One down, Nineteen to go! Thoughts on Academic Writing

    

I have now finished my first course in my doctoral program and I am feeling a bit better about continuing down the path. My cohort has formed a great Facebook group, and I have joined a couple of other doctoral support groups to help keep me encouraged. As I begin course number two in my doctoral journey, I was asked to share my thoughts on academic writing:

  Academic writing as a whole does not intimidate me much anymore. I majored in English a hundred years ago (so it seems), so I have a good handle on grammar and mechanics. However, I like to be very concise when I write, and I feel that I have to add a lot of extra words when I am utilizing this style. The major problem I run into as I attempt to flesh out my writing is that my sentences will become awkward and confusing. Therefore, I have to then go back and clean up my syntax so it flows better. Because I recently finished a second master's degree, so I am quite familiar with APA 6 formatting. I will definitely be living in my APA 7 manual so I cite my work correctly, since there have been some major changes to formatting. The one fear I have is that I will have to revamp my dissertation if APA 8 comes out before I am finished. 

     One weakness I do have is that I spend way too much time trying to come up with the perfect words to express what I want to say, so I end up pushing assignments to the deadline many times.  I also have to be careful not to write in first person, since I do quite a bit of blogging and reflective journaling. Another one of my weaknesses is that I can go off topic very easily. I have to really focus on my topic to avoid going off on tangents that have to be deleted later on. I do the same thing when I am researching. Although a certain amount of "squirrel chasing" is good while going down the proverbial rabbit hole, I find that I waste a lot of time chasing different perspectives and topics that don't necessarily help me support a particiular topic. One thing I do to combat this is open a word doc or Google doc and put my subject or paper topic at the top in a big font. I then copy and paste URLs or reference citations into my document and write either the word or phrase I used to find it or a few words about the article or website  This helps me in two ways. First, I can compare my search words to the title of my doc to see how they relate. Second, I have other articles that I can use at a later date, if needed, for a different assignment.  

       Although I am a fairly decent writer, the dissertation process is VERY intimidating to me. Just the sheer length of the paper that I will ultimately produce has been the biggest deterrent for me to even

begin this journey. However, when I begin to feel overwhelmed and want to quit before I get too far, I ask myself, "How do you eat an elephant?" The answer: One bite at a time. Other people have similar mantras, but this one for some reason, resonates with my soul and helps me get moving along my path. I sort of know what my topic will be, but I just need to do some research and have some conversations with professors to either narrow it down or point me in the right direction so my academic research and action research are aligned. 

Thoughts on School Safety

        Crisis drills are nothing new. in the 1950s through the mid 80s, schools were  teaching students how to "duck and cover" in response to possible air raids and/or nuclear attacks. Those drills were then

replaced with drop drills, active shooter drills and now the current lock down drills, which teach our students what to do when there is an active shooter or some sort of emminent threat on their campus.  These drills have become an unfortunate necessity in our schools, as more school shootings are popping up all over the world. My former district, like so many others, requires all students, staff, and faculty to wear their ID badges along with a badge-sized emergency response protocol card with reminders of what to do in different situations. Malcolm and Swearer (2018) asserted, "devising and implementing effective measures to address [school safety] will require clear-headed, open-minded, fact-based analyses of proposed policies. Our children deserve nothing less."  As administrators, it is our duty to lead this charge on our respective campuses. 

            As I think about safety policies and procedures through the lens of an administrator, I think back to the countless drill I have been part of. While these drills prepare students and staff to respond to various emergencies, I wonder about the climate of our school. Are we as educators doing enough to promote the type of school climate that will reduce the chance of a shooting incident?  Woodward (2018) outlines seven tasks that need to be completed in order to foster a positive school climate. While all the tasks listed are important, the two that stand out to me the most are demanding that active listening occur in our schools, and building positive relationships. When trusted adults such as teachers, administrators and law enforcement personnel not only listen to student and staff concerns, but also act on them, there is no way of knowing just how many tragedies could be prevented. Furthermore, active listening naturally lends itself to building positive relationships. When students feel they can trust their teachers and administrators, they are more likely to open up about things that are bothering them, and report potentially violent or harmful behavior.

