I would like to make this a bit longer...but the stomach flu running rampant in my household is going to make it a bit difficult.
I've found this journal both useful and challenging, at various times during the semester. As I got deeper into the research for my lit review and final project, there were more things swirling through my head and this became a great space for reflection. I also appreciated how my reading this semester dovetailed between my two classes--I am also taking the learning commons class with Loertscher. Although I didn't write as much about the overlap, I did think about it a fair amount.
I think that I will keep a research journal again in the future if I have a big project such as the literature review and final proposal again.
Showing posts with label research journal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label research journal. Show all posts
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Friday, November 23, 2012
Research Journal -- Musings on action research
This website has a variety of interesting resources, including a bunch of examples of action research. I plan to read through some of them as I design my research proposal.
My research question is as follows: Do one-to-one laptop programs help students to meet the information literacy requirements of the Common Core State Standards?
I am very excited about this question because I'm excited about the new Common Core State Standards and the role that I can play as a librarian. I am starting to do my own research--so far, through my personal learning network--about the Common Cores, as they are called. I reached out through Facebook and got responses from three different people for three very different types of information. My goal is to use the Common Cores to focus my information literacy ideas and instruction at my school. The other thrilling piece is that in the Nov. 6 election, a parcel tax for my school district was renewed and my job is funded through 2019 if I choose to stay that long. I certainly hope that I keep loving my job as much as I love it now.
I don't see much potential for a 1:1 laptop program at my school, and that's okay. We will move to a new site in a few years with lots of awesome technology. In the meantime, I intend to figure out what I want to do with tablets, and then procure about 10 of them to use in the library for teaching information literacy. Our PTSA is also buying updated, faster computers for the library. Exciting times!! But I still want to envision this project as a 1:1 program, to give students access to the tools they need anytime they need them.
When thinking through my research proposal, I am trying to decide on qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods. I think that maybe qualitative data in the form of interviews of teachers, students, and parents, plus quantitative in the form of analyzing student work before and after, to triangulate the data. Triangulation was something I learned about this semester that I really didn't know about before this. Turner (2011) wrote about an action research project in an after-school program where students conducated community interviews and then developed raps and music videos that critiqued social issues in their community. The students self-reported changes in their information literacy skills and their understanding of community issues. Turner also spoke with students' teachers, and watched the videos, to triangulate the data. I'd like to learn some more about triangulation to see how I could integrate that into a mixed-methods approach.
I am also considering the research methods employed by Spector-Levy and Granot-Gilat (2012) to assess information literacy skills. They designed a set of tasks that required students to select reliable information, write argumentatively using that information, process and represent information, and present new knowledge.They assessed 7th and 9th graders, some of whom had participated in 1:1 laptop programs and some of whom hadn't. They did find that the students who had participated in 1:1 laptop programs completed the set of tasks more successfully and at a higher rate than the students who didn't participate in the laptop programs. I like this idea of a standardized task for all students to complete. Objectively assessing student work for information literacy would be impossible. Of course, there is subjectivity in all research, but looking at student projects that were self-directed seems that it would not be a sufficient measurement for a research project. I do think it could be a component, but a standardized task like that used by Spector-Levy and Granot-Gilat (2012) seems like it could also be useful. I think this would be considered a quantitative measure.
Turner, K.C.N. 2011. "Rap universal": Using multimodal media production to develop ICT literacies. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 58(8), 613-623. doi: 10.1598/JAAL.54.5.6.
My research question is as follows: Do one-to-one laptop programs help students to meet the information literacy requirements of the Common Core State Standards?
I am very excited about this question because I'm excited about the new Common Core State Standards and the role that I can play as a librarian. I am starting to do my own research--so far, through my personal learning network--about the Common Cores, as they are called. I reached out through Facebook and got responses from three different people for three very different types of information. My goal is to use the Common Cores to focus my information literacy ideas and instruction at my school. The other thrilling piece is that in the Nov. 6 election, a parcel tax for my school district was renewed and my job is funded through 2019 if I choose to stay that long. I certainly hope that I keep loving my job as much as I love it now.
I don't see much potential for a 1:1 laptop program at my school, and that's okay. We will move to a new site in a few years with lots of awesome technology. In the meantime, I intend to figure out what I want to do with tablets, and then procure about 10 of them to use in the library for teaching information literacy. Our PTSA is also buying updated, faster computers for the library. Exciting times!! But I still want to envision this project as a 1:1 program, to give students access to the tools they need anytime they need them.
When thinking through my research proposal, I am trying to decide on qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods. I think that maybe qualitative data in the form of interviews of teachers, students, and parents, plus quantitative in the form of analyzing student work before and after, to triangulate the data. Triangulation was something I learned about this semester that I really didn't know about before this. Turner (2011) wrote about an action research project in an after-school program where students conducated community interviews and then developed raps and music videos that critiqued social issues in their community. The students self-reported changes in their information literacy skills and their understanding of community issues. Turner also spoke with students' teachers, and watched the videos, to triangulate the data. I'd like to learn some more about triangulation to see how I could integrate that into a mixed-methods approach.
I am also considering the research methods employed by Spector-Levy and Granot-Gilat (2012) to assess information literacy skills. They designed a set of tasks that required students to select reliable information, write argumentatively using that information, process and represent information, and present new knowledge.They assessed 7th and 9th graders, some of whom had participated in 1:1 laptop programs and some of whom hadn't. They did find that the students who had participated in 1:1 laptop programs completed the set of tasks more successfully and at a higher rate than the students who didn't participate in the laptop programs. I like this idea of a standardized task for all students to complete. Objectively assessing student work for information literacy would be impossible. Of course, there is subjectivity in all research, but looking at student projects that were self-directed seems that it would not be a sufficient measurement for a research project. I do think it could be a component, but a standardized task like that used by Spector-Levy and Granot-Gilat (2012) seems like it could also be useful. I think this would be considered a quantitative measure.
Spector-Levy, O.
& Granot-Gilat, Y. (2012). The impact of learning with laptops in 1:1
classes on the development of learning skills and information literacy among
middle school students. Interdisciplinary Journal of E-Learning and Learning
Objects, 8, 83-96.
Turner, K.C.N. 2011. "Rap universal": Using multimodal media production to develop ICT literacies. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 58(8), 613-623. doi: 10.1598/JAAL.54.5.6.
Monday, November 19, 2012
Research Journal--Reflecting on the Literature Review Process
Now that I finished the literature review a few days ago and it's turned in, I want to take some time to reflect on the process. I hope that this reflection will serve me in future classes. I think there are some lessons to be learned on the research process, the writing process, and the knowledge building.
The first place that I struggled was with how to write a literature review about something that hadn't been specifically researched. My research question links three topics: Do one-to-one laptop programs help students to meet the information literacy requirements of the Common Core State Standards?
I started by looking for information about one-to-one laptop programs. There are many, many research articles on these programs, where each student in a class or school gets their own laptop (often leased from the school for a small fee) to use for the entire school year. I had a hard time knowing which articles to pick, and I didn't have time to read 40 and choose 6. I think I read about 10 and chose from that. I ended up with articles that looked at a range of different possible outcomes from one-to-one laptop programs. I heavily mined the references lists of various articles to build this collection.
I had originally hoped to have multiple studies that looked at one-to-one programs and information literacy, but I didn't find these articles in my initial search. (When I realized that only two studies had been done, I felt a little bit better about the fact that I hadn't found anything the first few times around.) From there I began looking at information literacy, teens, and computing. I had pretty good success in finding these--again, there were a lot to choose from so I selected things that touched on different topics.
The last main topic is the Common Core State Standards, which will be guiding education in the US beginning in the next few years. Rather than each state having their own standards, states are beginning to adopt these standards that will be shared around the country. I didn't look for research about these standards, because really all I wanted was the information on what type of information literacy the standards would require.
After I had done all of this, I had a little panic that I wasn't doing the literature review "correctly." I worried about this because I was bringing three topics together that weren't necessarily linked in the literature yet. But then I realized that new and innovative research has to come from somewhere, and the thing that made the most sense was just to gather information on the two main topics and synthesize the information. Boote and Beile (2005) cite Lather (1999), saying "a synthetic review should serve a critical role in gatekeeping, policing, and leading to new productive work, rather than merely mirroring research in a field" (p. 6). This was my understanding of what a literature review is, and reading this definitely gave me a sense of relief. There isn't just one set of research that has already looked at the same topic as my research proposal--the topics touch on so many different areas. And I would think that being able to simply run through all of the similar research that had been done would mean that the proposed research wouldn't be original.
Continuing on in Boote and Beile (2005), they cite Hart (1999) in saying that a literature review for a dissertation should "synthesize prior research to gain a new perspective on it" (p. 6), but also analyze the research methods and look at what else needs to be done in the field. This is a huge task! The practical side of me knows that I am not a Ph.D. candidate nor am I even writing a masters thesis, so I shouldn't have expected to do anything this grand. I couldn't have--I didn't have the time! But the perfectionist inside me thinks "aha! I should have done all of that. I knew my review was lacking." Of course it is, as I could have refined and edited it more, found more perfect articles, read and analyzed them more.
Overall, Boote and Beile's (2005) article was helpful to read because they write about how the literature review is a type of writing that is not well-understood, and it's not valued by many education researchers. I actually felt that the example literature review and the lecture given by Professor de Groot were really helpful. I took notes on the lecture and used the step-by-step guidelines to research and prepare to write my review. I also used the literature reviews at the beginning of each research article as an indication of how to write a literature review. I did feel prepared to complete this assignment, but I also found it very challenging and had a lot of moments of self-doubt.
Boote, D. & Beile, P. (2005). Scholars before researchers: On the centrality of the dissertation literature review in research preparation. Educational Researcher, 34(6), 3-15. doi: 10.3102/0013189X03400603
The first place that I struggled was with how to write a literature review about something that hadn't been specifically researched. My research question links three topics: Do one-to-one laptop programs help students to meet the information literacy requirements of the Common Core State Standards?
