Observation reflection

I chose to observe 30 minutes of a tech-rich middle school classroom. I decided to structure my notes in 3 columns - teacher, student, and tech. I took notes related to each as the time progressed. I found that structuring my notes this way did allow me to have some idea about what I should be recording, but the observation period cycled from overload to stagnation and back again.
The process of taking these notes and writing an observation narrative was surprisingly natural. I felt as though I was reporting on what had happened, and was able to construct what I feel is a pretty accurate description of the scene. However, upon writing up the events, I was conscious that I had already done a large amount of filtering of information, simply by choosing what to note and what to exclude. I could have taken large amounts of notes on who was speaking and exactly what they were saying, but I chose not to. That would have been a different way to conduct the observation, and still would have richly described the scenario. Instead, I focused more on actions/interactions, tech, and the general content of the dialogue. It really made me realize the importance of planning an observation that will help to inform answers to your research questions. I do not think that my observation was poor, but I do think that in the future there could be a place for more pointed observation.