        One procedure I would put in place at my new campus, if given the chance is to have grade level behavior meetings with my staff.  In my experience, these meetings give teachers a chance to address student concerns and discuss strategies to help those they consider to be high risk. This type of open communication is a great way to begin a dialogue among all interested stakeholders, which can be very empowering for those who may think they are the only ones having trouble with particular students. Furthermore, these meetings also lend themselves to updating current discipline management and safety plans, since teachers and administrators have the opportunity to share strategies that have proven successful based on individual student needs. 

Malcolm, J., & Swearer, A. (2018, March 19). Focusing on School Safety After Parkland. The Heritage Foundation. https://www.heritage.org/firearms/report/focusing-school-safety-after-parkland. 

TEDXMileHigh. (2018). School shootings can be prevented -- here's how: William Woodward: TEDxMileHigh. https://youtu.be/89XeX4eeulw. 

Thoughts on Handling Budget Deficits

        One of the things I  appreciated about my former principal, is that he was very transparent about budget cuts, and where funding should go and why, based on campus needs. Now that we are the other side of two very tough years, funding in many districts has now been cut for the next year.  There is much concern about surplusing teachers when it seems like our campus should be getting more teachers, due to the fact that it is on the brink of falling under restructuring because of low STAAR scores.  Harwin, Lloyd and Blomstrom (2019) asserted, "For policymakers and taxpayers alike, school

finance is an uneasy balance between effort—how much they're willing or able to spend—and equity, or how fairly that money gets spread around to schools and districts."  It is, therefore, up to principals to carefully consider where and how  limited resources are used. The problem I see in years of budget deficits, however, is that central office staff and adminstrative positions are not considered as areas where funds can be conserved. In my 23 years in education, I have noticed that even in years of budget deficits, central office personnel will still get their offices redecorated. 

         As a principal, the first step I would take is to utilize my core Campus Academic Leaders(CALs), instructional coaches  and my assistant principals so that we can go through the campus improvement plan to determine our most pressing needs. Including the CALs in this process is important because each department needs to have a voice to advocate for their respective departments and let them have a say in what their departments really need and what they can do without.  We would start looking at items that we can cut that do not directly affect student learning. We would also look at creative ways to utilize existing staff; for example, instead of having a dedicated AVID teacher, we might ask a few teachers to teach a section of AVID. In this digital age where schools have gone one-to-one with technology, we would look for areas to eliminate paper copies and challenge teachers to go 100% digital.  Finally, as a committe, we would want to look at the curriculum for each subject, to ensure that our students are getting what they need to be successful.  "When states and districts target their money toward well-proven initiatives, researchers have found, academic outcomes significantly improve, especially for poor and minority students" (Burnette II, 2019). This is especially important in a deficit year, since schools do not want to spend money on ineffective initiatives when they can invest that money in a more efficient ways. 

        As we look to remedy the immediate concerns, it is also important that we look at the long-term improvement plan to ensure that the changes we make for the short term will not sabotage best practices for years to come. Being transparent about all of the changes and giving the why behind them is a critial piece in ensuring that the faculty on our campus will buy into the necessary cuts and shifts in budget. 

References

Burnette II, D. (2019). Just How Much Does Money Really Matter? Education Week, 38(34), 13–14

Harwin, A., Lloyd, S. C., & Blomstrom, O. (2019). Charting the Continued Friction Between K-12 Spending, Equity. Education Week, 38(34), 10–13.

Thoughts on Implementing Curriculum Change

        When implementing a change in curriculum, educational leaders need to keep in mind that oftentimes teachers treat their content as if it were their children; and they tend to be very protective of it. Therefore, it is imperative that these changes are not only relevant and meaningful, but also that key teacher leaders are included in designing the scope and sequence within their respective content areas.
This empowers teachers to take ownership in the new curriculum while ensuring that is designed to meet the needs of the students on their campus and in their classrooms. A major challenge, especially for district leaders in bigger school districts, is that they are oftentimes several steps removed from the campus level (as is the case in my former district). Now that I am in a much smaller district, I see that the challenge is still the same, just on a more manageable scale. 

