Matt+Hall

Updated 6/28/12


 * Linkedin ID:** Matt Hall
 * Twitter ID :** @MGBoomer1
 * Skype ID:** mgboomer7

Introduction | Background | Educational Technology Experience | Entry Tech Survey | Reflective Essay #1 | Research Topic | Inquiry Plan | Blog & Podcast Activity | Reflective Essay #2 |

=**Introduction:**= I am an //8th grade Science __Teacher__// at //Haddam-Killingworth Middle School// and have been in this position for 6 years. My content areas of instruction are The Scientific Method, Physics and Astronomy, however I am certified to teach both 4 - 8 Science and 4 - 8 Mathematics. In addition to my teaching position I have been a regular club adviser, assistant baseball coach and student mentor. My goal in teaching is to spread my passion for knowledge to my students and help them to go beyond their expectations.

=**Background:**= I am a graduate of the //University of Massachusetts in Amherst//, where I received my bachelor's degree in General Science, with a concentration in Mathematics. Prior to teaching I worked in various business environments as a retail manager, __human resources__ specialist and information systems specialist. In the summer of 2005 I completed the //Connecticut Alternate Route to __Certification__// program and received my teaching certification. Since then I have been working as an 8th grade teacher and believe that this is what I meant to do.

=**Educational Technology Experience:**= Currently I am in what I hope to be my last term of the program. If all goes according to plan, I will have completed my degree in July 2012. I started the program in August 2008 and took 1 or 2 __courses__ a term. The exposure to many new tools for use in my classroom has been the most valuable resource. During the program and through my prior experience I have become both comfortable and proficient with Powerpoint, Smart Notebook, Photoshop, Movie Maker, Audacity, Moodle and more. As I have gone through the various EDT courses I am also appreciative of how the work that is done can be directly connected to the teaching that you do. This connection has allowed me to regularly update my lessons to reflect the more current trends in technology.

Top =**Entry Tech Survey:**= Can do it || Learned it but need help to do it || Haven't done it ||
 * **Which of the following have you done?** || Have done it,
 * Engaged in educational research? ||  ||=   || X ||
 * Used an interactive whiteboard? || X ||  ||   ||
 * Disabled Java in browser? || X ||  ||   ||
 * Emptied a browser cache? || X ||  ||   ||
 * Recorded audio on a computer and edited it? || X ||  ||   ||
 * Posted audio to the web? || X ||  ||   ||
 * Used a Moodle either as a teacher or as a student? || X ||  ||   ||
 * Recorded video with a computer? || X ||  ||   ||
 * Edited video with a computer? || X ||  ||   ||
 * Captured a screenshot of a computer desktop? || X ||  ||   ||
 * Participated in using a wiki? || X ||  ||   ||
 * Downloaded a graphic from the web? || X ||  ||   ||
 * Posted graphic content to the web? || X ||  ||   ||
 * Use a graphic as a hyperlink? || X ||  ||   ||
 * Used a computer program to edit graphics? || X ||  ||   ||
 * Used html to code or edit content for the web? || X ||  ||   ||
 * Used a screen recording program? || X ||  ||   ||
 * Created a website using a free web 2.0 program? || X ||  ||   ||
 * Used a Blog? || X ||  ||   ||
 * Used APA style formatting? ||  ||   || X ||

