Week 9-Data Collection Update

Update us on your progress. How is your data collection going?

In total I probably have about 2 full weeks of data on Twitter. Some days I have not been able to have students post to Twitter. This has not been very often but I had 2 days this week where that happened. Yesterday we were reviewing for our test and the review game took longer than anticipated. Today with Halloween, we didn’t have class. Instead we had our school parade of the costumes. The same thing has happened with collecting the observations. I have been collecting observations for both physical science and biology. In physical science I forgot to collect one day and then our class was skipped due to a special presentation from a visitor. I guess things will always come up, so it was good to hear in our Twitter chat that we can work with the data we have. It is just a matter of spending some time with it. So that is what I have been working on. I have been working to sort the tweets. Here is a pic of what I have sorted so far.

These are all of the tweets from my biology class. I have noticed that as time has gone on some students have posted more. I have found that most tweets provide helpful information. It was good to see this. I was afraid that many comments were almost useless as I was catching some that were very generic or unrelated to class. The 2nd column and last column are the tweets that do not provide helpful information to the class. These are some of the smallest categories so that is very encouraging. It shows that my students are taking Twitter seriously. I was a little afraid that they were just posting whatever and not thinking about what they were posting.

Week #9 Blog

Essential Question: How will you go about making sense of your data?

“Collection and analysis should be a simultaneous process in qualitative research” (Merriam & Tisdell, 2015, pp. 195). I think this might be the main thing that stuck with me this week. It seems obvious, and was something I was already considering. The problem was all of my other duties have been interfering with the amount of time I can put into my research. I think this statement really made me build in some time to look at my data and try to start coding it. The first step of analysis will be to get familiar with my data. This means I need to read and re-read it (Taylor-Powell & Renner, 2003, pp.2). “Think of yourself as having a conversation with the data— asking questions of it, making comments to it, and so on” (Merriam & Tisdell, 2015, pp. 204). I found this statement to be very humorous and true. This will help me to code and interpret data as I go.

“Coding is nothing more than assigning some sort of shorthand designation to various aspects of your data so that you can easily retrieve specific pieces of the data” (Merriam & Tisdell, 2015, pp. 199). I have been trying to sort the tweets my students have been posting. This is a very tedious job, and I have come up with the plan of cutting and pasting for this. I have 4 main categories. I don’t think I could come up with any fewer. Merriam and Tisdell (2015) recommend using fewer categories because it makes it easier to share your results. (pp. 214)

Merriam and Tisdell (2015) also note that the categories should represent the purpose of your study (pp. 204).

I plan to use content analysis where I will code for certain words and then interpret their meaning, as opposed thematic analysis. ("Analyze Qualitative Data Pell Institute", 2015). “After data has been collected, you will need to undergo a data reduction process in order to identify and focus in on what is meaningful” ("Analyze Qualitative Data Pell Institute", 2015). I do not plan to do much data reduction because I have not recorded every little thing. But I will have to do some reduction to make my data a little more manageable.

 http://www.dedoose.com/blog/2013/02/text-analysis-and-the-cloud/

Near the end of chapter 9, the discussion turned to using computers to sort data. “The computer program only helps as an organizing or categorizing tool, and does not do the analysis for the researcher” (Merriam & Tisdell, 2015, pp. 221). Computers are also a great way to store your information and to create a backup copy. I have become a huge fan of using google for virtually everything and I don’t think I will change for this research project. Another great aspect of using computers is the ability to create visual representations. It is also much easier to change things around (Reademaker, Grace & Curda, 2012) .                                                                    

   

References

Analyze Qualitative Data Pell Institute. (2015). Retrieved October 30, 2015, from http://toolkit.pellinstitute.org/evaluation-guide/analyze/analyze-qualitative-data/

Merriam, Sharan B.; Tisdell, Elizabeth J. (2015, July 6). Qualitative Research: A Guide to Design and Implementation (JOSSEY-BASS HIGHER & ADULT EDUCATION SERIES). Wiley. Kindle Edition.