         The best way for district leaders to partner with campus level teachers  to  ensure that curriculum is being followed is to make regular visits to their assigned campuses,  conduct walkthroughs in classrooms and sit in on PLCs. As a district leader, I would want to see lesson plans posted outside each classroom, so I can glance at it before walking into a classroom. Knowing what is supposed to be happening on any given day in a classroom makes it easier for campus and district level leaders to know what to look for as they walk in and out of classrooms.

        Furthermore I would also want to see the objectives and I will statements displayed clearly and conspicuously so I know what to look for. Viewing posted lesson plans, objectives  and I will statements.    These elements not only give me something to discuss with teachers either privately or in PLCs, but these elementst also help the students know what they will be working on each day, and what their goals are. Conducting learning walks and calibration walks are also great to help teacher leaders know what refinements need to be discussed in their respective PLCs. 

DeMatthews, D. E. (2014). How to Improve Curriculum Leadership: Integrating Leadership Theory and Management Strategies. Clearing House, 87(5), 192–196. https://doi-org.libproxy.lamar.edu/10.1080/00098655.2014.911141

Accountability Incentives: It's not just about core

      While I do agree that there needs to be some accountability measures in place so that teachers can continue to improve their practice and schools can increase student achievement, the "one-size-fits-all" approach does not work. When too much emphasis is placed on the results of on arbitrary test given on one particular day, the pressure that is placed on both students and teachers is stifling. The No Child Left Behind act (NCLB) caused a lot of unnecessary stress on teachers to perform, because it is difficult to control every  student's behavior and study habits, not to mention the external factors that can preoccupy students' minds on any givien day.   It is important to recognize that "the learning process for every school, like every child, is a personalized journey of continuous improvement" (Elgart, 2016).  Students all learn differently, and teachers must have the freedom to make adjustments to their curriculum based on the needs of their students. 

        Furthermore, a child's education includes more than just the four core subjects; therefore, districts that connect monetary incentives to student achievement scores should also consider incentivizing growth and student achievement in the elective classes as well. One major advantage to including elective teachers is that they will naturally want to increase the rigor in their classes, which in turn helps student achievement cross-curricularly. As a former electives teacher, I personally felt discriminated against since I did not qualify for any monetary incentives. As an  AVID elective teacher, every skill I taught my students had a direct, positive impact on their achievement scores in their core classes. The same can be said for fine arts teachers, Career Technology Education teachers and physical education teachers, etc.. Therefore should not all of these teachers receive some credit for helping their students achieve higher test scores? I say yes. elective teachers should not be "penalized" or made to feel less important than core teachers by not including them in incentive allotments. However, diving deeper into the why behind it is  a subject best left for a later discussion. 

    

Elgart, M. A. (2016). Creating state accountability systems that help schools improve. Phi Delta Kappan, 98(1), 26–30. https://doi.org/10.1177/0031721716666050

The Importance of Developing a Positive Digital Footprint

   Technology and our access to it affects us and almost every aspect of our lives. I remember a time when I had midnight curfew, and my mom worked nights. My brother and I had to race home to our rotary phone that was attached to the wall and call my mother at her work before midnight, or we would

be grounded for a month! Today, both of my daughters have cell phones, and I get frustrated with them if they don't answer their phones when I call them. If I leave the house without my cell phone, I will turn around and go back to get it, even if it means I will be pushing it to be on time to work. Back in the day, I would have to go from store to store in search of the things I wanted or needed. Now, I can not only search the internet from virtually anywhere to find the best deals on those things, but also have them delivered to my doorstep. Our society has become so dependent on technology that it is very difficult to function without it.

The advances in technology have allowed schools to go one-to-one, so students can take their Chromebooks or iPads home to do homework and complete digital projects outside of school hours,
which allows them to dig deeper into topics and be more creative in their presentations. Students essentially have access to social media 24 hours a day. The problem with this, however, is that students

cannot escape the cyberbullies. I was bullied as a kid--like a lot of people, but I knew that once I got home, the bullies couldn't get to me. Today, cyberbullies can text, tweet, and post hurtful comments, and the victims cannot escape it, unless they turn their phones and computers off. Fights are oftentimes started through social media and finished in real life at school.

