EDTECH Research

I very much enjoyed the challenge of this task. By being able to research a topic that I am interested in with regards to my work and upcoming projects at my school I was driven to go much further than simply researching and referencing five articles as was required from the rubric. In total I think I read about forty different pieces of research.

The real challenge was workflow. Picking out the most relevant research items that informed my instructional objective and finding the documents I wanted in the various libraries.

Where workflow was concerned I started by finding and downloading journal articles to read. At the start I was inserting the APA reference as I accessed an article. This seemed slow as I found myself spotting errors in the APA style and was tweaking this at the same time. Of course, upon reading the article, I would discover that it didn't rate being in my bibliography so I had wasted time! I decided to leave the referencing until I had found everything I was looking for and I proceeded to find and access many articles. On first glance, some seemed more relevant than others so I begun to separate them into different folders as I progressed. After I felt I had exhausted the research parameters and other relevant references in the bibliographies of the articles I was reading, I began to thoroughly read the articles and pick out those that provided value to my objective, identifying those that seemed most relevant.

In the end I had about ten articles that I had to re-search for to get there locations. The Google Research tool was very useful here and, I think, was quite accurate in it's representation of the APA style. I did find some errors but I'd say the referencing was around 95% accurate. As I was accessing the documents I had downloaded to get their article and journal titles I would reread the document and identify the elements of the published research that I would be able to use in the future in my school. This was the basis of my annotations.

I'm not sure if this workflow is the most efficient way of working but at least how I ended up doing it was better than where I started.

Normally I would print out an article and highlight the sections I was interested in. I found myself getting cross-eyed reading from the computer screen and had to leave my machine a lot to keep my focus but I am determined to do this work on my computer. When I come back to the articles I downloaded to create the plan I intend to present to the senior leaders of my school, I will aim to use the highlighting tools available in Acrobat Pro instead of printing everything off!

Edtech research Google doc

RSS in Education

Whilst I'm not a big fan of voicing over the movies I create as my accent is very nasal, generating this project reminded me of a couple of things: 

• trying to record in a soundproof room can be difficult as the wifi doesn't penetrate so well
• don't record in school near the end of a lesson as the bells go off right in the middle of your video!
• Making a small verbal mistake can be fixed afterwards in editing so don't just bin the minutes worth of recording  I've just done; keep going!
• Making lots of small cuts stops me rambling as I can prepare a sentence or two and say them with ease
• I say "ahhhhh" far too much! Its a good job I could edit them all out.

I am a lot more comfortable creating captioned screencasts using Adobe Captivate. The program recognizes the buttons you press and automatically creates a caption that can be edited. It also creates simulations with animated mouse tracking. Dealing with the verbal errors almost doubles production time compared to the auto-captioning Captivate allows.

This video was the second I produced as I made two. The first was ten minutes long and included how to insert RSS feeds into Blogger and a Google Site. I decided trying to show how to use RSS and how I use RSS feeds were different tasks and since there are tutorials all over the internet on how to set up a RSS reader, I went with the latter and made the five minute limit!
If you would like to look at my first video attempt, here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4OShnYrFbM

I currently use the RSS aggregator built into Microsoft outlook and I have to agree with  +Bryan who mentioned in his reflection about there being too much information to keep track of. That being said, I would definitely miss the information if I had to regularly visit the different sites I subscribe to; at least they are in Outlook and I can look at them offline when I want.

Over the next year I will be using a Google Site and a Blog with my students as they write their Reflection Diaries as part of their target setting. I think I will trial the various options for alerting me to their posts and updates. I like getting email notifications when things are changed on the sites I 'watch' so comparing Google Site's change alert with email updates from the blogs and RSS feed updates should be interesting.

I know that many tutorials mention that our consumption of RSS from a website is anonymous, I am sure that if a website designer really wanted to know who you were they could do it when you click the RSS button on their page. This page was interesting: http://www.feedforall.com/measuring-rss.htm

Boise's Albertsons Library: http://boisestate.worldcat.org.libproxy.boisestate.edu/oclc/4598406564

Pence, L. E., & Pence, H. E. (2008). Accessing and managing scientific literature: Using RSS in the classroom. Journal of Chemical Education, 85, 10.)

