I'm going back and forth on my research topic.  My supervisor suggested that I choose "Can student success using Web 2.0 tools in the classroom motivate teachers to integrate more technology in their curriculum."  I thought this topic would help me grow as a leader to the staff at my school.  After listening to the web conference this week.  I don't think this will be easy to evaluate. I may chose to go back to my original topic; "Can using a social networking site, Edmodo, increase student productivity in the classroom?"  This topic I can evaluate the students in my own class.

This week I really enjoyed following the thought processes of the case studies in our book, Leading With Passion and Knowledge: The principal as Action Researcher. I enjoyed reading about how others schools identified areas of inquire and created a plan to meet their needs.  I also noticed that many times at the conclusion of one Action Research another inquire would come up. 

Over the next 17 months I will be on an action Research Project Quest!  As of yesterday I had no idea what an Action Research project was.  Here is what I have learned.  First of all an Action research project is not your typical high school, or college research project.  I will not be living in the library for the next 18 months, yeah!  An action research project is more personal.  Usually a principal will look at his school and determine a problem that needs to be addressed.  In an action research project collecting data, analyzing data, along with reading relevant articles, making changes and sharing findings is what takes place.  Principals analyze what is best for their teachers and population of students; it is not a cookie-cutter answer.  Principals do not have to try to fit their schools into the researcher’s model.  Principals have the freedom to tweak and change to benefit the school.   The reflection and results are found from inside the school and not from outsiders.  This makes the results more personal.  Others in the school are more likely to take ownership of the ideas.  The improvements are made from the inside out and not the outside in. The action research processes in cyclical, it is a never ending processes and creating and re-creating.  

How can educational leaders use blogs?

Principals and schools can use blogs to discuss questions with the staff.  Staff can pose questions about curriculum, share websites, and lessons with each other.  Blogs would be a great resource for new teachers to ask questions about daily processes and classroom techniques.  Principals can make inquires to the staff about problems the school faces.  He or she can gather data from their staff.  As more information is shared, through the blog, the school can reflect back on where they began and where they have moved to.  Many forms of data can be collected in a blog, pictures, video,