EDC638: My Action Research Project (Intro)

My Action Research Project (Intro)

BACKGROUND

QUESTION: Which group tends to burn out faster than social workers and classroom teachers? Which group also suffers the indignity of watching their work abandoned when they leave? ANSWER: Educational Technology Workers (technology coordinators, and computer lab teachers). With all of the pressures and hassles of any garden-variety classroom teacher, plus the added burden of uncooperative/resistant fellow teachers, techno-illiterate administrators, and “me-only” district IS, ed-tech teachers are expected to create a “Picasso” every day with little more than a box of 8 crayons and borrowed paper.

GOALS

In view of these difficulties I believe that the currency and savior of our profession is Information and the demon is Isolation. In the course of my ARP I plan to create a publication (website/newsletter) to become a forum for information sharing and exchange and support. Part of the support plan is to host/organize face-to-face informal informational and social gatherings for tech-ed workers.

ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT?

Yes this is a good cause, but is it an ARP? If the goal of an ARP is to improve ones practice through systematic analysis, research, and peer review, than I think that the process of creating a publication and informal support group dedicated to ed-tech workers is very much an ARP.

PLAN OF ACTION/NEXT STEPS

The first step will be to secure the services of my participants and peer-reviewers (critical friends) and create a timeline. The participants can take any number of roles: * Article researcher * Article author/editor * Managing editor * Graphics Specialist * Website supervisor * Social event coordinatorThe next step is to survey ed-tech workers for issue and concerns that they would like to see addressed in the publication.The next step is to secure the technological resources needed to mount the website and create the email newsletter. At present I do not plan to create a paper publication.

Click Here to Return to EDC638 ARP Docs & Journals

Click Here to Return to EDC638 Collaborative Action Research

Click Here to Return to Pepperdine OMAET (2001-2002)

Click Here to Return to Joe Bustillos’ Academic Portfolio

Click Here to Return to Joe Bustillos’ Resume