Rademaker, L., Grace, E., & Curda, S. (2012). Using Computer-assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software (CAQDAS) to Re-examine Traditionally Analyzed Data: Expanding our Understanding of the Data and of Ourselves as Scholars. The Qualitative Report, 17(43), 1-11. Retrieved from http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR17/rademaker.pdf

Taylor-Powell, E., & Renner, M. (2003). Analyzing Qualitative Data.University of Wisconsin-Extension. Retrieved from http://learningstore.uwex.edu/Assets/pdfs/G3658-12.pdf

The Cloud-Or...No, Your Text Analysis Does Not Get Wet When It Rains... (n.d.). Retrieved October 30, 2015, from http://www.dedoose.com/blog/2013/02/text-analysis-and-the-cloud/

Week #8 Reflection

This week I have learned how important data mining can be. After reading I really focused on the limitations and benefits of data mining in my initial blog post. One thing I didn’t focus on was that it helps to build your research up and it can also boost your own confidence as a researcher.

Another take away from this week is that I really need to make sure I take time to go through my data. I think I will try to do that at the end of this week. I already go through data as I collect it, but Sarah made it clear that we should collect and analyze at the same time. This was a point that I overlooked in our reading and was glad it was pointed out again. I would hate to collect all this data and then realize I did not have what I needed.

I really liked reading about how others research is going. It gives me ideas and I was able to share some of what I am doing or have done with others.

Week 8-Data Collection Update

Assignment: Update us on your progress. How is your data collection going?

Data collection is hard, but it is going. I am finding it very challenging to make observations, even for just one student. Some days it is easy, when students can get to work and answer their own questions. Other days it is really hard. Like when I am trying to teach or when everyone has a question or multiple questions at the same time. On these days I sometimes have to make mental notes of what I want to write down. Then I just hope I won’t forget it later. Sometimes I do, and I hope I am not losing important data. I do have a template I am using and this has helped a lot. It really helps me to focus on what I am looking for.

Twitter is going okay in my opinion. I can get students to post once a day, but after that it is harder. I have been offering bonus points, but I really think it is just going to take time for the students to feel comfortable using it. I think once they feel comfortable things will be a lot easier. I think I may try posting more during class to get students using it more. My students really like using it, but they do get off topic and search other things sometimes. I think if I can get them to go to tweetdeck instead I might have more on task.

I gave the pre survey about 2 weeks ago. I had 16 of 19 students take it. The other 3 were gone and I never had them make it up. I found that most students were new to Twitter. I had expected this after helping them to sign in. Most needed to create an account. Also, my suspicions of students liking Twitter were confirmed. Most students said they were either interested in using it or did not care if we used it. Only 3 said they hated using it. When I looked into this more, I found it interesting that one was a 20 year old (oldest age of student), and one was a 15 year old (youngest age of student). I can’t wait to see how they respond in the post survey after using Twitter for a while.

Week 8-Data Mining

Essential Question: How can data mining assist you in triangulating your research findings?

Data mining can help support what you hope to find. This can be especially useful if you don’t have the data you need to support your research. Data mining involves gathering data from any artifacts or documents that are available for review. These documents and artifacts can be online or in print. There is so much data available to people. It can be hard to figure out where to look with all of this data. Data mining helps a person to make meaning out of all the data that they find (Alexander). “Data mining is a means of automating part of this process to detect interpretable patterns; it helps us see the forest without getting lost in the trees” (Furnas, 2012). You can have tons of info with all of the data that is out there. This means you could be “information rich, but data poor” (Alexander).

“A qualitative study of classroom instruction would lead to documents in the form of instructors' lesson plans, student assignments, objects in the classroom, official grade reports and school records, teacher evaluations, and so on” (Merriam & Tisdell, 2015, pp. 175). There are many limitations and benefits to using documents or artifacts. The main limitations include authenticity and bias. (Merriam & Tisdell, 2015, pp. 181-182). Authenticity refers to some documents or artifacts being anonymous and because of this you cannot verify if they are credible or not. Bias is usually unintentional because the writer may not even realize they are including bias. Bias may come from the writer not remembering accurately as well. The main benefit is that many of these documents or artifacts are free and easy to get (Merriam & Tisdell, 2015, pp. 183). They provide much information without having to collect the information yourself. This benefit alone can override the above mentioned limitations. If you are in need of data, knowing where to find more can be very important. It is also important to figure out how to make meaning out of what you find. This becomes the most important task a researcher is faced with.

