Annotated Bibliography & Blogging Reflection

During this post, I am going to share an annotated bibliography that I recently constructed as part of my doctoral studies pursuing an advanced degree in instructional technology. I will also share a brief reflection of the blogging activity that I have undertaken over the last number of weeks.

Apple. (2019, March). iPad in education: results. https://www.apple.com/education/docs/ipad-in-education-results.pdf

Apple has produced a great report that summarises a selection of the success stories associated with K-12 and higher education institutions located in the United States who have leveraged iPads to improve academic performance and increase motivation and engagement. The report is divided into clear sections focused on these two areas and a multitude of multi-touch books are accessible through hyperlinks in the report. Even though the data that is present in the report is self-reported by the various educational institutions, the information that is presented would help any scholar who is looking at the impact of the Apple iPads in various educational settings.

CAST. (2018). Universal design for learning guidelines version 2.2. https://udlguidelines.cast.org/

The Universal design for learning (UDL) framework is designed to improve teaching and learning for all students. This framework is technology agnostic and can be used to inform the use of hardware and software in all educational settings. The framework has been constructed on the three primary networks of our brains: recognition, strategic, and affective. The UDL framework is made up of a total of nine guidelines and 31 checkpoints. Each checkpoint also includes an overview of the academic experimental and quantitative evidence that was used to formulate this aspect of the framework. This resource can be used to inform current and future efforts to ensure that instruction and learning is accessible to all learners.

Erickson, D. C. (2020). Review of Articulate Storyline 360. Teaching Theology & Religion, 23(2), 135–136. https://doi.org/10.1111/teth.12534

During my research, I found it very difficult to find peer-reviewed articles focused on the rapid e-learning authoring tool Articulate 360. Within this article, Erickson (2020) provides a concise review of one of the software packages that is offered within the Articulate 360 suite: Storyline 360. The scholar breaks down his review into three distinct sections: intuitive user interface, robust interactive features, and community resources. Even though the review within this peer-reviewed article is rather short, it is a great piece of academic work to use in any scholarly endeavours focused on exploring e-learning authoring tools and the various attributes that should be considered when reviewing such tools.

Francom, M. (2016, October 19). Educational technology use among K-12 teachers: what technologies are available and what barriers are present? [Conference Session]. Association for Educational Communications and Technology International Convention, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED582680

Within this conference session paper, Francom (2016) provides an overview of a survey that was conducted to explore the technologies that were available to public school teachers located in a rural north midwestern state in the United States of America. The study investigated the technology tools that were available to the educators and explored whether a difference was present between rural and non-rural school districts. Francom (2016) also investigated whether there was a significant difference in the use of student-centred uses of technology integration between the two differing districts. The survey that was used in this study explored the hardware that was available to the teachers, as well as the type of technology integration that was present and any potential barriers. This article could be used to support research that is being conducted on technology integration in K-12 settings and the barriers that teachers may face.

Kolmykova, M., Gavrilovskaya, N., Barsukova, M., & Kozlovskaya, D. (2021). Use of microblogging, social networking, and short messages in e-learning for information culture building. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (IJET), 16(14), 22–37. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v16i14.22391

This journal article could be used to conduct further research regarding the use of Instagram and microblogging in higher education settings. The paper contains a lot of valuable information related to online learning, such as references to Web 2.0 technologies, social constructivism, and general information concerning microblogging. The research conducted by Kolmykova et al. (2021) showed that students reported that the use of Instagram and microblogging had a positive effect on their learning. The journal article also covers the benefits of social media usage by teachers. Even though the study itself was focused on graduate students, the information contained within this resource can help to promote the research of social media and microblogging within a range of different settings.

Lege, R., & Bonner, E. (2020). Virtual reality in education: the promise, progress, and challenge. JALT CALL Journal, 16(3), 167–180. https://doi.org/10.29140/jaltcall.v16n3.388

This journal article presents the findings of an exploration of the literature that was published between 2017 and 2020 focused on virtual reality. Lege and Bonner (2020) framed their literature review upon three research questions based on the use of virtual reality in educational settings. The journal article touches upon a variety of technology topics such as accessibility, spatial memory, empathy, distance learning, pedagogy, and cognitive demand. The journal article contains a healthy number of in-text citations and an accompanying reference list. This resource can be used to support current and future research into virtual reality use within educational settings as a source for citation, as well as a useful resource to aid future investigation into the subject by exploring the references listed.

