EDLD 5363: My Podcast

My Podcast by Aleida Benavides-Meza is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at http://youtu.be/zZ8fk-sAXCY.

EDLD 5363: Week 1 Reflection

This week’s assignment was a challenge, not only because it was during Thanksgiving break, but also because I had to really look into my life in order to write and create a personal script and video. I was amazed at how much I learned from all the readings and some online video tutorials, on how to write the perfect script, then convert the script into a video. I feel that I learned so much, from Lambert, Joe. Digital Storytelling Cookbook 2010, all of his suggestions for the “Self-Interview” and all the suggested questions for interviewing someone, were very useful during the writing process. I have to be honest, this was the first time that I would create a personal video, and I just didn’t know how much was enough detail (I’m not sure if I over did it or if I was still lacking more information). While I was working on this assignment, I couldn’t help but think of so many ways that I could use this with my 3rd grade students; I can’t wait to teach them this activity and let their imagination and creativity take over. I can just imagine what they will develop.

EDLD 5363: Week 1 Remember Video

EDLD 5363: Week 1 Remember Video Script

Remember

Growing up in a migrant family was sometime difficult, especially when I was in elementary. I remember every year my family and I would make a long journey from the state of Nuevo Leon, Mexico, to a small town in California. While both my parents worked long hard hours in the fields planting or harvesting all sorts of delicious fruits; my older sister, younger brother, and I attended school.

I remember having a difficult time adjusting every year; it was extremely hard to go half a school year to a school in Mexico and the other half to a school in the United States. Trying to keep up with a different language was the most difficult part; it was so frustrating to communicate with teachers that did not understand a single word of my original native language.

The elementary years are long gone, and now all I can do is remember how challenging and wonderful all those years were. The challenge of succeeding in both countries is something so special that I will never forget.  I remember making the decision of becoming an elementary bilingual teacher since I was in sixth grade; I just knew that teaching was what I needed to do in order to help other students that faced the same challenges as I did when I was growing up.

I remember how my parents would always encourage us to try our best in everything we did; they always expressed their desire for us to get a good education and they always gave us their full support. They always told us that the best thing they could ever give us was an education. My mom and dad’s favorite saying was and still is, you can always lose everything, but the only thing you cannot lose and no one can ever take away from you is your education. I can still remember their faces full of pride and joy the day I graduated from the university.

Although I just started this new journey, I will be honest I cannot wait to complete my Master’s Degree so that I can once again experience that feeling of seeing my parents, my husband, and my precious young boys faces full of pride and joy. I hope that they will always remember that I could have never accomplished this without their encouragement and support.  

EDLD 5301: Week 5 Changes to my action research plan.

I incorporated some of the suggestions in the comments in this blog to update my action plan; I also made some revisions based on my site supervisor recommendations. I decided to assess teacher basic technology needs to facilitate the transition from nontechnology users to proficient technology users. I’ve also incorporated staff development and integration of iPads in the classrooms. I hope that the new specifications in the action steps will simplify my action research and help me meet my goal of having every teacher in my campus integrating technology in their classrooms. 

EDLD 5301: Week 4 Revised Action Planning Template

Action Planning Template Revised 11/02/12
Goal: To improve technology integration in the classroom while enhancing student learning.
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Evaluate the current use of technology in the classroom.	Aleida Benavides-Meza, Site Supervisor, Technology Coordinator, Campus Administrators	October 2012 – May 2013	Classroom observations and walkthroughs.	Will meet with principal and technology director to assess how teachers use available technology at beginning and conclusion of action research. Ensure that curriculum and technology integration is aligned with TEKS and district objectives.
Conduct survey to identify teacher’s current technology proficiency.	Aleida Benavides-Meza, Technology Coordinator, Teachers	October 2012	Survey, research how to create teacher technology proficiency survey.	Review and analyze teacher responses.
Collect and analyze survey data to create professional development training base on teacher basic technology needs	Aleida Benavides-Meza, Technology Coordinator, Technology Department Director	October 2012 – 2013	Surveys, Campus available technology equipment, internet connection, power point presentation.	Assess the effectiveness of professional development trainings (basic computer and software functions).
Create and implement professional development technology trainings. iPads integration in the classroom trainings.	Aleida Benavides-Meza, Technology Coordinator, Technology Department Director	October 2012 – May 2013	Campus available technology equipment, iPads, internet connection, power point presentation.	Assess the effectiveness of professional development trainings, evaluate that all campus-base staff development is conducted in accordance with district standards, and that the goals and objectives of all staff development are to improve achievement and performance of students and campus.
Collaborate with teachers to facilitate  technology and iPads integration in the classroom	Aleida Benavides-Meza, Technology Coordinator, Teachers	October 2012 – May 2013	Computers, iPads, campus available technology, individual facilitation, group meetings, assistance with technology integration lessons, model appropriate technology integration, and assist teacher with the integration of technology as a medium for learning.	Ongoing evaluation of the facilitation and technology integration in every classroom. Ongoing evaluation of iPads integration.
Collaborate with teachers to create a vertical alignment team	Aleida Benavides-Meza, Technology Coordinator, Teachers	October 2012 – 2013	Computers, campus available technology, group meetings, TEKS, and assist teacher with assessing and verifying lesson correlation with TEKS.	Ongoing evaluation of the technology standards vertical alignment among grade levels.
Collect and analyze data.	Aleida Benavides-Meza, Technology Coordinator	October 2012 – May 2013	Administrator observations, walkthrough information, teacher feedback, computer lab reports.	Compare collected data from beginning, and end of action research. Assess and evaluate the benefits of technology integration in the classroom. Evaluate if technology integration improved student performance.
Compile action research to report results.	Aleida Benavides-Meza	May 2013	Available data of technology integration in classroom.	Assess the benefits of technology integration in the classroom. Present results to campus administrators and teachers.