Let's reflect...

I was hoping to update this a lot more often but for pete's sake I can't catch a break! No excuse just simply defending myself! Let's recap!

After submitting my proposal to Dr. Kellison and getting the go ahead (after a few rounds of editing) I began my Applied Research project. As you all know I am currently a third grade classroom teacher in King William County. AES has a 40 minute block everyday for enrichment and remediation. This works AMAZING well for me! This gives me the time everyday to work with my group of eight. As you will see in my proposal I am testing a theory based on student achievement, we are using Apples iBooks Author to create our own picture books and see what our end results look like after direct instruction and authoring our own books. 

At this point we are wrapping up the loose ends on our Energy unit. Here is an overview of what happened during this unit. 

1. Pretested Energy Unit (Hot Mess)

2. Broke into group for iBooks Author

3. Direct instruction in our own classrooms

4. Working on picture books during Encore

5. Publishing

6. Posttest Energy (Not to hot of a mess)

I was very nervous at first, as you know the mac is new to me so using iBooks Author also took a leap of faith! But we charged forward and made it work! I am very please with the results of our books. Publishing to the iBooks store is what I have left to accomplish but the books themselves are done!

We worked together as a group on these books. We took it one step at a time, We started with our table of contents, glossary and indexes. Then we broke up and worked on our text. My above grade level learners took the ball and ran with it. My other buddies needed a bit more attention and help-so I put my behind in a rolly chair and slid around the room! It was great! I really enjoyed it! 

After about 3 weeks of direct instruction and Encore we were ready to "publish" and post test. If you remember we are comparing the results of these 8 students to my class who are only receiving direct instruction. I have only just glanced and printed the results but at first I was very disappointed. Some of my scores didn't seem to budge. However, I know that just looking at the data isn't enough. I really need to dive in question but question and search for patterns and trends. 

We have also pretested our last unit Interdependence and are starting our books on Monday! So far so good!

As for limitations I have already discover a few...

1. Only one MacBook!!! We're making it work but 8 year olds don't have much patience.

2. 40 minutes flys by!

3. I struggle with being a grammar gooroo!! I have to remember it's their work not mine!!!

4. Some of the questions on their pre and post test had unforeseen errors!!! ( IA problems)

Keep checking back...we're on a ROLL!!!!!

And so it begins....

I am finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Now it's not a very bright light but I have determined that the end is near. I have just wrapped up my last semester of actual classes at JMU and now I am diving head first into my FINAL Applied Research class. This class actually started a few months prior to this but now we are really getting down to business. This post is simply going to bring you up to speed on where I am and how I got to this point. 

Back in the fall of 2011 I was enrolled in Inquiry in Education, this class was basically to get my feet wet when it came to research and to start to decide on a topic for this final project for JMU. My original idea, while good in theory, really didn't excite me enough to want to focus on it for months. So with that in mind I survived research and decided when the time grew near I would start with a clean slate and choose a new topic. One rainy Sunday afternoon I was playing on Facebook and stumbled across a posting in the JMU Ed. Tech page about iBooks Author, a new program unleashed by Apple that let you create and publish your own textbooks. JMU Ed. Tech mentioned that this would be an excellent idea for an Applied Research project and here we are two months later running with that idea. Now if you know me at all you will know that I am a new convert to the Mac world. If you asked my classmates some of them would agree that this day would NEVER, and I mean NEVER, come. However, I have jumped ship and will never look back.

So what exactly am I researching? How am I tying this all together? Well funny you should ask...this final summer semester myself and nine AES students are creating our own Science textbooks. I currently teach in King William County where there are no current Science textbooks. My project will focus on student achievement and the pros and cons of creating our own textbooks. We will be comparing the results of these 9 students scores to the rest of my class (18 students). Both groups will receive direct instruction and the group of 9 will receive 40 extra minutes a day where we work on our textbooks. The main goal is to compare pre and post test data and decide if the gains are more significant when the students create their own study mechanisms. 

We are actually about 2 weeks into our study. We will be focusing on two specific Science units and then also comparing the data from these students Virginia SOL Assessments. We are about 2 weeks into our Energy Unit and will still be covering Interdependence this year. 

I am very excited about this study and so far my students are loving iBooks Author! Check back often for updates and progress!!!

-Jessica