Destination 2: Chiang Rai (ETEC 500) - Research Methodology in Education
The picture on this page was taken in the north of Thailand, near Chiang Rai (เมืองเชียงราย). A chedhi, covered with green foliage, represents a beautiful combination of man-made structures and natural growth.
I'm very glad to have taken ETEC 500 near the beginning of my MET program. It gave me many of the skills and terminology associated with educational research that I would use, and continue to use, as a life-long learner. It also helped me combine many of the things I learned in the first course, which focused on constructivism, with newer areas of education research like cognitive sciences. Cognitive scientific research is being combined in new and interesting ways as it becomes applied to teaching and pedagogical theory.
This course was extremely useful, and stands out as the most influential part of my journey. I learned about how we come to know about education, cognitive science, and how theories of education and educational technology develop; I learned how researchers actually perform studies in real educational settings, which is something I had never really considered doing before.
I'm very glad to have taken ETEC 500 near the beginning of my MET program. It gave me many of the skills and terminology associated with educational research that I would use, and continue to use, as a life-long learner. It also helped me combine many of the things I learned in the first course, which focused on constructivism, with newer areas of education research like cognitive sciences. Cognitive scientific research is being combined in new and interesting ways as it becomes applied to teaching and pedagogical theory.
This course was extremely useful, and stands out as the most influential part of my journey. I learned about how we come to know about education, cognitive science, and how theories of education and educational technology develop; I learned how researchers actually perform studies in real educational settings, which is something I had never really considered doing before.
PAPER TRAIL: RESEARCH PROPOSAL
This essay demonstrates some of the learning and inquiry I personally went through in my journey through the MET program. This course, which relates to research in education, asked: what sort of research would I personally like to see done, to improve teaching in learning in my own context?
I proposed a quantitative study comparing the use of laptops vs tablets in a 1-to-1 school. It helps that the school I have taught in for the last six years adopted a laptop 1-to-1 program a few years ago; I had many things to say about its use in everyday teaching, as well as anecdotally some of the reasoning behind the choice of using laptops (rather than any other device). |
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Interestingly, many teachers (myself included) who were trepidatious about students all having their own laptops and what distractions, addictions, or behavioural problems may result from their 'intrusion' into classrooms have now found that the program has become indispensable to their current teaching style. It has revolutionized the way I distribute classroom materials. It has allowed students to instantly collaborate on documents, such as brainstorming group projects on Google Docs, or collecting shared class data in a lab using Google Sheets.
While I have many great things to say about the 1-to-1 program as it has developed over time in my current school, I would be curious to see how well such a program would have played out had we opted for tablets instead. One problem I could foresee with students having laptops was the inability for teachers to easily view student's screens, since they are usually facing away from the teacher. Tablets wouldn't have the same problem. While this is still an issue, it has meant that teachers have become creative with their own placement in the classroom, either moving to the back of the room, or creating an environment where they have truly changed from being the 'sage on the stage' to the 'guide on the side': if only so we can check to make sure students aren't on Facebook when they should be working!
This course had a great impact on my teaching and was one of the most influential parts of my journey. From this point onward, I viewed academic papers and research findings through the lens of educational research, with a clear understanding of the rigour that is involved in such studies. Incidentally, I am currently considering proposing a research study at my current school around the use of laptops in a 1-to-1 program.
This course had a great impact on my teaching and was one of the most influential parts of my journey. From this point onward, I viewed academic papers and research findings through the lens of educational research, with a clear understanding of the rigour that is involved in such studies. Incidentally, I am currently considering proposing a research study at my current school around the use of laptops in a 1-to-1 program.
READING MATERIAL: KEY REFERENCES for RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Bain, A., & Weston, M. E. (2009). The future of computers and 1:1 laptop initiatives. Independent School, 68(2), 50-56.
Brenner, Dan. (2013). Day of the Tablet. Retrieved from http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3757849
Goodwin, Bryan (2011) One-to-One Laptop Programs Are No Silver Bullet. Educational Leadership 68.5, 78-79.
Lei, J., & Zhao, Y. (2008). One-To-One computing: What does it bring to schools? Journal of Educational Computing Research, 39(2), 97-122.
Roy, C. (2012) Reflecting on two years of 1:1. Dangerously Irrelevant. Retrieved from http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2012/01/reflecting-on-two-years-of-11-guest-post.html
Sauers, Nicholas J.; Scott McLeod (1 May 2012). What does the research say about school one- to-one computing initiatives? Castle Brief. UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education, University of Kentucky. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
Stager, G. (2013). For the Love of Laptops. Retrieved from http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3757848
Weston, M., & Bain, A. (2010). The end of techno-critique: The naked truth about 1:1 laptop initiatives and educational change. Journal of Technology, Learning, and Assessment, 9(6).
Brenner, Dan. (2013). Day of the Tablet. Retrieved from http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3757849
Goodwin, Bryan (2011) One-to-One Laptop Programs Are No Silver Bullet. Educational Leadership 68.5, 78-79.
Lei, J., & Zhao, Y. (2008). One-To-One computing: What does it bring to schools? Journal of Educational Computing Research, 39(2), 97-122.
Roy, C. (2012) Reflecting on two years of 1:1. Dangerously Irrelevant. Retrieved from http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2012/01/reflecting-on-two-years-of-11-guest-post.html
Sauers, Nicholas J.; Scott McLeod (1 May 2012). What does the research say about school one- to-one computing initiatives? Castle Brief. UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education, University of Kentucky. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
Stager, G. (2013). For the Love of Laptops. Retrieved from http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3757848
Weston, M., & Bain, A. (2010). The end of techno-critique: The naked truth about 1:1 laptop initiatives and educational change. Journal of Technology, Learning, and Assessment, 9(6).