I started by looking for information about one-to-one laptop programs. There are many, many research articles on these programs, where each student in a class or school gets their own laptop (often leased from the school for a small fee) to use for the entire school year. I had a hard time knowing which articles to pick, and I didn't have time to read 40 and choose 6. I think I read about 10 and chose from that. I ended up with articles that looked at a range of different possible outcomes from one-to-one laptop programs. I heavily mined the references lists of various articles to build this collection.
I had originally hoped to have multiple studies that looked at one-to-one programs and information literacy, but I didn't find these articles in my initial search. (When I realized that only two studies had been done, I felt a little bit better about the fact that I hadn't found anything the first few times around.) From there I began looking at information literacy, teens, and computing. I had pretty good success in finding these--again, there were a lot to choose from so I selected things that touched on different topics.
The last main topic is the Common Core State Standards, which will be guiding education in the US beginning in the next few years. Rather than each state having their own standards, states are beginning to adopt these standards that will be shared around the country. I didn't look for research about these standards, because really all I wanted was the information on what type of information literacy the standards would require.
After I had done all of this, I had a little panic that I wasn't doing the literature review "correctly." I worried about this because I was bringing three topics together that weren't necessarily linked in the literature yet. But then I realized that new and innovative research has to come from somewhere, and the thing that made the most sense was just to gather information on the two main topics and synthesize the information. Boote and Beile (2005) cite Lather (1999), saying "a synthetic review should serve a critical role in gatekeeping, policing, and leading to new productive work, rather than merely mirroring research in a field" (p. 6). This was my understanding of what a literature review is, and reading this definitely gave me a sense of relief. There isn't just one set of research that has already looked at the same topic as my research proposal--the topics touch on so many different areas. And I would think that being able to simply run through all of the similar research that had been done would mean that the proposed research wouldn't be original.
Continuing on in Boote and Beile (2005), they cite Hart (1999) in saying that a literature review for a dissertation should "synthesize prior research to gain a new perspective on it" (p. 6), but also analyze the research methods and look at what else needs to be done in the field. This is a huge task! The practical side of me knows that I am not a Ph.D. candidate nor am I even writing a masters thesis, so I shouldn't have expected to do anything this grand. I couldn't have--I didn't have the time! But the perfectionist inside me thinks "aha! I should have done all of that. I knew my review was lacking." Of course it is, as I could have refined and edited it more, found more perfect articles, read and analyzed them more.
Overall, Boote and Beile's (2005) article was helpful to read because they write about how the literature review is a type of writing that is not well-understood, and it's not valued by many education researchers. I actually felt that the example literature review and the lecture given by Professor de Groot were really helpful. I took notes on the lecture and used the step-by-step guidelines to research and prepare to write my review. I also used the literature reviews at the beginning of each research article as an indication of how to write a literature review. I did feel prepared to complete this assignment, but I also found it very challenging and had a lot of moments of self-doubt.
Boote, D. & Beile, P. (2005). Scholars before researchers: On the centrality of the dissertation literature review in research preparation. Educational Researcher, 34(6), 3-15. doi: 10.3102/0013189X03400603
Friday, November 2, 2012
Research Journal--Digging into the database
I'm doing some searching and I want to keep track of where I'm searching, with what search terms, and how useful the results are.
Nov. 2 in Academic Search Premier, I used
1:1 AND students AND information literacy
and searched in the abstract field.
No results. :-(
"students" and "information literacy" both popped up in the search terms list. Now I have to figure out what to say to limit it to K-12 and 1:1 devices in the classroom.
Next search, same procedure:
public schools AND devices AND instruction
No fields specified
216 results
Narrowed by date (2000-2012) and asked for full text
Knocked it down to 146 results
Narrowed to academic journals because I feel like it's a lot easier to find non-academic resources so I want to make sure I'm finding enough academic resources first.
This knocked it down to 50 articles. I can quickly browse the titles of 50 articles and open any that seem relevant.
Out of these 50 articles, I chose two research studies and one commentary from Education Week.
Peng, H. & Chou, C. (2007). Mobile computing as a cognitive tool for middle schools: Connecting curriculum and technology. International Journal of Instructional Media, 34(3), 301-310
Schneider, J. (2011, October 5). Tech for all? Understanding our mania for education technology. Education Week, 24.
Palak, D., Walls, R., & Wells, J. (2006). Integration of instructional technology: A device to deliver instruction or a tool to foster learning. Journal of Instructional Media, 33(4), 355-365.
Next search, same procedure:
information literacy AND devices AND instruction
32 results
Out of these articles, I got a few results:
Geck, C. (2006). The generation Z connection: Teaching information literacy to the newest net generation. Teacher Librarian, 33(3), 19-23.
Yelland, N. (2006). Changing worlds and new curricula in the knowledge area. Educational Media International, 43(2), 121-131.
Next, to Google Scholar.
UPDATE, 4 DAYS AFTER THE PAPER WAS DUE:
Finding the research for this project was really challenging. It turned out that there were only two studies that had been done on the actual topic of how one-to-one laptop programs have impacted information literacy. I found lots of information about one-to-one laptop programs in the course of my research in the King Library databases, but I didn't come across those two studies. I was focused on including "one to one" or "1:1" in my search terms and maybe I didn't find the articles about those two studies because two of the articles (out of 3) had the words "laptop" and "literacy" in them but not 1:1. One of the articles was in a journal that was not in the King Library databases. This was published in 2012 in a journal called International Journal of E Learning and Learning Objects. It seems like it's mostly about distance learning. I found that article by using Google scholar.
The other two articles were both about the same study, which seemed a little odd. They were very similar and had almost identical beginnings, but then highlighted different things in the same study. One was published in 2007, the other in 2008. In fact, I didn't even realize the 2008 article existed until I got to the 2012 article and saw multiple articles cited by the same guy. I was actually surprised that Warschauer published two similar articles about the same study in two different journals--one is called Pedagogies: An International Journal and the other is The Teachers College Record. I supposed maybe they got published this way to reach a wider variety of audiences.
Ultimately, I ended up with 18 sources which was a lot to pull together into a literature review. More on that in my next research journal entry!
Nov. 2 in Academic Search Premier, I used
1:1 AND students AND information literacy
and searched in the abstract field.
No results. :-(
"students" and "information literacy" both popped up in the search terms list. Now I have to figure out what to say to limit it to K-12 and 1:1 devices in the classroom.
Next search, same procedure:
public schools AND devices AND instruction
No fields specified
216 results
Narrowed by date (2000-2012) and asked for full text
Knocked it down to 146 results
Narrowed to academic journals because I feel like it's a lot easier to find non-academic resources so I want to make sure I'm finding enough academic resources first.
This knocked it down to 50 articles. I can quickly browse the titles of 50 articles and open any that seem relevant.
Out of these 50 articles, I chose two research studies and one commentary from Education Week.
Peng, H. & Chou, C. (2007). Mobile computing as a cognitive tool for middle schools: Connecting curriculum and technology. International Journal of Instructional Media, 34(3), 301-310
Schneider, J. (2011, October 5). Tech for all? Understanding our mania for education technology. Education Week, 24.
Palak, D., Walls, R., & Wells, J. (2006). Integration of instructional technology: A device to deliver instruction or a tool to foster learning. Journal of Instructional Media, 33(4), 355-365.
Next search, same procedure:
information literacy AND devices AND instruction
32 results
Out of these articles, I got a few results:
Geck, C. (2006). The generation Z connection: Teaching information literacy to the newest net generation. Teacher Librarian, 33(3), 19-23.
Yelland, N. (2006). Changing worlds and new curricula in the knowledge area. Educational Media International, 43(2), 121-131.
Next, to Google Scholar.
UPDATE, 4 DAYS AFTER THE PAPER WAS DUE:
Finding the research for this project was really challenging. It turned out that there were only two studies that had been done on the actual topic of how one-to-one laptop programs have impacted information literacy. I found lots of information about one-to-one laptop programs in the course of my research in the King Library databases, but I didn't come across those two studies. I was focused on including "one to one" or "1:1" in my search terms and maybe I didn't find the articles about those two studies because two of the articles (out of 3) had the words "laptop" and "literacy" in them but not 1:1. One of the articles was in a journal that was not in the King Library databases. This was published in 2012 in a journal called International Journal of E Learning and Learning Objects. It seems like it's mostly about distance learning. I found that article by using Google scholar.
The other two articles were both about the same study, which seemed a little odd. They were very similar and had almost identical beginnings, but then highlighted different things in the same study. One was published in 2007, the other in 2008. In fact, I didn't even realize the 2008 article existed until I got to the 2012 article and saw multiple articles cited by the same guy. I was actually surprised that Warschauer published two similar articles about the same study in two different journals--one is called Pedagogies: An International Journal and the other is The Teachers College Record. I supposed maybe they got published this way to reach a wider variety of audiences.
Ultimately, I ended up with 18 sources which was a lot to pull together into a literature review. More on that in my next research journal entry!
Monday, October 29, 2012
Research Journal--differences in student achievement
I was reading an article for my literature review that discusses a study of a school district that introduced many laptops into the school (Lowther, Ross, & Morrison, 2003). The researchers studied classrooms where the students each had been issued a laptop by the school district. They also studied control classrooms where students didn't have one to one technology. The control classrooms had five or six classroom computers instead. In order to participate in the laptop program, families had to pay a $5/month lease fee for the computers. I imagine this was to impress a feeling of responsibility on the kids, rather than feeling like they were just getting the technology for free. Families chose whether to do the laptop option or not, and then the kids were divided into their classes after the school determined which students would have their own laptop computer to use in class.
The article made it sound like the researchers had come into the situation after this had all been set up already, so they wouldn't have played a role in having the opportunity to have a control group--it just happened to exist already. However, they probably had a strong interest in the continuing existence of a control group. Ultimately, the students with their own laptops showed increased writing achievement, increased interest and engagement in school (as measured by the researchers), and increased computing skills. The students in the laptop classroom "indicated that the laptop had influenced classroom-level changes in fostering more project work, research, higher-level thinking, writing, and cooperative learning" (Lowther, Ross, & Morrison, 2003, 39). The research was not highly conclusive, but did demonstrate that the laptop students had some advantages over the non-laptop students.
