Week 5 EDLD5301 - Research

Week 5 is ending and this class is almost history. This has been a very interesting and enjoyable course.  I must admit that what I thought this class would be and what it turned out to be are entirely different.  That was a pleasant surprise. 

As I mentioned in my discussion board post, when I attended college in the 1970’s research meant an entirely different thing.  At that time when a class required research or a research paper you went to the college library to start.  Of course back then the thought of using a personal computer and something called “Google” didn’t exist or enter the minds of college students.  We used the card catalog to start finding resources.  Hopefully if you needed a periodical such as a magazine it would be available and not already in use by another student since there would only be one copy!  Once your materials were collected you started taking notes, not on a computer but by handwriting them on 3 x 5 note cards.  My how times have changed.

When I first read that I was going to have a “research” class what I expected and what I received are on different ends of the spectrum.  I honestly expected that we would be taught how to gather data and cite sources correctly.  Having been out of the classroom as a student for over 25 years I realize that research has changed just as life has changed. 

Research to me now means something totally different and this really is a good thing.  Action research as we have learned isn’t about reading books and writing a paper.  It is about actually developing a topic that you want to research using a process involving others. 

Through the course of this 5 week course we have learned how to develop and fine tune our action research project.  We have worked not only with one another to develop our plans, but with our site supervisors and the professor as well.  Through the use of videos, readings, discussion boards and blogs we have learned so much.  We have learned how to write the plan of action and develop a template which will give us organization in our plan and research. 

In addition, I am really excited to start my action research project.  I know in the past just the mention of research brought horrible thoughts and memories.  That is no longer the case!