Mart.

Elements of Educational Technology

Elements of Educational Technology

As my responsibility for the introduction and integration of educational technology at my school has grown, my awareness of the scope of the issues involved has also grown. We tend, as classroom teachers, to only think within the confines of our class or our department.  When we try to expand our ideas and experience beyond our classroom, we can find blocks that, without having the experience to deal with them, can stop our plans in their tracks and leave us frustrated.

I have felt this frustration over the last five years and, as I commented in the task document, have changed my thinking with regards to what is most important. When teaching ethical considerations of science in my Biology classes or topics such as global warming or even plants, I have found my students, many being Chemistry students, aren't terribly enthusiastic. I have noticed that part of this lack of enthusiasm has come from their teachers! As a result I have done my best to present these lessons in the most interesting way I can. I am ethically bound to do this and as the years have gone by, my students have come to appreciate these areas of Biology as opposed to finding them boring and "not real science!"

While it would seem obvious that the learning is most important, this task has reminded  me to look at the bigger picture. I am ethically bound to present educational technology in such a way that learning, its facilitation, the user's performances, the other teachers' ability to use the technology,  etc. are all considered important. To do this, I need to research and to study.

Welcome

Hi,

I am Mart. I am a Y7 to 13 Science and Biology teacher at the Alice Smith School in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I currently have a role in technology coaching/integration and love Google!

I'm a big fan of playing around with technology and trying it out in the classroom with my students who are all game for anything. Bending tech to my wishes is a hobby and my current toy is definitely Google Spreadsheets with Sites, Blogger and Plus right up there.

This learning log will track the artifacts I create throughout my studies on the M.E.T. at Boise State University. This process will allow me to evaluate the use of Blogger as a reflection diary linked to a portfolio in Google Sites.

AECT Standards 2012: Research

AECT Standard 5 - Research: 
Candidates explore, evaluate, synthesize, and apply methods of inquiry to enhance learning (p. 4) and improve performance (pp. 6-7).

Indicators:
• Theoretical Foundations - Candidates demonstrate foundational knowledge of the contribution of research to the past and current theory of educational communications and technology. (p. 242)
• Method - Candidates apply research methodologies to solve problems and enhance practice. (p. 243)
• Assessing/Evaluating - Candidates apply formal inquiry strategies in assessing and evaluating processes and resources for learning and performance. (p. 203) Page 3 of 3
• Ethics - Candidates conduct research and practice using accepted professional (p. 296) and institutional (p. 297) guidelines and procedures.

NOTE: Parenthetical page references are to Educational Technology: A Definition with Commentary (2008, A. Januszewski & M. Molenda, Eds., Lawrence Erlbaum Assoc.)

AECT Standards 2012: Professional Knowledge and Skills

AECT Standard 4 - Professional Knowledge and Skills: 
Candidates design, develop, implement, and evaluate technology-rich learning environments within a supportive community of practice.

Indicators:
• Collaborative Practice - Candidates collaborate with their peers and subject matter experts to analyze learners, develop and design instruction, and evaluate its impact on learners.
• Leadership - Candidates lead their peers in designing and implementing technology-supported learning.
• Reflection on Practice - Candidates analyze and interpret data and artifacts and reflect on the effectiveness of the design, development and implementation of technology-supported instruction and learning to enhance their professional growth.
• Assessing/Evaluating - Candidates design and implement assessment and evaluation plans that align with learning goals and instructional activities.
• Ethics - Candidates demonstrate ethical behavior within the applicable cultural context during all aspects of their work and with respect for the diversity of learners in each setting.


NOTE: Parenthetical page references are to Educational Technology: A Definition with Commentary (2008, A. Januszewski & M. Molenda, Eds., Lawrence Erlbaum Assoc.)