The researchers asked parents for their opinions on the program. One parent stated the following: "The school has made some major mistakes in their implementation of this program. There is a separation between the 'laptop' kids and the 'nonlaptop' kids, and our district makes this separation wider" by doing things like having the two groups in separate halls (Lowther, Ross, & Morrison, 2003, 41). As soon as I read this quotation from the parent, I started thinking about the ethics of the researchers in the study, and also about how it would feel to come out on the other end of your work and realize that some students had been disadvantaged right in front of your eyes. If I were in that position, I would know that I had not caused it, and that I had not done anything wrong, and yet I might feel complicit in the situation. Someone else might have come in, seen the situation, said "this is inequitable" and advocated for all students to have the same materials. The researchers would have had an interest in maintaining the status quo for long enough to finish their research.
As with any research project involving human subjects, the researchers would have gone before the review board and had the work approved. They were simply studying a program that was already in place. The students without the laptop instruction still had trained teachers and even had technology in their classroom. Nothing about the study seems that it would violate the tenet of beneficence which states that the researcher must do no harm, and maximize the possible benefits and minimize the possible risks (National Institute of Health, n.d.) . It is interesting to think of what happens when, at the end of the study, researchers find that one group of people they studied, or one part of the study, ended up having a significantly higher risk or benefit than another. What is the responsibility of the researchers to step in and interrupt a situation that they can identify as problematic, even when it would invalidate their entire research project?
This also made me think about my final project and whether I feel comfortable proposing a research project that grants special materials to some students and not to others. Maybe this situation could be avoided with a pre and post-test on the same group of students, rather than comparing one group to the other (the laptops and the nonlaptops, so to speak). It is also complicated because in a setting like a school, it is highly unlikely that every student could be loaned a device. Does this mean that no one should be loaned a device?
Maybe my project proposal could involve several classes that do a similar type of project several times during the year. One of the times, they could use 1:1 devices in some way. The other time, they would not use 1:1 devices. Instead of having a control group, there could be a control situation within the same classroom. Many possibilities to consider...
Lowther, D., Ross, S., & Morrison, G. (2003). When each one has one: The influences on teaching strategies and student achievement of using laptops in the classroom. Education Technology Research and Development, 51(3), 23-44.
National Institute of Health. (2011, February 4). Protecting Human Research Participants. [online training module]. Accessed at http://phrp.nihtraining.com/users/login.php?l=3.
The article made it sound like the researchers had come into the situation after this had all been set up already, so they wouldn't have played a role in having the opportunity to have a control group--it just happened to exist already. However, they probably had a strong interest in the continuing existence of a control group. Ultimately, the students with their own laptops showed increased writing achievement, increased interest and engagement in school (as measured by the researchers), and increased computing skills. The students in the laptop classroom "indicated that the laptop had influenced classroom-level changes in fostering more project work, research, higher-level thinking, writing, and cooperative learning" (Lowther, Ross, & Morrison, 2003, 39). The research was not highly conclusive, but did demonstrate that the laptop students had some advantages over the non-laptop students.
The researchers asked parents for their opinions on the program. One parent stated the following: "The school has made some major mistakes in their implementation of this program. There is a separation between the 'laptop' kids and the 'nonlaptop' kids, and our district makes this separation wider" by doing things like having the two groups in separate halls (Lowther, Ross, & Morrison, 2003, 41). As soon as I read this quotation from the parent, I started thinking about the ethics of the researchers in the study, and also about how it would feel to come out on the other end of your work and realize that some students had been disadvantaged right in front of your eyes. If I were in that position, I would know that I had not caused it, and that I had not done anything wrong, and yet I might feel complicit in the situation. Someone else might have come in, seen the situation, said "this is inequitable" and advocated for all students to have the same materials. The researchers would have had an interest in maintaining the status quo for long enough to finish their research.
As with any research project involving human subjects, the researchers would have gone before the review board and had the work approved. They were simply studying a program that was already in place. The students without the laptop instruction still had trained teachers and even had technology in their classroom. Nothing about the study seems that it would violate the tenet of beneficence which states that the researcher must do no harm, and maximize the possible benefits and minimize the possible risks (National Institute of Health, n.d.) . It is interesting to think of what happens when, at the end of the study, researchers find that one group of people they studied, or one part of the study, ended up having a significantly higher risk or benefit than another. What is the responsibility of the researchers to step in and interrupt a situation that they can identify as problematic, even when it would invalidate their entire research project?
This also made me think about my final project and whether I feel comfortable proposing a research project that grants special materials to some students and not to others. Maybe this situation could be avoided with a pre and post-test on the same group of students, rather than comparing one group to the other (the laptops and the nonlaptops, so to speak). It is also complicated because in a setting like a school, it is highly unlikely that every student could be loaned a device. Does this mean that no one should be loaned a device?
Maybe my project proposal could involve several classes that do a similar type of project several times during the year. One of the times, they could use 1:1 devices in some way. The other time, they would not use 1:1 devices. Instead of having a control group, there could be a control situation within the same classroom. Many possibilities to consider...
Lowther, D., Ross, S., & Morrison, G. (2003). When each one has one: The influences on teaching strategies and student achievement of using laptops in the classroom. Education Technology Research and Development, 51(3), 23-44.
National Institute of Health. (2011, February 4). Protecting Human Research Participants. [online training module]. Accessed at http://phrp.nihtraining.com/users/login.php?l=3.
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Research Journal--Reflecting on Personal Bias
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I've been thinking about the idea that the researcher is not a neutral party and brings his or her assumptions, values, hopes, and interests to the situation. Being open-ended and as neutral as possible with verbal language and even body language and reactions will help capture more of the participants' ideas and experiences and less of the researcher's hopes and interests (Ellis, . This also speaks to the need for the researcher to enter into the project with as few pre-conceive notions of the outcomes as possible.
I think that a well-researched literature review can help the researcher approach the project more neutrally than if they did not do research in advance. For example, I am interested in edtech and in particular 1:1 devices in the classroom. I am fond of saying "it's 2012 and working adults use electronic devices frequently, as well as the kids when they're not sitting in class. How can we not be using personal devices in the classroom?" It is clear that in approaching this research project, I have a particular agenda on the topic. However, a colleague in one of my other classes posted a NY Times article about a school district in Arizona that is very edtech heavy, and yet has not seen an increase in test scores as a result. The article generalizes that schools across the country are cutting budgets and laying off teachers, and yet adding much more technology to their classrooms. Oftentimes, this technology is not actually making a difference (Richtel, 2011). The article shifted my perspective on edtech by reminding me that simply because devices are ubiquitous and people enjoy them, they don't inherently improve the classroom and the research needs to be approached neutrally--it's possible that research would reveal few measurable improvements.
This type of research study also raises the issue of quantitative versus qualitative research, particularly because much of the large-scale quantitative research in education utilizes test scores. Test scores don't measure children's experience of the classroom, but qualitative research could do so.
Creswell (2005) also discusses postpositivism, the concept that “we cannot be ‘positive’ about our blaims of knowledge when studying the behavior and action of humans” (p. 7). She refers to Phillips and Burbules (2000) as being more recent writers to discuss postpositivism and explains that this is a traditional approach to research, having been discussed by "19th-century writers, such as Comte, Mill, Durkheim, Newton, and Locke (Smith, 1983)" (Creswell, 2005, p.7).
If I were going to actually embark on the research project I'm interested in, I might read the Phillips & Burbules (2000) book prior to beginning my research.
Creswell, J. (2005). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches, 3rd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Ellis, J. (2006). Researching children's experience hermeneutically and holistically. The Alberta Journal of Educational Research, 52(3), 111-126.
Phillips, D.C., & Burbules, N.C. (2000). Postpositivism and educational research. Lanham, NY: Rowman & Littlefield.
Richtel, M. (2011, September 3). In the classroom of future, stagnant scores. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com
I've been thinking about the idea that the researcher is not a neutral party and brings his or her assumptions, values, hopes, and interests to the situation. Being open-ended and as neutral as possible with verbal language and even body language and reactions will help capture more of the participants' ideas and experiences and less of the researcher's hopes and interests (Ellis, . This also speaks to the need for the researcher to enter into the project with as few pre-conceive notions of the outcomes as possible.
I think that a well-researched literature review can help the researcher approach the project more neutrally than if they did not do research in advance. For example, I am interested in edtech and in particular 1:1 devices in the classroom. I am fond of saying "it's 2012 and working adults use electronic devices frequently, as well as the kids when they're not sitting in class. How can we not be using personal devices in the classroom?" It is clear that in approaching this research project, I have a particular agenda on the topic. However, a colleague in one of my other classes posted a NY Times article about a school district in Arizona that is very edtech heavy, and yet has not seen an increase in test scores as a result. The article generalizes that schools across the country are cutting budgets and laying off teachers, and yet adding much more technology to their classrooms. Oftentimes, this technology is not actually making a difference (Richtel, 2011). The article shifted my perspective on edtech by reminding me that simply because devices are ubiquitous and people enjoy them, they don't inherently improve the classroom and the research needs to be approached neutrally--it's possible that research would reveal few measurable improvements.
This type of research study also raises the issue of quantitative versus qualitative research, particularly because much of the large-scale quantitative research in education utilizes test scores. Test scores don't measure children's experience of the classroom, but qualitative research could do so.
Creswell (2005) also discusses postpositivism, the concept that “we cannot be ‘positive’ about our blaims of knowledge when studying the behavior and action of humans” (p. 7). She refers to Phillips and Burbules (2000) as being more recent writers to discuss postpositivism and explains that this is a traditional approach to research, having been discussed by "19th-century writers, such as Comte, Mill, Durkheim, Newton, and Locke (Smith, 1983)" (Creswell, 2005, p.7).
If I were going to actually embark on the research project I'm interested in, I might read the Phillips & Burbules (2000) book prior to beginning my research.
Creswell, J. (2005). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches, 3rd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Ellis, J. (2006). Researching children's experience hermeneutically and holistically. The Alberta Journal of Educational Research, 52(3), 111-126.
