Now it's 2010 and I have 3 sons who seem to enjoy watching NASCAR on Fox whenever there is a televised race. Three years ago, I decided to go to my first NASCAR race with my oldest son Jaden and my brother Marcus. The race we went to happened to be the Sprint All-Star race which is only 100 laps and the drivers race at night. The cool thing about NASCAR in person is that everyone was having a great time with family and friends. Before we could get out of our car good, we were greeted by some fans of Dale Earnhardt, Jr and Jimmy Johnson. They invite us to their tailgate area and we had a great time before we stepped into the Charlotte Motor Speedway (Lowe's Motor Speedway was the previous name). Again, we had too much fun for a 1st time experience. Jaden and I have attended 2 more Sprint All-Star Races since our 1st race in 2008 and each one gets better and better.
At this year's race with Fantasia singing the National Anthem and Michael Jordan waving the Green Flag to start the race, I was sitting there with my son Jaden with the excitement of stock cars going around a 1.5 mile track at speeds up to 190 mph @ 700 hp. It is such an adrenaline rush as a fan particularly if you can imagine sitting in the cars with the drivers. In addition to my focus on the cars, I had a few thoughts about how NASCAR is a metaphoric subject that I can speak about towards my action research project. I know I mentioned to my Learning Circle Team (Mike and Nick) that I was going to compare my AR to Gears and this idea led to my thinking of NASCAR as my metaphor to use in my elevator speech for my AR instead.
Here's a draft of my Action Research Elevator Pitch with my metaphor of NASCAR:
Come take a ride with me to Charlotte, Daytona, and Talladega. These are the famous places where I have been. Within a year, 23 of us from around the country have gone through multiple races for the ultimate win. By following a pace car 3 times around, this helped me to get a good grasp of an action and start from the ground. My crew chief Margaret R. provided advice and feedback of my turns. My Cadre 12 crew assisted me with any changes needed and supplied fuel to help me understand several theories on how everyone learns. In my community of practice, I was sponsored from A to Z to put a logo or seal of approval on my work. From those sponsors who helped in the process, the truth was told and no feelings were hurt. Establishing a legacy like those of Earnhardt, Petty, and Waltrip have come to mind. Through this season, I shifted gears from gaining the trust of others in a PLC to incorporating a technology framework for others to use over time. The stock car that I drove has been touched by many with a different hue. The waving of green was not the driving force for starting my work but, the black & white in the checkered flag did let me know that I am finishing through. This is not about NASCAR! It's all about my AR!
Hello ladies and gentlemen. My name is Juan Flowers and my action research as a 1st year teacher at Phillip O. Berry Academy of Technology in Charlotte, NC consisted of 3 cycles to help me bring "Educational Technology Tools into the Classroom to Help Students Learn." The 1st cycle involved me meeting new and seasoned teachers in my PLC and other PLCs to introduce myself and gain their trust while learning about their experience with technology. My 2nd cycle involved introducing different Web 2.0 tools and resources to teachers within and outside my PLC and for them to provide their feedback. My final cycle involved developing a framework of the tools approved of/used by the teachers and their students to help them enhance the learning of different subjects being taught through the use of technology.
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