pro forma first draft

i've just finished the first draft of my rp pro forma...

Research Paper Pro Forma
First Draft – 19.02.2006

Subject: Design for Interactive Media – Personal Research Project
Student: James Cook, st03003174
Email: james@fireway.co.uk

» General field of enquiry

How technology can potentially benefit education. More specifically, looking at a range of ‘Web 2.0’ technologies and what new capabilities they offer to improve the learning experience.

Digital-, Automated-, Web-, Virtual- (decentralised), and Mobile- Learning are all at the forefront of research into the future of education, and I intend to research these areas further.

» Chosen subject

How can web technologies (specifically, those associated with Web 2.0: RSS, Podcasting, Blogging, Social Software, Folksonomy etc) improve a student’s learning experience? Why do only a few tech-savvy educators take advantage of digital resources? How could new forms of virtual learning benefit the third-world/global community? Focuses currently include:

* Potential uses of RSS and Pod-, Pic- and Vidcasting in schools
* Potential benefits of teaching web skills as part of a curriculum
* Mobile and Locative learning
* Virtual learning environments and workflows
* Potential benefits to the third-world from decentralised learning

» Objectives: what will be uncovered/documented/explained/questioned?

What is the current situation in education and technology research? I need to understand where work is focused at the moment in order to complement it. I intend to uncover why web technologies are not used more widely by teaching staff than they currently are; e.g. why do very few geography teachers use Google Earth in their lessons? I need to document what educators and students desire to see improved in their education models; e.g. do people even realise that Google Earth exists? I would like to explain what benefits cutting-edge web technologies could bring to education methods; e.g. real-time 3D exploration of the planet. I need to question if these benefits are genuine or fashionable; e.g does Google Earth actually improve the learning process in GCSE geography?

» Description and assessment of research base; primary and secondary sources?

The first stage involves copious amounts of reading online through the blogosphere. I have been doing this for several months, and have found numerous educational innovators who maintain blogs. Additional online reading has come from white papers, articles, forums, and corporate/organisation websites.

The second stage is to begin contacting relevant individuals and organisations. I’ve already had interviews with Richard Wenner (Freelance IT Engineer for Cardiff Schools), and Richard Schotton (Director, Imagine Education); and contact is planned with NESTA futurelabs, John Cabot City Technology College (Bristol), a school in Sri Lanka, and Ewan McIntosh (Advocate of podcasting and blogging in Scottish education)

» Indication of preferred methodology, and why it is appropriate. What academic approach is best suited to the analysis, contextualisation and cultural critique of the subject?

Further from above, there is no planned methodology. At this stage, I am still determining an exact subject to research and I need to employ a fluid process to allow my research to evolve until this is found. That said, the research will take the approach of understanding the existing situation, identifying the merits of the research, and ultimately promote the use of technology in education.

» References to key thinkers/academics

Ewan McIntosh is a IT developer who works with the Scottish LEA, and has a particular penchant for blogging and podcasting in education. This is the first ‘key thinker’ I have discovered in the field of Web 2.0 and education, and he is responsible for promoting use of the technology throughout Scotland. He maintains a very informative blog and Podcast of his work, and is a necessary source for my research. I've emailed Ewan regarding the possibility of collaboration, but have yet to recieve a reply. It is hoped that further educators/technologists like Ewan will be found and cited.

» Indicative bibliography

At this early stage, the majority of reading has come from electronic sources of varying credibility, such as blogs and white papers. I intend to use amazon to search for published work which relates to my research, as well as begin to build a list of references as I make contact with the previously mentioned primary sources. Due to the nature of my research, qualitative data such as opinions and thoughts from the blogosphere have proven to be useful, especially when backed with quantitative proof.

Informed findings which have been formally published may not be so relevant (as the former), as I would like to direct this research towards the absolute cutting edge of new technologies and learning systems.

» Additional relevant information

The proposed format of the research is as follows:

* Analyse what research is currently being conducted
* Analyse how technology is being used in education at the moment
* Evaluate the benefits of these technologies

* Promote further research and use of technology’s applications in education
* Investigate new educational models
* Preferably produce a prototype product/system, as well as a written report

» Questions for staff

* Opinions on proposed format and outcomes as above?
* Any experience/knowledge/contacts in this field?
* Suggestions for focus areas/direction?