Phillips, D.C., & Burbules, N.C. (2000). Postpositivism and educational research. Lanham, NY: Rowman & Littlefield.
Richtel, M. (2011, September 3). In the classroom of future, stagnant scores. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com
Research Journal--Contemplating Ellis
Ellis (2006) cites Smith (1991) as saying that "being hermeneutical entails awareness that each person has a standpoint, horizon, perspective, forestructure, or prejudice and that dialectical engagement is needed to support a 'fusion of horizons' with others (Ellis, 2006, 112). She also describes that hermeneutics describes the ongoing cycle of the part-whole relationship that plays out in all parts of human life. The hermeneutic circle, for the purposes of this article, explains how a possible research subject's experience of a particular situation is related to their experience of the whole context of the situation.
This goes hand-in-hand with the idea that Ellis states at the very beginning of the article, the "recognition that children are social actors in their own right rather than pre-adult beings" (Ellis, 2006, 111). We see adults as situated within the context of their lives, but often children are seen as less full, or still developing, beings. By recognizing them as social actors in their own right, we also recognize the importance of the broader context of their experiences to whatever is actually being researched.
Ellis is suggesting that researchers need to have good social skills, be comfortable in their own skin, and also comfortable working with children and youth. She says that qualitative researchers must also have the ability to draw stories out of people and to sit with those stories, in order to gain deep and meaningful information that truly represents what the interviewee experienced. One possibility that she suggests is researching a participant throughout the process, rather than just at the end. This aids in the researcher's larger contextual understanding of the participant.
This is similar to what de Groot talked about in the lecture discussing her experience working with kids who were part of a library summer reading program. She sought out certain students and their families at the beginning of the summer and spoke with them throughout the summer, rather than waiting until the end of the summer to learn about their experiences. This also allowed her to conduct interviews and then transcribe them throughtout the summer--transcribing many interviews all at once is a daunting proposition.
The pre-interview activities that Ellis lists remind me of components of play therapy that I've heard about. These type of activities are designed to elicit genuine, personal information sharing from children. Verbal communication is not always effective, or it's not always a good first step with kids, regardless of the context.
Also must us open-ended questioning to not put words in subjects' mouths. All people have different perceptions of the world, and researchers need to spend time pre-interview with children (or really any interviewee) if possible, whether or not they can do this, use open-ended questions to not be leading while they are gathering information. The pre-interviews can set the stage for understanding the whole context and embracing the idea of the hermeneutical research process. (I like this concept but I'm still not totally clear on how to use the word hermeneutical).
Pre-interview activities will also be an important component of my research proposal, because if I want to understand student engagement and attitude toward certain classes and/or school in general, I will need to engage in the situation long before the devices are introduced into classroom learning. In addition, middle school students can take awhile to trust an adult enough to share their experiences in a deeper, more meaningful way.
I am interested in proposing an action research project but I'm not sure if that will be an acceptable way to do the assignment. I will need to ask about this in the discussion forum.
Overall, I agree that the Ellis article is extremely helpful for thinking about working with children. I can see why it has had a big impact on de Groot's work as well. It really changes the idea of just walking into a room, doing interviews, and leaving, into a relationship and process.
Ellis, J. (2006). Researching children's experience hermeneutically and holistically. The Alberta Journal of Educational Research, 52(3), 111-126.
This goes hand-in-hand with the idea that Ellis states at the very beginning of the article, the "recognition that children are social actors in their own right rather than pre-adult beings" (Ellis, 2006, 111). We see adults as situated within the context of their lives, but often children are seen as less full, or still developing, beings. By recognizing them as social actors in their own right, we also recognize the importance of the broader context of their experiences to whatever is actually being researched.
Ellis is suggesting that researchers need to have good social skills, be comfortable in their own skin, and also comfortable working with children and youth. She says that qualitative researchers must also have the ability to draw stories out of people and to sit with those stories, in order to gain deep and meaningful information that truly represents what the interviewee experienced. One possibility that she suggests is researching a participant throughout the process, rather than just at the end. This aids in the researcher's larger contextual understanding of the participant.
This is similar to what de Groot talked about in the lecture discussing her experience working with kids who were part of a library summer reading program. She sought out certain students and their families at the beginning of the summer and spoke with them throughout the summer, rather than waiting until the end of the summer to learn about their experiences. This also allowed her to conduct interviews and then transcribe them throughtout the summer--transcribing many interviews all at once is a daunting proposition.
The pre-interview activities that Ellis lists remind me of components of play therapy that I've heard about. These type of activities are designed to elicit genuine, personal information sharing from children. Verbal communication is not always effective, or it's not always a good first step with kids, regardless of the context.
Also must us open-ended questioning to not put words in subjects' mouths. All people have different perceptions of the world, and researchers need to spend time pre-interview with children (or really any interviewee) if possible, whether or not they can do this, use open-ended questions to not be leading while they are gathering information. The pre-interviews can set the stage for understanding the whole context and embracing the idea of the hermeneutical research process. (I like this concept but I'm still not totally clear on how to use the word hermeneutical).
Pre-interview activities will also be an important component of my research proposal, because if I want to understand student engagement and attitude toward certain classes and/or school in general, I will need to engage in the situation long before the devices are introduced into classroom learning. In addition, middle school students can take awhile to trust an adult enough to share their experiences in a deeper, more meaningful way.
I am interested in proposing an action research project but I'm not sure if that will be an acceptable way to do the assignment. I will need to ask about this in the discussion forum.
Overall, I agree that the Ellis article is extremely helpful for thinking about working with children. I can see why it has had a big impact on de Groot's work as well. It really changes the idea of just walking into a room, doing interviews, and leaving, into a relationship and process.
Ellis, J. (2006). Researching children's experience hermeneutically and holistically. The Alberta Journal of Educational Research, 52(3), 111-126.
Hashing out my research question
I know this is looking ahead a little bit to the final project, but I really liked the way that Stetar laid out a systematic approach to thinking through a research question.
I think that my question is basically: What is the impact of 1:1 devices in the middle school classroom on student engagement, attitude toward learning, and achievement measures?
I am interested in iPads or other tablets--something that imitates (at least to some extent) the smartphone experience. I think that those skills are very forward thinking, and plus lots of kids have smartphones. Sometimes I look at a classroom (or my own meeting and work habits) and see kids who look much more engaged with their phones than their school work, even though this is against the rules.
Using the information in the Week 8 Slideshare by Dr. Josepch Stetar, I am going to try to work through my research question here:
I think that my question is basically: What is the impact of 1:1 devices in the middle school classroom on student engagement, attitude toward learning, and achievement measures?
I am interested in iPads or other tablets--something that imitates (at least to some extent) the smartphone experience. I think that those skills are very forward thinking, and plus lots of kids have smartphones. Sometimes I look at a classroom (or my own meeting and work habits) and see kids who look much more engaged with their phones than their school work, even though this is against the rules.
Using the information in the Week 8 Slideshare by Dr. Josepch Stetar, I am going to try to work through my research question here:
Criteria for identifying research problem:
1.
Must be interesting enough to hold my interest
YES, definitely interesting to me!
YES, definitely interesting to me!
2.
Must be within my range of competence.
I think it would be within my range of competence. I might have to say that I need to learn a little something more in order to do an analysis of the test scores, as it might involve some qualitative data analysis.
I think it would be within my range of competence. I might have to say that I need to learn a little something more in order to do an analysis of the test scores, as it might involve some qualitative data analysis.
3.
Must be a manageable size
Maybe three different schools with similar demographics and similar data going into the situation? This might require a co-researcher
Maybe three different schools with similar demographics and similar data going into the situation? This might require a co-researcher
4.
Must have some basis in theory—ie, topics found in
the lit review
Yes, there has been work done in this field already. Certainly there is a lot around engagement and achievement.
Yes, there has been work done in this field already. Certainly there is a lot around engagement and achievement.
5.
Must have the potential to make an original
contribution—can’t be a duplicate of something that’s already been done.
Yes, I think that it would not be an exact duplicate of something that's already been done. But I will need to find more articles for my lit review to determine whether that is actually correct.
Yes, I think that it would not be an exact duplicate of something that's already been done. But I will need to find more articles for my lit review to determine whether that is actually correct.
6.
Must be based on obtainable data—research plan
must be viable and practical.
Test scores, student interviews, observations, teacher feedback, maybe administrator feedback (these different information sources could serve as triangulation)
Test scores, student interviews, observations, teacher feedback, maybe administrator feedback (these different information sources could serve as triangulation)
7.
Must permit me to demonstrate my independent
mastery of both subject and research method
Yes, I think the research methods would be solid and I already have a good grasp on the subject, so I would just be adding more knowledge/expertise as I prepared for and engaged with this research project.
Yes, I think the research methods would be solid and I already have a good grasp on the subject, so I would just be adding more knowledge/expertise as I prepared for and engaged with this research project.
The research question must look for a relationship between 2
or more variables.
Yep, as listed above. 1:1 devices and engagement, attitude, and achievement scores.
The next step is to delve more into the research for my literature review.
Yep, as listed above. 1:1 devices and engagement, attitude, and achievement scores.
The next step is to delve more into the research for my literature review.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Research Journal--Information Overload
I was reflecting yesterday on the fact that I'm feeling a certain level of paralysis about graduate school this semester. It's the first time I've ever taken two classes at the same time, and it's A LOT. I've been working full time as a teacher or school librarian ever since I began at SJSU SLIS, and things have always been busy. But this semester feels like things have ramped up, what with my one-year-old who seems to perpetually have a cold or be teething, more responsibilities and expectations at work, and the looming pressure of needing to finish my teacher librarian credential before funding for my current job disappears in two years.
All of this is fine--it's a lot, but I could handle it if I was organized. But my brain seems to be working in high gear constantly. I have had trouble focusing on any one task, and I think it might be because there are so many tasks on my plate that I'm having trouble staying focused. Maybe this picture of my desk at work can shed some light on the situation. Our family desk at home looks about the same.
