Week 12 Reflection

This week I was very good for me. I didn't really consider the fact that I would need to make my research engaging. I learned some tricks to help make my research more engaging.

Cherie pointed out that a story is a good way to engage readers. This made me think of our weekly elder talks at school. When the elder tells a story students are so engaged, but when the elder tells them how to act students frequently find other ways to keep themselves occupied.

Everyone pretty much noted that creating catchy titles is another way to attract attention. If you can hook a reader with a few short words you might entice them to continue reading. I didn't really write about this in my post, but I did notice it. Once I started reading other posts this really started to sink in, and I realized how important this could be to my report.

I also found that if you make your research relatable it is far more engaging. This involves describing your settings with just enough detail that others might be able to see themselves in your shoes.

Week #11 Reflection

Sarah’s post reminded me that we wrote an introduction and literature review that were separate. Because of this, I think I will have 6 sections in my final write up: introduction, literature review, methodology, results, discussion, and conclusion. I would not want to combine any of the last 3 sections to shorten my report. For me it is nice to see the raw data, and because the discussion can get long it is nice to have a shortened conclusion.

From Peter’s blog I also gained the idea of having an appendix. This would be great so that you could really shorten your results section by including only what you feel is necessary. Then if others wanted to see more you could have an appendix that shows all of the data you collected.

This week really made me think about who would read my research. I have told a couple of colleagues and they want to hear my results. But other than colleagues and this class I don’t know that I would share it unless someone asked. I don’t think Twitter was all that effective in my high school class. I think part of the problem is the lack of internet access at home. Also, we do not have data for cell phones either and I think that might make a major difference. As I am typing this we are getting hooked up to 3G, so I would be interested to try this again in the future to see if there is a difference.

Week 10 Reflection

This week it seemed like everyone talked about the issue of confidentiality and I think that was really good. It gave me many ideas to consider when I go to write up my conclusions. I realized that I need to think about confidentiality for my students. I did not really consider that too much before, but as we are coming to a close in data collection I need to start thinking about how I will write this up. Tristan pointed out that she was planning to use student A, student B, etc. I really like this idea because as I was thinking of different ways I thought even pronouns would give away too much information. Really anyone in the village would be able to identify some of the students. Another suggestion I might consider using is just telling the number of students that did a certain thing. This is what Sarah listed she was doing.

Another big concept that I will need to focus on is rich, thick detail. I really did not think about this either, but it makes sense. If I don’t describe exactly how I did something then why would anyone believe me? They would have no idea what I had done and they would discredit me.

Week #9 Reflection

This week Genevieve pointed out cross referencing your data with your questions. This gave me the idea of printing out my question and keeping it in front of me as I sort through data. I think this might help to keep me on task and will help me to work more efficiently. I also really like the idea of a number system to sort out what you think you will use (3), what you might use (2) and what you don’t plan on using (1). I would hate to leave out data and then later on realize that I need it. I also think that with leaving it out I might just forget about it, and it could’ve been really important without me even knowing it.

Another key point in the discussion on Sarah’s blog is that I need to not be so focused on what I expect to find. Some things may pop up in my data and I need to “roll with it.” This is so hard for me, as I want to stick with the method I outlined. This week after taking a step back from looking at my data, I realized I may need to look at it differently. There are just so many ways to organize data.

This week I definitely learned about the importance of going through your data as you collect it. This is something I would want to do regardless, but I probably wouldn’t have made the time. This week after our Twitter chat it motivated me to at least look at the data and try to start sorting the tweets into the main categories I had outlined in my methods. I think this is a good start, but I am thinking I will also need to sort my observations in a similar.

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 #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.

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.

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.

Journal #4

Twitter this week was very helpful. I think it was very helpful to learn how others were finding resources. I was familiar with Google Scholar so I was only using that combined with the references listed at the end of each article. I was running into problems finding full articles though. Someone posted on Twitter that they were using Egan library and I hadn’t even thought to use it. I found that this was an invaluable resource and would not have been able to find the resources I needed without it.

This week I was very intrigued by all of the literature reviews I read. They really got me to think about my classroom and how I teach and run the classroom. I found myself wanting to know more about each topic. I wanted to know how people chose their topic and how they planned to implement it. I always find that these are some of the hardest parts in choosing to do something new.

