Research Showcase Blog

Reference
Virginia Annual Report Card Summary. (n.d.). Virginia Department of Education. Retrieved from https://p1pe.doe.virginia.gov/reportcard/report.do?division=132&schoolName=44

Wiki Literature Review

April 20
Today I entered some things into the wiki created for the Literature Review Project. The group entered everything onto a word document. I took that information and entered it into the wiki as the proposal. The group members then edited as they thought necessary. Another group member then added the information tabs on the side to separate the various sections of the literature review noted in the proposal.

The wiki was easy to access and signing up for an account was free. Entering text was not difficult, but aligning the text using spaces in certain places was not possible. I tried to create an outline using indentions but was not able to use them. Everything left justified upon saving. The text selection was also limited.

Using wiki for this project is a beneficial activity for me. I have given wiki assignments to my students for special projects. In the past I have used it in an environmental project for a Geosystems class. Students complained of issues with alignment, but I didn’t relate to the frustration until I experienced it myself. Now that I am participating as a student I can better advise my own students on how to enter information and prepare them for the assignment before they sit down to start the wiki.



April 26
 Today I was able to type in my portion of the literature review. I was responsible for the writing the piece on learning theory that supports augmented reality and the research that affirms using it in the classroom. Typing everything in was not difficult although wiki does not allow for indentions. To notate a new paragraph I had to skip down a space and start the new paragraph.

It has really been nice completing an assignment that all members could access simultaneously, and the experience has opened my eyes to some things I can share with my own students when giving them a similar assignment. I would say everyone needs to make certain of which part they are doing. We split up the work ahead but neglected to assign the abstract. Two members wrote an abstract. It really isn’t a problem, but no one wants to have extra work. Of course it meant we had two abstracts that could be gleaned for information.

In the future I can apply this experience to my own lesson plans and helping other teachers construct lesson plans. I have not only experienced writing a literature review with peer, but I have also learned more about augmented reality. Prior to this experience I did not realize all that augmented reality involved. I have done some personal research and uncovered some amazing applications that are on the horizon. I am very excited and will be able to apply these new technologies directly to my classroom and later on to my school.



April 28
Today was our edit day. We edited another student’s literature review, and she edited ours. Each team member passed the document to the next after completing an editing process. We passed it via email. This posed some issues. After we did the edit and sent it to our peer, she could not open it. I did not consider the fact that she may have a different version of Microsoft Word.  One of our team mates had the same version as the peer and resaved it before sending it back. In the future I will be certain to compare versions of word processors prior to working via email. Google Docs is a good way to work in a group when there are differences in versions of word processing. There are things to consider when working on Google Docs. Everyone has to make sure they have a Gmail and Google Chrome. The answer to any situation that may arise is to just communicate and keep that line open until the project is done. My group has been phenomenal in communicating. I could not ask for any more than what has been done.

In this short time I have learned many valuable lessons I can apply to now and later in my career. I will give more guidance when assigning group projects. I will encourage groups to have a cohesive plan from the start of the project. Our initial planning helped when all the other questions formed. In the future I hope to train teachers. This experience has given me insight on preparing others for group work. I can better help my own students with wiki assignments I give for them to complete. Most of all this experience has encouraged me to keep looking for new technology and learning how to apply it to education. It has definitely supported my life long love of learning.

Muddest Point Blog

After listening to the video of Dr. Veak and Dr. Brown I say that the most confusing topic is metadata. I understand that metadata is data about data, but I have many questions about the retrieval of information embedded in documents. According to the Microsoft web site information such as your name, initials, name of your computer, the network server, hidden text, comments, and other personal information can be retrieved. They go on to explain that this can happen in Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, Microsoft PowerPoint files, and Microsoft Word documents.  It has been common knowledge to me for a time now that IP addresses can be tracked, but I had no idea that copy and paste could contain personal information I did not want to share. I use copy and paste each time I post to discussion board posts or to blogs due to the number of times I have lost my post at the time of submission. I usually copy and paste, but now I see that is not the correct thing to do.

This is information I can use now and later in my career. I need to inform my students and colleagues of this information, but first I must find some answers. How can I stop this from happening? I don’t really understand all the information available through metadata or why anyone would want it. As a future leader in the field of technology I need to be prepared to train those around me to handle information safely and ethically.

 Reference

Microsoft office. (2012). Retrieved from http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel-help/find-and-remove-metadata-hidden-information-in-your-legal-documents-HA001077646.aspx

Learning Theory Blog

The learning theory that fits well into the distance learning environment is constructivism. In this learning model the teachers are facilitators and the students are doing research and collaborating with classmates to create meaning of material and reach conclusions. During this process students create meaning for concepts through their personal experiences in and out of the classroom. Garrison (2011) says that education servers two purposes. One purpose being the student constructs meaning from personal experiences, and the other purpose to refine this meaning through working with peers. Constructivism fits both criteria. Hyslop and Strobel (2008), caution educators to set parameters that will prevent students from constructing knowledge that is not accurate. To make sure this doesn’t happen teachers must be properly trained on implementation of the inquiry based approach and understand the limitations of the constructivist approach.

Overbay, Patterson, Vasu, & Grable (2010) report a study that found teachers who are more likely to use the constructivist approach are more likely to integrate technology into the classroom. I feel this supports the claim that online learning can incorporate the constructivist approach and support the learning of all students.

As a classroom teacher I use this model of learning in the lessons I plan for my students. It is the students who need to research and apply meaning to real life. I teach middle school so I also have to scaffold quiet a bit to achieve productive results. Critical thinking is not intuitive so they need support. In the future I would find interest in research that would provide information on integrating best practices of technology into the online classroom environment.

References

Garrison, D. (2011). E-learning in the 21st century:a framework for research and practice. (2nd ed.). Taylor and Francis.

Hyslop-Margison, E., & Strobel, J.. (2008). Constructivism and Education: Misunderstandings and pedagogical implications. The Teacher Educator, 43(1), 72-86.  Retrieved April 4, 2012, from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 1527172471).. 

Overbay, A., Patterson, A. S., Vasu, E. S., & Grable, L. L. (2010). Constructivism and technology use: findings from the IMPACTing Leadership project. Educational Media International, 47(2), 103-120. doi:10.1080/09523987.2010.492675

The Most Important Thing

My interview was conducted with a resource technology teacher. While she has many responsibilities her main focus is teaching the teachers how to use available technology in the classroom and getting the resources to support technology use in the classroom. The most important point made during the interview was that technology is used to support learning. With that thought in mind, the technology specialist suggested that prior to purchasing technology she had to research the practical use of the technology and make sure that many people could apply it to their classrooms. A part of her decision making process is research, and another part is getting teacher feedback through pilot programs and interviews. When purchasing technology it is important to understand how it will work and if it will work with the current system in place at the school. Technology in education should support teachers’ lessons and help the students to learn the state mandated standards. A technology specialist should not go out and purchase the newest technology simply because it is new. Technology should fit the needs of the school and should be investigated prior to purchase to ensure it will support the learning environment.

Communication, Cooperative, Supportive