Shaunessy, E. & Page, C. (2006). Promoting inquiry in the gifted classroom through GPS and GIS technologies. Gifted Child Today, 29(4), 42-53

Shaunessy and Page (2006) provide a wealth of information in this journal article on how to use geocaching in a K-12 educational setting, especially with gifted and talented students. Detailed information is provided on Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and Geographical Information Systems (GIS), as well as an abundance of useful resources for educators to use in their classrooms. One of the authors also provides a detailed account of using GPS and GIS technologies with gifted learners. Useful information is also provided to assist fellow educators to introduce GIS and GPS technologies into their instruction and learning. This resource can be used to help educators to introduce GPS and GIS technologies into their current practice, and to assist scholar-practitioners to learn more about this type of activity and as a springboard to conducting further research.

Sözcü, Ö. F., & Ipek, I. (2014). Rapid e-learning development strategies and a multimedia project design model. European Journal of Contemporary Education, 7(1), 46-53

In this journal article, the scholars discuss a variety of e-learning instructional design strategies that can be used in educational settings. They provide an overview of models and strategies including the ADDIE model, the integrated e-learning design approach, and information regarding rapid e-learning. The paper also provides a detailed overview of multimedia project design and rapid e-learning, including information on the DDD-E model: decide, design, develop, and evaluate. This resource can be used to gain an overview of e-learning instructional design strategies that can be used to inform current and future practice. This scholarly work contains a wide range of citations, ranging from 1962 to 2013, meaning that a researcher can gain a valuable historical insight into instructional design through accessing this resource.

Web Accessibility in Mind. (2021). We have web accessibility in mind. Institute for Disability Research, Policy, and Practice. https://webaim.org/

Utah State University has created a great resource focused on the creation of accessible content: the Web Accessibility in Mind (WebAIM) website. This online resource provides a wealth of articles, resources, and tools that can be used to create accessible digital content to accommodate all learners. The site contains information on a plethora of topics such as HTML and CSS accessibility, document and media accessibility, evaluation, testing, tools, and standards and laws. This resource could be used to gather general information on digital accessibility or to use some of the guidance documentation and checklists that have been created by the organisation itself.

Yildirim, F. S. (2021). Effectiveness of augmented reality implementation methods in teaching science to middle school students. International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction, 13(2), 1024-1038

Within this journal article, Yildirim (2021) discusses an experimental research study involving 61 sixth grade students and the use of augmented reality. The paper provides a detailed overview of augmented reality and its use in educational settings. Augmented reality-based materials were used in the study and the scholars found that the use of these materials had a significant effect on the academic achievement of students. The paper itself is a good resource to use to guide and frame the use of augmented reality materials within a K-12 educational environment. The reference section of the paper also consists of a wide range of scholarly work related to both virtual and augmented reality and can be used to help current and future scholarly work focused on these types of immersive learning experiences.

Over the last eight weeks, I was challenged to create and publish regular posts on my personal website. I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience and it is my intention to keep this blog up and running for the foreseeable future. I think that every individual who has ever contemplated starting a public blog has had to wrestle with feelings of anxiety and tackle fears such as will I write something that others will find useful? Who am I to put my thoughts, feeling, and experiences regarding a subject out into the big bad world for everyone to read! I must admit, these questions also crossed my mind but then I came to the realisation that if my writing helped just one fellow educator, then it had been a worthwhile endeavour.

I personally feel that too much of our current academic research is not accessible and I would like to create content that is written in an easy-to-digest format that can help educators use research to inform their practice and help them to become scholar-practitioners.

During the last eight weeks, I have learnt that blogging can be a very powerful tool for both educational professionals and as a practice to be used in our classrooms. Blogging can be used to promote critical thinking and reflection and I will definitely be promoting its use in both student learning and to fellow colleagues moving forward. I feel I have gained a little more confidence in my writing by actively creating and publishing blogs over the last eight weeks. One of my goals when starting my advanced degree studies was to develop my academic writing skills and to actively share knowledge with my professional learning communities. By creating posts associated with the new knowledge that I am gaining through my academic studies and general daily work within the instruction technology sector, I hope that I am helping fellow educators to use technology to add value to their instruction and learning.