KA SID 11/27/07

I've finished a lot of documents this week:

1) IRB description of Ventura Center Survey (to be used to fill out the IRB application)
2) Ventura Center Survey (to be input into Survey Monkey)
3) Assent Letter (for parents of minors)

I've also done the following:

a) Ordered 3 books on writing dissertations suggested by Mark Scanlon-Greene at the 11/17/07 cluster meeting
b) Ordered "APA-Style Helper 5.0" suggested by Mark Scanlon-Greene at my urging at the cluster meeting and installed it.
c) Finished my first draft at a meta-map for my overview.



I also read 2 articles:

Steele, C. M. (1997). "A Threat in the Air: How Stereotypes Shape Intellectual Identity and Performance." American Psychologist 52(6): 613-29.

Duncan, G. A. (2002). "Critical Race Theory and Method: Rendering Race in Urban Ethnographic Research." Qualitative Inquiry 8(1): 85-104.

- June

KA SID, posting 11/19/07

This week I spent the entire time working on my IRB application and the digital divide survey.

1. IRB information document "Human Protocol for YMCA Ventura Center Survey.doc". There are several areas that I cannot fill in until I speak with the YMCA people to see if I have permission to send out documents to the students in the ELD, and other yet to be named (Focus on Success, AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination), others?). This is key, because if I don't get their help/permission, I will have a very small population of kids (less than 25 probably).

2. The survey itself in WORD "YMCA Ventura Center Computer Usage Survey.doc".

3. The sample assent letter for the IRB. I will need to get this translated into Spanish. I have someone who did it last year when our Diversity/International Committee translated our membership, scholarship and other forms into spanish and I think she will help me with this. If not, I may need to hire a Spanish translator and may need your help finding one I can hire (Carla if you know anyone, please let me know). Once you have the form approved, I will ask her.

NEXT DEADLINE FOR THE IRB: Dec. 3, 2007, 5:00pm

My meeting with the College Pathway's team has finally been set!! It is going to be at the Ventura Center on Tuesday 11/27/07 at 11am.

KA SID, posting 11/7/07

It's been a long time since I posted and I'm trying to catch up.

I read a month ago:

Giving kids the business : the commercialization of America's schools by Molnar, Alex

and

Pedagogy of the oppressed by Freire, Paulo



Two weeks ago I read:

Bilingual education : history, politics, theory, and practice, Crawford, James.



I also read Questions of cultural identity by Hall, Stuart and Du Gay, Paul.



this week I read, Education and inequality : the roots and results of stratification in America's schools by Persell, Caroline Hodges. I think it is a very good explanation of the theories and had very good charts explaining how the theories and ideologies fit together.



I've also read Tsikalas, K., Gross, E. F., & Stock, E. Applying a Youth Psychology Lens to the Digital Divide: How Low-Income, Minority Adolescents Appropriate Home Computers To Meet Their Needs for Autonomy, Belonging, and Competence, and How This Affects Their Academic and Future Prospects.

And I read Timmerman, A. Introduction to the Application of Web-Based Surveys. Access ERIC: FullText. 2002-00-00o. Document Number)

Both were very helpful in understanding what kind of survey I could do.

I also read the "The Art and Science of revising Your Writing" by Mark Scanlon-Green, Ph.D. from my cluster and order 2 books he recommended on writing dissertations.

- June