Sunday, October 28, 2007

Assignment # 8 Literature Review

This review explores literature relating to adult learning and andragogy, new media in online education, and social presence and learning with new media. According to CNN.com, the popularity of distance education has spread from colleges to earlier grades, as students in more than one-third of U.S. school districts take courses over the internet or through video conferencing. Distance learning has definitely become part of many students’ lives. From adults to elementary aged students, the use of technology is becoming more relevant in education.

Adult Learning and Androgogy
According to Burge (1988) andragogy is a set of principles for helping the learning process of adults (adult learning). Distance learning provides flexibility in scheduling and independent studies. Eduscape.com says distance learning can also address barriers of time, distance, physical disabilities, personal, and professional responsibilities. Adults are in different stages of their lives and have various responsibilities. The need for diverse instruction is very much apparent. “The majority of adult learners express a desire for more but not complete partnership in planning, organizing, delivering, and evaluating of courses. The basic premise of the learner-centred approach proposed by the principles of androgogy rest a great deal on the cognitive maturity of adult learners”(Burge, 1988). There is no specific difference in adult learners’ learning or cognitive styles and variations of psychosocial, intellectual, or moral and other development continua. Clearly there is a need for differentiation.
Burge gives examples of the four R’s to guide adult learners into the world of distance education. Responsibility, both the learner and facilitator have responsibilities. Relevance as it applies to content, process, past experience, and learning outcomes. Relationships operate in three dimensions: interpersonal, integration of cognition and affect, and relativistic and contextual nature of higher order thinking. Rewards, facilitators need to discuss with the learners potential rewards.

New Media in Online Education
There are several different electronic tools that are being introduced in distance learning courses. Technology continues to evolve on a daily basis and so does online courses. From online notebooks, blogs, podcasting, streaming video and audio, instant messaging, and wikis, the world of technology has emerged in today’s classrooms.
According to Williams & Jacobs (2004) blogging is a contraction of the term ‘web logging’. Blogging has become firmly established as a web based communication tool. Blogs have been widely used in online courses as a tool for students to communicate their views and ideas of specific issues. Blogging allows you to share information in a relaxed setting wile others are able to comment on your thoughts. “The efficiency of the blog with the associated hyperlinks, RSS syndication and comment features provides a model for communication that can fit into the very busy lifestyle of academics and technologist who are engaged in this field.”(Schroeder, 2003).
A podcast is a digital media file, or a related collection of such files, which is distributed over the Internet using syndicated feed for playback on personal computers or portable media players. “Podcasting is a part of the so-called Web 2.0 that depends on push technologies to deliver content” (Morales, 2006). Morales and Moses go on to say that podcasting has revolutionized education by enabling up-to-date content, addressing multiple intelligences and allowing for anytime/anywhere delivery of instructional content. The main advantage of using podcasting in educational courses is that it allows for immediate availability for large audiences via downloads or subscriptions notification systems. The only downside I see to podcasting is that it does not allow for visual components of lectures.
Outside of education, podcast are used for enjoyment. Many people are now downloading talk shows and commentaries via podcast. Information is made easily available through podcastings. Students are able to use portable media devices such as MP3 players and I-Pods to listen to educational podcast allowing flexibility and mobility to instruction.
Technology had definitely evolved over the years. Podcasting and blogging have provided an excellent delivery method for instructors, students, and staff. These technological tools have made designing online courses much easier. New media has definitely made taking online courses a lot more flexible and enjoyable for students.

Social Presence and Learning with New Media
New media has revolutionized online courses. With the use of podcasting, blogs, and wikis, the need for social presence has faltered. The days of having to sit in a classroom and listen to lectures, or work in small groups has transformed. Through the use of blogs, students are able to communicate in a setting that allows for anonymity. Students can openly share their thoughts and opinions without being scrutinized publicly. Blogs have allowed for more student centered involvement. When sitting in a face to face lecture, not all students participate, and not all students fully understand the topic being lectured on. Through podcast and blogging, you have the flexibility to talk to the class and ask questions for clarification without feeling embarrassed. Social interaction is now taking place via the web. Online courses are allowing flexibility to take in all of the information and the ability to work at a pace that is comfortable for the learner.

References:
Burge, L. (1988). Beyond andragogy: some explorations for distance learning design. Journal of Distance Education, 3(1), 5-23.

CNN.com retrieved on 10/18/07

Glogoff, S.(2005). Instructional blogging: promoting interactivity, student-centered learning, and peer input. Innovate 1, 1-6

Morales, C. & Moses, J.(2006). Podcasting: recording, managing, and delivering the classroom experience. Educause Evolving Technologies Committee.