Top =**Reflective Essay #1:**= As a scientist, or at least a teacher of science, I have done a fair amount of research as part of my studies and education. I have had to research the works of scientists, statistical principles, botanical species identification, procedures for the use of types of equipment and even methods for teaching various academic topics. It seems to me that I have done more than my fair share of research. However, in looking back over this research it seems that I have mostly been trying to find and verify facts. This is what I have always considered to be research. I feel very comfortable with my ability to find answers to questions, even if the information has to be connected from several different sources. In addition, I also feel comfortable with my ability to identify reliable sources for the information that I find. All of which had me feeling as though I knew a lot about research. Now I am not feeling as comfortable with my understanding of research. The beginning of this course has me concerned that what I consider to be research is not the same as what I should consider to be research. I am struggling with what we should think of as research versus what is just fact checking. My belief now is that I have been doing a lot of fact checking, but very little actual research. I haven’t looked at case studies, published theories or even research data to draw my own conclusions. Until I am better able to define what research is, I feel uncertain about what my goals should be. I do know that the ultimate goal of my studies is the same as the reason why I started taking Educational Technology courses in the first place, which is to become a more effective teacher with a bigger tool bag that I can pull from as I teach. The environment of teaching is changing almost as quickly as the use of technology in our social landscape is changing. In order to be an effective teacher, that doesn’t become stale, it is necessary to integrate new technologies into the classroom in a productive way. This is what I have been getting and hope to continue to get from my Educational Technology studies.

Top =**Partnered Research** (//updated 6/20/12//)**:**= My partner, Craig R., and I are doing research on the use of i-pads in education. This is a hot topic currently in education and I am intrigued by the thought of using them in my class. The obvious downside at the moment is the cost. Currently an i-pad retails for $499 (//Apple Inc., 2012) //, which means that to have enough for an entire class would be almost $12,500. In order for a school to be willing to spend that much money there needs to be a good return on the investment. A big part of my research is intended to find proof of the return. Which$of$the$following$have$you$done? Have$done$it,can$do$itLearned$it$but$need$help$to$do$itHaven’t$done$it1.&Engaged&in&educational&research?2.&Used&an&interactive&whiteboard?3.&Disabled&Java&in&a&browser?&4.&Emptied&a&browser&cache?5.&Recorded&audio&on&a&computer&and&edited&it?6.&Posted&audio&to&the&web?7.&Used&a&Moodle&either&as&a&teacher&or&as&a&student?8.&Recorded&video&with&a&computer?9.&Edited&video&with&a&computer?10.&Captured&a&screenshot&of&a&computer&desktop?11.&Participated&in&using&a&wiki?12.&Downloaded&a&graphic&from&the&web??13.&Posted&graphic&content&to&the&web?14.&Use&a&graphic&as&a&hyperlink?15.&Used&a&computer&program&to&edit&graphics?16.&Used&html&to&code&or&edit&content&for&the&web?17.&Used&a&screen&recording&program?18.&Created&a&website&using&a&free&web&2.0&program?19.&Used&a&Blog?20.&Used&APA&Style&formatting? - I-pads, like all new technology, have two seperate phases in the way they are implemented. "These phases can be called "Automating" and "Informating". In the Automating stage, new tools are used to reinforce existing practices and processes. We see this stamped all over the educational space. Smartboard use that reinforces existing frontal teaching methods. Digital content replacing paper distribution. Technology that speeds the efficiency of existing standardized testing. The essence and character of traditional educational practices however hasn't changed. It's still "business as usual" in most American schools. The second phase of a tool's implementations - "Informating" as Professor ShoshanaZuboff calls it - involves the re-imagination of processes using the new technologies. Instead of focusing on making existing processes more efficient, we start to look at entirely new methods and goals. We are in the infancy of that stage in education. In the Informating phase, educators reevaluate goals, visions and processes." (Gliksman, 2011) I believe that a lot of the excitement out there regarding the use of i-pads in education is regarding the automating, but not many people have embraced the "informating" phase. In order for this to truly revolutionize education there needs to be a significant change in the methods we use due the capabilities of this new technology. I am hoping to find more information about new methods. - Found an article on MacLearning that says a lot of what I believe: [] Having i-pads isn't going to change our standard of learning unless we truly change what we do because of their capabilities.

