EL-Week5-PostChat-Section2

__**T-Chart Collaborative Reflections about the Chat**__

Post your reflective comments about the synchronous chat in the T-Chart below. Please be sure to include your first initial, last name after your post (i.e., dsmith)

Thoughts reactions, questions about the chat content || **Process** Thoughts, reactions, questions about the chat __**process**__ and the __**structure**__ that was used. || Hunter || The chat provided an opportunity for me to make stronger connections between the readings, theory, and actual implementation. While many comments and answers to the questions were beneficial I learned a great deal from my classmates’ ideas in regards to question four-a question that I struggled with in creating multiple creative ideas. During the chat I wanted to respond to Dr.O’Neal’s statement that as we progress through the program we will gain a different perspective for making decisions and think less like teachers and more like administrators. I found her statement to have great truth as just the other day after reading Chapter 2 in Burrello I began to appreciate, accept, and understand my principal’s reasoning for the changing of my schedule. However, I think that regardless of the need to change perspectives I will always strive to communicate my logic for decision-making as I think is important but often eliminated by many administrators. **//C. Hunter//** || While the Chat provided a wonderful opportunity for discussion I found the technical problems to be distracting. I would like to have additional open forum time, if possible.Many times I wanted to respond to a question but after waiting for another team to respond I often lost my thoughts. Maybe, we could have a way to determine the amount of time we would dedicate to each question but try to allow all students to respond initially to every question. I think the technical difficulties may become better as we all become more accustom to the format. **//C.Hunter//** || Epcke || I really appreciated the opportunity to talk things out. I love hearing the perspectives of others based on our shared reading coupled with their personal experiences. It was also nice to make connections with those outside our team and hear more specifically their thoughts. I like the way the School Reform PowerPoint was brought into the discussion. As the comfort level rose, the discussion was really good, particularly when folks went ‘off script’ for question 4! ~JEpcke || It was great to hear thoughts that were more fully developed rather than those that are typed out and to hear thoughts and reactions from people in real time; more authentic. Sometimes it seems disjointed to read the group forum in the ELC. I found it cumbersome to read what folks had written when we are all together with microphones in a chat arena. The technical difficulties seemed to disrupt the flow of thoughts for me. Not sure everyone was using an external mic or headset. It can be difficult to wait one’s turn to speak and sometimes the conversation had moved on, so it was nice to see folks using the chat as a mini ‘back channel’ to give info, links, etc. I would like to see chat become an alternative to some of the team forum activities. Depending on the requirement, a chat could be recorded and posted or the instructor could be invited to the chat to fulfill the requirement. I also appreciated the way Barbara kept things rolling and was mindful of our time. ~JEpcke || Davis || I know before the chat I had a lot to learn about school reform models. During the chat, we had lots of great ideas shared to class by both the instructor and our peers. We were even given some extra websites and articles to read later on for futher information. As administrators, we need to deal with these decisions often and our knowledge base will play a huge role in how effective we are. I look forward to continuing to learn about school reform. -KDavis || The chat part of the session was straight forward and very easy to handle. I am sure that no one had trouble with that. The speaking part of the session was Chaos at first. I was one of the first to speak and had a real hard time speaking and reading a response from a word document. I ended up printing it out and then was good to go. As for the other participants, I am pretty sure that the speed of the connection was the biggest issue. Some would come and go. I like the forum and look forward to the next session now knowing what to expect. -KDavis ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * || **Content**
 * Charrai
 * Judith
 * Michelle Krill || Much of the chat content was new to me in a sense. Once I read through the materials, I was able to make personal connections which gave me a better grasp on the material. The questions were helpful as a guide, but were a bit broad in some cases. For instance, question 3 covered multiple areas that could have been isolated questions. I did enjoy hearing the thoughts of others and it's helpful to have my own opinions and perceptions validated by others. ~mkrill || I find the open/closed forum a little difficult because often I have trouble focusing on the folks responding to a given question while trying to mesh my own responses into theirs for a later response. In addition, the technical difficulties cause a disruption in the flow of events. I like the chat feature, and agree with Judith that it would be great to have that developed more in an open fashion. I know it's important for all groups to prepare for all questions, but when you are listening to a group, it is difficult to not be thinking about which question may be 'the one' for your own group.~mkrill ||
 * Teresa Diehl || I look forward to learning more about the site-based reform topic that came up in tonight’s discussion when it is posted in the resource folder. Hearing tone in someone’s voice, especially when he or she is not just reading the answer helped convey true feelings and connotative meaning regarding the content. It was helpful to be able to give short responses via the chat feature because you could quickly ask for clarification or add to a point without having to interrupt the class discussion entirely. In this way, we were able to get double the content since we were able to communicate in multiple ways simultaneously. I will have to look over the summary, I think, to really digest all the great points my classmates made. This will help, especially with synthesizing the great budget adjustment ideas everyone had. --T Diehl || The technical problems with people’s mics unfortunately disrupted the flow. I’m sure we will only get better as time goes on, and this was much, much better than the chat we did during orientation. Having a smaller group definitely helps, and I agree with Judith that this might be a nice alternative for team activities. It would help our bonding as well as comfort with the technology. It would be helpful to know if we should have supplemental documents handy ahead of time. For example, if I need a PowerPoint from our readings for the discussion, I would have it downloaded and ready to go, if not printed out. Fumbling through the ELC and taking Internet juice away from the discussion is not something I can handle efficiently while staying focused on the chat. -T Diehl ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Ken

