Process+Notes

3/15/12 Before we present to the school as a whole, we are going to have a Focus Group to tell them who we are and what our Action Research group is doing. We will then tell them what our survey questions are and get their feedback.

What do you think about some of these questions--I was having a brain block (it's only 5:22 am) and I thought I would search for pre-existing survey questions. [] Check them out and maybe we could use some. I am referring to the questions at the beginning, not the end of the survey.

I think I need a refresher of what we are trying to gauge from the survey... Heidi

Linda: Our project is focused on building a culture of collaboration. I think we wanted our survey to show us where our faulty is now, and what they are interested in learning about to be connected to others. Some people just aren't ready for this, but we need to get the ball rolling. The GROW information may help us, but GROW will only affect a small part of the faculty each year. We want to created something open to the entire faculty. [Steve and Delores: GROW is a brand new PD program, in development at Friends. Initailly faculty will volunteer to be a part of GROW.] GROW stands for Growth and Renewal in Our Work.

Paula: I agree. I feel like we want to see how open to connected learning others are - here are some of my questions or "wonderings" about our faculty: (not saying these are survey questions per se, but these are questions I have for others - you know what I mean?) :)
 * How willing are members of the faculty to try new things online? done
 * What is the current comfort zone people have with connected learning? an outcome
 * What tools are faculty currently using to stay connected? done
 * Do they "crave" interaction with other educators the way we seem to? ask: If you had more time do you want to connect with other educators?
 * What kinds of connection do they want (resource sharing, quick answers to questions, brainstorming,"want ads" for fellow collaborators, discussion spaces dedicated to particular topics)? This might give us an idea of what kind of space they may want to work within. What types of connections do you want: use what is there.
 * What are the pros and cons to the Facebook space (from those who use it)? Put on virtual Faculty room?
 * What would need to exist for our community to use a space like this (time, incentives, - what's in it for them)? no
 * From those who are connected educators - what are some of the plusses and pitfalls to using online learning spaces? What are some time management issues they have (I know I've had a lot of issues - but I value the connected learner's opinions because they are speaking from a place of experience, rather than a fear of what "might be"). Could go with connected learner stuff?
 * For those who are not connected learners, what beliefs to they have about connected learning (it will slow down my computer, I don't have time, I don't want my kids playing video games all day, it doesn't relate to my curriculum, etc.) can be addressed in other parts

Linda:Here is the list we started together. We definitely have a lot of work to do on this. __What do we need to know?__ What Digital tools are you using now? (Twitter, Facebook, Glogster), either for your own PD, or for the classroom. (Do we need to define digital tools?) already done Three latest new online tools. (not sure what this means) Which of the following do you use? Check all that apply, use or want to - applications in the classroom and for professional development? no  Do you have a professional learning network (this means …). Who is in your professional learning network and how do you go about connecting with them? (define this) If you do, how do you go about growing, connecting? In what ways do you grow your network? How are you using tech to teach, and how are you using it to grow professionally? Anonymous How did you learn about the tools you are using? (colleague, web, conference, Friends school presentation, blog post, etc.) How do you use the new tools you are currently using? Sense of people's understanding - do you find PLNs important/useful for your classroom? Why or why not? no What is your definition of collaboration? Of sharing? no How much do you contribute to the online community/PLN - no  Give v. take - percentage - sharing with others/learning with others (remember the Dancing Man) no  What's the single most important resource that you use (library, your files, the internet, your colleagues, your students, etc.?) yes use it; need more specific than internet

I think we need to be careful about asking too many questions that will be confusing or intimidating. We know that we mean a community of people outside of school - including online - when we use the term PLN, but really if we look at the term as a personal learning network, it could also be people in school that you consult or work with - people you turn to.

We might ask something like - To whom do you turn to bounce off ideas or get inspiration for your teaching? How interested are you in connecting with educators online? What would you need to do that?


 * New Questions 3/6/12 **
 * What types of technology do you incorporate into your instruction regularly?
 * What kind of targeted PD would allow you to use more tech and web tools in your classroom instruction.
 * Do you want more PD? What kinds? add ex.
 * Where are you now in terms of being ready and willing to incorporate a piece of collaborative media? choices and define
 * How do you view using technology in your classroom?
 * What would your ideal classroom look like?
 * What technology tools do you regularly use in the classroom and personally?
 * What would your ideal digital classroom look like?

Paula: Good points, Molly. I have been going back and forth in my phrasing of questions from asking open-ended questions that might generate more creative answers, to questions that are designed to educate the people taking the survey about the possibilities of connected learning. Example:

Example A: Talk about your use of Twitter. Check all that apply. Example B: How do you feel about Twitter as a professional tool, tool for teaching, or potential tool? (Leave a space to write)
 * I have a Twitter account.
 * I use Twitter to connect with family and friends.
 * I follow other educators, individuals and/or groups within my profession.
 * I make professional posts on Twitter (share information about my work).
 * I follow certain hashtags on Twitter (#edchat, etc.).
 * I use hashtags to tag my own posts.
 * I have sought answers to professional questions on Twitter.
 * I do not use Twitter
 * Other (leave a space to fill in particulars)

So, while the first type of question is cumbersome, lengthy and not open-ended (except maybe the "Other" part), it lets people know what the potentials of Twitter are. The second question may yield some interesting results, but it leaves open the door for folks who don't know what the potentials for Twitter are to say "I hate it." I am hoping that we will have opinions from people who speak from a position of experience.

My thoughts of the day ...

Linda: We have some great suggestions in the action research section of the community hub. http://plpcommunityhub.com/group/action-research/forum/topics/constructing-survey-questions I like the idea about using the 2 different types of questions, but 2 different surveys will be difficult to sell and get done in our time frame. We need to take a look at the information from [|Sarah Blattner] from Hanover, PA. "They just did a survey of their faculty. Check out their blog about this at : @http://shifting-instruction.posterous.com/ "