{KS} Examining an Action Research Project

Action Research Review

Harmonic Integrations: Methods and Technologies for Conducting Educational Technology Implementations by Joel Lowsky

The problem Lowsky addressed in his AR was: the "underwhelming" educational technology integration into classrooms and curriculum. Specifically, his goal was to see technology used as tool to help teach and improve learning.

Lowsky begins his AR by first examining the problem, defining the role of the technology specialist and then describing the community where the technology integration will be taking place. His research is organized into three different cycles. 

Each cycle is divided into section:

• Introduction 
• Actions Taken
• Desired Outcomes
• Evidence and Analysis

Within each cycle, Lowsky's research and actions are dependent upon 

1. Communication and discussion with the teacher regarding the class session and learning topic.
2. Research to find out what would work best for that class session and learning topic
3. Implementation with the teacher of the research to integrate technology as a tool to improve teaching and learning.

Lowsky's questions guiding his research and subsequent actions were: 

• How can I leverage my continual self-improvement in educational technology integration to support teachers with technology-in-the-curriculum integration goals? 
• What methods can I develop to maximize educational technology integration?

Overall I found Lowsky's AR to be organized in a manner that was easy to follow and read. Much of that however, was due to the organization of his site rather than the material itself. Had I been attempting to extricate this information from his AR paper alone, I would have had more difficulty. Perhaps this could be rectified by further subheadings to further guide the reader.

In regards to his structure and categories, they not only make sense, but as a teacher I also understand the necessity of the steps within each cycle and appreciated the overall structure.

Lowsky's AR is important in the education arena though I felt that it was very specific to his own desired skill set, site and circumstances. That being said, it did address his research questions which made sense given his work environment and job.

Ultimately, I found Lowsky's AR to be an excellent source when looking into the problems surrounding technology integration and the role of the technical specialist. It was clearly well researched and organized well.