The calendar is because I was just recruited to be a new teacher support provider and the highlighted dates are trainings I have to attend. The book with the Golden Gate Bridge is the YA book from my library I just started, and the stack of books with Aviation on top are new books from Donor's Choose that I need to get students to read for photos and write thank-you notes for.
I'm taking 285 together with LIBR 233, the Learning Commons, with Dr. Loertscher. He is a staunch constructivist and in his class, we are supported but definitely left with things fairly open-ended. He doesn't use D2L so the information for my two classes is contained within two totally different systems. While I am adept at navigating both (and I respect and understand his rationale), it does complicate my work to constantly be visiting two different sites.
However, this is all logistics. The beauty of taking the two classes together is that my work in each is informing my understanding of the other. In particular, I'm expected to read and comment on/summarize approximately 100 articles for 233 over the course of the semester (a major contributer to the information overload). I am including in this 100 the articles I'm reading for this class, as well as some assigned reading and posts from about 10 related blogs that I follow. Yesterday, for example, I came upon an interview with Scholastic editor David Levithan, posted by Mary Ann Scheur, who is a classmate and becoming a friend. I know Levithan as an author who writes unique books on many themes, but often has gay male teens in his books. He portrays gay teens in a way that I have not seen in other YA literature, so I've definitely noticed him. For me, the big "aha" in his interview was his discussion of transmedia publishing, first the series/experience 39 Clues and now a new transmedia project from Scholastic called The Infinity Ring. I'm not sure how these have passed me by as an avid YA reader for the past five years, but now my eyes have been opened. Transmedia sounds to me (from what I know so far) a part of my dream of what education can and should be. I want to focus my research proposal for 285 on BYOD or at least 1:1 devices in the classroom. I love to use games and puzzles while I'm teaching, and so the idea of digital quests and games and other media just makes my brain start racing. After reading about the concept of transmedia, which was explained as using multiple platforms for telling a story, I immediately thought of my educational vision for what schools should be like. I believe that all schools should be rapidly catching up to the 21st century, this world where 6 million new iPhones are sold in the first three days after release. I think progress is crucial and is a matter of survival for public schools, and I am also starting to pay more attention to online schools for K-12. They will need more teachers and librarians and information professionals who are tech-savvy and focused on modern technology and teaching techniques. This is the future, this is what's happening, and public education needs to keep up. I can see how kids are drawn to games and multi-media platforms, and I am, too! So much more exciting than static textbooks, and so much more fun to teach with, too.
I did a simple Google search on transmedia and education and found several articles. Laura Fleming has a blog entry on Edutopia.com, titled "A new model of storytelling: Transmedia." She says that two components must be present in transmedia: "1) Critical parts of the story must be told across multiple story spaces, and 2) there must be active participation on the part of the readers." Fleming states that these components can help engage learners, and that young people are accustomed to taking in information via multiple sources. She finishes by saying "Transmedia storytelling exemplifies learning in the 21st century." I agree with her point, and I think that transmedia is a great example of what could be done with a 1:1 device program in schools.
This is just one example of how my work in 233 crosses over into 285, and vice versa. What an amazing opportunity for an action research project this would be! (If we had wireless and handheld devices or even a laptop cart at my school.) There is always the future. On the other hand, this also exemplifies my issue with my scattered brain right now. I read the Levithan article last night at home, started investigating transmedia and education then, got interrupted by my baby waking up. I spent some time last night and this morning reflecting on why I feel unfocused and came up with the idea of information overload. I began this research journal entry 2.5 hours ago and over the course of the last 2.5 hours I've spent writing this, I've Googled "transmedia and education," read several articles on the topic, helped some students take a computer test, and supervised two passing periods. This year is an exercise in time management for me, and I clearly also need to be careful about creating an intellectual and academic focus so that I can get my work finished in a timely manner. But what an exciting and engaging semester it is turning out to be!
Fleming, L. (2011). "A new model of storytelling: Transmedia, August 26, 2011. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/transmedia-digital-media-storytelling-laura-fleming.
Greenfield, J. (2012). "Scholastic's hit-maker on Hunger Games, digital reading and transmedia." Digital Book World, August 24, 2012. Retrieved from http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2012/scholastics-hit-maker-david-levithan-on-hunger-games-digital-reading-and-transmedia/
All of this is fine--it's a lot, but I could handle it if I was organized. But my brain seems to be working in high gear constantly. I have had trouble focusing on any one task, and I think it might be because there are so many tasks on my plate that I'm having trouble staying focused. Maybe this picture of my desk at work can shed some light on the situation. Our family desk at home looks about the same.
I'm taking 285 together with LIBR 233, the Learning Commons, with Dr. Loertscher. He is a staunch constructivist and in his class, we are supported but definitely left with things fairly open-ended. He doesn't use D2L so the information for my two classes is contained within two totally different systems. While I am adept at navigating both (and I respect and understand his rationale), it does complicate my work to constantly be visiting two different sites.
However, this is all logistics. The beauty of taking the two classes together is that my work in each is informing my understanding of the other. In particular, I'm expected to read and comment on/summarize approximately 100 articles for 233 over the course of the semester (a major contributer to the information overload). I am including in this 100 the articles I'm reading for this class, as well as some assigned reading and posts from about 10 related blogs that I follow. Yesterday, for example, I came upon an interview with Scholastic editor David Levithan, posted by Mary Ann Scheur, who is a classmate and becoming a friend. I know Levithan as an author who writes unique books on many themes, but often has gay male teens in his books. He portrays gay teens in a way that I have not seen in other YA literature, so I've definitely noticed him. For me, the big "aha" in his interview was his discussion of transmedia publishing, first the series/experience 39 Clues and now a new transmedia project from Scholastic called The Infinity Ring. I'm not sure how these have passed me by as an avid YA reader for the past five years, but now my eyes have been opened. Transmedia sounds to me (from what I know so far) a part of my dream of what education can and should be. I want to focus my research proposal for 285 on BYOD or at least 1:1 devices in the classroom. I love to use games and puzzles while I'm teaching, and so the idea of digital quests and games and other media just makes my brain start racing. After reading about the concept of transmedia, which was explained as using multiple platforms for telling a story, I immediately thought of my educational vision for what schools should be like. I believe that all schools should be rapidly catching up to the 21st century, this world where 6 million new iPhones are sold in the first three days after release. I think progress is crucial and is a matter of survival for public schools, and I am also starting to pay more attention to online schools for K-12. They will need more teachers and librarians and information professionals who are tech-savvy and focused on modern technology and teaching techniques. This is the future, this is what's happening, and public education needs to keep up. I can see how kids are drawn to games and multi-media platforms, and I am, too! So much more exciting than static textbooks, and so much more fun to teach with, too.
I did a simple Google search on transmedia and education and found several articles. Laura Fleming has a blog entry on Edutopia.com, titled "A new model of storytelling: Transmedia." She says that two components must be present in transmedia: "1) Critical parts of the story must be told across multiple story spaces, and 2) there must be active participation on the part of the readers." Fleming states that these components can help engage learners, and that young people are accustomed to taking in information via multiple sources. She finishes by saying "Transmedia storytelling exemplifies learning in the 21st century." I agree with her point, and I think that transmedia is a great example of what could be done with a 1:1 device program in schools.
This is just one example of how my work in 233 crosses over into 285, and vice versa. What an amazing opportunity for an action research project this would be! (If we had wireless and handheld devices or even a laptop cart at my school.) There is always the future. On the other hand, this also exemplifies my issue with my scattered brain right now. I read the Levithan article last night at home, started investigating transmedia and education then, got interrupted by my baby waking up. I spent some time last night and this morning reflecting on why I feel unfocused and came up with the idea of information overload. I began this research journal entry 2.5 hours ago and over the course of the last 2.5 hours I've spent writing this, I've Googled "transmedia and education," read several articles on the topic, helped some students take a computer test, and supervised two passing periods. This year is an exercise in time management for me, and I clearly also need to be careful about creating an intellectual and academic focus so that I can get my work finished in a timely manner. But what an exciting and engaging semester it is turning out to be!
Fleming, L. (2011). "A new model of storytelling: Transmedia, August 26, 2011. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/transmedia-digital-media-storytelling-laura-fleming.
Greenfield, J. (2012). "Scholastic's hit-maker on Hunger Games, digital reading and transmedia." Digital Book World, August 24, 2012. Retrieved from http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2012/scholastics-hit-maker-david-levithan-on-hunger-games-digital-reading-and-transmedia/
Thursday, October 4, 2012
How to create a successful BYOD program
Schwartz, K. (2012). How to launch a successful BYOD program. Accessed from http://www.fluency21.com//blogpost.cfm?blogID=2969.
This blog post piqued my interest because I am very interested in BYOD programs and the use of games and instantaneous feedback for learning. The article discusses a suburban school district outside of Houston that slowly rolled out a mobile device program and ultimately allowed students to bring their own devices to school. The Chief Information Officer, who led the BYOD movement in the school district, said “It completely changed the dynamic of the classroom. The students became excited to demonstrate what they had learned or how they worked out a problem. And they didn’t seem to mind school work anymore — Schad said kids played educational games for hours without realizing they were learning."
I think that this type of program would easily lend itself to an action research project. In the school district described in the article, the adoption process went slowly and began with teachers who were interested and willing to be early adopters. At first, they were using devices provided by the school. They began giving students permission to use their own devices in the classroom. The high schools were able to ease up on the strict policy against electronics at school, because they found that they weren't being abused in the classroom. The middle schools continued to allow the personal devices only in the classroom, but they have begun to consider easing up on the passing period/free time electronics restrictions, based on the success of the new policy at the high school.
The article emphasizes a point that I have now seen in several places, which is that electronics need to be fully integrated into the curriculum in order to be effective. Rather than being an add-on, the curriculum needs to be altered to best utilize the devices. This is where the idea for an action research project comes in. I think a BYOD curriculum probably needs a second adult in a room of 40 middle school students and one teacher--and I could be that second adult, in addition to helping remake the curriculum. I believe that games and digital devices are no longer something that schools can legislate against. Instead, we as teachers and school officials need to harness the immense power of the digital world and open our eyes right now to what students need to succeed.
