Educational Research in Technology Implementations
I wrote my first ever literature review and completed action research, which are notes that I continue to add to as I meet with different individuals during this planning phase of my XR pilot program. The literature review not only confirmed my focus on XR in the classroom to be a excellent choice, but it also caught me up to where the tech business world has been for years already. I was fascinated by all the data showing that XR is going to be hugely important to our future working and leisure activities. In order to prepare our students for 21st Century jobs and required skills, they will need to be using, creating, and interacting with content on XR technology now. My literature review took a lot of time and work, mostly because I found so much data that the challenge was in narrowing down to the most essential and eloquent sources of the most cutting edge information.
Educational Technology Project Implementation
In this unit, my cohort and I debuted our video proposals, including supporting data and research, to each other. We received and provided feedback in groups of 3. This was extremely fun, interesting, and helpful in terms of finding where the strengths and areas for growth existed at that point in our project planning and implementation. My presentation is viewable here, if you look to your right and press play.
Educational Technology Project Submission
This image of a boy using VR was the only result to my search query here within Wix images when I typed in "Metaverse." The future certainly lies in an expansive and immersive metaverse. Among those talking about and constructing the metaverse, the consensus appears to be that most humans will use XR technology to interact in the metaverse, rather than touch screens. This is future planning and design thinking in action. If you Google "XR" and hit news every day, you will notice that this topic is at the forefront of technology currently. This is an exciting time in which those who are able to help build will be much needed in order to breathe life into an immersive, experiential, utopian digital reality.
Educational Technology Final Reflection and Next Steps
This AI art to the right, which I generated with the help of Midjourney and a query about the "Metaverse under construction and neon lights", represents to me the growth I have experienced while working through this M.Ed. Educational Technology program.
I started this program with a lot of concern regarding screen time use and behavior patterns I have observed in a generation of children who are essentially experiencing a childhood without consistent adult oversight while on screens. These digital natives spent a lot of time on screens during the pandemic while their parents worked. As I read the research on screen time, I began to feel more and more relieved -- I found that there is data showing the benefits of learning with technology and learning to use technology at a young age. Because of the Digital Citizenship curriculum and guidance students receive in schools, they are being taught to act with respect, responsibility, care, and civility towards the other Digital Citizens they encounter online. All of this coursework led to me feeling assuaged and enlightened as to how to help children develop to be healthy, safe, and skilled Digital Natives.
As I worked through this program, I kept getting distracted by Ed Tech job postings that were futuristic and at times confusing, my family life, my work duties, learning about the metaverse, studying AI, practicing coding and video production, joining Discord, researching a mind-numbing number of Ed Tech apps/tools, planning lessons like a madwoman, discussing safe and responsible use of technology with my peers, locating and processing research/data, appreciating game based learning more than ever, and seeing a glimpse of the future of education, jobs, and life as we know it. I read books that would sound like science fiction if I had read them pre-pandemic. So much has changed so quickly, and will continue to do so. I am newly committed to coaching this generation and many others with my new Ed Tech knowledge and skill sets.
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Now I am working on a XR pilot program for my school because the data is so compelling that this will be the primary tool to access the metaverse in the near future. Studies show it leads to enhanced learning outcomes. I will plan to implement my XR pilot program for my music classes, then the 5th grade, then expand it to the entire middle school campus. I will be pursuing my National Board Certification starting this week (to clear my preliminary music teaching credential). I will fold my XR program rollout into my National Board Certification projects and update here, so stay tuned for more updates soon.
I am so grateful to Dr. Edward M. Johns, my cohort, and Moreland University for an incredible and life-changing experience. Thank you for perusing my portfolio. I hope to connect with you in the metaverse one day.
