Given that technology is a dynamic tool that supplements any educational endeavor, I do not have one specific research interest in the subject of technology. Rather, there are several specific topics that appeal to me in my professional and scholarly endeavors. Educational technology in itself is a very broad domain that is macrocosmic in its far-reaching lengths. If I were to narrow my interests, it would be to critical thinking, media literacy, women and education, adult literacy, professional development, and innovative software. The following peer-reviewed articles in the annotated bibliography are indicative of my various research interests.
Maria, K. Wiki and Academic Writing: Changing the Writer-Reader Relationship.
English for Specific Purposes. V 30 no 1 January 2011.
The author focuses on the employment of WIKI in the course of Effective Communication in English. WIKI rightfully blends in with this course because of its effective use as a collaboration tool. The researcher worked with the college students, and her results yielded in a positive finding. 60% of the students she interviewed stated that they were more mindful of their writing because they were aware of their audience. The discourse among the students was strong. I found the results to be interesting because the students were more conscientious of their writing online. I think this topic of this article would help teachers in the field to consider the positive aspects of a virtual collaboration realm such as WIKI, and how it would emphasize 21st century skills as well.
Partington, A. Game Literacy, Gaming Cultures and Media Education. English Teaching: Practice and Critique. V 9 no 1 May 2010.
The author of this article reviews the three critical “c’s” of literacy (creative, critical, and cultural) and how it correlates to media literacy. Moreover, he explores how this knowledge can be applied to English and media subjects. Partington emphasizes how games can be incorporated into the curricula to best serve this generations’ attention because games are appealing and fun. He further reiterates that, “the cultural dimension of students, their experiences of gaming culture as gamers and how this affects the level of their learning must be considered in greater depth and in a greater variety of ways” (83). This article represents how technology can be creatively integrated into academics to reach the potential interests of students, and to best engage them in learning.
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Elif, T., Berrin, O., Secil K.. Ethics in E-Learning. Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology. V 9. N2 April 2010.
While performing my research, the title of this article appealed to me because ethics in a bricks and mortar classroom is very important and I am aware of it. However, I was curious how ethics would translate into an online environment. According to the article’s three researchers, “e-learning environments require policies balancing different expectations of participants and considering how the users perceive ethics during online learning.” Since online learning can mistakenly be perceived like the Internet, an unregulated Information Highway, the topic of ethics is crucial to identifying what is legitimately scrupulous and appropriate in utilizing online courses. The researchers conducted a study with online instructors and 3rd-4th year students of a distance education program. The introduction of the article began with the definition of ethics, and how it applies to the educational environment. Most importantly, the online learning environment is more prone to sensitivity given that students are “anonymous.”
The three researchers specifically asked these questions to navigate their study: 1) What are the opinions of the instructors and students with regard to the learner diversity within the online courses?
2) What are the opinions of the instructors and students with regard to the behavioral and legal regulations within the online courses?
The results of their study yielded the following: “More than 90% of the students and instructors mention that the jargon, idioms, humor and acronyms must be explained in the course content to make it more understandable and facilitating” and “all instructors (100%) state that links to the resource site (s)/glossaries, where interpretations of jargon and terminology are available, should be used within online courses to facilitate the student comprehension” (81.) This study would be useful to all online educators because of the different communication style and dialogue required among participants. In order to successfully and effectively maintain a positive online environment, all participants should be sensitive to each other and the diversity of the learners.
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O’Sullivan, M., Dallas, K. A Collaborative Approach to Implementing 21st Century Skills in a High School Senior Research Class. Education Libraries. V 33 no 1. Spring 2010.
The authors of this article stated that, “businesses and higher education leaders are looking for students with the ability to evaluate and analyze information and to use this information to solve real-world problems.” Even though this is the reality of what is required of today’s high school students, the fact is that many first-time college students are not adequately prepared to apply 21st century technology skills in the fast-paced academic world. Due to this problem, the authors conducted a study in which they worked with an English teacher and the high school librarian at Rosemount High School to best prepare high school students on how to locate, disseminate, and analyze information. There are several sets of skills that are needed to effectively navigate collegiate courses, and eventually, the professional environment: higher order thinking skills, effective problem solving skills, and technology skills. In addition, the role of the teacher-librarian is essential as a tool to bridge the gap. The collaborative efforts between the English teacher and the librarian aided the students achieving more successful media literacy and research skills. In conclusion, “several students, who have gone on to a four-year college or university, have reported they not only scored well on their first major college research paper, but they also had very little trouble navigating and using their college library’s resources” (8). This research study definitely serves as a model for other high school staff who are planning to advance their students’ skills in media literacy and research. In conclusion, high school is still an educational institution that prepares its students for the real world after graduation, and strong efforts are needed to ensure that implemented programs are up to par.
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Barendregt, W., Bekker, T. The Influence of the Level of Free-Choice Learning Activities on the Use of an Educational Computer Game. Computers & Education. V56 no 1 January 2011.
The study, conducted by Barendregt and Bekker, focused on the employment of educational computer games for learning English among three schools in order for the students to choose their own school activities. Even though the study included research from three different schools, there were similarities in how the students responded to this activity. They were more enthusiastic to play the game in lieu of an actual classroom learning activity. However, they would not initiate wanting to play the game on their own free time. Furthermore, the researchers pointed to the fact that the students wanted their teachers to guide them on how to play the game, not necessarily become self-directed learners. The importance of this research, which ties in with the other article on gaming, leads to the integration of technology and computer games as a supplemental learning activity. Therefore, teachers who are considering implementing computer games into their curricula would benefit from the information from this study.
