. I also still enjoy feedback from my colleagues and this is a great way for them to chat about topics in our class. The discussion boards are also a great way of gathering information, and seeing what everyone else is doing. I like getting feedback because I often wonder how I am doing, and if I am on task. The topics of some of the other projects are quite interesting to me, and I look forward to seeing how they turn out. The assignments in this class did a good job of building forward to our goal of an action research project. I like how we used every week going over strategies that would help us, and things that we should be asking our site supervisor. Getting to spend a little extra time with my site supervisor is turning out to be a rewarding experience. I also like being able to feel like I am helping him by analyzing data on this project. He is so busy at school that I enjoy walking in and being able tp show him what I found out by looking at the data. That is a rewarding feeling, and I hope I will be able to do more of that. There were a few things I did not like about this class. I did not like the Harris text very much. I think it might be because the Dana text is such a good book. It also could be just me. The other thing I did not like is this TK20 project. I hope it gets easier for me to understand going forward, but to me I just don’t understand it. There are plenty of ways to get the information out there, and for me to have to pay more money is a little silly. The last thing I want to talk about is the reflections of this class. I enjoy being able to stop and discuss what is on my mind. This is a great tool, and I hope it continues in my classes in the future. We did lots of reflecting, and that is a good thing. Taking the time to look back, as well as look forward is awesome. This class I enjoyed very much and I look forward to seeing what else Lamar University has planned for us.