Moriarty || * Century and Levy identified five central themes critical to the successful implementation of school reform programs. What are your reactions to the content of the five themes? I think that their research identifies all the factors which affect school reform and whether or not it is successful. I agree that a sustainable program will go through three stages of establishment, maturation, and evolution. As autonomy is achieved through this process, I would then focus on building the school culture of trust by asking questions regarding what all stakeholders feel are important issues within the school that need to be changed. Using a shared decision-making model, I would take care of all the small annoyances before tackling curriculum and other significant issues. . I would address an area of need within the curriculum based on student data, beliefs, and values to establish a new program. I would want to try to involve all teachers in the curriculum change to establish equity. An example might be if our reading scores were low I may want all teachers to focus on literacy skills within all content areas and use SDM to figure out how to go about doing this. (Critical Mass)
 * CIndy Etchison || The content for week 5 really lends itself to conversation and the chat provided the vehicle for accomplishing that. It was obvious that we all had experiences that support the theories that we had read about. The discussion about conditions that support sustainability was very interesting, especially about the need to establish the core elements, financial support, and external technical/program support. I felt that we may not have “hit the mark” for question #2, regarding site-based decision making. Many expressed that they have not seen this working successfully in their district because the reform that was introduced may not have had the strong connection to their school goals/climate/culture that it needed. This was a “caution” moment for me, to realize that leadership teams need to “research the research” as they consider what a reform should do, can do, and must do within their system. * cetchison || The process, of asking each group to respond to a question was a good method to make sure that each participant contributed. At first, I was not certain when it was appropriate to “raise my hand” during another groups time, but then I felt more comfortable doing that. Perhaps, the pre-chat test time could have provided opportunities for each of us to work with speaking into the microphone for 1-2 minutes, putting down the raised-hand flag, and discuss strategies for sharing our thoughts. Once on-line, Barbara and Helen were able to provide tips (don’t ask if we can hear you, just keep talking) that were valuable and that seemed to resolve some of the problems we were having. Two facilitators, Barbara and Helen, provided support to each other as they tried to identify students that were having technical difficulty and others who were ready to contribute. The text feature kept the conversation going, when the audio failed. * cetchison ||
 * Andrette Duncan || I enjoyed the opportunity to react to questions that were presented to members in advance of the chat. I expected more of an exchange among members instead of being presented with questions and them the moderator moved on to the next question without having an opportunity to expand on ideas. I am hoping that the chat is posted so that I can go back to make sure that I didn’t miss anything important. || The chat process was well structured and accommodated all member even those who had technical difficulties with their microphones. I prefer the discussion board as it allows me to read and synthesize information that is shared. Using the discussion forum allow me to pose questions for clarity. It was difficult for me to listen, process and hold my questions/comments at the same time. By the time my hand was acknowledged, I had almost forgotten my thought. At one point we where referred to a PowerPoint and I had to leave the discussion to download it. I don’t recall it being suggested that I have it handy for the chat. I expect that the next chat will be much smoother now that the norms have practiced. ||
 * Paul George || I thought the content for this week's chat focused primarily on the questions that were set forth in the Coursebook for Week 5. There was little room for deviation from those questions. I don't know if that was on purpose or due to time constraints. In essence, we accomplished our task by reacting to the five critical themes for successful school reform implementation, applying the themes to site-based decision making, and choosing, assessing, and funding a school reform model. I appreciated hearing my classmates' experiences in implementing and sustaining reform models in their local schools and districts. It was especially enlightening to hear stories like Lenora's, where teachers were invited into the decision-making process. I felt that as a group we fell short on the area of site-based decision-making. I don't think the readings adequately prepared us for this concept, and that it needs more study and exploration. It was not the main focus of this week's study. Regarding funding of reform models, while our ideas were ambitious and spirited, I'm not sure they are realistic. For example, can a local fundraiser really raise the necessary $50,000 to $100,000 to fund a program? Generally, such profits are earmarked for smaller projects, like field trips, equipment, and classroom supplies, at least in my experience. I'd like to hear more about Title I funds and how they apply in this situation. I am not familiar with the criteria and procedures for applying such funds to school reform efforts. PGeorge-ISTE || I thought the whole group chat went very well and was a nice change from the usual weekly posting on the Discussion Board; it made it more personal. I was disappointed that we could not hear everyone, some not at all and some intermittently; I thought we had ironed out all these issues during the pre-chat test run. However, we know that there will be glitches with technology, and everyone handled it patiently and efficiently, and we were able to address all of the questions and to complete our task. One thing worth reminding everyone in the future as we use this tool is that if you virtually "raise your hand," you have to remember to virtually lower it. It doesn't go down just because the instructor calls on you and you answer. This happened several times to myself and others. PGeorge-ISTE ||
 * Patricia
 * Patricia
 * How would you apply the themes of the school reform models to site-based decision making? Since Sustainability requires a set of core beliefs and values to guide it, I would use site-based decision making to develop these values and beliefs and create a mission statement.

