Research Synthesis I

Assignment

Select a instructional design and technology related topic that interests you (Consult your textbook, course readings, etc. for ideas). Read three research articles from reputable, peer reviewed, research journals that are related to your selected topic and synthesize the research. Present this synthesis as a word processed document.

Requirements

    * Choose a topic within the scope of Instructional Design and Technology
    * Use a cover sheet that includes the title that you have given your assignment, your name, your email address and any other information that you deem appropriate.
    * Include the title/heading at the top of the first page of your assignment
    * 3 journal articles
          o All of your articles must come from peer-reviewed journals
          o All of the articles must be based on research. In other words, a study was conducted.
          o Only one may be from an online journal (one that has no print version). But the articles you select from print journals may be retrieved online if they are available via library database, etc.
          o All of the articles must have been published within the last six years.
    * Synthesize the research that you read.
          o Please note that synthesizing entails much more than simply summarizing the research articles. You must document how the sudies relate to each other, and you must develop and relay your own insights based on the results of the studies conducted.
          o Your narrative (synthesis) must be between 300 and 400 words. This word count does not include your title page, references, or othe content.
          o The entire document, including references, must follow APA formatting (according to the most recent edition of the APA Style Guide) with the exception that the document should be single-spaced.
    * Provide a list of references.
          o Follow APA formatting (according to the most recent edition of the APA Style Guide)
          o Remember that according to APA formatting, you should reverse indent each of your references (Consult the Help menu within your word processor for assistance)
          o Include the citations to the three articles that you synthesize for this project. Include links to the full text of each article. If the full text is not available online, you must include a copy of the article itself.
          o Include references/acknowledgments for any additional sources that you used for this project.
    * Synthesis and references should be presented as a word processed document.

Suggested Strategy

   1. Choose a topic within the purview of IDT. Try to be as focused as possible.
   2. Retrieve three empirical research articles on the topic.
   3. After reading the articles, ask yourself, "What do these articles together say about my topic?" Use this as the topic/thesis sentence of your paragraph(s).
   4. Use details from the individual articles to support your thesis statement.
   5. Include the references adhering to APA format.
   6. See examples below.

Reminders

• You can contact the UM ITD Help Desk at 678-8888 anytime you need technical support. They can also help you schedule a help session during which you can sit one-on-one with a technology trainer and get tutoring on how to use the software for any UM class.

Submitting Project

Upload your project file(s) in the corresponding dropox before the deadline.
Assessment
Criterion
Weight

Low

Medium

High
Synthesis
50%

	Paper merely summarizes research. 	Paper attempts to synthesize research. 	Paper synthesizes as a whole research with support from individual authors.

Requirements
50%

	Paper is missing significant requirements. 	  	Paper meets all requirements listed.

Example 1

(It has more references than you need; you only need three. It does not meet the word count)

DIGITAL VIDEO USE IN THE CLASSROOM

Similar to analog video, digital video use in the classroom extends across curricula. Escalada, Grabhorn and Zollman (1996) have integrated interactive digital video into the physics classroom. Student motivation and understanding was increased, while students were challenged by the length of time for completion. Anderson, Mikat and Martinez (2001) suggest digital video be integrated into physical education curricula as well. Similar to Steinman (1993), these authors encourage video for demonstrations of skills, sports or games, as well as to record student performance. They recommend digital video may be used for assessment and to demonstrate growth or plateaus in performance.

Howard (2001) proposes digital video to increase motivation in social studies. She suggests teachers team up with library media specialists to record a “virtual field trip to a local or regional historic spot …. as a preview or follow up” activity (Howard, 2001, p. 19). For project-based learning, she also suggests student create video photo albums, family histories or student biographies. These projects can be extended to interviews with local senior citizens on historic events, such as the Depression. While these projects may be directed at social studies, they can be interdisciplinary as students write scripts and interviews, draw storyboards and research historic events.

REFERENCES

Anderson, M., Mikat, R. P., & Martinez, R. (2001). Digital video production in physical education and athletics. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 72(6), 19-21.

Escalada, L. T., Grabhorn, R., & Zollman, D. A. (1996). Applications of interactive digital video in a physics classroom. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 5(1), 73-97.

Howard, M. (2001). Team up with digital video and iMovie for social studies excitement. Library Talk, 14(5), 18-22.

Steinman, R. (1993). Cameras in the classroom. Science Teacher, 60(4), 16-19.

Example 2

(It has more references than you need; you only need three. This example only has two journal articles; you need three. It does not meet the word count.)

A LACK OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION

The National Center for Education Statistics (2000-2002) and Brand (1998) report that teachers have a lack of release time for significant dedication to technology-related professional development. More than one-third of teachers have received one to five hours of technology-related professional development, and another third have received none (Trotter, 1999). Moreover, few school districts and colleges of education offer sufficient professional development to ensure meaningful technology integration (Farenga & Joyce, 2001). Only about 17 percent of technology budgets is currently dedicated to professional development and training (Web-Based Education Commission, 2000). In 1995, the Office of Technology Assessment advocated spending at least 30 percent of technology budgets on ongoing instruction, and today, the National Education Association endorses allocating at least 40 percent to teacher training (Web-Based Education Commission, 2000).

REFERENCES

    Brand, G. A. (1998). What research says: Training teachers for using technology. Journal of Staff Development, Winter, Available at http://www.nsdc.org/library/jsd/brand191.html.

    Farenga, S. J., & Joyce, B. A. (2001). Hardware versus brainware: Where are technology dollars being invested? Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 9(3), 313-319.

    National Center for Educational Statistics. (2000-2002). The condition of education. Washington, DC: US Department of Education.

    Trotter, A. (1999, September 23). Technology counts '99: Building the digital curriculum. Retrieved July 14, 2003, from http://www.edweek.org/sreports/tc99/articles/teach.htm

    Web-Based Education Commission. (2000). The power of the Internet for learning: Moving from promise to practice. Retrieved July 9, 2003, from http://interact.hpcnet.org/webcommission/index.htm