Prepwork
What bothers me?
• The district art curriculum is shallow.
• I would like my lessons to be meaningful with real life connections.
• I would like my students to use technology in ways that develop media literacy.
• It is difficult for me to book lab time, and mobile labs are unreliable.
• Subjects are isolated, there is little to no blending of literacies in the district elementary curriculums.
Prepwork for Scratchwork:
Research questions that interest me:
• How can I construct a curriculum that meets state and district elementary art requirements yet which fosters a culture of inquiry?
• How do students react to reading and writing when art-making, visual literacy, technology, history, and communication arts are presented in a blended format?
• Will a blended literacy format generate higher levels of student motivation and learning?
Prepwork for Bridgework:
What I already know about blended literacy:
• I have already completed the grad level courses - Artistic Thinking: Multimedia Applications for Teaching Art, Visual Literacy and Visual Culture, and Visual Thinking Strategies I & II.
• I have implemented an afterschool technology club.
• I have two good friends who are library media specialists, both possess a strong interest in 21st Century learning.
Prepwork for Headwork:
• I am a digital immigrant, my students are digital natives.
• My 99.9 % military dependent students are transient; I have lived in the same place for twelve years.
• Many of my ideas come from the fact that though the district mission is ‘Educating individual students for 21st century challenges’, I really don’t think that we are. I think I will have good support of a blended literacy curriculum if I can show the ways it reinforces 21st century learning.
Prepwork for Legwork
Possible data sources:
• VTS pre and post test
• Star Reading Scores
• Student interviews
• Classroom teacher interviews
• Digital student portfolios
• Class blogs
• District technology specialists
Prepwork for Eyework
• Short-term problem – was late to first day of class due to detours encountered en-route. I panicked as I realized I would arrive a project 20 minutes late. I scrolled through contacts on my phone, hoping to reach a classmate who could explain my tardiness, to no avail. I attempted to reach a friend who I knew would have Kathy’s phone number. I accepted that I would be late, that it would not be a big deal and made plans to travel a different route next week. I also obtained Kathy’s phone number. I chose to be calm when encountering a situation over which I had no control.
• Long-term problem – Injuring shoulder. First, spent several months ignoring problem, hoping that the shoulder would heal. Next, made a doctors appointment. Then, was referred for an orthopedic consult. Received injection of steroids in the shoulder. After no improvement the orthopedist scheduled an MRI. When the MRI showed no damage to the rotator cuff began physical therapy. Continued home exercises and bi-weekly therapy appointments. Aside from the initial appointment, I had little control over the timing of other appointments. When school was in session I was able to schedule therapy appointments early in the mornings, so that I did not have to miss work. The problem-solving map involved ruling out what wasn’t wrong in order to find the root of the problem. I had to be patient and willing to try different options until I found one that worked.
• Comparison of problem solving approaches – In my short-term problem I initially panicked, in the long-term problem I ignored that there was a problem, then consulted experts. In the first situation there was nothing, short of time travel, I could do to resolve the issue, so I elected to remain calm. In the second situation, I had to keep trying different approaches until I found one that worked. I think that both of these circumstances provided valuable implications as far as school-based research is concerned – let go of that over which you have no control, be patient, open to new approaches, seek expert advice, and persevere until you figure out what works!
Prepwork for Homework
What do I want to accomplish?
• I would like to work with my building library media specialist to co-write and implement a blended literacy curriculum at the fourth or fifth grade level.
• I would like to create class blogs for each class of that grade level.
• I would like all students to maintain a digital portfolio.
My co-worker and I will need to meet in July and outline our plan for the school year, ensuring that art and library curriculum goals are being met. We will need the communication arts and social studies curriculum available as we work. Prior to the start of the school year we will need to present our curriculum to the building administrator. (We have already notified him of our plans.) We will also need to meet with classroom teacher to enlist their support.
Prepwork for Footwork
Prepwork for Deskwork
• Use wiki for communicating with library media specialist.
• Create dual notebooks for maintaining student account information and passwords.
• Create outline for curriculum / projects.
• Have district techs set-up edublog for each class and e-pals account for each student.
• Set-up glogster and voice thread student accounts.
• Make schedule to meet with library media specialist weekly and quarterly with other stakeholders.
Prepwork for Homework
• MAEA – (Missouri Art Education Association) I regularly write conference workshop proposals and workshop presentations. I write a regular report for the ShowMe Journal.
• In-District Professional Development - I regularly write PD workshop proposals and workshop presentations.
• I have little research experience. I am concerned about writing effective questions.
• Working with my colleague I hope to write a blended literacy curriculum that we can keep, re-use. We hope to present our findings at the district level and to our respective state professional organizations.
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