Internet Research for TechQuest Project

In researching for my TechQuest project, I found examples of teachers who have implemented projects similar to mine, articles on using Web 2.0 projects, and even a video that helps guide using some of these Web 2.0 tools.

1. Darren Kuropatwa created a wiki for his classes where students have to make serious contributions to solving problems. He lays out very clearly what the requirements for his students to edit are. It is a clean site that is very organized and has students collaborate effectively to understanding the math content.

2. Mr. Kuropatwa also creates blogs for his classes and one for his AP Calculus class which is a good representation of getting students information in a discussion forum. He posts reviews and answers to exams, making answers accessible to students from anywhere, as well as giving them an opportunity to comment and ask questions of one another if they did not understand how he solved the problem.

3. Yet another contribution I found from Mr. Kuropatwa is a YouTube video that he recorded while at a conference in Boston. It is a discussion between another teacher and him about the use of his blog. The teacher explains how Mr. Kuropatwa's use of technology was modeled so well that it was easy for him to implement the same ideas in his classroom. It is a great testament to the positive changes that wikis and blogs can not only have a positive effect on student learning, but other collaborative efforts of teachers as, well.

4. Another blog that was a good example of using Web 2.0 was one that incorporated an entire 8th grade at Sargent Park School. It was similar to Mr. Kuropatwa's in that it posted answers and reviews for exams, but they also posted problems that students actually had to comment, discuss, and solve. It was also a good example of using these technologies because this is a blog that connects an entire grade level in a school, not just a single classroom.

5. One article discussed a lot of research and theories about using wikis and blogs in the classroom. It talked a lot about using these Web 2.0 applications which allows students to build greater knowledge especially since in this day and age, the growth of technology and its use is expanding at a rapid rate. It gives a good background of why using these applications are so vital to the student learn process.

6. Another article gives a full description of how a wiki was used in a class similar to some of Mr. Kuropatwa's in creating a study guide for a final exam. The interesting this about this article is that it showed that when students actively participated in the wiki, they showed an average increase of about 5% or more on the final exam. I liked this resource because it showed a concrete example of how using wikis in a classroom can boost student understanding.

7. The final piece of research I looked at having to do with these Web 2.0 technologies was a thesis that utilized blogs and wikis in a math classroom. The technologies were used a great deal with using proofs and went to show that students who had difficulty with terminology or doing homework problems made great strides in their understanding of the content. It went to show that it not only enhanced student mathematical learning, but also their comprehension of the written content.

I used a variety of methods and search engines when look for this and other research for the TechQuest project. I started by using the MSU libraries E-resources and first dealt with ProQuest. I was able to find a couple of research articles there, but I primarily searched for "blogs", "wikis", or "teaching" combined with "teaching" or "education" or "math". It did not turn up a lot of resources for me and some of the articles had nothing to do with a math classroom. After that, I turned to Google Scholar and was able to find a few pieces that helped my cause. I ran into some trouble in that a lot of the resources I found from there needed an additional fee to see an entire article, thesis, or full portion of a book. I finally turned to Google itself and just searched for combinations of "web 2.0" and "teaching". I got a bunch of links, but none that were really relevant to the research I was trying to conduct. The biggest source of my search came from the help of Susan, who provided me a link to one of Mr. Kuropatwa's wikis. From there, I searched through his materials and found a blog to help my research, as well as searching him on YouTube to find a video of his work.

I think the biggest thing that hindered me in these searches is that I was too specific in the beginning. I was trying to use all the keywords I wanted at once and was getting very little resources back. It helped a lot more when I opened up my search fields and used less of the terms I wanted in my searches, but then it was more difficult sifting through the materials that were or were not useful. If I were to do it again, I would most likely use some other search engines that I learned about in this course. The Valenza article gave a lot of resources which I realize I could have used and would most likely look to use some of the sites to refine my searches. I would definitely search out a better database rather than just sticking to the MSU libraries and Google Scholar. I would maybe search more on YouTube or TeacherTube as well, in hopes of finding some video content explain the process or results.