References

Alexander, D. (n.d.). Data Mining. Retrieved October 24, 2015, from http://www.laits.utexas.edu/~anorman/BUS.FOR/course.mat/Alex/

Furnas, A. (2012, April 3). Everything You Wanted to Know About Data Mining but Were Afraid to Ask. Retrieved October 24, 2015, from http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/04/everything-you-wanted-to-know-about-data-mining-but-were-afraid-to-ask/255388/

Merriam, Sharan B.; Tisdell, Elizabeth J. (2015, July 6). Qualitative Research: A Guide to Design and Implementation (JOSSEY-BASS HIGHER & ADULT EDUCATION SERIES). Wiley. Kindle Edition.

Week #7 Reflection

This week, from looking at Tristan’s infographic I was reminded of how important it is to stick to what you actually observe. I need to be sure that I am not including my own thoughts in my observations. This is so hard because I always want to make sense of what is going on. I think this really made me see the importance of a template for recording observations. Without this I would be writing anything I thought might be important, and this might include my own inferences.

I really found it interesting that some people are telling their students they are observing them. I guess I never thought of telling my students. I figured that would make my students act differently. I wonder how much of an impact telling your students really has on the data you get?

I think this week was very good for helping me with the process of my observations. I think I may have to start over on my observations. With what I learned this week, it would be helpful if I write down what we are doing it class. I also think it will help me if I make little notes about times I may be unable to observe. I can relate to all the comments others had about not being able to observe and teach effectively. It is very time consuming and distracting. I liked reading in one of the article that I found that you can really only observe if you teach a great lesson, give very clear directions, and check student understanding first before having students work.

Week #7-Observations

Rationale:

First one chooses the type of observation they wish to do. The 4 types of observations are: complete participant, participant as observer, observer as participant, and complete observer (Merriam & Tisdell, 2015, pp. 140).  Next you consider the setting. The setting should be as natural as possible (Merriam & Tisdell, 2015, pp. 137). While observing you should keep your focus on one category to observe. To do this you should have a systematic way to organize notes. Using a template can help you keep data organized and easy to record. With having this template it will also help in being selective. (Classroom Interactions). There is no possible way to write down everything you observe, so you must choose what you perceive to be the most valuable at the time. If you are an active participant in your observation you must also find a line between being totally absorbed and just participating (Merriam & Tisdell, 2015, pp. 146). If you are not video or audio recording and cannot write your notes while observing you must be sure to avoid talking to others before you record your notes. Merriam & Tisdell (2015) note that talking before recording can “diffuse importance.”

Why should observation be done in a classroom? Observation is most commonly used to improve classroom management and instructional techniques (Hidden Curriculum). It has been noted to cut down on misbehavior, make students more independent, allowing students to accomplish more, and for teachers to learn more about students . To be able to observe effectively it “requires sharp, vibrant lesson, spot on directions, and prove it to me checking for understanding before releasing students to work” (Linsin, 2015). If you don’t do this, you will be so absorbed in teaching and helping students that you would never be able to observe what is happening in the classroom.

References

Classroom Interactions. (n.d.). Retrieved October 15, 2015, from http://fcit.usf.edu/assessment/classroom/interactb.html

Hidden curriculum (2014, August 26). In S. Abbott (Ed.), The glossary of education reform. Retrieved from http://edglossary.org/hidden-curriculum

Linsin, M. (2012, December 15). Why You Should Observe Your Students More. Retrieved October 15, 2015, from http://www.smartclassroommanagement.com/2012/12/15/why-you-should-observe-your-students-more/

Merriam, Sharan B.; Tisdell, Elizabeth J. (2015, July 6). Qualitative Research: A Guide to Design and Implementation (JOSSEY-BASS HIGHER & ADULT EDUCATION SERIES). Wiley. Kindle Edition.

