My search begins...
Well, first of all, I realized that I don’t know
what all the codes are for in the “Select a field” option when searching the
UBC database. For example, I thought KW Identifier might stand for ‘key word
identifiers’ but when I used it, I came up with zero search results…so, going
back to the “shooting in the dark” strategy (searching without any field
options), I actually found a few very relevant and current resources which I am
excited to explore more thoroughly (soon!).
The first source (Snape, Fox-Turnball, 2011) caught
my eye because its list of Subjects included a lot of the themes that I believe
are critical aspects of my topic:
Subjects: Learner Engagement; Foreign
Countries; Technology Education; Best Practices; Constructivism
(Learning); Education Courses; School Restructuring; Learning; Teacher Role; Accountability; Program Implementation; Teacher Education; Teacher
Collaboration; Partnerships
in Education
This particular research paper is exactly what I am
interested in! The focus is on using authentic experiences with technology to “develop
enduring learning for students”. As I
scanned the abstract, I knew this paper was the perfect place for me to begin
to delve deeper into my topic…and I learned a new word as I was reading it,
which is always a bonus:
“Conation
is defined as the will, drive and effort behind students’ engagement in
learning and is increasingly seen as an integral part of authentic education.”
The second source (Moersch, 2011) that I selected caught
my eye truthfully only because of the ‘H.E.A.T acronym’ in the title since I
used to work at a school that also used that same acronym (but in reference to
something completely different than it is used here). As I read the abstract, I
found that I was thinking that it could turn out to be a good resource but then
something about the last line irked me:
“Turning
up the H.E.A.T. is no longer a cliche, but a driving force to prepare students
for the challenges of a digital society and to transition low-performing
schools into high-performing schools.”
Maybe I have to include more research about
accountability vs. “high performance” as I explore my topic. For some reason, I
haven’t connected using technology authentically to support deeper,
long-lasting learning with higher school performance. I don’t think I am too
far off the mark here in saying that I think this is because I work in Canada
where “high performance schools” is not as emphasized (yet) as it is in the US…something
to think about for sure.
In looking for more research sources, I decided that I wanted to find something relevant online so I went to Google for answers! Of course, I found lots to sift through but one stood out to me because of its publication date – 1993! What could kind of authentic technology experiences will they be talking about? I definitely had to take a look...
"many schools are trying to reorganize curriculum and instruction to support “authentic learning,” the new catchphrase for learning by doing” (O’Neil, 1993).
I couldn’t help but wonder why it’s taking so long for this to happen. Is this an indication that it’s “easier said than done”? Is technology changing faster than schools (and curricula) can keep up with? More things to think about as I explore my topic! It turns out that this is in fact a great article and, despite its “old age”, it was still highly relevant (and I love the subtitle “John Dewey, meet R2D2).
I think now that I have a taste for what’s out there in terms of literature to support my topic, my next step will be to search in the Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology. I feel like that will give me something solid that I can connect with.
1. Turning up the H.E.A.T. on Student Learning: Assessing 21st Century Skills in Classrooms Today, Moersch, Christopher. Educational Technology, v51 n3 p43-46 May-Jun 2011. (EJ936517)
2. Perspectives of Authenticity: Implementation in Technology Education, Snape, Paul; Fox-Turnbull, Wendy. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, v23 n1 p51-68 Feb 2013. (EJ998175)
3. Using Technology to Support 'Authentic' Learning, O’Neil, John. Education Update, v35 n8 October 1993
Well done list! Your exploration into your inquiry topics was well done, with three great choices that offer some insight and also historical perspective on the scale of the challenge we are facing. Meaningful and supportive integration of technology is no easy task and has been a goal for quite some time. Seeing your article reference from 1993 demonstrates how we need to work together and share our learning, experiments and research with others so we can all move forward, rather than get stuck spinning our wheels on how to get through the early difficult phases of technology integration. A good selection of resources from a few different search strategies that will help you throughout the rest of this class.
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