B.S. Elementary Education
M.S.Ed. Instructional Technology
Ed.D. Instructional Technology & Leadership
2.d. : Ensure effective practice in the study of technology and its infusion across the curriculum.
Artifact:
Description:
In spring 2018, I took GDIT 719: Learner-Computer Interaction with Dr.
Misook Heo. The final project for this course was to write a research
proposal based on a main topic of the course and an area of personal
interest. I chose to look at how robotics can affect students’ perceptions of
STEM in hopes of better understanding how to connect robotics to the K-12
curriculum. To relate to the course content, we were required to include a
section in our literature review on human-computer interaction. In my paper,
I wrote about attention in information processing, choices based on habit,
and decisions on whether to use a given system. Then I spent time discussing
the proposed study and the expected results.
As part of the final class session of the course, we spent time sharing our research proposals with our peers and providing feedback to one another. I had classmates suggest that I include even more HCI literature, especially research dealing with children. My goal is to be able to incorporate parts of this research proposal into what I’m doing for my dissertation.
Reflection:
In my current position, I am responsible for teaching both computer skills and robotics to all students in the building (K-4). Robotics has become one of my absolute favorite things to teach because it challenges students in different ways while also applying to skills that they are learning in the classroom. Some of my greatest successes in robotics have occurred when teaching students with special needs. The application of the math and programming makes the content relevant for them which leads to greater understanding of the topic. Because of this, I chose to focus my research proposal on the topic of how concentrated robotics lessons can impact students’ perceptions towards STEM topics.
This is a topic that I would like to study further, and I thought it would have an interesting tie-in to HCI topics. Completing this research proposal taught me the process of designing an educational study. This is something that I will be doing during my frequently in my future as a researcher, in addition to completing the dissertation process. Because robotics is something that I teach on a daily basis, conducting research on its impact with students can help inform my practice and how it is integrated into the curriculum. By conducting research on topics that are both pertinent and of interest to me, I can tailor what I am doing in the classroom to make the strongest impact on my students.
