Educational Technology Through My Eyes

Educational technology is the study of how technology can be used to support and enhance teaching and learning. This technology, however, is not limited to computers. SmartBoards, digital/video cameras, and audio enhancement equipment are only some of the tools that are beginning to find their way into classrooms.

I believe that the use of technology is essential for teaching and learning in the 21st century. As early as infancy, children begin to interact with it. From Baby Mozart and LeapFrog toys to iPods, cell phones, and video game systems, children are not only surrounded by technology, they are self-learned experts in it. Unfortunately, the technology they have embraced at home is often missing in school. In response to an increasingly technology-driven society, educators must provide opportunities for students to interact individually and collaboratively with different technological tools to solve authentic problems.

An ideal learning environment would be one where instruction is differentiated, students’ learning styles are addressed, individual and collaborative work are encouraged, and technology is used to support and supplement instruction in meaningful ways. In terms of technology, each student would have access to a computer with Internet and printer connections as well as up-to-date educational and application software. It’s important to keep in mind, however, that these tools cannot, by themselves, create an ideal learning environment. Without a knowledgeable teacher to create meaningful lessons and facilitate learning, what could have been an ideal learning situation falls short of just that.

Literature Review Basics

What is the purpose of most literature reviews?
Most literature reviews provide the reader with a summary and synthesis of relevant past studies on a given topic. Not only does a well-written review give credibility to the author, it also allows him to set up the background for his own study.

What components make up a literature review?
A literature review contains a thesis statement and centers around a specific topic rather than on the sources that are used. It generally consists of the following three parts:
1. Introduction
2. Body (organized in chronological, thematic, or methodological order)
3. Conclusion
However, other sections relevant to the review (ex: background information, questions for further research, etc.) may be included if necessary.

What should be assessed in a literature review?
In assessing a literature review, an author and/or reader should make sure that it 1) centers around a specific research question or thesis, 2) summarizes and synthesizes both what is known and unknown about the topic, 3) identifies areas of controversy surrounding the topic, and 4) leads to questions for further research.

Where should you search to find relevant resources?
Resources for a literature review can be found in books, journals, newspaper articles, government documents, and websites. The quality of the resource, however, should be determined prior to its inclusion in a literature review. Some important areas to consider in determining the validity of a source are its date of publication, the citations used, and the author's background, qualifications, and/or associations.

Literature Review: Reaction to Articles

In their article, Scholars before Researchers: On the Centrality of the Dissertation Literature Review in Research Preparation, David Boote and Penny Beile identify the following problems with much of today’s literature reviews:

• Doctoral students lack the preparation necessary to produce quality research. Thus, they do not know how to go about writing a good literature review.
• Research preparation often overlooks the centrality of the literature review.
• Most literature reviews are simply summaries of past research that are not comprehensive or current.
• Communicating with a diverse audience is difficult because shared knowledge and experiences cannot be assumed.

Boote and Beile argue that doctoral students (and educational researchers) must be better prepared to write literature reviews, as these reviews are central to producing quality research that is useful and meaningful. Their literature reviews must be comprehensive and generative (meaning that students/researchers must understand the literature in the field so that they can identify its strengths and weaknesses and then build on that knowledge).

Joseph Maxwell, in response to Boote and Beile’s article, also identifies a lack of research preparation and instruction in writing literature reviews as a major problem in current educational research. However, Maxwell disagrees with their stance on the centrality of the literature review and the need for it to be comprehensive. Maxwell argues that a literature review is not central to a dissertation or study, and that relevance, rather than comprehensiveness, should be the driving force of a literature review. He also argues that all the literature that is reviewed does not need to be included in a dissertation or study. Maxwell believes that the inclusion of literature should be more selective than Boote and Beile suggest.

In previous courses, I have been asked to write literature reviews. While samples of a literature review were provided, I still didn’t feel as though I had a good grasp on what a good review should include. As Boote and Beile suggest often happens, my literature reviews were summaries of studies previously conducted. In truth, my search for research turned up dry at times, and I found myself trying to grasp at straws just to include the number of citations necessary. I appreciate the suggestions provided by Boote, Beile, and Maxwell because it gives me a better idea of what I should try to accomplish within my literature review. Maybe I will need to go beyond my field of study to get a better understanding of a problem. If I do, that’s okay. My previous literature reviews may have been stronger had I done so. Maybe I will need to look beyond summarizing previous literature and begin to address its strengths and weaknesses so that I can build on it in my own proposal or study. That’s okay too. My previous literature reviews may have supported my inquiry proposals better had I done so.