Schroeder, R. (2003). Blogging online learning news and research. University of Illinois at Springfield.

Sparks, P. & Mentz, L. (2006). Electronic note passing: enriching online learning with new communication tools. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 2(4), 1-6.

Williams, J. & Jacobs, J. (2004). Exploring the use of blogs as learning spaces in the higher education sector. Australian Journal of Educational Technology, 20(2), 232-247.

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Assignment # 7 Research Ideas

How can we implement new forms of technology into the classroom?
How can we evaluate the effectiveness of the new technology?
How much time do we allow students to have in class to use the new technology?
How do we ensure that all teachers are exposing their students to the new form of technology?
How can students access the new technology at home?


Potential methodologies would be:

to create a survey for students, parents, and teachers to see whether they would be interested in using the new technology, if they have the resources available to use it, and how comfortable they would be using it.

creating a treatment group and a controlled group of both students within one class and perhaps teachers from a school site. Comparing how students within the same classroom react and perform on specific academic task depending on the group they are in. Comparing classrooms of two exact grades where one teacher uses the new technology and the other doesn't.

Assignment # 6 Annotation

Richardson, J.(2006). Investigating the relationship between variations in students' perceptions of their academic environment and variations in study behavior in distance education. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 76, 867-893



Review:


Intent of the study:

Recent research on student learning in higher education has identified relationships between the changes in students' perceptions of their academic environment and changes in their study behavior. This particular research investigated a general theoretical model linking students' demographic characteristics, perceptions and study behavior with measures of outcome and specifically compared four accounts of the relationship between perceptions and study behavior in relevance to distance learning.





Methodology:

Path analysis was used to assess the relationship between students' ages, gender, and prior qualifications, their scores on Course Experience Questionnaire, their scores on a short version of the Approaches to studying Inventory or the Revised Approaches to Studying Inventory, their overall marks, and their rating of general satisfaction.



Important findings:

Both studies showed evidence for the fundamental efficacy of all the paths identified in the general theoretical model. The conclusion was that there exist a bi-directional causal relationship between variations in students' perceptions of their academic environment and variations in their study behavior.



Relevance:


Interview-based research indicated that students in higher education may adopt different approaches to studying, depending on their perceptions of the content, the context and the demands of specific academic situations. The main theoretical conclusion form this investigation is that there exists a bi-directional causal relationship between students' perceptions of the academic environment and variations in their study behavior. This is relevant to distance learning in that the environment in which you learn from does not necessarily affect your overall outcome, but it is your perception of the learning that adjust your study behavior.





Michele Russell

Assignment # 5 Lauer Chapter 5 & 6

1. Locate a quantitative study.

Abedi, J. & Lord, C. (2001). The Language factor in mathematical test. Applied Measurement in Education, 14(3), 219-234.

Research has noticed the importance of language in student performance on content area assessments such as math. Nationally children perform 10% to 30% worse on mathematical word problems compared to math problems presented in numeric form. Through one study conducted by Jamal Abedi and Carol Lord, it was found that students who were English Language Learners (ELLs) scored lower on math test that those students who were proficient English speakers.

b) List and Explain the research method
The study consisted of having 1,174 8th grade students take a paper and pencil math test with 10 original National Assessment of educational progress (NAEP) math items, 10 items with language modifications, and five non complex control items. Student scores on the original and language modified versions were compared.

c) Explain the research method, any instruments and how they were developed or chosen. Be sure to indicate the type of instrument (survey, interview, focus group etc.)

Information of students was gained from school personnel on students' English language classification, language background, grade, type of math class, grades in math class, gender, ethnicity, and social economic status.

Each test booklet contained a math test and two page LBQ, background questionnaire, as well as new items selected for this study.

Language attributes that were modified on the test included:

Familiarity or frequency of non- math words
Passive verb forms were change to active
Long nominals were shortened
Conditional clauses were replaced with separate sentences
Relative clauses were removed
Complex questions were changed to simple question words
Abstract or impersonal presentations were made concrete

d) List the research questions and the answers the study arrived at for those questions.

"Are there significant differences in the math performance of English language learners and proficient speakers of English?”

“Does modifying the linguistic structures in math test items affect students test performance?”

“Do student background variables such as gender and family SES impact students’ math test performance?”
To answer the questions above; the results showed that the proficient English speakers scored significantly higher math scores. In order to answer the second question, the study compared the results of the students’ performance on both the original and revised test. It was found that the students scored a significantly higher score on the revised version. The third question refers to student background and SES, the study shows that simplifying the language of math items helped students improve their performance.
In conclusion, the results of the study clearly show the impact on students’ language background on their performance on math word problems. First it identified that English language learners scored significantly lower on math test than those who are proficient in English. Second it showed that modifying the language within math word problems can benefit student performance.

e) Evaluate the effectiveness of the research design, methods and instrument(s) of this study.

