Some background information:
- I started my career as a science teacher. I have taught 7th and 8th grade science, physical science biology, and chemistry.
- I am currently a librarian in an urban middle school
- I began taking IDT classes in 1999. Somewhere in the middle of that process, I took library class to get my endorsement in library science. Towards the end of the initial time limit on my classes, I took a few more hours and actually had my research project approved by the IRB and my school system.
- Of course, some life events intervened, namely Ellie, Bailey, and Katie.
But, to be honest, I wasn't enthralled with the study that I had proposed. I wanted to look at the data that we were generating in my school from a program called Study Island. However, the data flow was inconsistent, and many pertinent parts (gender, socioeconomic status, etc.) were missing. So, I set that to the side, and let the years pass. Actually, this summer as I was cleaning and purging, I threw away a big stack of papers that dealt with that study that I been saving all these years. I had made peace with the fact that my window of opportunity to complete my degree had closed. I have three children (ages 5, 3, and 2), a labor-intensive job, a long commute back and forth to work, and extracurricular activities with my children. I know...plenty of excuses! But I really was finished thinking about that Ed.D.
Well, I recently received a letter from the University of Memphis, inviting former students to return and complete their degrees. So, I decided to re-enroll and try to complete my degree. In the past, trying to determine a research topic on my own contributed to my lack of progress. And, of course, this led to me dropping out!
When I initially talked with Dr. Lowther about returning, we discussed studying some element of librarianship and technology and gathering data from pre-service librarians. She suggested that I speak with Dr. Allen and solicit his advice on how to proceed with a study involving pre-service librarians.
While that is still an option, I have decided to go a different route. I would like to investigate the use of the digital vidoe recordings as a reflective practice for classroom teachers. Currently, we have the camera system at my school. My husband is also a librarian in the same district. He serves as the video coordinator at his school. In the last few years, there has been a push in our district to use digital video recordings to gather classroom evidence. At first, the data was utilized by the MET Project to gather base-line data as they worked to construct our new evaluation tool. Recently, the shift has been to utilize the digital video recordings in place of an actual observer. But, it is also being marketed as a tool for experienced teachers to use so that they can analyze their own practice in the classroom without the interference of another "body" in the classroom. He has three teachers that are willing to utilize the equipment and reflect on their practice. I believe that teachers at my school will also be willing to use the recordings to reflect as well.
So, I described all that background information so that "they" could understand where I am coming from and where I have problems. Now that I have an initial topic, I need direction on how to refine it and turn it into something that will work for the completion of my degree. This is where I got stuck last time!