I think I would use SDM, community feedback, and student performance data to select a school reform model. If accountability measures were built into the reform I would use these measures, if not I would develop a questionnaire or use SDM model to discuss what is working and what is not. (perceptions of others) My team has used Skype to meet and my mic worked fine and everyone is very clear. I am wondering if this might be a better tool for future chats. I do like meeting "live" and think it could be used effectively to enrich our group experience with completing coursework.
 * How might you go about determining the correct school reform model for your school, and then subsequently, assess the effectiveness of the implementation? First, Know the history of the school
 * How might you fund school reform with all the local, state, and federal budget cuts? Unless you are purchasing new materials for the reform effort, the reform does not need to coast much. I would utilize current resources and seek out teachers for staff development needs. If I needed funds for the reform, I would perform a needs assessment and share it with the community or I would possibly ask staff to do a fundraising event. I would have a grant committee that might research grants available that match our values and beliefs as well as accountability measures for the reform model. || I was disappointed with the chat because my microphone kept going in and out and only a few members of the group were clear. I attended both test sessions and was able to be heard on the second attempt but I didn't test it for a long enough block of time. Many of the other participants were either hard to hear, cut-out, or echoed during their response.

In closing, I appreciate everybody's patience with me during the chat and hopefully, next time I will be able to share. Pat Moriarty || McFarland || I enjoyed hearing others point of view on the topic of school reform. Hearing others points of views clarified some of the ideas presented in the reading. I wish the readings that went along with he chat provided a "real life" view of reform. I think it would have made it easier to apply the information to the questions. MMcFarland || I did like the idea of the chat but found it frustrating that it really wasn't able to be a conversation. I would have enjoyed feedback on what I said. Several times I wanted to add to someone else's answer but was unable to because of time constraints. I also really enjoy looking at people when they or I am talking. This obviously isn't possible but you can tell a lot from someone's expression when they talk. MMcFarland ||
 * Michelle
 * Scott Meech || ===== Since we all work in so many different situations, the personal stories and anecdotes are the most important for me. =====


 * Question One:**

Lenora was spot on with pointing out “Sustainability isn’t just a maintenance program”. Additionally, Ken made an excellent point when pointing out that all programs need to adapt over time but they need to stay focused on the core values of the district. I absolutely agree with Teresa when she pointed out “Including staff members in choosing instructional materials also will go a long way towards buy-in and inclusiveness”. Great stuff everyone…


 * Question Two:**

Judi made an excellent point in the class discussion that focused on the need for district’s to be very clear when asking for reform. Her example with writing programs was spot on. Too often, change is made a district level, and the vision and mission are not articulated well for all schools involved. One school might have a need to bolster their writing scores so the district level has to implement reform. Make sure that reform doesn’t impact the other schools that are already succeeding.