-Youtube video about a research study that used I-pads and other Apple technologies, to improve the literacy skills of a 4th grade class. media type="youtube" key="XnWAhFcDPrY" height="315" width="420"

-Youtube video about 10 good I-pad apps for use in education media type="youtube" key="WZ6OKnIrDGA" height="315" width="420"

-Youtube video with several reasons why I-pads should be used in classrooms media type="youtube" key="mzi2RIt8_nk" height="315" width="560"

-Youtube video of a webinar on the use of I-pads in the classroom media type="youtube" key="heclyD4nz3E" height="315" width="420"

Top =**Inquiry Plan** (updated 6/25/12):= I have chosen to look at updating the research on the use of Interactive Whiteboards in the classroom. Since the study that was read for class was published in 2005, it would seem to be time to revisit the topic and hopefully prove that the use of IWBs does improve student perfomance. I am fortunate to be in a school that has SMARTboards in every classroom. It has been my observation that most of the teachers use them as expensive computer projectors. I would like to gather some data that shows that using them in a more interactive way will help students learn better. If all goes well, I also hope to start conducting a series of training sessions about how to use an IWB to it's full capabilities My final version (hopefully) of the write-up, is attached below.

Top =**Blog & Podcast Activities**:= I read and responded to the blog **//Grading with Voice on an I-pad//** on June 23, 2012 - "This is a spectacular idea! As a public school teacher, I have felt that students don't bother reading most of the comments that are written on their work. Adding it as audio may give them more incentive to take in the teacher's feedback. I do have a couple questions: 1) How does the amount of time necessary to add audio comments compare to writing a feedback sheet? 2) Does the mic on the I-pad sufficiently record your voice or do you need an additional microphone? I do not currently own an i-pad, but I am trying to find enough good reasons to justify spending the money on one. Finding applications like this are swaying me toward getting one."

The Podcast that I listened to on June 26, 2012 (and will likely listen to again in the future) was called //The Tightwad Techs//. It consists of two tech guys that discuss and review new technology that is low to no cost. The downside to this podcast was that they are not an education focused theme. Much of their information is as it would relate to businesses. The episode that I listened to was focused on a new software program called //Fiddlehead//. On the podcast was one of the creators. This item had no real value to me as an educator, but the interesting part of the discussion came around how the name was chosen. The creator went in to an amusing description of how the company had brainstormed for name ideas. Some ideas were funny, some too serious and some made no sense. In order to choose the final name they even tested it out with friends and family to see what people's reactions would be. This made me think about how often this happens with other companies. Why were //Twitter// or //Bing// or //Google// or //Apple// the names that were picked and have now become iconic. Anyway, I like the idea of finding inexpensive technology so I will likely bookmark //The Tightwad Techs// and give it a listen from time to time.

Top =Reflective Essay #2 =

Now that the EDT598 course is coming to a close, I begin to reflect back on what I have learned about research over the course of the term. In order to identify what was learned, I must first look back on what my belief of research was when the course began. In the start of this course I was of the belief that research involved looking for clear, unbiased fact regarding an action and the subsequent reaction. What I have come to realize is that there can be research that doesn’t look for absolute fact. Much of the research that we read, and discussed, was based on subjective opinion. That is that most of the information gathered came from how people perceived the use of some type of technology. Very little of what I remember was statistical analysis of data results. Many of the papers told about what is the advantage and disadvantage of the technologies, but I can’t recall any of them quoting test results or achievement scores. Having said that, there may have been some in them, but they were not what stuck with me. In my independent research I also found this to be the case. Many of the materials that I read through said what was effective and what wasn’t, but there was little “proof” to back it up. I don’t doubt the results as being true, but my background in science and business is such that I like to see numbers. What made the scores go up or what made the scores go down? In my eyes many of the answers were left up to the faith of the researcher. If a reader is willing to do that, the information can be very helpful. If not, much of the research could be dismissed as too subjective. Overall, I did enjoy the opportunity to sort through the research and try to make connections between the various materials. The experience will serve me well as I go forward in my teaching career as I feel well equipped to investigate new technologies and decipher the research on it enough to find out what works and what doesn’t. This is a valuable skill for being a successful educator in the environment that lies ahead.