During the Fall 2014 semester, I completed my last semester of Grad School! Within that semester, I took one of the most informational courses I could have taken as a scholar, ITEC 7470: Educational Research. Prior to taking this course, I anticipated it being about reading and reflecting on different research pertaining to my degree. I didn’t realize the depth and breadth of knowledge that I would gain! Since this was one of the last courses that I was scheduled to take in my journey towards obtaining my Master’s Degree, I felt quite competent in my information-gathering skills. I did not anticipate leaving the class feeling as I do now: shocked at how little I actually knew about the research process. This course allowed me to analyze the detailed stages of a proper research study and determine their validity within the field.
Throughout the course readings, videos, and quizzes in ITEC7470, I have learned a lot about scholarly research. Prior to the course, I assumed all academic and scholarly journals were valid sources to utilize when I performed research. I learned that I must cautiously review sources in order to determine their validity and relevance. In this course, I completed two noteworthy assignments. An annotated bibliography was created, where I reviewed ten published journal articles relating to my capstone proposal idea. Seven of the articles were required to be peer-reviewed, and the articles employed a variety of research methods. This exposed me to the various research available on a topic of interest and allowed me to critically analyze as well as critique current research. This assignment directly related to the Capstone Proposal, which I had completed prior to the course. Reviewing and revamping the proposal for this class was eye-opening. I was able to edit it and ensure it was a high-quality piece. The rationale section was especially fine-tuned.
This course has affected my capacity to serve as an instructional technology coach or a school-level technology leader in various ways. I plan to one day be a leader in my school or district in technology, and hope to work directly with individuals and groups of teachers to promote best practices. Not only have I been able to gain exposure to some of the proper research methods in the field of education, but I have been able to fully understand how to determine the value of sources that I use. I know that I will be able to be fully do my job of coaching others by providing valid data from studies to support my thoughts and help provide others with encouragement.
Throughout the course readings, videos, and quizzes in ITEC7470, I have learned a lot about scholarly research. Prior to the course, I assumed all academic and scholarly journals were valid sources to utilize when I performed research. I learned that I must cautiously review sources in order to determine their validity and relevance. In this course, I completed two noteworthy assignments. An annotated bibliography was created, where I reviewed ten published journal articles relating to my capstone proposal idea. Seven of the articles were required to be peer-reviewed, and the articles employed a variety of research methods. This exposed me to the various research available on a topic of interest and allowed me to critically analyze as well as critique current research. This assignment directly related to the Capstone Proposal, which I had completed prior to the course. Reviewing and revamping the proposal for this class was eye-opening. I was able to edit it and ensure it was a high-quality piece. The rationale section was especially fine-tuned.
This course has affected my capacity to serve as an instructional technology coach or a school-level technology leader in various ways. I plan to one day be a leader in my school or district in technology, and hope to work directly with individuals and groups of teachers to promote best practices. Not only have I been able to gain exposure to some of the proper research methods in the field of education, but I have been able to fully understand how to determine the value of sources that I use. I know that I will be able to be fully do my job of coaching others by providing valid data from studies to support my thoughts and help provide others with encouragement.