Research

media type="youtube" key="YOhSJbZ9BfA" height="390" width="640" This is a TED type talk on using technology to improve home school communication. **__Action Research__** This is a pitch I presented to fellow Masters students in January 2011. The action research I am proposing will focus on whether my current school is communicating effectively with parents through the use of online tools. [|klynnpitch.docx] As the next step in my research on home school communication I wrote this literature review.[|Klynnliterature review.docx]           Here is a link to a page I set up with a googleform to ask questions about home school communication. Surveys   Below is the write up of some action research I conducted in school during the 2009-10 Academic Year. **Introducing and Developing E Portfolios in Grade 4, Qatar Academy May 2010** As students in a PYP school, children at Qatar Academy Primary School are encouraged to share and reflect on their learning and achievements. Prior to the introduction of e portfolios, students from preschool through to grade 5 had paper portfolios kept in a binder, giving a representation of student learning and reflection. These were shared which with parents at least once a year.
 * __Background__**

During the 2008-9 school year, wikispaces were introduced in the Primary School. Initially they were used by teachers to share information with their students and parents. Later wikispaces were also set up for students. At this time, grade 3-5 students started to embed or link digital work they had done.

At the same time, Grade 4 and 5 students were provided with 2:1 netbooks in the classroom. This year the programme changed to 1:1, so that each Grade 4 and 5 student had their own netbook within the classroom.

In September 2009, my class had 1:1 netbooks and some understanding of how to create and display work digitally. I had received professional development and had a skill level where I felt confident working with technology. I believed that creating e portfolios was a valuable way to show student learning.

As a team, the grade 4 teachers, the TIFFs and the PYP coordinator decided to create e portfolios for Grade 4 students, to see if linking work through wikis would allow children to take more ownership of their learning, reflect on their work more effectively and gain a better understanding of the profile words and attitudes.
 * __Researching and Setting Up E Portfolios__**

Helen Barrett’s research on e portfolios led us to discussions about whether we wanted **“a ****working portfolio,** which documents the learning process” or “a **presentation portfolio** that is organized around a set of learning outcomes, goals or standards.” [] The answer leaned more towards the former than the latter.

Research also suggested that by creating e portfolios children would be given the opportunity to develop 21st century literacies and use many of the right brain skills, which Daniel Pink suggests are vital in today’s changing society.

The next step was to work with the TIFFs and the PYP coordinator to decide how the portfolios would be set up. Ideas included: · Providing different pages or headings for the ten learner profile words. Work on these pages would then show examples of how children were developing in these areas. [] · Setting up pages for individual subjects e.g. Maths, Language Arts, Art, Music. Work on these pages would show examples and reflections from separate subject areas. · Setting up a page for each unit of inquiry. The things children chose to put on these pages would show a range of work and reflections from across the curriculum that had been done during the time frame of each unit. []

The decision was made to work with the third suggestion. This would enable children to show their progress as work would be organized chronologically. It would allow students to show a balance in their learning from different subject areas. Students could also be encouraged to use not only the profile words but also the PYP attitudes, skills and concepts in their reflections.

Other changes that teachers needed to make were: · Planning for the teaching of skills and use of web 2.0 tools in the classroom across the curriculum. This involved PD and scheduling the TIFFs to support and team teach in class. · Setting up accounts on voicethread, picassa etc. · Remembering to take photographs or encouraging students to take photographs.

Creating and working with e portfolios has improved children’s visual literacy skills. At the start of the year during a UOI on advertising children were encouraged to think about images, colour and layout, ideas which they then related back to their wiki pages. Children also had discussions over whether to embed or link their work depending on the visual impact of the piece e.g. voicethreads and photos were often embedded whilst longer texts or groups of photos were linked.
 * __Observations and Outcomes__**

Setting up their wiki pages and deciding which pieces of work to include, also encouraged them to think about how others view them. The children have gained a growing understanding of how to be responsible digital citizens, as they learn about what to share and what to keep private. Students are starting to work as digital communicators, expressing themselves and sharing their learning using a range of digital tools to suit a range of purposes.

From a PYP perspective, children have started to use the profile words and particularly the PYP attitudes more often and with more understanding. Previously, many of my students could define the profile words clearly but found it more difficult to link them to their learning and achievements. In my class, last year, the attitudes were hardly ever mentioned. This year, children can articulate which attitude they are showing when. Although this has not translated fully into written explanations on their e portfolios, when asked, they can explain why they have chosen a piece of work and which attitude, profile word or skill it shows. [] shows the use of profile words and attitudes in the student’s basic reflections. [] shows a range of embedded work, not all of which has been commented on.

When questioned about the purpose and benefits of e portfolios both children and parents commented on the fact that they were easily accessible, showed progress of student learning and gave parents a greater insight into their child’s school achievements and progress. However, owever, some parents fed back that they had only looked at their child’s wiki once or twice over the year.

Problems faced recently have been the banning of age restricted sites in school e.g. googledocs, even when work has been created on class accounts. This means that some work which children would like to include remains unlinked or on dormant class accounts. However, in response to this, some children have become proactive about suggesting what could go onto their e portfolios and have started taking pictures, scanning, linking and embedding work without being directed by teachers.

After almost an academic year of using e portfolios across the grade level, reflection by teachers, students and parents suggests that the next steps are: · Give students more time in school to work on their e portfolios, many students commented that there was not enough time to do a “good job” of showing their learning on their wiki pages. This could be done by building reflection time into weekly timetables and lessons. · Add work which shows evidence of brainstorming, front loading, inquiring, presentation and reflection. · Communicate clearly with specialist teachers to make sure they are helping children to use the e portfolios to reflect on their learning in all subject areas. · Train some children as ‘tech helpers’ to support weaker students with skills like linking and embedding. · Encourage reflection and comments from peers and parents so children get meaningful feedback from people other than their teachers. Share the e portfolios with the rest of the school and collaborate with other grade levels, the PYP coordinator, coordinators, administration, TIFFs and primary and secondary teachers to ensure progression. · Create a list of appropriate web 2.0 tools. You can find my class’ e portfolios, in various stages of development at []
 * __Next Steps__**