Our first thoughts about Action Research

One of our team members, Faith, posted our team's earliest thoughts about our Action Research project on PLP's Community Hub, so members of our PLP community could help us develop our idea.

The following is an exchange between Faith, and Sheryl, one of the Co-Founders of PLP, in mid- January:

Faith: We are going to research what e-book/e-textbooks we can incorporate across the curriculum to assist in our overall goal of establishing online courses and blended learning classes. We will be assessing the content companies and what fit might be best for Garrison. We will also be leveraging our students, faculty, and parents by surveying them on the use of e-readers and e-books. We hope that the results of our research will help the school make informed decisions on how to incorporate this technology into an already technology-rich curriculum, how we will foster faculty use of e-books/e-textbooks, and provide guidance on the financial issues (e.g. IT resources used) surrounding the incorporation of these digital texts in the classroom.

Sheryl:  While this is a great research topic and a way to make an informed decision it needs a little tweaking before it is action research.(or it could be the short paragraph too)

The "research e-book/e-textbooks" as a means of establishing online courses and blended learning is an activity. Assessing content companies is an activity. Surveying is data gathering. So looking at one of your outcomes... making informed decisions on how to incorporate technology into an already tech-rich curriculum-- suggests maybe you are looking at informed decision making? Or the value of adding technology to tech rich curriculum?

I think you have the makings of an action research project but right now it is sounding more like a product evaluation or exploration. That isn't action research. I know you are in the beginning stages here so lots of room to think and play with ideas. Let me know if you'd like me to meet with your team.

Faith: Sheryl-Thanks for parsing this out. I am in agreement that this is an exploration. But there are some of us on the team are going to look a little deeper at the way in which we are using e-readers and the iPad in our classroom and how that is changing and informing the way in which we create learning units and collaborate as a class. It's a continuum. We meet next week to more closely define our scope and will be in contact with you then for valuable insight and input on our task to make it action research.

--Alice