Towards defining a research interest…
Posted by: junea on: November 21, 2006
Defining my research interests will be an ongoing theme for me as I progress through my doctorate and future career. In the past few weeks, my interest in computing and education has been nicely bolstered by my advisor and professors. I feel invigorated again concerning the topic; I have to thank my professors for their enthusiasm, and for the timely readings I have worked on in classes.
But, I also need your help (dear reader)!!
I want to focus on two areas for now, and I ask you to contribute a comment or spread the word to others interested in computing/education to read this post. The areas are:
- Literature review: I am interested in writing a literature review to synthesize the kinds of empirical research done in the field of computing and education. Specifically I want to lay out, for me and others, the history of popular thought and academic research that has been done in the field. What has been done? What is being said? Where are the holes? And what direction should future research take in order to address the holes? I envision writing both an academic document, a traditional literature review, and also contributing a version to the ed-tech blogosphere to further our own discussions.
I’d love any comments and thoughts (is this a worthwhile contribution: why or why not!), but most importantly feel free to point me to important resources to read!
- I want to compile a list of questions that are particularly salient for those of us working in education and technology (specifically computing). What are the questions you think about? What do you want answers to? And what kinds research do you think will further your own thinking and professional work?
Feel free to comment and contribute any type of question here!
I hope I may be able to analyze the questions posed, and contribute my own thoughts concerning how research can be designed to explore them.
3 Responses to "Towards defining a research interest…"
January 3, 2007 at 2:44 am
Bravo and well said…. I am in total agreement. There is a built in disconnect between these two parties in most educational systems that I have seen – even smaller systems like private schools. I believe that a dialogue must be started to connnect the technology to the curriculum by first connecting the people managing technology and curriculum. Not sure how this happens… how to start the collaborative process? Perhaps we need to investigate why the obvious seems so hard to achieve… do we need more technologists who are curriculum savy or vice versa- anyways, I am rambling now… would to explore this more.
December 2, 2006 at 11:41 pm
One of the things that has disturbed me of late and has me thinking is the incredible disconnect between technology leaders and curriculum leaders in our schools/districts. They have both lived in their silos for too long. Technology people seem to have little/no understanding of curriculum and curriculum people little/none of technology. Is this part of the reason we are in the mess we are in with technology in schools? With a new paradigm for education, does their need to be a new paradigm for educational leadership? Can we afford to look at technology as this thing on the periphery (as it is in many schools/districts)?
Probably not a very deep question, but one that has been on my mind for a few months now. I think your thought in another post about the disconnect between practitioners and academics may be relevant here. The disconnect between technology and curriculum may well be evidence of the disconnect between practitioners and academics.