Reflection #6

I learned a lot about how to conduct an interview. Before this week my impression of an interview was that the interviewer has a list of questions that they will ask the interviewee. The interviewer will record the answers using a video camera or an audio recorder. There is so much more to interviewing than what I had previously pictured in my mind.

One thing I found to really stick out was with yes or no questions. I did not think about these as being a bad choice for an interview, but it makes perfect sense. If you are going to take the time to sit down and ask questions to someone else, you should ask questions that can provide useful data. I think almost everyone mentioned that either in their graphic or their rationale so to me that says it is super important.

Interviewing can lead to such different results depending on the type you choose: structured, unstructured, or semi-structured. After looking at Cherie's graphic, I was reminded of the vast difference. She did hers for a structured interview and this reminded me of my idea of an interview before we started class this week. After class I realized how different an interview might be if it was unstructured. The interview would hardly resemble an interview if you thought an interview had to be structured. This reminds me that if I plan to interview I need to choose the type accordingly.

Week 6-Interviews

Essential Question: What are the most important things to remember in conducting interviews?

Interviews are a “conversation that has structure and purpose” (Merriam & Tisdell, 2015, pp. 108). To conduct an interview one needs to be prepared. According to McNamara (1998), you need to first choose a setting that will provide little distraction. Next you will need to plan how you will explain what you are doing and what the process will be like. Then you will need to decide how you will remember what the interviewee tell you. You could either choose to record the person, take notes during the interview or record as much as possible once the interview is over (Merriam & Tisdell, 2015, pp. 130-131).

Next you will need to choose the type of interview you wish to use. Holm-Hansen and Merriam & Tisdell both outline the 3 types. There is the highly structured interview in which “all respondents are asked exactly the same question and provided with a consistent set of response options” (Holm-Hansen, 2007). The second option falls in the middle, the semi-structured interview. In this type the same type of information is collected but they way the questions are asked may differ. In the 3rd type, informal, there are no predetermined questions. This is mostly used to explore a topic.

There are 6 kinds of questions an interviewer is recommended to ask. The first is behavior questions, to think about what  a person does. The 2nd type of question is opinion type questions where you ask about how a person thinks about something. The 3rd type is feeling where you ask how someone feels about the topic. The 4th type is knowledge where you are trying to figure out what they know. The 5th type is sensory where you want to know about what was seen, heard, felt, or touched. The final type of question is background or demographics (Merriam & Tisdell, 2015, pp. 118).

Next you want to consider how you ask your questions. According to McNamara (2015) questions should be open-ended, neutral, asked one at a time, worded clearly, and one should be careful in asking “why” questions. The “why” questions can lead to a dead end if there is no relationship or it could cause the interviewee to get defensive.

After going through all of this you should be able to have a complete interview schedule. One reason to do an interview is that “interviews, are believed to provide a 'deeper' understanding of social phenomena than would be obtained from purely quantitative methods, such as questionnaires” (Gill, Stewart, Treasure & Chadwick, 2008). Interview allow the interviewer to probe for more information from the interviewee to provide a more complete picture. Basically you can be sure you get the information you need for your study. A couple of downfalls include the interviewer influencing the interviewee and that recording and transcribing can be very time consuming and expensive (Holm-Hansen, 2007).

References

Gill, P., K. Stewart, E. Treasure, and B. Chadwick. "Methods of Data Collection in Qualitative Research: Interviews and Focus Groups." Nature.com. Nature Publishing Group, 22 Mar. 2008. Web. 9 Oct. 2015. <http://www.nature.com/bdj/journal/v204/n6/full/bdj.2008.192.html>.

Holm-Hansen, C. (2007). Tips for Conducting Program Evaluation.Conducting Interviews, (11). Retrieved October 9, 2015, from https://www.wilder.org/Wilder-Research/Publications/Studies/Program Evaluation and Research Tips/Conducting Interviews - Tips for Conducting Program Evaluation Issue 11, Fact Sheet.pdf

McNamara, C. (1998). General Guidelines for Conducting Research Interviews. Retrieved October 9, 2015, from http://managementhelp.org/businessresearch/interviews.htm

Merriam, Sharan B.; Tisdell, Elizabeth J. (2015, July 6). Qualitative Research: A Guide to Design and Implementation (JOSSEY-BASS HIGHER & ADULT EDUCATION SERIES). Wiley. Kindle Edition.