AECT Standards 2012: Learning Environments

AECT Standard 3 - Learning Environments: 
Candidates facilitate learning (p. 41) by creating, using, evaluating, and managing effective learning environments. (p. 1)

Indicators:
• Creating - Candidates create instructional design products based on learning principles and research-based best practices. (pp. 8, 243-245, 246)
• Using - Candidates make professionally sound decisions in selecting appropriate processes and resources to provide optimal conditions for learning (pp. 122, 169) based on principles, theories, and effective practices. (pp. 8-9, 168-169, 246)
• Assessing/Evaluating - Candidates use multiple assessment strategies (p. 53) to collect data for informing decisions to improve instructional practice, learner outcomes, and the learning environment. (pp. 5-6)
• Managing - Candidates establish mechanisms (p. 190) for maintaining the technology infrastructure (p. 234) to improve learning and performance. (p. 238)
• Ethics - Candidates foster a learning environment in which ethics guide practice that promotes health, safety, best practice (p. 246), and respect for copyright, Fair Use, and appropriate open access to resources. (p. 3)
• Diversity of Learners - Candidates foster a learning community that empowers learners with diverse backgrounds, characteristics, and abilities. (p. 10)

NOTE: Parenthetical page references are to Educational Technology: A Definition with Commentary (2008, A. Januszewski & M. Molenda, Eds., Lawrence Erlbaum Assoc.)

AECT Standards 2012: Content Pedagogy

AECT Standard 2 - Content Pedagogy:
Candidates develop as reflective practitioners able to demonstrate effective implementation of educational technologies and processes based on contemporary content and pedagogy.

Indicators:
 • Creating - Candidates apply content pedagogy to create appropriate applications of processes and technologies to improve learning and performance outcomes. (p. 1)
• Using - Candidates implement appropriate educational technologies and processes based on appropriate content pedagogy. (p. 141)
• Assessing/Evaluating - Candidates demonstrate an inquiry process that assesses the adequacy of learning and evaluates the instruction and implementation of educational technologies and processes (p. 116-117) grounded in reflective practice.
• Managing - Candidates manage appropriate technological processes and resources to provide supportive learning communities, create flexible and diverse learning environments, and develop and demonstrate appropriate content pedagogy. (p. 175-193)
• Ethics - Candidates design and select media, technology, and processes that emphasize the diversity of our society as a multicultural community. (p. 296)

NOTE: Parenthetical page references are to Educational Technology: A Definition with Commentary (2008, A. Januszewski & M. Molenda, Eds., Lawrence Erlbaum Assoc.)

AECT Standards 2012: Content Knowledge

AECT Standards, 2012 version 

AECT Standard 1 - Content Knowledge:
Candidates demonstrate the knowledge necessary to create, use, assess, and manage theoretical and practical applications of educational technologies and processes.

Indicators:
• Creating - Candidates demonstrate the ability to create instructional materials and learning environments using a variety of systems approaches. (p. 81)
• Using - Candidates demonstrate the ability to select and use technological resources and processes to support student learning and to enhance their pedagogy. (p. 141)
• Assessing/Evaluating - Candidates demonstrate the ability to assess and evaluate the effective integration of appropriate technologies and instructional materials.
• Managing - Candidates demonstrate the ability to effectively manage people, processes, physical infrastructures, and financial resources to achieve predetermined goals. (p. 178)
• Ethics - Candidates demonstrate the contemporary professional ethics of the field as defined and developed by the Association for Educational Communications and Technology. (p. 284)




NOTE: Parenthetical page references are to Educational Technology: A Definition with Commentary (2008, A. Januszewski & M. Molenda, Eds., Lawrence Erlbaum Assoc.)

Home Page Template

http://edtech2.boisestate.edu/martinmullan/

The Home Page was constructed using a downloaded, free responsive HTML5/CSS3  template from HTML5UP. This page construction shows my ability to make use of materials to develop content and a learning environment for my students.

Besides the HTML5 and CSS3 elements, the page also has Javascript that proved to be a problem when I was building the page; I couldn't make the template design function properly! After a long debugging session, I found that deep in one of the .js files, links to different CCS3 resources was broken. 

It is so frustrating when a system doesn't work correctly, but such a relief and a feeling of accomplishment when you fix it!