CASA+article

= Action Research Driving Innovation = = = h[|ttp://www.casa-acas.ca/magazines/LL_Mag_2011-2012_Winter.pdf]

By Brenda MacDonald ====With the influx of new technologies, smartphones and "anytime anywhere" learning, there is a strong need to re-examine old ways of thinking and doing things, and of concomitant need for creativity and innovation. The main thrust is to answer the many questions on how to improve student learning and engagement through the use of new technologies, while examining teacher pedagogy and best practices. Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools embarked on the 3D (Digital Learner, Digital Teacher, Digital Classroom) Action Research Initiative in 2010 with volunteer teachers working collaboratively in a learning environment with a passionate commitment to be creative and innovative using a meagre amount of resources. ====

The action research began with evaluating the current realities, re-thinking the structure of education and training for a new culture of learning to emerge. Innovation requires experimentation, time and resources with a tolerance for failure. In the first year of the research, Red Deer Catholic purchased ipods, netbooks and flip cameras used by 26 teachers and seven 750 students. Teachers had to submit a proposal outlining the curriculum they would be using and how they would implement the equipment in a two and a half month period. The teachers chosen to implement the research received professional development and release time to work together, plan, implement, observe and reflect on the journey. During the planning phase, teachers recognized the need for a collaborative learning space to be used throughout the project. The teachers eventually decided on the creation and utilization of a wiki. This open innovation and networking was beneficial for teachers to share their knowledge and skills while improving teaching practices with new technologies. Each teacher’s project was unique in both how the technology was integrated and how students engaged in their learning. Teachers explicitly and incidentally incorporated digital citizenship and 21st century skills, which they found were extremely beneficial to students. The researchers reflected on the context of their own teaching situation and answered questions that dealt with academic matters at hand using the latest technologies. They felt a shared vision and improved collegiality, collaboration and communication among staff. Apprehensive and fearful teachers became confident and empowered and excited to be a part of the expanded 2011 project. The many shared stories and lessons learned were placed on the wiki. Other significant findings included increased use of different hardware and software by teachers and students, after being a part of the project. Interestingly, teachers assumed that students were "tech savvy" and intuitively knew how to use all hardware and software but soon discovered that students often did not have the skills or background knowledge to use the software or equipment effectively. Explicit instruction needed to be provided on how to use the software or hardware. In addition, teachers realized that students significantly benefited from exemplars and assessment tools prior to implementation. Therefore, moving from a model of teacher directed instruction to student directed learning required increased planning time but the dividends in increased student involvement and participation were significant. Overall, the Red Deer Catholic 3D action research approach was extremely successful. Teachers appreciated the right to be creative and take risks in the execution of their lessons with the support of new technologies. The 3D action research initiative continues in 2011 and is smarter, stronger and more robust than in its inception. The development of creativity and innovation in education requires open structures, strong relationships, ongoing questioning and openness. For this very reason, the exchange of experiences, examples of exemplary practice, ideas and cooperation of students and teachers with diverse backgrounds is extremely powerful. This 3D action research was a user-driven innovation and is an ongoing, interactive process, which applies "learning by using" and "learning by doing." The wide understanding of the benefits of shared knowledge creation is ideal for education’s innovation. Brenda MacDonald is presently the Curriculum Coordinator for Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools. The teacher collaborative space is http://rdcrd3dproject.wikispaces.com.