My husband was teasing me the other day, asking if I would want to go on and earn a Ph.D. in library and information studies. At this moment, in the midst of two classes and full-time work and a 15 month old kid and a job that's on the line if a local parcel tax doesn't pass, I said "no way." But I don't think a master's thesis is totally out of the question--and maybe a Ph. D. someday, too.
This blog post piqued my interest because I am very interested in BYOD programs and the use of games and instantaneous feedback for learning. The article discusses a suburban school district outside of Houston that slowly rolled out a mobile device program and ultimately allowed students to bring their own devices to school. The Chief Information Officer, who led the BYOD movement in the school district, said “It completely changed the dynamic of the classroom. The students became excited to demonstrate what they had learned or how they worked out a problem. And they didn’t seem to mind school work anymore — Schad said kids played educational games for hours without realizing they were learning."
I think that this type of program would easily lend itself to an action research project. In the school district described in the article, the adoption process went slowly and began with teachers who were interested and willing to be early adopters. At first, they were using devices provided by the school. They began giving students permission to use their own devices in the classroom. The high schools were able to ease up on the strict policy against electronics at school, because they found that they weren't being abused in the classroom. The middle schools continued to allow the personal devices only in the classroom, but they have begun to consider easing up on the passing period/free time electronics restrictions, based on the success of the new policy at the high school.
The article emphasizes a point that I have now seen in several places, which is that electronics need to be fully integrated into the curriculum in order to be effective. Rather than being an add-on, the curriculum needs to be altered to best utilize the devices. This is where the idea for an action research project comes in. I think a BYOD curriculum probably needs a second adult in a room of 40 middle school students and one teacher--and I could be that second adult, in addition to helping remake the curriculum. I believe that games and digital devices are no longer something that schools can legislate against. Instead, we as teachers and school officials need to harness the immense power of the digital world and open our eyes right now to what students need to succeed.
My husband was teasing me the other day, asking if I would want to go on and earn a Ph.D. in library and information studies. At this moment, in the midst of two classes and full-time work and a 15 month old kid and a job that's on the line if a local parcel tax doesn't pass, I said "no way." But I don't think a master's thesis is totally out of the question--and maybe a Ph. D. someday, too.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Research Journal: Building ICT skills for all students
Turner, K.C.N. 2011. "Rap universal": Using multimodal media production to develop ICT literacies. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 58(8), 613-623. doi: 10.1598/JAAL.54.5.6.
I wrote an abstract for this article, but I found that it resonated with me beyond inclusion with my abstracts and in my literature review. The article describes a qualitative study conducted in a media-based extended-day program at a middle school. The school is described as being in "one of the most impoverished school districts in Northern California" with 75% of the students on free or reduced lunch. I work in what would be considered an impoverished district right now, and the other two school districts I've worked in would also fall into that category. While the school and district aren't identified by name, I immediately felt a connection to the school environment described in the study, especially as I continued to read the article and the researcher described the challenges that many students at the school face in terms of technology access and skill.
The students in the study were participating in a program where their teacher taught them critical literacy skills and they did media analysis of different videos, such as documentaries or hip hop videos. Then, they went out into their community, did some research, and created their own videos. Based on the article, it appeared that each student created a hip-hop song where they wrote the lyrics, created the beats, and related it to a community event or issue. Even though I don't think that this program took place at any of the schools where I've worked, having that vision in my head really brought the study alive for me and I think it is a valid mental reference point for understanding the study. I see so many students in a similar situation, who don't have the information and technology literacy skills that their higher income peers have, for such a variety of reasons. It is one of my deepest convictions as a teacher librarian that I need to find a way to help kids develop these essential skills. I don't have the power to implement a 1 3/4 hour extended day program at our failing computer lab, but the results that Turner published are a very compelling. The students, and their teachers, said that the students developed ICT and critical thinking skills that they were then applying in class. The teachers specifically said that kids in the program were showing better progress in class than students who were not enrolled.
While this was my favorite article that I read out of all of them, it also had the smallest sample size and warrants much further study because of that. The results were inspirational, so it would be great to see something like that duplicated on a larger scale. Maybe a study could be conducted in an entire school district, or at least the whole school, with more researchers and the capacity to have more focal students. The reading we've done so far in this class helped me look critically at the methods of the study and see that there are advantages and drawbacks to this type of qualitative research, that has high detail but a small sample size. It also helped me understand the concept of triangulation--the student comments were triangulated with information from the undergraduate tutors and the classroom teachers.
This article should add value to my literature review by demonstrating that multi-modal media production and critical media literacy can have a positive impact on learning outcomes.
I wrote an abstract for this article, but I found that it resonated with me beyond inclusion with my abstracts and in my literature review. The article describes a qualitative study conducted in a media-based extended-day program at a middle school. The school is described as being in "one of the most impoverished school districts in Northern California" with 75% of the students on free or reduced lunch. I work in what would be considered an impoverished district right now, and the other two school districts I've worked in would also fall into that category. While the school and district aren't identified by name, I immediately felt a connection to the school environment described in the study, especially as I continued to read the article and the researcher described the challenges that many students at the school face in terms of technology access and skill.
The students in the study were participating in a program where their teacher taught them critical literacy skills and they did media analysis of different videos, such as documentaries or hip hop videos. Then, they went out into their community, did some research, and created their own videos. Based on the article, it appeared that each student created a hip-hop song where they wrote the lyrics, created the beats, and related it to a community event or issue. Even though I don't think that this program took place at any of the schools where I've worked, having that vision in my head really brought the study alive for me and I think it is a valid mental reference point for understanding the study. I see so many students in a similar situation, who don't have the information and technology literacy skills that their higher income peers have, for such a variety of reasons. It is one of my deepest convictions as a teacher librarian that I need to find a way to help kids develop these essential skills. I don't have the power to implement a 1 3/4 hour extended day program at our failing computer lab, but the results that Turner published are a very compelling. The students, and their teachers, said that the students developed ICT and critical thinking skills that they were then applying in class. The teachers specifically said that kids in the program were showing better progress in class than students who were not enrolled.
While this was my favorite article that I read out of all of them, it also had the smallest sample size and warrants much further study because of that. The results were inspirational, so it would be great to see something like that duplicated on a larger scale. Maybe a study could be conducted in an entire school district, or at least the whole school, with more researchers and the capacity to have more focal students. The reading we've done so far in this class helped me look critically at the methods of the study and see that there are advantages and drawbacks to this type of qualitative research, that has high detail but a small sample size. It also helped me understand the concept of triangulation--the student comments were triangulated with information from the undergraduate tutors and the classroom teachers.
This article should add value to my literature review by demonstrating that multi-modal media production and critical media literacy can have a positive impact on learning outcomes.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Research Journal--Measuring the impact of libraries through the CCSSSE
This morning on the radio (KPFA/Pacifica radio, a local public radio station), the hosts were discussing a $79/parcel tax that will be on the ballot in November in San Francisco. They said that the Community College of San Francisco (CCSF) is at risk of losing accreditation if they are not able to raise significant funding. Students can't get the classes they need, and sometimes those classes they need aren't even running during certain semesters. It is shameful that the community college budgets in California are being so thoroughly slashed, and the radio piece made me feel very disappointed. It's hard to believe that the parcel tax will pass, because $79 seems like a lot of money. Time will tell.
After hearing this piece, I read an article by guest blogger Troy Swanson on Michael Stephen's blog, Tame the Web. Swanson talks about the great importance of the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE), which is administered every year to many community colleges. He states that it is one of the main ways that his campus determines their level of effectiveness and it's a very important tool for them. However, he expresses frustration that it doesn't have any library-specific questions. The CCSSE has questions about schoolwork such as researching and writing papers, computer labs, advising, and even tutoring, but it manages to leave out any mention of the college library. Swanson and his colleagues talked with the organizers of the CCSSE and recommended four library-related questions, but in the end the surveying organization didn't include any of those questions. Swanson recognizes that "adding a couple questions to a survey is not the only or even the most important avenue in assessing the ways that my library engages students on the campus" (2012). But he also says that it's pretty hard to argue with the idea that when you're talking about engagement with the community, it is simply wrong to leave out any mention of the library. He then goes on to say that engagement and community building are basic tenets of the community college philosophy.
I saw a link between the Pacifica piece and Swanson's blog post because it seems that the CCSF needs tools to show its relevance and demonstrate its value in the community. Convincing 67% of property owners in a city to spend an extra $79 per year on a service that most of them don't use is not an easy task--I know this because a parcel tax to fund my own job (as well as other school district essentials) is on the ballot in another city. Survey data is used in many different ways in politics, and I don't actually know what is being used to convince voters to vote for the CCSF parcel tax. However, as Swanson points out, sometimes things that should be measured don't even get measured, which certainly doesn't help a community college, or any type of institution, to prove its relevance.
Service-oriented professionals who want to provide the highest possible level of service will always hunger for feedback on what is going well, and what they can improve. We also need survey data to show others what we are doing and what we can improve. It is crucial that we ensure that our institutions include us in measuring this type of effectiveness--and that we support our institutions when they struggle to survive.
Swanson, Troy. (2012). My frustration with CCSSE, student engagement, and libraries. [Blog post]. Accessed at http://tametheweb.com/2012/08/28/my-frustration-with-ccsse-student-engagement-and-libraries-by-ttw-contributor-troy-swanson/ on Sept. 10, 2012.
After hearing this piece, I read an article by guest blogger Troy Swanson on Michael Stephen's blog, Tame the Web. Swanson talks about the great importance of the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE), which is administered every year to many community colleges. He states that it is one of the main ways that his campus determines their level of effectiveness and it's a very important tool for them. However, he expresses frustration that it doesn't have any library-specific questions. The CCSSE has questions about schoolwork such as researching and writing papers, computer labs, advising, and even tutoring, but it manages to leave out any mention of the college library. Swanson and his colleagues talked with the organizers of the CCSSE and recommended four library-related questions, but in the end the surveying organization didn't include any of those questions. Swanson recognizes that "adding a couple questions to a survey is not the only or even the most important avenue in assessing the ways that my library engages students on the campus" (2012). But he also says that it's pretty hard to argue with the idea that when you're talking about engagement with the community, it is simply wrong to leave out any mention of the library. He then goes on to say that engagement and community building are basic tenets of the community college philosophy.