           Many students do not take into account that all of their time online, positive or negative, leaves a footprint. They do not realize that anything they post is out there forever, and anyone can find it, no matter how old the posts might be. Last summer, a prospective employer told me that he looked me up on Facebook and found that we had some mutual friends, which gave us an opportunity to connect. This made me really stop and think about the the

types of things I post online. Because digital footprints and tattoos can have a profound effect on a young person's future, digital citizenship must be taught from an early age. Furthermore, students need to be aware of the unintentional footprints they leave as they browse from one site to another. This unintentional foot traffic is what cultivates the types of ads that people see as they move through the digital world. Even Netflix gathers information on your viewing habits, so they can add recommendations based on your viewing habits.

           As my students create their e-portfolios and make adjustments, I try my best NOT to micromanage their content. Because most are beginners at creating their eportfolio, I do give them lots of suggestions of things they can include. Most of the portfolios assignments have a minimum requirement so they know what they have to include, but then I leave the rest up to them. I also think is important for teachers to model good portfolio development. When I introduce something new, I open up my own e-portfolio so they can see what I have included. My students like it, because I am not asking them to do something I am not already doing. Furthermore, students can see first-hand a real-world application of the e-portfolio by looking at mine. I want them to know that creating an eportfolio is not just busy work. I also want them to know that creating an eportfolio is one way they can deliberately cultivate their digital footprint.

Decoding Digital Citizenship

        The word citizenship carries several definitions; therefore, one must decide which definition to use when answering this question. When thinking about citizenship within the context of this course, digital citizenship is essentially the same as citizenship. Because most young people are connected digitally in some form or fashion, the digital world and the real world often intersect with one another." It is difficult to find where one ends and the other begins (Ribble, 2015)." 

      I define digital citizenship as the ability to function safely and responsibly in a digital environment. It is up to us as educators to teach our students what that looks like, and we must model good digital behavior for our students. Exhibiting poor digital behavior often carries over into the real world, damaging others' self-esteem and physical health. Therefore, it is imperative that educators teach students how to be kind, positive, and responsible citizens both online and off. 

        Of the nine elements of digital citizenship, the one that is most important for my students is digital access. My school is 80% socio-economically disadvantaged, and I knew that many of my students had trouble with having internet access. However, I did not realize the extent of this inequality until last year. The  COVID-19 Pandemic brought to light the very real disparity of technology access among our students, and I worried about not only their inability to complete homework assignments and attend virtual classes, but also their ability to access their basic needs. Our district did its best to provide Park-and-Learn areas in campus parking lots by boosting the wi-fi signals and issuing hundreds of hot spots for students to have at-home internet access. Furthermore, they worked to provide meals for our students who would otherwise go hungry. 

         The second most important element is digital communication. Many of our students do not have a concept of what is appropriate communication, and what is not. We have students getting into serious trouble over cyberbullying, sexting, or sharing inappropriate pictures of themselves on social media. Furthermore, these types of communique often compromise their safety and security which can have unpredictable and unpleasant consequences.

         Additionally, students need to be taught how to communicate appropriately with others through email. Some just do not understand that they should not use the same language to address their teachers as they would their friends. I am constantly modeling appropriate ways to ask teachers for help and inquire about grades and assignments. I even set aside time during my class on certain days to help my students compose emails to their teachers so they sound more professional and respectful.

Ribble, M. (2015). Digital citizenship in schools: Nine elements all students should know. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.

Online Course Design--Final Thoughts and Wrap-up

    In these uncertain times, teachers are being required to plan for virtual and face-to-face learners at the
same time. Some districts are trying to help teachers with these skills, but there is little campus-level support.  For this reason, the Digital Learning Workshop is designed to help teachers acquire those tools necessary for delivering online instruction to their students. Communication is a key component of any course, whether it be online, face-to-face, or a combination of the two. Google classroom is an LMS that lends itself nicely for such communication. I will be able to communicate directly with my learners, keeping them updated on changes, upcoming deadlines, and the addition of new learning modules.  In turn, learners can communicate with me via private message or the classroom stream.

      I designed the modules to be self-paced so learners can access and complete the modules when they have time. However, I have given a deadline for learners to complete the modules so I can go in award professional development credits promptly. This becomes important for those teachers who have to accumulate professional development credits to renew their teaching certificates on a regular basis.   

