Framework for Educational Technology Research
August 31st, 2009
A lot of educational technology research is very specific and focused on a specific technology. For the last couple of years, there has been a movement to get more of a theoretical base around the research. This has led to the development of what researchers call Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK).
This idea derives from the [...]
Posted in Teachers, Technology | Comments (0)
Cognitive Biases that Increase with Education
August 28th, 2009
We usually think of education as reducing misconceptions and poor reasoning. However, it appears this is not always the case. Cognitive biases are those “short cuts” in thinking we take that save cognitive effort, but often cause us to reach erroneous conclusions. For example, the bandwagon effect is the tendency to believe something because many [...]
Posted in Students | Comments (1)
Socializing during science lab work
August 24th, 2009
So what did you do in science class while you were waiting for all those chemical reactions to happen? Did you sit around and chit-chat with your lab partner? What did you talk about? Does it matter?
Del Carlo & Bodner think it does matter. They completed a participant observation of four chemistry classes over the [...]
Tags: science labs, socialization
Posted in Students | Comments (0)
i3: Investing in Innovation
August 21st, 2009
Arne Duncan spoke yesterday about the ideas behind the i3 program, which is seeking to invest in educational innovation. Right now the program is funded by $650 million in the Recovery Act. He said they are looking for programs that are:
Outcome driven
Scalable
Sustainable
They will give three different types of grants:
Pure Innovation – fund promising ideas
Strategic Investment – for programs that need to build a research base (!) or organizational capacity
Grow What Works – money for proven programs to expand
Four key areas they want to target:
College and career-ready standards
Data systems to support improved instruction
Teacher and principal quality
Turnaround schools
My favorites are money for programs that need research support and data systems to support improved instruction. Will it make a difference?
Tags: department of education, education innovation, i3
Posted in Policy/ Government | Comments (0)
5 Cautions For Wikis in Classrooms
August 19th, 2009
I think there is a lot of potential for use of wikis in classrooms, particularly in the area of collaborative writing. There are a number of articles out there extolling the possible virtues of the tool. However, I also think it is important to look at potential pitfalls so they can (hopefully) be addressed during [...]
Tags: education, wikis
Posted in Technology | Comments (2)
Podcasting in Education
August 17th, 2009
Podcasting is a relatively new addition to many classrooms and as such, research on it is somewhat limited. McGarr recently reviewed existing studies and identified three types of usage:
Substantial – delivering full lectures
Supplemental – reviewing and/or synthesizing material
Creative – having students create podcasts
Podcasting is interesting to me because although it uses new technology, it largely [...]
Tags: lecture, podcasting
Posted in Technology | Comments (0)
Administrators’ Dilemmas with Web2.0
August 12th, 2009
School administrators are in a tight spot with Web 2.0 technologies and a recent survey by the Metiri group highlights ways in which their reported attitudes differ from their implemented policies.
On one hand, nearly three-quarters of superintendents and curriculum directors indicated that web 2.0 technologies had a positive influence on student communication skills and quality of [...]
Tags: administrator attitudes, web2.0
Posted in Technology | Comments (0)
Mirror Neurons Help Reduce Cognitive Load
August 10th, 2009
Educational Psychology Review devoted a recent issue to cognitive load theory. I recently blogged about an article relating the theory to collaborative learning. A second article looks at how our neurons may be helping us reduce cognitive load.
Van Gog, Paas, Marcus, Ayres & Sweller remind us about mirror neurons. These are the neurons that fire [...]
Posted in Students | Comments (0)
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