LGL Action Research - Day One

The LGL Action Research Study is off and running

Yesterday, I gave a short introduction about the history of Logo (MIT and Seymour Papert) and a brief demonstration of the basic motions.  I showed students a 360 degree compass and talked about how GPS systems have changed our dependence on compasses.  I forgot to journal yesterday so first thing today, I sat down and wrote out responses to the prompts.  I ended up breaking the last prompt into Looking Back and Looking Ahead.  Looking Back is for the next time I teach this unit (i.e. what changes do I need to make so that Day One is more successful). I also checked the survey responses.

1. Describe successes with student understanding / technology / attitude.
2. Describe difficulties with student understanding / technology / attitude.
3. Discuss anything that surprised/frustrated me as the instructor.
4. Discuss any modifications or adjustments that might be made for the next class session.

The most glaring change that I need to make is a revised checklist.  It needs to be a seating chart so I can quickly scribble on it.  A second change is to try to get through the Logo part of the lessons so students don't have to return to the lab.  This will be possible for L3 and L4 tomorrow as the projects do not require Logo.

Recording Students in AR

It is impossible to catch everything that is going on in a classroom while you are teaching a lesson. A logical remedy would be to video record the class period. Years ago this was a big deal with regard to getting a camera and editing VHS tapes.  Now, shooting video is a daily happening as cell phones and tablets are equipped with apps or features to record and upload images at the speed-of-light.

We have all seen the not-so-flattering videos of teachers on You Tube, but it is a whole new ball game when it comes to recording students in the academic setting. Furthermore, if you are using the data for research, you need to be careful that you follow Human Subjects Protocols for social science research.  I will discuss this more in a future blog post.

Each educational setting is different; you need to follow the rules of your school corporation when you record anything (digital or audio). You will need to secure permission from all the stakeholders - administrators, parents/guardians and children. Typically, in educational action research, the only people who will view the recording would be other colleagues that are part of the study and maybe a university professor. The recordings should be kept in a secure password protected location (i.e. hard drive).

Please consider this information as friendly advise and not the final word on the use of recordings - the penalties for violating research ethics are severe.  Also, note that in some schools, video taping is strictly forbidden.

Okay, let's say that you want to publish your study in a journal. Keep in mind that there are protocols and permissions that need to be followed and in most cases the children's names have been changed.