       Google Classroom is set up to send out notifications to learners who are enrolled in the course, so when I add modules to the Digital Learning Workshop (DLW) or make changes to the existing modules, learners automatically receive an email, provided they have not disabled notifications. Because learners do have the ability to turn off their notifications for this course, I will also send a separate email informing my learners of important additions to the DLW, so they will not miss opportunities for further professional learning. 

      The pre-course and post-course surveys that my learners complete will drive the creation of future courses. Therefore, instead of creating arbitrary learning modules on tools I THINK my learners need to know how to use, I will be using my learners' responses to customize the digital learning on my campus. One thing I will do differently in creating these courses will be to incorporate more opportunities for discussion and collaboration among content and teachers.  Furthermore, as campuses continue to move toward hybrid or online learning, it will be on me, other digital learning specialists, and administrators to stay abreast of the latest digital learning trends and instructional practices to ensure that our learners receive quality professional learning that will help them continue to be successful in their classrooms.

         Finally, in order for me to continually improve each module and course that I design, learners will complete surveys that will evaluate their effectiveness, as well as offer suggestions for improvement. As I look to improve the existing courses and create new ones, my skills will continue to improve as well. Whether I end up as an assistant principal or a digital learning specialist, my goal is the same: to support teachers by equipping them to teach their students to the best of their ability. To do this, I must listen to my teachers as well as continue to research digital tools that will help them accomplish this. 

Can F2F classes go digital?

 

      For this week's assignment, we were tasked with looking at courses in our schools that could be redesigned to be online courses. If this pandemic has taught me anything, it is that any class can be converted to an online format.  In fact, teachers are doing this every day to accommodate their virtual learners. For many students, virtual learning is their new reality for many different reasons, and our teachers are stepping up and accommodating them brilliantly. AVID and College and Career Reading are two such courses that can be designed for online learning. 

           AVID is a college and career readiness program that is geared toward the academic middle. This class requires students to be enrolled in at least one course of rigor (Pre-AP, AP or Advanced). This class supports students by helping them with organization and time management skills, writing and critical reading skills, and interpersonal skills. One major piece of all AVID classes is AVID tutorials. Tutors are hired to come into the class twice a week and facilitate a sort of Socratic seminar to help them with their academic classes. Students come prepared with a Tutorial Request Form (TRF) which helps students organize their thinking and drill down to the part of the problem that is confusing or troublesome. This class is a challenge to turn into an online course, but it can be done using interactive tools such as Google meets for virtual tutorials and Google Sites or Slides to build digital notebooks. Most assignments, including the TRF, can be digitized using various apps and tools. Furthermore, due the COVID pandemic, hundreds of colleges and universities have developed virtual tours of their campuses, which allows students to their favorite colleges from the comfort of their own homes.  Moreover, guest speakers can join our class via Zoom or Google Meet, and the students can type questions into the chat, or click the raise hand button to ask questions. 

         College and Career Readiness is a class that prepares 8th graders for college by helping students discover their interests and passions and introducing them to the many high school endorsements and tracks they choose from. These endorsements have been developed to help students gain experience in their areas of interest, thereby paving the way for entry into their chosen college or career path. This class is one that can easily be turned into an online course. Edpuzzle makes it easy to turn any video into a lesson. PearDeck can also be used to turn slides into interactive and collaborative lessons. Every unit can be taught exclusively online, while the teacher facilitates via web conference on a daily or weekly basis. In this instance, the teacher becomes not only a facilitator, but also a valuable resource that students can utilize when they need clarification on lessons and concepts. Teachers can also utilize apps such as Screencastify to record how-to videos or visual aides, and other apps such as Quizlet and Gimkit that can help students learn vocabulary and other facts through the various interactive games and challenges that these kinds of apps have to offer.  Furthermore, there are dozens of  free quality apps and extensions  that teachers can utilize, as well as many more that can be paid for by the district for educational use. In today’s digital world, there are many ways for any class to be redesigned for use as an online course. 

