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The Progression of My Design Process Looked Like This . . .
My Motivations for the Design of this Project
Despite multiple approaches and newly-adopted reading and intervention curriculum by our district and school to improve reading, the neediest students still lagged far behind. Since the beginning of the 2015-2016 school year, the teacher/researcher informally observed that more than half of the fourth- and fifth-grade students--that is, those who were in the regular homeroom class and those who were in the ELA replacement class--were not engaged during independent reading opportunities, which included the Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) period as well as the Scholastic System 44/Read 180 curriculum protocol of 20- to 25-minute daily Library time. The learners who participated in this action research were 32 suburban, fourth-grade students from within the same classroom. The students were from a variety of ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds. Their reading and writing needs varied because they had different levels of proficiency and because IEPs for certain students required adaptations or accomodations. In order to address their needs, I felt the action research study required a strong student-centered approach to serve and nurture engagement in the reading and writing process. Ultimately, the use of Edmodo for student blogging was selected as the approach to help the teacher/researcher better understand how to motivate students in reading engagement in order to counteract the “Matthew Effects” that has occurred with the Room 16 fourth graders prior to the 2015-2016 school year. The “Matthew Effects” refers to the idea that in reading (as in other areas of life), the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. According to Keith Stanovich’s 1986 seminal research, children who fail at reading and writing during primary school will begin to dislike reading. They will read less than their classmates who are stronger readers; and, as a consequence, they do not gain academic vocabulary, background knowledge, or information about how reading material is structured. Therefore, students who are word-rich get richer, while the word-poor get poorer. 
Capstone Confusion Occurred Midstream
In the midst of my graduate studies, I felt confused as to whether or not Edmodo was going to be the focus of using technology to raise academic achievement. So, I started to think in terms of creating a menu of technology choices that would serve ALL my students--although my main concern remained the struggling students who were predominantly English Language Learners. Click on the four arrows at the bottom right of the document below to see the full-screen version of what the process of that change of thought, midstream, looked like: The document below is a prototype of what I thought I was going to eventually create in order to best serve the needs of my ELL students. It was intended to be an "EdTech, Go-To, One-Stop" reference library of "How to" screencasts, so they could use technology as they needed it throughout the year, especially for use during project-based learning activities. Click on the four arrows at the bottom right to see a full-screen version of the document.
Initial Analysis of Design for My "EdTech, Go-To, One-Stop" Website Prototype
Driving Question: How Technology Supports and Sustains Learning for ELL Students
In Napa Valley Unified School District (NVUSD), the three learning goals for all students include (1) Prepare all students for college and career, (2) Provide equitable access for opportunities, and (3) Instill 21st century skills of communication, collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, character, and citizenship--globally and locally. Further, there are Technology Standards and Common Core State Standards that require students to know how to use various technologies for different manners. For example, "CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.6 -- With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of one page in a single sitting." By providing a go-to website with visual and audio resources of how to integrate/use technology for different purposes, I will help students and colleagues learn how to use those technology tools to meet those district goals while also applying those newly acquired skills for real-life use at home for themselves or with their family Since 2010, I have taught my 4th grade students in class how to use different programs for a variety of purposes; and those students have done well in presenting their learned content and skills through YouTube public service announcements and Google slide decks. However, other teachers and students at the same grade level on our site did not use those ed tech tools because they did not know how or felt they did not have the time to instruct their students about usage. Those teachers shared with me that they and their students felt as if their project-based learning (PBL) products and presentations could have been better if they had known how to use those basic programs. Current students are digital natives who enjoy using technology. Integrating technology would raise student engagement. Student engagement, in and of itself, is imperative to academic achievement. The proposed "ed tech, one-stop, go-to website" is being created to support all students and their teachers with instructional videos/screencasts that I craft--and perhaps other students can make them, too, which can be used in the classroom or anywhere else at any time by all potential learners to teach them how to, for example, "Create, Name, and Share" a Google Doc for individual and collaborative group use. More importantly, this website would help create equitable access and opportunities for all students and prepare them for college and career(s) in the 21st century. It would especially support support students with limited English proficiency (LEPs) or English Language Learners (ELLs) by giving them the opportunity to preview, view, and review lessons at home as well; and, their parents/family members could also learn how to use these programs and/or applications. This, in turn, could help the community as a whole. Nonetheless, however great an idea it was (and still remains a terrific throught), I eventually recognized that I would not be able to assess whether it would really benefited them during the length of this graduate learning journey. That type of data would require a long-range study.
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Research
Support and Next Steps
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My Logo
Version One:
My ultimate DQ changed from “How Does Technology Support English Language Learners?” to “How Does Technology Support and Sustain Learning for English Language Learners?” I saw my DQ had four major components: (1) Technology, (2) ELLs, (3) Support and Sustain, and (4) Learning. I wanted my logo to represent all four components.
First, technology was represented with a variety of devices (computer, tablet, and smartphone) while, second, the ELLs were represented with different colored faces looking toward a globe. Then, I saw two hidden meanings in the ELL symbol: The white space between the faces and the globe appeared to me to be heart-shaped representing love; and, since triangles are the strongest shape because any added force is evenly spread through all three sides, I saw that the three stems of the white space between the colored faces represented strength.