I saw a link between the Pacifica piece and Swanson's blog post because it seems that the CCSF needs tools to show its relevance and demonstrate its value in the community. Convincing 67% of property owners in a city to spend an extra $79 per year on a service that most of them don't use is not an easy task--I know this because a parcel tax to fund my own job (as well as other school district essentials) is on the ballot in another city. Survey data is used in many different ways in politics, and I don't actually know what is being used to convince voters to vote for the CCSF parcel tax. However, as Swanson points out, sometimes things that should be measured don't even get measured, which certainly doesn't help a community college, or any type of institution, to prove its relevance.
Service-oriented professionals who want to provide the highest possible level of service will always hunger for feedback on what is going well, and what they can improve. We also need survey data to show others what we are doing and what we can improve. It is crucial that we ensure that our institutions include us in measuring this type of effectiveness--and that we support our institutions when they struggle to survive.
Swanson, Troy. (2012). My frustration with CCSSE, student engagement, and libraries. [Blog post]. Accessed at http://tametheweb.com/2012/08/28/my-frustration-with-ccsse-student-engagement-and-libraries-by-ttw-contributor-troy-swanson/ on Sept. 10, 2012.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Research Journal--school reform through networking in schools
Carlitz, R. and Zinga, M. (1997). Creating common knowledge: school networking in an urban setting. Internet Research, 7(4), 274-286. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/10662249710187277.
This article caught my attention because of its link between educational technology and school reform. It's a case study of a school networking program in Pittsburgh, and starts with a history of how computer networks were first introduced into schools. Although it's 15 years old, the ideas are still relevant today, especially in regards to technology and achievement. In a way, these advances were even more exciting and engaging in the 90s, when the type of electronic communication that we take for granted today was novel and unique. Students in K-12 environments were doing things like having international pen pals and completing joint projects with students in other states and countries. The project was collaborative and in the beginning, recruited interested teachers to grow the network. The project activities were focused on specific curriculum projects, and one of the goals was that the network would eventually become a standard part of work in the classroom. It also became apparent that school-wide and district-wide networking could assist with school reform efforts such as site-based management and restructuring.
Some of the types of projects that are listed in the article are certainly part of schools today, such as research projects or using the Internet for communication. Other projects are great ideas that I have still not seen implemented. The end of the article lists eight lessons learned, which are extremely insightful and are still relevant today. Some of the lessons learned are that change takes time, planning and infrastructure are needed, and teachers need support.
I was so fascinated by this article because I thought that it is still extremely applicable today, at least to the urban schools where I work or have worked. In a way, this is disappointing because it shows that we still have so much farther to go--if we're in the same boat that we were in 15 years ago (or similar), how will we ever move forward. Of course progress has been made in every school--there are eight computers (ten years old) with Internet access in the library--but there is still so much to be done before most schools catch up with the culture of First World countries and the ubiquity of technology everywhere but the educational system.
This article caught my attention because of its link between educational technology and school reform. It's a case study of a school networking program in Pittsburgh, and starts with a history of how computer networks were first introduced into schools. Although it's 15 years old, the ideas are still relevant today, especially in regards to technology and achievement. In a way, these advances were even more exciting and engaging in the 90s, when the type of electronic communication that we take for granted today was novel and unique. Students in K-12 environments were doing things like having international pen pals and completing joint projects with students in other states and countries. The project was collaborative and in the beginning, recruited interested teachers to grow the network. The project activities were focused on specific curriculum projects, and one of the goals was that the network would eventually become a standard part of work in the classroom. It also became apparent that school-wide and district-wide networking could assist with school reform efforts such as site-based management and restructuring.
Some of the types of projects that are listed in the article are certainly part of schools today, such as research projects or using the Internet for communication. Other projects are great ideas that I have still not seen implemented. The end of the article lists eight lessons learned, which are extremely insightful and are still relevant today. Some of the lessons learned are that change takes time, planning and infrastructure are needed, and teachers need support.
I was so fascinated by this article because I thought that it is still extremely applicable today, at least to the urban schools where I work or have worked. In a way, this is disappointing because it shows that we still have so much farther to go--if we're in the same boat that we were in 15 years ago (or similar), how will we ever move forward. Of course progress has been made in every school--there are eight computers (ten years old) with Internet access in the library--but there is still so much to be done before most schools catch up with the culture of First World countries and the ubiquity of technology everywhere but the educational system.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Research Journal--Contemplating my research question
I am deciding on a research question for LIBR 285, to guide my selection of five articles to abstract, and ultimately to guide my literature review and research proposal. The topic I chose is Youth & Technology. I want to reflect a little bit on my interests and find some readings to help me develop my ideas, so I decided to use this space as a brainstorm area so I could record my thoughts.
At my school, we have an absolute rule: NO ELECTRONICS on campus. No phones, electronic games, music players, or even visible headphones. Nothing. We are supposed to confiscate electronics and return them at the end of the day, or turn them in to the office. What are the consequences? Nothing, as far as I can tell. It's time consuming for everyone and often takes away from instruction.
At my old middle school where I taught, I was super strict about this, and I would confiscate almost anytime I saw electronics in my classroom. Of course, I was teaching, and it was so hard to spot everyone using phones. So I know I missed a ton of stuff and it felt unfair. However, I believed that electronics (this is pretty much before kids had smartphones) were a distraction, and I also knew that kids were texting students in other classes, thereby interrupting at least TWO peoples' educations. Plus kids got stuff stolen all the time, so keeping things put away and out of temptation's reach seemed better. But now? Now, I'm starting to think that strict electronics policies that involve confiscation are one, super impractical and unrealistic, and two, not necessarily what we want to promote. Why can't kids use their phones or iPods to access the Internet to do research for class? There is soooo much amazing information online, and yet we are barring kids from accessing it anywhere at school besides some dinosaur computers in the library and and a few classrooms.
I think there should be wireless in every classroom and technology should be intelligently, and heavily, used in school. But how can we go from this draconian NO TECHNOLOGY policy to a 21st century model that actually prepares students for the reality of our world--work, high school, college, etc. So I guess one research question idea is, How can individual electronics, either furnished by students or something like iPads, be used productively in schools and enhance instruction?
A related question is how can individual electronics use in classrooms shrink the digital divide? How can it improve educational outcomes for low-income youth?
Another idea, more directly related to the library: What type(s) of information literacy instruction will truly teach kids to safely and productively use technology?
How are flipped classrooms impacting educational outcomes?
I'm most interested in technology in the classroom and library, so I'm going to start there, but if I get really stuck I think I'll come back to these questions and tweak or change.
Now that I'm thinking about my research question, I am looking for relevant articles. I found two articles that seemed directly relevant to personal technology use in the classroom, but they have been published in the last few months and are not yet online. My search terms so far:
youth
technology
school
learning
personal technology
technology use
educatio
After seeing one of my group member's ideas, I also realized that maybe I could include the names of specific devices or categories of devices in my keyword searches, such as:
iphone
smart phone
tablet
ipad
Turner, K.C.N. 2011. "Rap universal": Using multimodal media production to develop ICT literacies. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 58(8), 613-623. doi: 10.1598/JAAL.54.5.6.
Williams, B. Leading double lives: Literacy and technology in and out of school. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 48(8), 702-706. doi: 10.1598/aJAAL.48.8.7
Md, M. H., & Aydin, H. (2011). A web 2.0-based collaborative model for multicultural education. Multicultural Education & Technology Journal, 5(2), 116-128. doi: 10.1108/17504971111142655
http://search.proquest.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/docview/872348776?accountid=10361
Porcaro, D. (2011). Applying constructivism in instructivist learning cultures. Multicultural Education & Technology Journal, 5(1), 39-54. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/
http://search.proquest.com.
Eteokleous, N. (2011). Developing youth's cultural and social skills through a social-virtual curriculum. Multicultural Education & Technology Journal, 5(3), 221-238. doi:
At my school, we have an absolute rule: NO ELECTRONICS on campus. No phones, electronic games, music players, or even visible headphones. Nothing. We are supposed to confiscate electronics and return them at the end of the day, or turn them in to the office. What are the consequences? Nothing, as far as I can tell. It's time consuming for everyone and often takes away from instruction.
At my old middle school where I taught, I was super strict about this, and I would confiscate almost anytime I saw electronics in my classroom. Of course, I was teaching, and it was so hard to spot everyone using phones. So I know I missed a ton of stuff and it felt unfair. However, I believed that electronics (this is pretty much before kids had smartphones) were a distraction, and I also knew that kids were texting students in other classes, thereby interrupting at least TWO peoples' educations. Plus kids got stuff stolen all the time, so keeping things put away and out of temptation's reach seemed better. But now? Now, I'm starting to think that strict electronics policies that involve confiscation are one, super impractical and unrealistic, and two, not necessarily what we want to promote. Why can't kids use their phones or iPods to access the Internet to do research for class? There is soooo much amazing information online, and yet we are barring kids from accessing it anywhere at school besides some dinosaur computers in the library and and a few classrooms.
I think there should be wireless in every classroom and technology should be intelligently, and heavily, used in school. But how can we go from this draconian NO TECHNOLOGY policy to a 21st century model that actually prepares students for the reality of our world--work, high school, college, etc. So I guess one research question idea is, How can individual electronics, either furnished by students or something like iPads, be used productively in schools and enhance instruction?
A related question is how can individual electronics use in classrooms shrink the digital divide? How can it improve educational outcomes for low-income youth?
Another idea, more directly related to the library: What type(s) of information literacy instruction will truly teach kids to safely and productively use technology?
How are flipped classrooms impacting educational outcomes?
I'm most interested in technology in the classroom and library, so I'm going to start there, but if I get really stuck I think I'll come back to these questions and tweak or change.
