5352 Instructional Leadership - Web Conference Reflections:

February 13 - Reviewing this particular web conference brought up something really important for me. Someone asked if all internship activities needed to be complete before graduation. I assumed that they did, but it wouldn’t be a bad idea to check on this. On the web conference, I didn’t really see a clear cut answer to the question, so I’ll have to confirm the answer later. The conference made me think about getting ready for graduation since that was a big part of it. Something else mentioned that I found interesting was the discussion of flipping being possible in a low income school. I liked what was said about differentiation. I think it’s easy for us to assume something won’t work in a low income school, but I think that’s just our fear talking.

February 16 - In this conference, I mostly became aware some of the things I already knew about. The discussion was about the action research, course embedded and internship logs - where to locate them and when they are due. Also, there was discussion as to how this week’s assignment gets turned in. Something else mentioned was how appreciative individuals are in regards to this class. I too, feel that this course has shown me things that I will continue implementing in my career.

February 10 - By reading this web conference, I learned that many others have the same concerns about graduation that I do. In a way, it is a relief. In addition, I learned that TK20 assignments could not be turned in until the end of week 5. Also, I learned that if I finish in May, I will graduate in August. I am not really sure when I will finish so I have to check on that.

Knowledge Gained in This Course:

This course has opened my eyes in regards to some of the resources that are available to educators. I have found a way to incorporate the Google Doc into my own classroom so that students can too learn about technology but also about collaboration. I recently sent a letter home to encourage all parents to create a gmail account to get everyone started. Half of my students don’t have computers at home but will use them in class. I will have students collaborate in literacy groups by using the Google Docs. This is just one way they will be using them in and out of the classroom. I also plan to use Google Docs to facilitate the sharing of poetry written by students. In addition to Google Docs, I also learned about project based learning which I had heard of but never really read about. I still have much to learn but with every course, I gain more confidence in myself. I really want to become a mentor for the teachers on my campus. In order to do so, it is necessary for me to become exposed to as many methods of teaching out there.

Internship Activities:

I have left some of the easier activities towards the end of my internship. Some of the activities that I have not yet covered are the teacher observations. It is difficult to get out of my classroom, not because of logistics but because I simply have trouble letting go. In addition, I have a student teacher which is beginning to take over. This is not only difficult because I teach a STAAR grade level but also because she needs my mentoring. Something else I need to do is to attend some more school board meetings. This includes other districts in my area, not only the one I work for. Many of the activities that I have already completed happened to pop up out of nowhere because my principal has assigned me some unforeseen projects. This has helped me a lot and allowed me to get ahead of the game.

Action Research Project:

My action research project is going as it should. It will take about two more months until I am completely done because it is based on our new reading inventory which has just recently been adopted by our district. So far, it is proving to be very effective not only for me but for the other teachers on my campus. It has facilitated the paperwork process for RTI and is not subjective like the previous reading inventory we used. Within the next couple months I will be surveying teachers and support staff as well as students. I will also be tracking the progress that a particular group of students made last year in comparison to this year.