Immersion, Spring Semester -- Week 2

Struggling to Comprehend Design-Based Research

As I mentioned in last week’s post, the iTeam is responsible for writing a collaborative paper on design-based research (DBR). I am still struggling to understand what DBR is all about within an educational context. I found this post on Learning-Theories.com, hoping to generate a better understanding of the concept. After reading it three times, I understand that DBR considers context as well as the intervention itself. But, the quote that jumps out at me is this:

The intention of design-based research…is to inquire more broadly into the nature of learning in a complex system and to refine generative or predictive theories of learning.

Since context can be such a fluid aspect within the design process and can change on a dime, how can “predictive theories of learning” be generated?

And my first week as Scribe has been … interesting. While I was rather happy to stop facilitating the team work, I am finding it difficult to focus on the task at hand in team meetings since I have to concentrate on note taking. In addition, I feel like I do not have a grasp on where we are in the design process since I am not facilitating the agenda. As facilitator, I prepped for meetings by reviewing references and notes to make sure that we were on track. It enabled me to create a more thorough understanding of where we were, what we were trying to get to, and what we needed to do. There were also a few times when I had a very strong urge to jump up during the meetings and start writing on the board to clarify ideas and help with the focus of the meeting. I’m finding it harder to “take a back seat” and sit on my hands (where appropriate) then actually facilitating the group.

On a lighter note, I thought I would share this amusing video on Second Life:

Immersion -- Week 4

I am Jealous!



So, in my EDIT 730 class (Analysis and Design of Multimedia/Hypermedia Environments), we are working in teams on an Instructional Technology (IT) issue, focusing specifically on Web 2.0. Of course the Immersion team is working with T/TAC Online. Another team in the class is working with Croquet. No, it is not the game that is played in your backyard. Croquet is a "software development environment for creating and deploying deeply collaborative multi-user online applications on multiple operating systems and devices". While like Second Life in that it provides a 3D digital world, that is where the similarities end. It is open source. It has a peer-based network architecture. Users can develop applications collaboratively and easily, without the need to know how the applications work. You don't need a hi-tech video card or a super fast processor. Just a decent computer and a decent Internet connection. So the class Croquet team got to speak with some of the key people involved in the development of Croquet and the Croquet Consortium. While Croquet is still in its infancy, being involved at the beginning phases of a project that has the potential for a big impact is a unique opportunity. GMU's IT Program is exploring long term partnerships with the Croquet Consortium beyond the project in EDIT 730.

So can I say again that I am jealous? The Immersion Team met with our SMEs last week and they were all over the map with what they believe should be the next step for T/TAC Online. We spent most of last week spinning our wheels as a result. We needed to come up with project goals - when we still don't even know what the real IT issues are! Luckily, we met with more T/TAC professionals yesterday. Their insights on the day-to-day challenges of service delivery and promoting awareness of resources gave us a clearer picture as to what issues need to be addressed. But - don't get me wrong - I am still excited about the T/TAC project, I just want to be involved in the Croquet project too! Maybe that is something that can be addressed in the PhD program? Hmmm ....