Asynchronous Learning for Teachers

          With the exception of their own lessons, the resources my learners need to successfully complete each module are housed within the course in Google Classroom. Learners will complete and submit each assignment in Google Classroom.  While the modules are self-paced and fall on completely online on the continuum outlined by Bates (2015), I set a deadline for turning assignments so I could award them PD credit in a timely manner. Most teachers do not like to simply complete arbitrary assignments that they will soon forget in order to earn their professional development credits. The most engaging professional learning courses for me have been the ones in which the end product of the course was something I could take back to my class and use immediately.

        My overarching goal for this course is to give my learners the opportunity to use their own curriculum to complete some of the assignments. Most of the modules have a tutorial assignment to familiarize learners with the app, followed by another assignment that requires them to utilize their skills to digitize one of their lessons.  This piece, I believe, is the key to making the modules in Digital Learning Workshop more meaningful to my learners. They will learn new skills while building lessons and activities that they can take back to their classrooms and teach, as well as share with their fellow content teachers. My learners are much more likely to engage with the assignments in each module if they get  to experience the ways that the tools and apps taught within Google Classroom can apply to their subject areas.  I also planned some collaborative pieces, such as the lesson share Padlet and the Flipgrid reflections.  My hope is that these collaborative reflections will inspire conversations among content teachers that will lead to more lesson sharing and more consistent curriculum delivery.  

      As more OERs become available to learners, I envision the role of the teacher as more of a facilitator (Bates, 2015).  I think school districts need to look into the possibility of starting an online school in order to relieve some of the burden currently placed on most of our teachers. Since virtual teaching is most likely here to stay, it makes sense to open a school that houses the virtual teaching format. Virtual students deserve to have teachers who understand the ins and outs of virtual teaching and can provide a much more robust online curriculum. As one who must teach virtually as well as face to face, I have learned that it is difficult to cater to both face-to-face students and virtual students at the same time. In order to streamline lesson planning, I have designed most of my lessons to cater to  my virtual students. However, my f2f students have really appreciated the shorter lectures and longer work time in class. 

Bates, A.W. (2015) Teaching in a Digital Age: Guidelines for designing teaching and learning (Chapters 8-10). Retrieved from

https://opentextbc.ca/teachinginadigitalage/

The Digital Learning Workshop-Making Adjustments

      The Digital Learning Workshop is coming along nicely. It is hard for me to believe that this course is almost complete. I was really nervous about it when I started this class. How was I going to design a 5-week course in such a short amount of time???? How would I chunk the information, and how would

I build the assignments in a manner that my learners would be able understand and complete them? Is it too late to change classes (kidding, not kidding)? These are just a few of the questions that went through my head as I began thinking about this course. HOWEVER, once I wrapped my brain around what I wanted this course to be, and I did A LOT of research. It finally began to flow. 

     One thing that has worked to my advantage is my process:  I tend to build and experiment as I outline. I do this with my writing, and I do this with projects.  I guess it goes back to me being a constructivist at heart. I am also one who needs to see the project I am outlining so I can add the details and resources that goes into tackling an endeavor such as this class. Creating this course has been an eye-opening experience for me; I have taken many online courses but have never built one before. I was reminded of  something I have said many times in the coaching world:  It is one thing to participate in a sport, but it is quite another to coach it. A coach has to break down the skills needed to play a sport, chunk the learning into sections so her athletes don't go into cognitive overload, and differentiate the teaching of those skills based on the skill level of her athetes. 

    That saying has played a huge role as I began putting my course together in Google Classroom. For example, as I was outlining the last half of my course this week, I realized that the assigment I was writing for my Google Sites module was too long. Consequently, I chunked it into two assignments.  As I was designing another module last week, I realized that the skills I was wanting to teach really needed to be broken into two separate modules, so I had to cut a big chunk and go in a slightly different direction. Moreover, once I roll this course out and  I get some feedback from my learners, I will undoubtedly go back and refine certain pieces to make it better for the next round of learners! 

     In summary, building this professional learning modules has made me appreciate the time and effort that goes into creating online courses (or any course for that matter).  Building this course has stretched my thinking and helped me grow as an educator by making me look at teaching through a completely different lens. Not only will this experience make me a better teacher, but it will also help be become a more effective administrator.