ACTION RESEARCH OUTLINE
PURPOSE
The purposes of this qualitative action research study are to a) discover the potential impact on lesson design that a true technology coach may have at a K-5 elementary campus and b) explore the positive effects on student learning of this model.
RESEARCH QUESTION
How will implementing a coaching model for campus
technology integrationists impact K-5 lesson design?
TOPIC
In our district, elementary campuses have dedicated content coaches, yet the technology integrationists have duties all over the map. Some are able to attend planning sessions and offer input, model lessons, and provide feedback. Many others are stationary in a computer lab and have no connection with teachers beyond the drop off and pick up of their classes. I plan to look into the discrepancy and prove the value of such a role on an elementary campus.
pLAN DEVELOPMENT
Because of my access to teachers across the district, collecting data and implementing a district-wide plan will be an attainable task. I will be heading into my second year in this coordinator position and have spent a great deal of time conducting one-on-one interviews, focus groups, campus visits, and conversations with campus administration regarding technology infusion needs. I am excited that this class will allow me to research something quite useful to my district. The authenticity of this plan is through the roof since I have already taken actions to begin this work. Since I work with the campus technology integrationists on a regular basis, the majority of my plan will center around purposeful conversations and sticking to the timeline I have laid out.
dATA AND dESIGN
The nature of this research is discovery and exploration. It will be dependent on experiences and reflection. We will use design sessions and feedback along with interviews and focus groups. All of these are observation-based and qualitative data.
lITERATURE REVIEW
Below are a selection of articles to get my research started:
tIMELINE
rEFLECTION AND reSULTS
I plan to have all elementary technology integrationists and their administration fill out a short answer survey to assess the impact of a coaching model on their campuses. I will also have informal video interviews with the 10 new TIs to assess the level of support they will need for the following school year.
REFERENCES
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Edutopia. (2015, June 23). Making Technology Work. https://www.edutopia.org/practice/instructional-coaching-driving-meaningful-tech-integration
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Jackson, M. (2020, January 24). How coaches help teachers get the most from ed tech. https://districtadministration.com/technology-coach-resources-bolster-instructional-coaching-model/
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Joseph, M. & Fisher, E. (2018, June 4). The 6 Fundamentals of Technology Coaching. https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2018/06/6-fundamentals-technology-coaching
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Leustig, T. (2019, July 22). What Is Technology Coaching?. https://www.dyknow.com/blog/what-is-technology-coaching/
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Mertler, C. A. (2017). Action research: improving schools and empowering educators. SAGE.