I think this discussion relates well to Century and Levy’s point that all programs need to evolve and not be maintained though. Districts can ask the schools to continue to evaluate and evolve their existing programs as change occurs.


 * Question Three:**

Teresa talked about taking a serious needs assessment for your school which is an excellent point. Just looking at test scores isn’t enough. Paul talks about the importance of planning and how it mirrors classroom use of something. This only makes good sense! Professor O’Neal brought up the importance of including parents and the community. Any implementation should mirror the community’s values. This point gets back to the main purpose for everything. Every district needs to establish their district’s foundational learning.

//(I hope we address this area more throughout all of our courses as I have the least experience here.)//
 * Question Four:**

Kathleen talked about a few different funds including “Title One funding”. There are many revenue streams that come into a district that are very flexible and all possible measures should be included. I really enjoyed the paper that was linked by Michelle Krill at http://www.rand.org/pubs/issue_papers/IP175/index2.html.

The key point mentioned in the paper is, “Unlike traditional reform efforts, comprehensive reform is not easily funded through a small increase in a school's operating budget. Because this type of reform touches on all aspects of a school's operating environment, it imposes significant funding requirements and demands a rethinking of the way resources are allocated.”

There are four conclusions according to the paper by Brent Keltner: 1. Resource reallocation is key to funding comprehensive reform 2. Access to Obey-Porter funds should allow most Title I schools to fully fund comprehensive reform. 3. Access to Obey-Porter funds will not be sufficient for schools without Title I funds. 4. District leadership is crucial in funding comprehensive reform.

Judi’s mention of repurposing was excellent. If a reform program is evolving, than people’s jobs will change as well.

Michelle talked about ways to utilize the existing staff as ways to supplement existing training so that new funds are not needed as well.

Paul talked once again about the importance of involving the community to add to Patti’s comments. Paul’s idea of thinking outside the box with combining with other organizations is a great idea. || I was very impressed with all of our classmates knowledge. While many had technical difficulties, I was amazed at how well you all handled the situation and just kept focused on the content.

Sometimes technology inhibits learning and that just isn't acceptable in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, there is value in learning a process with technology and that can not be overlooked. You have to weigh the experience with using the technology with the value of the content that might be lossed. If you are comfortable with that balance than the technology is important.

In my opinion, synchronous chats like this need to have a little less structure as far as asking specific times for people to add their opinion. We are trying to replace or replicate a face to face disussion. The benefits of the face to face is to allow for organic discussion to take place. I just don't see that happening within the framework of how this discussion was organized. Yes, you want to encourage people to discuss proportionally, but sometimes that prevents meaningful discussion.

The greatest benefit of having adobe connect and other similar devices is the ability to have a direct voice channel, visual channel and a chat channel. Allowing for mutliple means of communication in this venue is very powerful. As soon as you limit the capabilities and scope of the tool, than you might as well have just use a "Conference Phone Call".

I would personally use the chat room as a back channel for anyone to throw in meaningful discussion about what the speakers are saying.

Additionally, I was disappointed with lack of sharing links and resources within the chat room. Why not reference more information in this fashion?

Finally... the visual piece of the discussion was non-existent. Why not have the questions alternate when the focus of the meeting changed instead of having all four quesitons showing at all times. Visuals such as charts and websites for the different funding initiatives would have been great to see. ||
 * Lenora Crawford || I enjoyed the extensive converation our class has on school reform. Listening to everyones thoughts and reviews on this very relevant subject was refreshing. As a teacher whose school and significant amount of my school district is going through reform it was interesting to discuss the varoius aspects of the school commuity and management that are affected by school reform. Staff, community members, budgeting matters and plenty of other things are affected by reform. I will keep in mind the many outlooks and comments made by my classmates as I approach this school year. I will also be looking at the changes not only though the teachers lenses but also through an administrators perspective. || I enjoyed this chat session. I liked that evereyone actually got a chance to verbally share their comments as opposed to us to reading their responses at the bottom of the screen. I appreciated the talk button which allowed for one person to speak at a time. I would have hated to have to listen to instances of more than one person speaking at a time. ||