Reflection #5

This week I thought it was good to hear about the theoretical frameworks others are using. The whole concept of a theoretical framework is new to me, and when this class started I was totally lost on what a theoretical framework was. I still feel a little lost in identifying the different frameworks, but feel a little more comfortable in the one I am using, community of inquiry (COI).

From the Twitter discussion I was reminded of the importance of not collecting so much data that I can not analyze it. It really made me sure that I should focus on the 9 students who are in both classes. I think these 9 students will be a good representation of all students.

I also found it really helpful to read about how others are collecting data. At first I forgot about using surveys as an option. I was going to interview students, but realized because of time constraints a survey would be more efficient. A survey would also provide the benefit of being all written and I would not have to record and transcribe.

Finally, I also find it helpful that Peter is researching something that also includes social media. It is very helpful to read what he is doing and compare it to mine.

Research Proposal

Introduction

The intended purpose of my study is to see how Twitter impacts quiet students. Every classroom has a diverse population of students. There will always be students who dominate the class, students who are extremely quiet, and the other students who fall somewhere in between. The population of my classes is 100% Yup’ik students, and the classes I will focus on have students who are in at least 10th grade. I will focus my study on 9 students who are in the 10th grade. These 9 will be a good mix as 2 tend to be pretty quiet and 2 tend to be pretty loud and overpowering. The 9 I chose are the 9 who are in both classes I will be using for data collection. According to the community of inquiry model, COI, students learn through the interaction of 3 areas: social, cognitive, and teaching presence . According to COI,  “social context greatly affects the nature of learning activities and outcomes” (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 2000). In my class I plan to use Twitter to create an environment where students feel comfortable sharing their knowledge with the class, and potentially the world. The question I will base my study around is will Twitter would help shy students to find their voice in the classroom?

Literature Review

Twitter, when intentionally integrated into the classroom, can promote higher engagement of students in the classroom. In a study done by Junco, Heiberger, & Loken (2010) they found that using Twitter heightened engagement, and that the average GPA of those who used Twitter was about 0.5 points higher. They concluded that, “using Twitter in educationally relevant ways can increase student engagement and improve grades.” Another study done 2 years later by Junco, Elavsky, & Heiberger (2012) concluded 3 main ideas from the use of Twitter. The first, is that when students are required to use Twitter there is an increase in student engagement, compared to students who were allowed to make a to choice on whether to use Twitter or not. They also concluded that faculty who engaged their students on Twitter saw a higher level of academic gains in their students. Finally they found “having a theoretical reason to use Twitter and implementing that reason into the course pedagogy will maximize the benefits achieved.” Another study done by Birnholtz, Hancock, & Retelny (2013), found that students were engaged when lecture contained slides with their tweets and 90% recommended it should be used again.

There is not a lot of research completed, right not, because the use of Twitter in education is a fairly new idea. “There is a growing body of scholarly research suggesting that, when used properly, social media can boost both learning outcomes and student engagement. The key phrase in that sentence is ‘when used properly.’ The problem is that research in this area is still relatively limited, and most of what is being done in classrooms is experimental. No one has figured out definitively what does and does not work” (Copeland 2012). It is important to note that not all students are at the same level of understanding in using Twitter. Therefore, one way to effectively use Twitter is to “instruct students in using social media critically and intentionally to optimize learning outcomes” (Abe & Jordan, 2013). In the study done by Copeland (2012), it was noted that students who were reluctant to use Twitter tended to struggle more than those who adopted the use of Twitter.

There are many concerns about using Twitter. A top concern about Twitter, or other social media sites, is that is could distract students from content. (Novak & Cowling, 2010). Another concern is that there could be some disconnect between Twitter and the class itself. “They almost act as two separate parts of class and don’t always connect, it can be confusing at times” (Miami Student, 2013). Instructors could also fear that Twitter might “encourage bad grammar as a result of its 140-character limit, or that it could become time-consuming and addictive (Dunlap, 2009).

