The criteria for satisfying the Create Knowledge competency are:
- Demonstrates ability to describe common research methods in Educational Technology
- Demonstrates ability to read and evaluate Educational Technology research
- Applies research findings to the solution of common problems in Educational Technology
Artifact for Create Knowledge
Creating Positive Learning Environments with iPads
Justification for this Artifact
For the Create Knowledge competency, I chose my final paper from EDCI 51300, “Creating Positive Learning Environments with iPads.” The goal of this paper was to aggregate research into the experiences of learners with iPads and determine what a learning institution would need to do to create desirable results.
First requirement: “Demonstrates ability to describe common research methods in Educational Technology”
Using technology in a classroom for technology’s sake seems like something that happens on a regular basis. I used the research methods, often through first-party implementations, of a variety of different educators. The iPad turned out to be a microcosm of a particularly popular technology that gained great traction in classrooms of all different types, presenting a wide body of research to pull from. Not surprisingly, cost was an important consideration to the research being performed, and played a surprising role in the papers referenced. Cost is something that perpetually dominates projects; finding ways to optimize for it is something that I am certain will continue to be part of my everyday professional life.
Second requirement: “Demonstrates ability to read and evaluate Educational Technology research”
Due to the popularity of the iPad in educational settings, there was a large body of research available on this topic. I was able to compare 14 academic topics ranging across the spectrum of ages and learning environments, from Ohio State University to one in Malaysia to the United Arab Emirates. The iPad’s relatively recent release meant that none of the articles presented were older than 2011.
Third requirement: “Applies research findings to the solution of common problems in Educational Technology”
The final section of the paper, “Recommendations for Deployment,” provide concrete direction based on the literature review as to how iPads can be implemented while minimizing distraction. These recommendations include:
- Avoid shared-use scenarios where the iPads are made available in libraries for student self-selection without proper instruction from library staff
- Provide proper instruction to educators, and ensure that educators are aligned around the best use cases for the devices prior to deployment
- Ensure that provided learning apps are kept up to date, and compare currently available apps to those that are in active use to see if there are better experiences that have been released
These types of recommendations are valuable information for people developing products, from educational experiences to the features driving them. I learned about pitfalls of implementing technology into educational contexts, and how taking lessons from other examples makes for the best possible implementation. I will continue to use literature reviews when undertaking new projects to see how to avoid failures like these in the future.
Barry Langer 