Back to school today, as for most of the state of TEXAS--teachers only. Students begin next week. We had mini workshop sessions today, and we discussed blogging in one of them. I am interested to see how this project will go this year--and I am glad I picked an area that I will be implementing in the classroom. Other teachers expressed interest too.

Blogging Rubric

After reviewing comments on the blog and on the discussion board (from last week), some were curious as to if I would grade the grammar that students use when posting on the blog. As an English teacher, it will be important that I familiarize students at the beginning of the project with a rubric to follow for Blogging Expectations. I will start with a rubric with a small number of categories, and as the year progresses, and students become more familiar with the procedures of blogging, the rubric will encompass more items that reflect my expectations and their strengths.

Sample of a beginning rubric:

Blogging--Rules of Etiquette Teacher Name: Mrs. Rhodes Student Name: ________________________________________

CATEGORY	4	3	2	1
Spelling and Grammar	There are no errors in spelling, punctuation or grammar in the final draft of the Web site.	There are 1-3 errors in spelling, punctuation or grammar in the final draft of the Web site.	There are 4-5 errors in spelling, punctuation or grammar in the final draft of the Web site.	There are more than 5 errors in spelling, punctuation or grammar in the final draft of the Web site.
Content	The comment/response is thoughtful and on topic.	The comment/response is somewhat on topic.	The comment/response is drifts off topic the majority of the time.	The comment/response is not on topic.
Sentence Structure	There are no errors in sentence structure, such as fragments, run-ons, and comma splices.	There are 1-3 errors in sentence structure, such as fragments, run-ons, and comma splices.	There are 4-5 errors in sentence structure, such as fragments, run-ons, and comma splices.	There are more than 5 errors in sentence structure, such as fragments, run-ons, and comma splices.

Student Blogging

Goals/Objectives:

*to determine if blogging within the high school classroom can create sustained learner engagement and help develop writing skills

Activities/Resources for gathering data:

1. Survey students in regards to knowledge of blogging

2. Create a blog for each junior class.

2. Examine and log individual tests scores/disaggregated data available to departments concerning individual students.

3. Hold student conferences and discuss individual scores, as well as projected growth expectations. All students will be expected to show improvement of a minimum of 10% on multiple choice scores, as well as improvement on essay writing.

4. Introduce students to blogging and give timelines to students for blogging deadlines.

5. Post new information for student response on at least a weekly basis.

6. Maintain the blogs throughout the academic year.

7. Complete a total of 3 student surveys (2 of which will be on-line) in regards to the blogging assignments and student growth and interest.

8. Assessment for the success of blogging will be determined towards the end of the year. I will examine student TAKS scores, note student improvements, monitor student blogging throughout the year looking for proof of specific skills objectives, chart growth areas, conference individually with students at least 3 times throughout the year with specific focus on low TAKS scoring areas, and analyze student surveys. I will also create a log in my reflection journal of the number of times teachers throughout the campus inquire about the process due to student talk. This log will note any positive or negative statements that students make concerning blogging.

Person Responsible:

Me

Timeline:

*First survey—August 18, 2010

*First use of blogging—on or before September 1, 2010

*Collect and Compile data—August 20-September 10, 2010

*Survey Two—on-line survey; will address blogging and students’ thoughts on how it is going as a classroom learning tool; survey will also have room for individual feedback and ideas for improvement

*Collect and Compile data from survey 2—September 18-October 15, 2010

*Share information with student bloggers—on or before October 30, 2010

* Make necessary adjustments as the year progresses (on-going)

* *March, 2011—begin to evaluate student achievement based on the blogs

*May 15, 2011—complete the inquiry research project on blogging and compile the necessary surveys, scores, and feedback to determine if blogging creates higher levels of learning and critical thinking.

Week 3

Well, as week 3 draws to an end, I find relief in finishing this assignment. It was hard to decide on a topic. The goal, overall, no matter the topic of inquiry can develop and change. Mine did. It can take different pathways than first determined. Mine did that too.

Education is changing. It is an on-going process. Someone the other day, in a conversation with old friends, said that receiving an education was "learning to learn." Quite true.

Action Research is simply learning to learning. What works? What does not? I will be studying the use of blogging in the high school classrooms throughout the next school year. Is it effective for building writing skills and developing critical thinking? My biggest challenge will be to get students to write without using acronyms like LOL and OMG, along with the colloquial slang used between the texting generation. I am sure it will drive me crazy, but I am up for the challenge. I feel there will be some dissension from other teachers who follow strictly the "no cell phone" policy of our campus. When students are caught using their Smart Phones during another class, and they tell the teacher they are working on an assignment for me, I am sure to get an ugly note or two. I will log these diligently in my reflective log, so no worries.

Week 2--Action Research

Week 2 of this class has created mixed feelings. Action Research helps find solutions to problems by looking at data and working to bring about a change. I have used this process for many years, though my data has much more sophistication now. I believe that any teacher worth his or her grain of salt examines data and what is working in the classroom, along with what is not. Each lesson is tweaked to make it more effective. Some are left out, and new ones are found.

In the last five or six years, I believe there are many schools that have taken this old knowledge and idea of not "reinventing the wheel" and simply improved it with technology and the availability of databases that provide numerous kinds of charts, graphs, and profiles on students. It is much easier with this type of program to isolate individual units, ideas, thoughts, skills and concepts that create difficulty with a student or a group of students. By taking the data and developing ideas that will improve learning, we are involved in the process of action research.

I know it's a lot of work, and I don't know if we will fully realize the ramifications or successes of the data-driven school for another ten to twenty years.

The goal is to help our students succeed in life--and we must wait until they are grown to do this.

Ahead of the Game

As I reflect on this week's assignment and this class, I am encouraged to find, that even though we didn't call it "Action Research," this is exactly what I participated in at my last district.

We had weekly (sometimes twice a monthly) planned reflection times with other teachers. We brought other ideas (of other teachers) to the table. We discussed what could work, what would not work, and why, why, why. Then we sought more ideas. The process repeated over and over throughout the school year, and the entire time the teachers were using their own ideas and strategies to improve curriculum, student learning, and scores.

After practicing this Action Research philosophy for three years, our school achieved recognized status.

Utilizing the Blog

Educators have a variety of ways to utilize blogs. In the classroom setting, teachers may use daily blogs to allow students to participate in on-line discussions. In doing so, students can be given a variety of guidelines to follow such as correct grammar usage, punctuation, and spelling. Journaling and reflecting can become a part of the daily lives of students. What better motivator could there be? Students love to get on the computer and email or instant message on their phones. The majority have on-line access through smartphones. I will use this strategy for the up and coming school year.

Action Research

Greetings Fellow Bloggers,

Action Research involves seeking new solutions to problems or issues. In my case, I will apply it to a high school setting. In order to delve into the process, one must first have a shared vision that is communicated within the school and community. Next, select an issue that hinders the vision, devise strategies that could possibly offer solutions to the issue--reflect, discuss, seek new ways. All of these will assist in creating an on-going solution. Develop new ideas. Research what others are doing to overcome similar issues in parallel situations. Glean from these what could work; disseminate what will not work; devise new ideas that could help achieve the shared school and community vision.

Other factors to consider are scheduling, budgeting, and communicating within the school setting. How will the district pay for the possible solution? How will they introduce this to the students, faculty, staff, and community? Reflect on possible problems. Address these issues before they arise. By spending much time on reflection, it will help after the plan is implemented.

Action Research brings change by working together to develop new ideas.