Next, in order to connect technology with the ELLs, I thought a bridge would be an appropriate representation of that connection. My son, Joshua, pointed out that the bridge pillars along with its span and general outline of the bridge also looks like the initials "M-H" overlaid on each other, which represents my surname, Meyer-Houston. Note that this bridge has rounded-edges, which symbolized to me, a softer nuance than a straight-edged bridge. This softness represented how I would nurture the connection between technology and my ELLs rather than force that connection. When I found this bridge outline that had lots of white space, I realized that the words, “Support” and “Sustain,” could be placed perfectly at the lower level of the bridge supports with the word, “Learning,” in the middle of the bridge. This word placement was intended to show that learning was being supported and sustained. “Support” had to be placed on the left side because in the U.S. we read English usually from left to right. Therefore, the part of the DQ that says, “... Support and Sustain Learning” was addressed.
Further, the placement of the tech devices was on the left side while the placement of the multi-colored globe was on the right because the DQ mentions from left to right “technology” then “ELLs.” The two symbolic representations were placed above the bridge itself because there were supposed to look like the light globes that have been typically found on bridges (at least, on the bridges I have seen during my life history in the Philippines).
Lastly, the bright colorfulness of the ELL symbol was meant to contrast (or complement) the black and white gravitas of the computer and bridge for the purpose of balance/yin and yang.
Altogether, the logo represents the love- and strength-imbued connection that occurs when I nurture the ELL learning experience to be supported and sustained with technology as the tool for the interconnected social aspect of learning.
My ultimate DQ changed from “How Does Technology Support English Language Learners?” to “How Does Technology Support and Sustain Learning for English Language Learners?” I saw my DQ had four major components: (1) Technology, (2) ELLs, (3) Support and Sustain, and (4) Learning. I wanted my logo to represent all four components.
First, technology was represented with a variety of devices (computer, tablet, and smartphone) while, second, the ELLs were represented with different colored faces looking toward a globe. Then, I saw two hidden meanings in the ELL symbol: The white space between the faces and the globe appeared to me to be heart-shaped representing love; and, since triangles are the strongest shape because any added force is evenly spread through all three sides, I saw that the three stems of the white space between the colored faces represented strength.
Next, in order to connect technology with the ELLs, I thought a bridge would be an appropriate representation of that connection. My son, Joshua, pointed out that the bridge pillars along with its span and general outline of the bridge also looks like the initials "M-H" overlaid on each other, which represents my surname, Meyer-Houston. Note that this bridge has rounded-edges, which symbolized to me, a softer nuance than a straight-edged bridge. This softness represented how I would nurture the connection between technology and my ELLs rather than force that connection. When I found this bridge outline that had lots of white space, I realized that the words, “Support” and “Sustain,” could be placed perfectly at the lower level of the bridge supports with the word, “Learning,” in the middle of the bridge. This word placement was intended to show that learning was being supported and sustained. “Support” had to be placed on the left side because in the U.S. we read English usually from left to right. Therefore, the part of the DQ that says, “... Support and Sustain Learning” was addressed.
Further, the placement of the tech devices was on the left side while the placement of the multi-colored globe was on the right because the DQ mentions from left to right “technology” then “ELLs.” The two symbolic representations were placed above the bridge itself because there were supposed to look like the light globes that have been typically found on bridges (at least, on the bridges I have seen during my life history in the Philippines).
Lastly, the bright colorfulness of the ELL symbol was meant to contrast (or complement) the black and white gravitas of the computer and bridge for the purpose of balance/yin and yang.
Altogether, the logo represents the love- and strength-imbued connection that occurs when I nurture the ELL learning experience to be supported and sustained with technology as the tool for the interconnected social aspect of learning.
Final Version: I love even more because it was determined collaboratively
After creating our own logos as homework, our cohort met during one class to focus on providing feedback to each other’s individual logos. As we all spoke our “I like” and “I wonder” statements, it was clear to me that I was in a safe learning environment. So, I was even more receptive than before the class to hearing their feedback, which was clearly defined by our class instructor as having the nature of improvement rather than of belittlement.
After presenting my logo to my classmates, the immediate response by most of them was that my logo felt like three logos smooshed together. However, they did like the representations and meanings of my DQ components. Because I was sharing my screen, I asked for their advice as to how I can keep all of the symbols while making it look more like one rather than three logos. So, I started to move the two globes around while they were watching. When I placed the globes as you see them now, they all agreed that my updated logo now looked like one logo with integration of the two instead of three logos vying for attention.
In the end, what I like best about my logo is that it was ultimately created (and blessed) with the thoughtful collaborative input of our cohort 10 team. Therefore, here is the long one-sentence description of my logo:
Altogether, the logo represents the love- and strength-imbued connection that occurs when I nurture the ELL learning experience to be supported and sustained with integrated technology as the tool for the interconnected social aspect of learning.
After creating our own logos as homework, our cohort met during one class to focus on providing feedback to each other’s individual logos. As we all spoke our “I like” and “I wonder” statements, it was clear to me that I was in a safe learning environment. So, I was even more receptive than before the class to hearing their feedback, which was clearly defined by our class instructor as having the nature of improvement rather than of belittlement.
After presenting my logo to my classmates, the immediate response by most of them was that my logo felt like three logos smooshed together. However, they did like the representations and meanings of my DQ components. Because I was sharing my screen, I asked for their advice as to how I can keep all of the symbols while making it look more like one rather than three logos. So, I started to move the two globes around while they were watching. When I placed the globes as you see them now, they all agreed that my updated logo now looked like one logo with integration of the two instead of three logos vying for attention.
In the end, what I like best about my logo is that it was ultimately created (and blessed) with the thoughtful collaborative input of our cohort 10 team. Therefore, here is the long one-sentence description of my logo:
Altogether, the logo represents the love- and strength-imbued connection that occurs when I nurture the ELL learning experience to be supported and sustained with integrated technology as the tool for the interconnected social aspect of learning.