Improving the use of ICT in higher education through Action Research

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Improving the use of ICT in higher education
through Action Research?

• Margaret Farren
• Computer Applications
• Dublin City University

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Outline of Presentation

• Overview of Masters Degree in Computer
  Applications for Education course
• Focus on one module of course
• Overview of Action Research
• Action Research Planner
• Future Plans

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Course context

• Masters Degree in Computer Applications for
  Education
• Linked modules Multimedia, Computer Apps in
  Education, Network Information Management
• Module duration - 12 weeks
• Computer Apps in Education module Feb-May 2001
• Network Information Management module Oct-Dec
  2001

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What is Action Research?

• Deliberate attempt to intervene in own practice
  to bring about improvement
• Value based how am I living my educational
  values in my practice?
• Through action research I
• Understand what I did not know before
• Show improvement in practice

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Scholarship of Teaching
We should think about practice as the setting for
not only the application of knowledge but for the
generation of knowledge. We should ask not only
how practitioners can better apply the results of
academic research, but what kinds of knowing are
already embedded in competent practice.
Schon (1995)
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Action Research Planner

• What am I concerned about/What do I want to
  improve?
• Why am I concerned?
• What am I going to do about it?
• What data will I need to collect to enable to
  make a judgement on my effectiveness?
• Act and gather data
• Evaluation of effectiveness
• Modification of concerns, ideas and actions in
  the light of evaluation
• Submission of description and explanation of my
  learning in educational enquiry How do I improve
  my practice to a validation group.
• Whitehead (1989)

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What am I concerned about?

• Coursework should impact on teachers own
  practice
• How can I move from assignments (below) to
  encourage each teacher to engage in own learning?
• Compapp in Ed. Assignments
• Literature Review
• Evaluation of software program
• Network Information Management Assignments
• Technical essay
• Construct a Web site

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Why am I concerned?

• In theory I believed in the importance of
  teachers setting own goals and following own
  interests in relation to module goals
• In practice I was a living contradiction my
  educational values were not being lived fully in
  my practice

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What am I going to do about it?

• In the Computer Applications in Education module
• Give teachers more responsibility for their
  learning
• Share my goals/values for the module with them
  use as standards of judgement
• Jointly collaborate with them in re-designing
  module
• Integrate technology into my teaching - WebCT

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Values/Criteria

• Promote deep learning (assignments)
• Theory is not separate from practice
• Use of multiple forms of representation
• Reflection on Practice
• Promote collaborative and cooperative group work
• Jointly develop assignments and assessments

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Computer Applications for Education coursework

• Assignment 1 Choose an authoring tool. Design
  and develop courseware suitable for integration
  into their subject area.
• Assignment 2 Choose a software tool. What
  learning theory could be supported through use
  of tool or explore a learning theory and say what
  type of technology it could support.
• Both Assignments Consider the data you need to
  collect in order to make a judgement on you
  effectiveness in relation to student learning.

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What data will I need to collect?

• Personal logs of class
• Emails to supervisor re what am I doing/why am I
  doing it
• Digital videotapes of sessions
• Evaluation forms during and after module
• Coursework (100)
• Final Presentations
• Act and Gather Data

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Modification of concerns, ideas and actions in
the light of evaluation

• Cycle 1 Multimedia module
• Before cycle 2, ask teachers what areas they
  wish to build on/focus on in cycle 2
• Cycle 2 Computer Applications in Education. Data
  as evidence of educational development, apply own
  standards of judgement.
• Cycle 3 Network Information Management module

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Evaluation of effectiveness?

• Identify criteria/standards for improvement my
  values, have I lived my values in my practice?
• Select pieces of data to act as evidence of
  improvement
• Match the evidence with my initial research
  concern
• How can I support the professional development
  in ICT of educators while at the same time living
  and developing my educational values?

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Submission of description and explanation of my
learning in educational enquiry to validation
group.

• Conference Presentation
• Action Research Validation group
• Samples video clips
• Sample e-mails
• Engaging with literature

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Example Assignments

• Design of Webquest for class and link to idea of
  Vygotsky and scaffolding.
• Develop Flash animation for class and link to
  Gardner and multiple intelligences/use of
  Internet in class.
• Develop of multimedia web site and exploring
  Constructionism children developing artifacts.
• Data Logging in Science and link to different
  learning theories.
• Develop Hyperstudio stack for language teaching
  and explore use of Hypertext in learning.

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Criteria for Assessment

• Quality of Research
• Quality of Coursework/literature
• Quality of Thinking/Reflection

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Future Plans

• Cycle 3Improve the Network Information module.
• Enable collaborative and cooperative learning
• Teachers produce descriptions and explanation of
  own educational development
• Produce multi-media portfolios of learning

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e-mail to Jack Whitehead

• 13/01/01 Lesters idea of Fitness for purpose
  he moves on to Fitness of purpose as what we are
  doing should be shown to be worthwhile. You said
  that in the assignments, teachers should consider
  the data they need to collect to make a judgement
  on the quality of courseware in relation to
  student learning. This relates to fitness of
  purpose. I also thought about assessment, it is
  not just a way to look at what is learned and
  place it against what is not learned but each
  teacher can create, enquire, reflect, evaluate
  

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E-mail to Jack Whitehead

• 18/01/01 Dewey talked about the standards for
  quality of experience in education.
• Experience is fruitful and creative.
• Students can move forward to further experience
• In Compapp in Ed. Module how can I help
  teachers bring their learning forward?
• Whitehead, Parker, Schon each of us are
  creators and must judge our own practice.