There are also many positives noted when Twitter is used effectively. According to Dunlap and Lowenthal, you can get instant answers or feedback (Tweeting, 2009). In another article by Dunlap and Lowenthal, they conclude that interactions on Twitter are more natural and occur quicker than using discussion boards (Instructional, 2009). Something that really intrigues me is that “students are getting the idea that their community of learners can extend outside of the classroom” (Messner, 2009). In the study done by Birnholtz, Hancock, & Retelny (2013), that I mentioned earlier, “students applied course concepts to examples from their lives (2009: 57%; 2010: 68.6%; 2011: 62.6%).” Classroom shyness can be a huge issue, but Twitter may help with that. “Students in another Twitter-friendly classroom at Purdue University agree that digital communication helps overcome the shyness barrier. Studies frequently discover that greater participation translates into better academic performance, motivation, and a likelihood of adopting different points of view, which is why it is so striking that Twitter can foster that type of communication” (Fernstein 2010).

Methodology

I will be collecting a pre and post survey, tweets sent with #nisbio, and will look at overall student grades. I will be using Twitter in my biology class and not in my physical science class. There are about 20 students in each class. 9 of these students are in both biology and physical science, and I will focus my data collection on these 9 students. For the students using Twitter, I have given them a list of what they can tweet about. They can either post what they learned, ask a question, post a resource (such as a video, article, picture, etc.), tell what they want to learn about next, or anything else related to class. I will separate tweets into 4 categories: learning, questions, resources, and a miscellaneous category for any other comments. I plan to require students to post something before they leave class, as an exit ticket. I will then give bonus points to students who comment on other students posts in a way that is meaningful to the class. I will also allow students to post throughout class as well, but they will only be required to post once each day. At least once a week I would like to include a wordle to further promote discussion, as suggested by Costa, Beham, Reinhard, and Sillaots (2008). According to their research they found that wordles helped provide a quick visualization of the tweets to figure out what was missing from the conversation. It can also be a quick reference for what seemed to be the most important topic for discussion online. In physical science I will be making notes about how many comments these 9 students make in class. Then, I will tally up comments in the 4 categories, used for Twitter, for the 9 students I will be collecting data on. I will focus on one student each day, because this project will be four weeks, I should have 2 days of data for each student.

I also plan to design and administer and pre and post survey. This will help to see if student perception changes over the course of my study. In addition to these 2 sources of data I will also look at student grades compared to the class average to see if there is any difference between the class using Twitter and the other class.

References

Abe, P., & Jordan, N. (2013). Integrating Social Media Into the Classroom Curriculum. About Campus, 18(1), 16-20.

Birnholtz, J., Hancock, J., & Retelny, D. (2013). Tweeting for Class: Co-Construction as a Means for Engaging Students in Lectures. Retrieved September 23, 2015, from http://socialmedia.northwestern.edu/files/2012/09/twitternote_revision_CHI13_130123_camready_a3.pdf

Copeland, D. (2012, May 2). For Social Media In The Classroom To Work, Instructors Need Best Practices. ReadWriteWeb.com (USA). Retrieved from http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/142FE842413B5A78?p=AWNB

Costa, C., Beham, G., Reinhardt, W., & Sillaots, M. (2008, December). Microblogging in technology enhanced learning: A use-case inspection of PPE summer school 2008. In Proceedings of the 2nd SIRTEL’08 Workshop on Social Information Retrieval for Technology Enhanced Learning Maastricht, Netherlands.

Dunlap, J. C., & Lowenthal, P. R. (2009). Instructional uses of Twitter. The CU online handbook, 45.

Dunlap, J. C., & Lowenthal, P. R. (2009). Tweeting the night away: Using Twitter to enhance social presence. Journal of Information Systems Education,20(2), 129-135.

