I am so confused about theoretical frameworks.  I live in education land and these frameworks are all around me.  I don't know if I actually use them to view the world though.  I am intrigued by Transformational Leadership theory.  I think it applies to the kind of leader I want and hope to be.  I am trying to use this lens with my research on Bring Your Own Device policies.  I'm finding though that my research center may be changed a bit.  I think I want to actually look at just mobile devices in the classroom.  I'm torn between looking at student engagement and looking at implementation from a leadership perspective.   While both topics interconnect, I think it would be too broad to try and work both of them at the same time.  I really want to narrow my focus and come up with a question.   Lately there seems to be research that shows that these programs are not effective.  Maybe my question is related to effectiveness.  What is it that makes these programs ineffective?  What makes it successful?  Is it in the implementation or is it in the content?  Is it in how many devices are available?  Is it how they are used?  

Isn't it interesting that as I sit here and write, my topic is suddenly taking shape?  I am also noticing a shift in my writing.  It is in itself becoming clearer and more focused.  I feel like I am writing with more authority and confidence.  Could it be that reading all of this research and developing a topic of interest is also giving me more of a voice?!  

Speaking of research - in our Ed 360 class last week, we received a lesson on doing library research.  It was extremely helpful to learn how to search for articles on our topics.  I came away with several good suggestions on how to use key terms, where to look, and who to ask for help.  It was one of the most useful classes I have had yet.  I have actually used the information I learned in my article searches.  I even used the online chat tool to ask the librarian for some search suggestions.  I'm starting to feel scholarly....wow!

Honestly, I'm feeling a little lost and overwhelmed at this point.  I am working on the topic of Bring Your Own Device in schools.  I would like to look at how these type of programs are being managed at a site level and possibly look at the success of the programs.  I don't know yet what theoretical framework I want to use in my research.  I need to find the time to actually research frameworks and see what sticks out to me.  Ronn mentioned reading the research on my topic and see what frameworks have been used already and go with that.  I think that will be my best bet and a good place to start.  I'm looking forward to getting into the research and trying to form my question.  I'm feeling like I just don't have a handle on what direction I want to go in yet.  

If this isn't all bad enough, in reading the article on Vice-Principals for this class and then hearing Ronn talk about how there isn't a lot of research on this subject, it peaked my interest.  I don't want to change topics right now, but I definitely want to explore this topic in a future class and see where it takes me.  

Back to Bring Your Own Device - I want to find more information on how schools have managed their programs.  How did the schools get their district policies changed if need be?  How did they implement the program? How did they account for students who didn't have a device?  What rules were set for the devices?  How was it handled in classes where the devices weren't allowed?  How did the program work with the district technology programs?

More questions and not so many answers...

Moving towards a lit review is completely daunting!  First and foremost, I have to decide on a topic.  I think I have one and I've done a few searches on articles.  I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of research I found considering that my topic is relatively new in the education world.  I am planning to focus on "Bring your Own Device" programs in schools.  I'm excited to research this topic but I'm a little overwhelmed at keeping everything organized.  It was great to see Ronn's excel spreadsheet idea on keeping research organized.  I'm not sure really where to start except to jump into the research.  I'm hoping that I'll find a breadcrumb and be able to follow it to an enlightening idea, concept, whatever!  I think I need to read a couple of articles to start to narrow my topic down and zero in on what I want to discuss.  I also need to figure out which theoretical framework I want to use.  I have no idea what kind of theorist I am yet.  This will be an important part of how my literature review will be formed.  

So next steps:

Search for some articles
Read and narrow down
Review theories
Search more articles with a more specific focus/topic
Create an article organizational chart
Highlight and make notes of some key ideas in the articles
Put all these key ideas in a word doc and start moving around the pieces of the puzzle

So much to do, so little time.

My intellectual identity is as a K-12 Administrator.  My identity has been built over the last 16 years as I have moved through the K-12 community.   As a teacher, I was just beginning to shape my identity and find my place in the world of education.  I had my own class and my identity was wrapped up in helping my 30 kids navigate through 5th grade.  I was learning about my strengths and weaknesses as an educator.  As I moved up into Educational Administration, my views and voice changed.  I have always been interested in the whole school, not just my small classroom.  As a new administrator, my identity was shaped by being the enforcer of school rules, running programs, scheduling, and helping with student activities.  My identity changed again when I became a mom.  I have a new perspective on my job and my school as I bring my experience as a mom into my work.  As I have moved upwards into school administration my identity has evolved even more.   My identity is wrapped up in the relationships I build with my staff, my students, and my community.  As I move through my doctoral program, my identity is again changing and evolving.