Dissertation Talk

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It's been awhile since I've posted. I have numerous things I'd like to write about...things to share that you need to know. Websites will be changing soon to make more room for ads...and Google is refining their search engine results again. All things that will affect the way your students read and learn online.

I've also been very busy helping the Interational Reading Association rewrite and re-frame their position statement regarding technology and literacy. Can't say more...but stay posted...very exciting.

So, the real reason for this very conversational post is that I've been spending too much time moving toward my dissertation research. I decided last night to take a leap of faith and share the trials and tribulations of my progress through the process. May turn out to be very boring, may be very insightful. I probably will get admonished or coaxed into now sharing these ideas with the Internet world by colleagues. At the very least it will provide me with an opportunity to think out some ideas as I work along.

SO...today was spent finalizing and uploading my files to the UConn IRB. I was all excited and IM'ed Lisa with the good news...and then got the rejection email from the IRB. So it was back to the writing and revision. Now..I'm waiting again.

My research question is going to take a look at the way students critically evaluate information while looking at online sources. The research shows that students don't evaluate information when reading online. Even more serious is that they are frequently fooled while obtaining information for their personal and academic exploits.

So the question came up last year during work with the TICA grant...could you teach critical evaluation by having the kids build hoax websites? Greg and I toyed with the idea for awhile...and that will be the basic thread that holds my work together. I'll be unpacking whether or not you can facilitate critical evaluation of online information through online content creation.

Should be fun...I'll have more info as time, and ideas warrant...

Go Huskies!!!

W. Ian O'Byrne

Comments

[Doctoral Dissertation]

Blogs are good in which we get lots of information and convert that information to knowledge.