To really be able to know how to put together a study, obviously I need to know what I will be studying. At this point I am looking at the emerging practices of students and teachers in an online, school-initiated space. More precisely I want to look at 1) what types of practices emerge, 2) how they emerge and 3) how these emerging practices are responded to.
The study of students in an online environment brings with it many concerns. First, to suggest that all activity that involves the online space takes place in the online space is naïve at best and doesn't really address the overlapping spaces and identities involved with any social space, much less an online one. This means that the study of the practices which emerge in the online space, requires multiple forms of data collection. Specifically, I need to talk with students and teachers, observe interaction in the classroom and around the online space as well as the space itself. This is really an ethnographic study and so I see multiple data collection points. Right now these are:
· Snapshots of the site, text from the site
· Recorded observations of teachers and students discussing the space and its use
· Teacher pre, during and post interviews focused on purpose, design, and observations
· Student pre, during and post interviews focused on intent, motivation, and what they observered, AS WELL AS, reflections on why they post different types of posts or activities.
· There is the potential of having students micro-blog about their own reasons fro posting. Micro-blogging will help keep the requirement done on amount of extra work so that we are more likely to have good data and will also grab the immediate snapshot of student perception of use.
Another issue that I am struggling with is what type of space. It makes the most sense to examine a space with multiple templates and tools for use so that the potential practices are greater. However, the real issue is that I want to look at a space where the use is more than just a single project but rather involves multiple uses. Use is the key here, in that the potential of the tools does not create use. So I will need either a space where it is already used throughout the course of study or one in which the teacher(s) intend to use the online space throughout the curriculum and course. I would prefer to look at a space like Ning which was designed for end user requirements and not structured around schooling as BlackBoard or Moodle hass been. However, I recognize the issues I have with finding teachers willing to try out a space like Ning in the classroom and as such may need to study within one of the other tools. I hesitate to look across tools as this complicates the study. Although, I will have access to individuals using SecondLife, Moodle, BlackBoard, Sharepoint and then just a single tool like Blogging (where the potential for more expanded use is still there).
More on design tomorrow,
J:)
1 comment:
One suggestion I might offer is a table that includes the following columns: variable of interest, operationlization/definition of that variable, possible data sources, possible findings
For example:
types of practices
ways practices emerge
responses
Then you could consider what each data source may or may not contribute, whether data could be better triangulated... etc. It also helps you clarify for yourself and others what you mean when you say X.
*A-
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