Now that I'm thinking about my research question, I am looking for relevant articles. I found two articles that seemed directly relevant to personal technology use in the classroom, but they have been published in the last few months and are not yet online. My search terms so far:
youth
technology
school
learning
personal technology
technology use
educatio
After seeing one of my group member's ideas, I also realized that maybe I could include the names of specific devices or categories of devices in my keyword searches, such as:
iphone
smart phone
tablet
ipad
Turner, K.C.N. 2011. "Rap universal": Using multimodal media production to develop ICT literacies. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 58(8), 613-623. doi: 10.1598/JAAL.54.5.6.
Williams, B. Leading double lives: Literacy and technology in and out of school. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 48(8), 702-706. doi: 10.1598/aJAAL.48.8.7
Md, M. H., & Aydin, H. (2011). A web 2.0-based collaborative model for multicultural education. Multicultural Education & Technology Journal, 5(2), 116-128. doi: 10.1108/17504971111142655
http://search.proquest.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/docview/872348776?accountid=10361
Porcaro, D. (2011). Applying constructivism in instructivist learning cultures. Multicultural Education & Technology Journal, 5(1), 39-54. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/
http://search.proquest.com.
Eteokleous, N. (2011). Developing youth's cultural and social skills through a social-virtual curriculum. Multicultural Education & Technology Journal, 5(3), 221-238. doi:
http://search.proquest.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/docview/888255347?accountid=10361
Skouge, J., Boisvert, P., & Rao, K. (2007). Pacific voices: Educational technologies for literacy learning. Multicultural Education & Technology Journal, 1(1), 25-35. doi: 10.1108/17504970710745184
http://search.proquest.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/docview/229035740?accountid=10361
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Research Journal--measuring student use of the library
Bleidt, S.A. (2011). How students utilize and perceive their school library. American Secondary Education, 39(3), 67-85.
I was interested in finding a study related to students' feelings about and usage of school libraries. My PTSA has paid for a Survey Monkey account and has offered me the opportunity to use it multiple times. I would love to do a student survey about the library, but I'm not sure what to ask. I already get a lot of informal feedback, but that is only from students who are comfortable enough to tell me what they need, or from what I happen to overhear.
The study focused on four research questions. Each research question corresponded with a set of survey questions designed to provide an answer to the research question. The research questions were:
1. How often are middle school students utilizing their school library?
2. How are middle school students utilizing their school library?
3. What are middle school students' perceptions of the usefulness of the school library?
4. What do students perceive as the strengths/weakness of their school library?
As I continued reading the article and reached the findings, nothing surprised me. Students use the library to find books, good things to read, use the computers, and have a quiet place to work and read. They wish there were more new books, it was more attractive and comfortable, and more technology.
The findings of this study were extremely predictable. That is, they were predictable to me as a middle school librarian with a pretty "traditional" school library. I provide a calm, safe space for students to read and work, computers for student use, books, book recommendations, and help answering a variety of questions. While I initially began reading this study with the thought that I might want to administer a survey, I was able to conclude that it would not be a good use of my time. I think it would be more useful to develop a survey around specific programs and projects (such as Battle of the Books, flipped classrooms, technology-based projects) to gauge the impact and interest level.
In addition to gathering data on specific programs, I also hope to implement some new programs and projects inspired by my work in Dr. Loertscher's class this semester (LIBR 233, The Learning Commons). At that point, it might be worth doing some surveying to decide on next steps. My students' answers to the above research questions would certainly provide me with some interesting information, but I don't think that the quality of the information would make the time worthwhile.
I was interested in finding a study related to students' feelings about and usage of school libraries. My PTSA has paid for a Survey Monkey account and has offered me the opportunity to use it multiple times. I would love to do a student survey about the library, but I'm not sure what to ask. I already get a lot of informal feedback, but that is only from students who are comfortable enough to tell me what they need, or from what I happen to overhear.
The study focused on four research questions. Each research question corresponded with a set of survey questions designed to provide an answer to the research question. The research questions were:
1. How often are middle school students utilizing their school library?
2. How are middle school students utilizing their school library?
3. What are middle school students' perceptions of the usefulness of the school library?
4. What do students perceive as the strengths/weakness of their school library?
As I continued reading the article and reached the findings, nothing surprised me. Students use the library to find books, good things to read, use the computers, and have a quiet place to work and read. They wish there were more new books, it was more attractive and comfortable, and more technology.
The findings of this study were extremely predictable. That is, they were predictable to me as a middle school librarian with a pretty "traditional" school library. I provide a calm, safe space for students to read and work, computers for student use, books, book recommendations, and help answering a variety of questions. While I initially began reading this study with the thought that I might want to administer a survey, I was able to conclude that it would not be a good use of my time. I think it would be more useful to develop a survey around specific programs and projects (such as Battle of the Books, flipped classrooms, technology-based projects) to gauge the impact and interest level.
In addition to gathering data on specific programs, I also hope to implement some new programs and projects inspired by my work in Dr. Loertscher's class this semester (LIBR 233, The Learning Commons). At that point, it might be worth doing some surveying to decide on next steps. My students' answers to the above research questions would certainly provide me with some interesting information, but I don't think that the quality of the information would make the time worthwhile.
My Research Journey
After beginning the reading in Creswell as well as the articles and lecture about journeys into researching, I am compelled to begin my research journal with a reflection on my research experience. The more I read, the more I realize how much formal and informal research I’ve done. I will have to divide this into several categories. The first is my undergraduate coursework and thesis at Smith College, 1998-2003. The second is my work as an executive assistant and then development associate at a small non-profit organization in San Francisco called Legal Services for Children. The third category is my work as an Americorps partner at an elementary school in San Jose, CA (I lived there long before I started at SJSU SLIS!) and then in my work as a teacher both through Teach for America and then independently from Teach for America. I haven’t done much research in my past two years as a teacher librarian, but I hope that this class will inspire me to do more data collection and analysis in my work here.
My fondest and most substantial (although also a big hazy) memories of research is from my time at Smith. My first experience of research came in my qualitative methods class as a sociology major. I worked in a group to research transgender students’ self-identities. The group conducted interviews, took notes, and we may have recorded the interviews. Then we wrote a paper. I remember that I was finishing my sophomore year at that time, so I often deferred to some of the more experienced students who were seniors. I did enjoy the independent nature of the work, although I also remember a lot of stress. That experience of interviewing and reading became a jumping-off point for my honors thesis project. It spanned almost half of my time at Smith and involved studying high school student activist identities. I wanted to find out what motivated the students to get involved in activism, and also whether their activism in high school would motivate them to do social justice work in college and beyond. I did interviews with kids from a group that was against the new high school exit exam in Massachusetts. The summary of Kuhlthau’s stages of research resonated and stirred up memories of times during my thesis work that I got stuck. I think that I’ve read her work in library school in relation to the search process, but I didn’t think of it in relation to the research process. I guess I should have--it’s ultimately all the same thing. I remember times when I felt really unmotivated to work on my thesis and I would just put it aside and then eventually guiltily tell my adviser what was up. Then he would give me a little nudge in the right direction, I would realize I had been procrastinating out of confusion/uncertainty, and move forward. What a great model!
My honors thesis is one of my best memories of college, especially the academic parts. I loved working closely with my adviser, and was so touched at the end of the whole thing when he wrote me a card saying that working with me was the best experience he had with any thesis advisee, and he learned a lot from me. It was very hard work but I am so glad that I did it, and I still feel proud when I think of that research.
The research I’ve done while working in education has primarily been based on the concept of a cycle of inquiry. It’s been called different things at different schools, but the spirit of it has always been the same: look at assessment data to determine areas of weakness in student skills, select a strategy to strengthen those skills, implement them in the classroom, assess to determine effectiveness, and either return to that skill or move on to another skill that needs support. While this is different than the types of research that Creswell describes in chapter one of Research Design, I still consider it a research experience. The data analysis is the most closely aligned with his ideas. Overall, my honors thesis is the most consistent with the type of academic research we are discussing in this class, but the other types of research that I’ve done are also relevant. I look forward to delving into graduate-level research methods and approaches.
My fondest and most substantial (although also a big hazy) memories of research is from my time at Smith. My first experience of research came in my qualitative methods class as a sociology major. I worked in a group to research transgender students’ self-identities. The group conducted interviews, took notes, and we may have recorded the interviews. Then we wrote a paper. I remember that I was finishing my sophomore year at that time, so I often deferred to some of the more experienced students who were seniors. I did enjoy the independent nature of the work, although I also remember a lot of stress. That experience of interviewing and reading became a jumping-off point for my honors thesis project. It spanned almost half of my time at Smith and involved studying high school student activist identities. I wanted to find out what motivated the students to get involved in activism, and also whether their activism in high school would motivate them to do social justice work in college and beyond. I did interviews with kids from a group that was against the new high school exit exam in Massachusetts. The summary of Kuhlthau’s stages of research resonated and stirred up memories of times during my thesis work that I got stuck. I think that I’ve read her work in library school in relation to the search process, but I didn’t think of it in relation to the research process. I guess I should have--it’s ultimately all the same thing. I remember times when I felt really unmotivated to work on my thesis and I would just put it aside and then eventually guiltily tell my adviser what was up. Then he would give me a little nudge in the right direction, I would realize I had been procrastinating out of confusion/uncertainty, and move forward. What a great model!
My honors thesis is one of my best memories of college, especially the academic parts. I loved working closely with my adviser, and was so touched at the end of the whole thing when he wrote me a card saying that working with me was the best experience he had with any thesis advisee, and he learned a lot from me. It was very hard work but I am so glad that I did it, and I still feel proud when I think of that research.
The research I’ve done while working in education has primarily been based on the concept of a cycle of inquiry. It’s been called different things at different schools, but the spirit of it has always been the same: look at assessment data to determine areas of weakness in student skills, select a strategy to strengthen those skills, implement them in the classroom, assess to determine effectiveness, and either return to that skill or move on to another skill that needs support. While this is different than the types of research that Creswell describes in chapter one of Research Design, I still consider it a research experience. The data analysis is the most closely aligned with his ideas. Overall, my honors thesis is the most consistent with the type of academic research we are discussing in this class, but the other types of research that I’ve done are also relevant. I look forward to delving into graduate-level research methods and approaches.
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