References

Boote, D.N., & Beile, P. (2005). Scholars before researchers: On the centrality of the dissertation literature review in research preparation. Educational Researcher, 34(6), 3-15.

Maxwell, J.A. (2006). Literature reviews of, and for, educational research: A commentary on Boote and Beile's "Scholars Before Researchers." Educational Researcher, 35(9), 28-31.

Boote, D.N., & Beile, P. (2006). On "Literature Reviews of, and for, Educational Research: A response to the critique by Joseph Maxwell. Educational Researcher, 35(9), 32-35.

Course Expectations

As I read through the syllabus and reviewed the calendar of activities for my supervised research, I couldn’t help but to feel a bit nervous and overwhelmed. Although I still don’t have a firm grasp on what the course will entail, I do expect to use what I have learned in past courses as I begin to identify an area of interest and immerse myself in an inquiry related to that topic. In terms of the role that my instructor and classmates will play in the process, I expect that they will be a source of support, as they share ideas and resources with me and provide feedback on my work as well as suggestions for improvement.

I was surprised to find that some of the tools we will be using in this course are new to me. I have never participated in an Elluminate conference, and I am new to Twitter and Tumblr. While I know of Twitter and have wanted to join for some time, Tumblr is completely foreign to me. Based on what I saw as I navigated the site yesterday, Tumblr seems to be a blog that emphasizes the use of images, videos, and audio. However, I don’t have a clear picture of how and what I will be using Tumblr for in the course. Despite the uncertainties however, I look forward to learning how to use these new tools and incorporating them in my own teaching and learning.

Trying It Out!

After weeks of reading about blogs, I am ready to give it a shot. My long term plan is to incorporate a blogging component in all of my middle school classes next year and introduce blogging on a smaller scale in my third and fourth grade classes.

However, rather than wait until next year to experiment with the tool, I have decided to give it a trial run now by introducing a small blogging activity in one of my middle school classes. I'm hoping that by doing this, I will get a better feel for the site I have decided to use with my students, while learning, first hand, what blog topics, requirements, and assessments best meet the needs of my class.

Here's what I have done so far:

• Verified that my school's Acceptable Use Policy includes publishing students' work on the web
• Notified my department head and the school's curriculum and technology specialist of my intention to introduce a blogging activity in one of my middle school classes/provided them with the name of the site we will be using
• Registered on 21 Classes
• Began inputting students' names

Here's what I still need to do:

• Post a message on my Edline page informing parents of the activity and explaining how students' privacy will be protected
• Become familiar with the site and post relevant and/or necessary information
• Decide on a topic for the activity
• Find and list examples of good blogs to share and discuss with students
• Decide on number of posts and comments required of students

Even as I write out my "to-do list", I can see how it's easy to start thinking too big. I'm going to need to keep reminding myself to begin small, as Will Richardson suggests in Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. This is what I envision right now: 1) Students read blogs written by other people and discuss what they like (or don't like) about them, 2) I make some initial posts on our class blog and have students respond to them, 3) Students create their own simple blogs (ex: share a link and provide a brief explanation as to why they included it), 4) Students create longer blogs where they expand and reflect on their thoughts, 5) Students participate in blog conversations by commenting on their classmates' posts.

There are five more weeks of school left, and the truth is, I'm not sure how far my students will be able to get in the blogging activity. Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to trying it out. After all, no matter how it turns out, it will provide valuable information for me to use when I begin planning for next year.

Blogs: Getting Started

Will Richardson provides valuable and easy-to-follow suggestions for introducing blogging in the classroom in chapter 3 of his book, Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. He begins by suggesting that teachers who want to start a classroom blog first become familiar with blogging by creating one of their own. This allows them to become better versed in the use of the tool. In addition, it allows them to model the behavior for their students and show them the value of blogging.

Richardson recommends that teachers begin small when they decide to start blogging. They should first read other people’s posts and comment on them. By doing so, they will get a feel for what it is like to publish their own thoughts on the web. After commenting on other people's posts a few times, they can create their own blog and post a link to something they have read and enjoyed along with a few thoughts about it. As they become more comfortable with the idea of blogging, they can begin to write more, draw on their own personal experiences, and reflect furthe on what they have read.

In terms of introducing blogs in the classroom, Richardson again suggests starting small. Teachers should begin by using the blog to post homework assignments and important class links. They should also show students examples of good blogs. For example, elementary level students can visit blogs that are set up by other elementary schools, while students in the upper grades can read blogs created by people that the teacher recommends. Once students have had the opportunity to read blogs created by others, they can begin to respond to posts in the class blog. Richardson provides an example of how to go about doing this. One way is for the teacher to post a question per day and ask students to respond to a certain number of questions each week. After they gain experience commenting on the class blog, they can move on to creating their own posts.

