As I prepare to start the bulk of my writing for my research paper, I am stuck on how to put my "problem" into words.
I would like to continue to explore the issue of teacher and student buy-in being connected - how a technology will be more likely adopted by a teacher if he/she can see that it will benefit students and also how teacher guidance and buy-in can then positively affect students use/adoption of a technology.
My research question has been: will using Moodle to cultivate independent learning increase teacher and student adoption of the LMS as a new technology.
I'm not sure how to translate that into a problem - any ideas? Help!
Thanks in advance for any replies :)
Hi Sarah
ReplyDeleteI’m not sure this helps but I’ve been reading recently about Michael Moore’s Theory of Transactional Distance as a framework for analysing online learning practices (see my last blog reflection). Transactional distance refers to the cognitive and communication gap that exists between teacher and student in e-learning environments, affected by dialogue (ie. interaction), structure (ie. Degree of flexibility) and learner autonomy (ie. How self-directed is the learner). It is often applied to distance learning but could be used as a framework to describe the things that affect teacher and student ‘buy-in’ as you put it.
I work in a tertiary institution where Moodle is utilised extensively for blended and distance learning. It is ‘how’ Moodle is used to engage students, encourage communication and support independent learning that is important. Some teachers use it well and some don’t realise its potential. So perhaps your question should address factors that affect interaction and learner autonomy
.
Sorry if I’ve just confused you more… All the best!
Kevin
Hi Sarah,
ReplyDeleteI too have struggled to translate my research into a problem. I am unsure if I have the info wrong. This is my last post in our forum, the reply might help you once it is there....
Hi Niki,
Your feedback is much appreciated. I have taken Wayne's advice and stayed with my original essay topic. I became really confused about what Assignment 2.2. was meant to be about. I thought from the information below we had to specifically focus on a problem, which was not going to match up with my original essay. I was also tearing my hair out trying to apply change models to a problem. From what I have gathered from information from Wayne and classmates in posts over the past couple of weeks we are to just expand on our original essay.
"You must prepare a research article or academic case study focusing on a problem relating to change with digital technologies in education of a standard acceptable for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. The aim of the assignment is to provide evidence of your learning and demonstration of your scholarly expertise in one or more change models for digital technology in education."
My original essay was titled 'Online tutorials…a positive change in education?' I have done my planning for my article and some of the things I have thought about looking further in depth into are what makes an online tutorial (what am I specifically referring to), how it can be assessed, the accessibility issues for people without reliable internet, communist countries restrictions, and teacher attitudes.
.....I hope I haven't confused you. I am feeling quite overwhelmed by the whole thing. As soon as I feel like I know what I am doing I tend to confuse myself again.
I am sure there will be a reply in there soon. It is in the 'General Forum for research article' 'Article ideas'