Overall, I learned a lot this week. I find it very helpful to read and see examples of what others are doing. It lets me know if I am on the right track or not. I also really like have the Twitter chats on Tuesday. I am still trying to get used to all of the functions in Twitter but it is getting easier each week and I am excited to help my students use it in class. This last week I finally got all of my students connected with a Twitter account and their posts are showing up! This week I hope to experiment with it in my classes so that I can write my research proposal.

Journal #3

This week I was really struggling to wrap my head around all that we had been assigned to read. It is really hard to remember that this doesn't need to be quantitate, as a few others have also pointed out. I am a science teacher and I always feel the need to get data whenever possible. I think this week really helped to point out that I don't necessarily need numbers.

I was also kind of able to wrap my head around what a theoretical framework is. However, it is still a little fuzzy. I think connectivsm is most likely the best fit. I hope to see how online discussion impacts students who tend to be quieter. I want to see if this helps them to connect to the class, so that they can share their learning.

I really liked reading about other projects. I think it is very interesting that everyone plans to research something totally different. It just really pointed out to me how much technology really is available to us today. I am very eager to hear about everyone's results, and maybe learn something that would work in my classes as well.

This week I was struggling to really figure out what I wanted to study for my action research. The question I have come to is: how does Twitter impact students who rarely talk versus those who talk all the time in class? I would like to target about 10 students who are in my biology class, in which I will use Twitter, and are also in my physical science class, in which I won't use Twitter this semester. I know at least a couple of the students tend to be quieter and a couple are very talkative, the rest fall somewhere in the middle, so this should work well.

Jounal #2

I learned a lot about the differences between qualitative and quantitative research. In science I know qualitative means that you will be describe what you see, and quantitative implies numbers are involved. This was a very basic definition and now I can see how the 2 types of research can give 2 very different perspectives.

I love the idea of using qualitative research to assess my classes, but I can see that it is time intensive. The data it could potentially give could be invaluable, but it could also be biased. Even considering the pros and cons I still think qualitative research could be crucial in helping me evolve as a teacher. My main takeaway is that qualitative research considers the situation, and can give you results that fit that situation. Qualitative research requires you, as a teacher, to build relationships. This is much better than just giving a test because it gives the student a chance to explain their answer. Students are also more invested in something that they feel they are connected to. I really liked Peter’s example of the cookies. The student knew the right answer, and any teacher would be able to tell that if they had just asked the student why. But if you only ask the student to give an answer you may be missing something. This proves why qualitative research can be invaluable.

After our Twitter chat I realized I was getting my 2 classes mixed up. I was wondering if I had fallen asleep while reading, because I did not remember reading about any of the questions. I read the assignment for my other class, but did not get to the reading for this class. I was thinking I had until Friday when I posted my blog to complete the reading. I was so confused. I am still getting used to taking classes all online. It seems more difficult to keep the classes separate, because I do the classes in the same settings.

Journal #1

I like the phasing that I read on other blogs about how to incorporate technology into the classroom. When using technology it should be intentionally planned and not the goal. It should be a way to reach a goal not the goal itself. When planning to use technology I think I really need to evaluate why I am using it. If it isn’t the goal and I have intentionally planned it then I could look into doing classroom research on it. So many times, I find a cool resource and just want to use it, but I don’t consider how it fits into the larger picture. I just think about the level of engagement it might provide. Engagement is important to consider, but it must be considered in the context of the goals of the class.

I have been contemplating using Twitter in my classes for a while now. When I was thinking about using it, I only thought about the engagement it might provide. Now I can see its purpose in promoting an understanding, and providing the real world connections that might motivate students just a little more. I had never considered that my students learning might be able to travel outside of the school. It could also be used simply to keep students informed. They are very connected to the online world, and a homework reminder might help them to get their work done on time.

I think in my classroom I could use Twitter to serve 2 purposes in my classroom at this point: homework reminders and exit tickets. I have a problem getting work turned in on time and I wonder if Twitter could help with this. I find it hard to do exit tickets because I don’t always get to the place I hope to stop. I also find it hard to collect more papers because I already have so many. Twitter would help solve the paper problem and it could help me to see if students learned what I had planned for them to learn. Instead of asking a question, I could simply ask students to write down what they think was the highlight of their learning for that class period. Then we could go over this to start class the next day.