Teachers can assess the Weblogs in several ways. They can count the number of posts a student has published, or they can read each post for such things as form and content. Students can also select the posts they feel represent their best writing, and they can reflect on those posts in an overall evaluation of their blog use.

An important consideration when starting a classroom blog is the safety of the students. It is important for teachers to communicate with students, parents, and administrators about their reasons for wanting to introduce blogging in the classroom and their subsequent expectations for the activity. It is also important that every student has parental permission to participate in the blogging. Richardson suggests making publishing to the web a part of the school’s Acceptable Use Policy that must signed by all parents. Finally, teachers should communicate with parents about the safety precautions that will be in place to protect students’ privacy (ex: using only first names or using pseudonyms).

Richardson closes the chapter by providing several suggestions for blogging sites (ex: KidzBlog and BlogMeister). However, he reminds the reader that the perfect blog site for a teacher to use will be the one that meets his/her unique classroom needs.

Chapter 3 of Richardson's book provided me with a better idea of how to begin blogging with my class, and it brought to light some things I hadn't considered before. First, I must remember to start small and model blogging for students. In other words, I should allow them to become familiar with blogging by reading various blogs so that they understand what they are and how they are set up. Second, I must pay careful attention to online safety. As I begin to plan on making blogging a part of my classroom, I am going to need to make sure that every student has parental permission to participate in the activity and that students, parents, and administrators understand why we are blogging and how student privacy will be protected.

Richardson, W (2006). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Collaborative Blogging as a Means to Develop Elementary Expository Skills: A Study

I just read an interesting study/teacher inquiry entitled Collaborative Blogging as a Means to Develop Elementary Expository Writing by Wendy Drexler, Kara Dawson, and Rick Ferdig. It examines the effects of collaborative blogging between third graders and pre-service teachers, focusing specifically on students’ motivation and attitudes towards writing and their quality of writing. Eighteen third graders from a large, independent, preparatory school in Central Florida participated in the nine-week study. All of the students had access to computers in school and at home, although most of the blogging activities were completed in the school’s computer lab.

During the study, pre-service teachers provided the third graders with research assistance and feedback to help them complete a five-paragraph essay and online presentation on a Native American tribe. Students posted an initial blog identifying the Indian tribe they had selected for their project and asking for assistance with the research. The pre-service teachers responded by providing suggested sites that were age-appropriate for students to conduct their research. As the students read through the sites, they completed a fact-collecting sheet where they jotted down any information they found interesting about their tribe. Once the initial research was completed, students sought further assistance in locating information regarding specific areas related to their topic (i.e. clothing, food, etc.). Then students organized the information they had gathered into concept maps created on Inspiration. These maps were posted on the blog so that the pre-service teachers could review and comment on them. After that, students began writing their five-paragraph essay on the blog, focusing on one paragraph at a time. After all the editing was done, the students transferred their five-paragraph essay into an online presentation on MediaBlender.

The following outcomes were identified in the data analysis of the study:

• Collaborative blogging helped improve students’ attitudes towards writing.
• Students were motivated to write. Feedback rather than technology use was the primary motivator.
• Collaborative blogging improved students’ writing and helped develop related skills and knowledge.
• Students transferred knowledge they had gathered to other academic and social aspects of the classroom.
• Students’ technology skills improved even though formal technology training was not provided.
• Students developed visual literacy skills as they turned their five-paragraph essay into an online presentation.
• Collaborative blogging allowed for differentiated instruction.

While the findings of this study support what I have read thus far about blogging, I found the challenges that were encountered during the study and later identified and described to be especially valuable because I am likely to encounter much of the same when I introduce blogging to my third graders. The following are some of the challenges that I will need to consider:

• Students' keyboarding skills (How well can students type? How will poor typing affect blog writing and project pacing?)
• Project pacing (How long will the project take? What happens when students are absent?)
• Comment frequency (How often will comments be made?)
• Transference (Will students be able to transfer what they have learned to other content areas?)

I wonder what would happen if I created a collaborative blogging project where my eighth graders (similar to the pre-service teachers in this study) would comment on my third graders' writing. Hmmm...

Drexler, W., Dawson, K., & Ferdig, R. Collaborative blogging as a means to develop elementary expository writing. Electronic Journal for the Integration of Technology in Education, 6, Retrieved April 14, 2009, from http://blogs.wsd1.org/harrow/files/collaborative-blogging-drexler.pdf.