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Archambault, L., Wetzel, K., Foulger, T., Williams, M. Professional Development 2.0: Transforming Teacher Education Pedagogy with 21st Century Tools. Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education. V 27 n 1 Fall 2010.
The purpose of this research study is to discuss the results of a professional development project that was presented to the College of Teacher Education and Leadership at Arizona State University, which entailed assisting instructors with progressing technologies such as Web 2.0 to transform their pedagogy. Workshops were held to emphasize 21st century skills. Examples include: Overview of Web 2.0 tools, sharing curriculum plans on WIKI, plan for action research. 26 out of the 70 full-time faculty agreed to participate in this constructivist-based program, and first started instruction in the 8-hour initial workshop. After the completion of the workshops, all of the participants were asked to reflect on their experiences. The authors argue that “additional research in this area is warranted, specifically studies that focus on how to help faculty transform pedagogical practices using the power of the read/write Web in teaching as well as to build and sustain active learning communities to assist in these efforts” (11). Given that digital learning is commonplace in the field of education, it should also be commonplace in pedagogy at the university level. This article would be most useful for curriculum designers and school administrators who are planning on implementing today’s technology with academics.
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Mammes, I. Promoting Girls’ Interest in Technology Through Technology Education: A Research Study. International Journal of Technology and Design Education. V14. No 2 May 2004.
This research study was conducted in Germany to learn about the inquiry into technology education. According to sole researcher Ingelore Mammes, “the reason for the present study is the low proportion of women in technical occupations, studies or subjects.” Hence, she initiated a study to determine the differences in the marked interests between boys and girls in regards to their attitudes towards technology. Third grade elementary school students were the participants of the study. The researcher distributed surveys to determine their attitudes to technology. Several other surveys were distributed. In conclusion, the results of the study suggest that it is essential to “intensify technology education in elementary school because it is the earliest opportunity for curriculum intervention.” Although I agree with the last sentence, I think this concept can be applied to any subject because there is a window of opportunity for all children in their learning formative years.
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Laptops and Fourth-Grade Literacy: Assisting the Jump over the Fourth-Grade Slump. Journal of Technology, Learning and Assessment. V.9n5 (January 2010).
This special edition of the scholarly journal focused on utilizing laptops in the fourth grade level to conquer the “fourth grade slump” – a transition period from learning to read to reading to learn. The authors stated that “the pace of progress in reading development slows substantially around the time that children reach the fourth-grade” (7). School districts across the nation are experimenting with implementing laptops in the classrooms, in which students are given access to use them in the classroom. Research within the article indicated that “one-to-one laptop programs create a highly favorable environment for students’ literacy development” (10). The overt purpose of this study was to compare changes in English Language Arts achievement of students participating in the treatment group, the laptop program, with the control group, students who did not participate in the program. The research was conducted in Estrella School District in Southern California, with the highest ethnic group being Hispanic at 47%. Pre-scores and post-scores were evaluated, and there were competing variables: ELL status, parent education, ethnicity, and gender. The findings from this study indicated that one to one laptop use has a minimal effect on increasing test scores. The benefit of this study is to help educators and administrators know if one-to-one laptop use would be beneficial in the elementary school program.
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Martin, W., Strother, S., Beglau, M., Bates, L., Reitzes, T., Culp, K. Connecting Instructional Technology Professional Development to Teacher and Student Outcomes. Journal of Research on Technology in Education. V 43. No. 1 2010.
The researchers have argued that “high-quality professional development (PD) is central to any education improvement effort, particularly those that seek to integrate technology in support of classroom instruction” (53). The focus of this article is on the positive components that help professionals in their development to improve the quality of education. Furthermore, there is a program that is included in the study, eMINTS (enhancing Missouri’s Instructional Networked Teaching Strategies). This program, founded in 1999 by educators at the University of Missouri, Columbia, sought to provide professional development to all educators. The program included many opportunities to develop professionally, this includes: technology integration, inquiry-based learning, collaboration, and networking among teachers and students. The eMINTS program consisted of two formats, subsequently titled comprehensive and supplemental professional development. Professional development in any field is beneficial to the growth and substance of that field. For the dynamic field of education, professional development is needed since educators are required to be responsible for many roles. Furthermore, the fast-paced movements of technology inventions are difficult to keep up and learn while performing the role of teacher. Thus, professional development courses and networking are essential to support teachers who need to learn about the necessary technologies to operate their classrooms efficiently.
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Small, R., Shanahan, K., Stasak, M. The Impact of New York’s School Libraries on Student Achievement and Motivation: Phase III. School Library Media Research v13 2010.
This two-year research study, funded by the National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, focused on the impact on school libraries on student motivation and achievement, and included three phases. In the first phase, research was conducted by distributing online surveys to school librarian professionals and principals. There was a response of 38% from librarians and 13% from principals. From these responses, the second phase began. This concluded of a representative sample of 47 schools to participate. Phase III includes interviews and focus groups that were narrowed down to 10 schools as well as an ethnographic study conducted in two different schools. The study yielded significant findings, which include the following: “elementary students in schools with certified school librarians are more likely to have higher English and language arts (ELA) scores than those in schools with noncertified school librarians,” “certified school librarians are more likely than noncertified school librarians to make a point of selecting materials for their library collections that represent different points of view and that support the general curriculum.” Further significant findings also include how the teacher-librarian collaboration, and the significant role of the school librarian in students’ academics. This article serves to promote the importance and influence of school libraries and certified librarians within the school structure, as well as how it has motivated students in their academics.
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