Ferenstein, G. (2010, Mar 1). How Twitter in the Classroom is Boosting Student Engagement. Mashable.com. Retrieved from http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/136E18096E162FF0?p=AWNB

Garrison, D., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (2000). Critical Inquiry in a Text-Based Environment: Computer Conferencing in Higher Education. The Internet and Higher Education, 87-105. Retrieved October 5, 2015, from http://cde.athabascau.ca/coi_site/documents/Garrison_Anderson_Archer_Critical_Inquiry_model.pdf

Junco, R., Elavsky, C., & Heiberger, G. (2012). Putting twitter to the test: Assessing outcomes for student collaboration, engagement and success. Br J Educ Technol British Journal of Educational Technology,44(2), 273-287.

Junco, R., Heiberger, G., & Loken, E. (2010). The effect of Twitter on college student engagement and grades. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 119-132. Retrieved September 5, 2015, from http://www.ferris.edu/htmls/adm

Messner, K. (2009). Making a case for Twitter in the classroom. School Library Journal.

Miami Student. (2013, Nov 5). A new way to have #class: Professors incorporate social media in curriculum. The: Miami University (Oxford, OH). Retrieved from http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/149E3B7FE7567328?p=AWNB

Novak, J., & Cowling, M. (2011). The implementation of social networking as a tool for improving student participation in the classroom. In ISANA International Academy Association Conference Proceedings (Vol. 22, pp. 1-10). Auckland, NZ: ISANA International Education, Inc.

Week #5

Essential Question: How will data collection ‘look’ for me? What challenges am I anticipating?

Before I start collecting data I want to make sure all students understand how to use Twitter, and to go over the ground rules. Abe & Jordan (2013) suggest teaching students how to use social media to make its implementation more effective. My data collection will include the tweets sent with #nisbio. I will be focusing on 9 students who are in biology and physical science.

For the class I will use Twitter in, biology, I have given the students a list of what they can tweet about. They can either post what they learned, ask a question, post a resource (such as a video, article, picture, etc.), tell what they want to learn about next, or anything else related to class. I will separate tweets into 4 categories: learning, questions, resources, and a miscellaneous category for any other comments. The miscellaneous category may get thrown out later because I’m not quite up to full speed on Twitter yet, and I don’t know what other types of things my students could decide to post. If students post other types of useful things I will be inclined to include the data in my research. I plan to require students to post something before they leave class, maybe a sort of exit ticket.I will then give bonus points to students who comment on other students posts in a way that is meaningful to the class. I will also allow students to post throughout class as well, but they will only be required to post once each day. At least once a week I would like to include a wordle to further promote discussion, as suggested by Costa, Beham, Reinhard, and Sillaots (2008). I also hope to administer a survey asking students about how they feel about using Twitter in class. I would like to administer a pre and post survey to see if student perception of Twitter use in class changes.

In physical science I will be making notes about how many comments these 9 students make in class. I will eliminate all comments and tweets that are not related to class.

Then, I will tally up comments in the 4 categories, used for Twitter, for the 9 students I will be collecting data on. I will focus on one student each day, because this project will be four weeks, I should have 2 days of data for each student. If for any reason a student's data does not seem to match for the 2 days, I will either throw them out or try to collect more data if I can. I know I will probably not have the best data for this part, but I realize that I cannot collect data on all students everyday because it would take too much of my focus away from the class. At the conclusion of this 4 week period I would like to talk with each of the 9 students to see their thoughts on using Twitter.

The goal of all of this is that my students will learn how to post respectfully, and “deeply consider ideas in real time,” all in 140 characters or less. (Wynter, 2014) This is a skill that they will need in the future, as society becomes more digital. I also hope students will realize that what they post is global. They can reach people in all parts of the world.

References

Abe, P., & Jordan, N. (2013). Integrating Social Media Into the Classroom Curriculum. About Campus, 18(1), 16-20.

Costa, C., Beham, G., Reinhardt, W., & Sillaots, M. (2008, December). Microblogging in technology enhanced learning: A use-case inspection of PPE summer school 2008. In Proceedings of the 2nd SIRTEL’08 Workshop on Social Information Retrieval for Technology Enhanced Learning Maastricht, Netherlands.

Wynter, Amanda. "Bringing Twitter to the Classroom." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 15 Sept. 2014. Web. 2 Oct. 2015. <http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/09/the-case-for-having-class-discussions-on-twitter/379777/>.