This study was extremely effective. It showed the relationship between math performance and language.

2. Locate a qualitative study. Then provide the following:

Hiemstra, R. & Poley, J.(2007). Lessons pertinent for teaching with computers. The Clearing House, 80(3), 144-148.

Explain the research method and how it was developed or chosen.

The National Science Foundation supported a qualitative research project that was designed to better understand the internet's impact on learners. It involved extensive interviews with 34 rural youths in 2 states who had broadband internet access via satellite transmission. The study consisted of semi-structured interview schedule facilitated followed up questions to extract as much information as possible concerning how these youths used the internet. Written notes, participant observations, and tape recordings of these interviews served as the data base for subsequent analysis.

d) List any research questions and the answers the study arrived at for those questions.

57% of online teens create content for the Internet. What does this mean for teacher who use computers to supplement their instructional efforts?
It requires a reorientation in terms of planning, programing, and evaluating effectiveness of instruction. The Internet offers a multitude of opportunities for the youth and teachers need to tie in to it.

Which websites were visited most frequently?
Interviewees mentioned visiting almost 50 sites regularly. web site choices differed among gender and race. Males accessed sites dealing with cartoons and games and used various search engines while females were more likely to use web quest.


e) Evaluate the effectiveness of the research design, methods and instrument(s) of this study.
This study proved to be very effective. The knowledge of the wide range of interest that the youth had was a starting point for planning future curriculum aimed at helping web-users. It has been reported that about 5 million teenagers keep their own web pages. Teachers can now exploit the growing interest of web pages by creating assignments or special courses where they can teach web design and publishing skills for knowledgeable teenagers.

3. Describe a quantitative approach to answer the question: What is the effect of using only a podcast for content transmission on student learning in graduate classes?

A quantitative approach would be to select a group of students to use as a treatment group and give them instruction via podcast while you have a group of students acting as the control group. The control group would be given lecture information via in class lectures and handouts. At the end of the course you would compare the two groups.

4. Describe a qualitative approach to answer the question: What are the effects of using podcasts for content transmission on student learning in graduate classes?
A qualitative approach would be to evaluate the grooup through observations and interviews.

APA Citations

APA citations:



Hannafin,R. & McDonald, K. (2003). Using web-based computer games to meet demands of today's high stakes testing: A mixed method inquiry. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 35(4), 459-472



This article is about incorporating the use of web-based computer games to enhance instruction.



Hiemstra, R. & Poley, J.(2007). Lessons pertinent for teaching with computers. The Clearing House,80(3),144-148



This article is about the use of the Internet as a support for daily educational activities.

It describes various ways that students interact with the use of the Internet.



Richardson, J.(2006). Investigating the relationship between variations in students' perceptions of their academic environment and variations in study behavior in distance education. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 76, 867-893



This article is about to identifying clear associations between variations in students perceptions of their academic environment and variations to their study behavior as it pertains to higher learning.

Sunday, October 7, 2007

Assignment 3 Lauer Chapter 3 & 4

1. Explain the key differences between descriptive and experimental research.

Descriptive research is used to answer descriptive research questions. It uses terms such as how, why, what, and where. Descriptive research design includes the following:
simple descriptive- when collecting data to describe persons, organizations, settings or phenomena.
Comparative descriptive- where the researcher describes and compares two or more groups of participants.
Correlational- used to describe the statistical association between two or more variables.

2. Explain correlational research.
Correlational research is used to compare two or more variables by the use of statistics such as test scores, district assessments,etc. An example would be to compare two different schools in different social economic areas but within the same district by using state standardized testing. The researcher would use the data to predict future achievement.

3. Explain the key differences between quantitative and qualitative research.
In quantitative research, the data are numbers and measurements. In qualitative research, the data are narrative descriptions and observations.Qualitative research occurs in more natural and less controlled settings and uses specialized methods for collecting data such as case studies and ethnography.

4. What is action research?
Action research is:
+ collection of data about current education practice or program and the resulting outcomes.
+ reflection on the information acquired.
+ development and implementation of an improvement plan.
+ collection of data on the practice or program after changes have been made.
+ development of conclusions about the results of the improvement plans.
Action research can be conducted by individuals or groups of individuals.
Action research can have several benefits such as reflection on educational practice, identification of strategies for improvement, and acquisition of research skills.