Perfect timing

In this post I plan to cover many different topics, so I have given each topic a heading.  Feedback on the book (Paulus, Lester, and Dempster, 2013), in which I give my reflections and reactions to the book,  Citation Manager Software, where I discuss the presentations given on Tuesday and the discussion about these tools in chapter 4, Social Networking for Scholars, where I discuss their affordances and constraints, and finally, fully online courses, where I discuss Tuesday’s experience in comparison with an online course I took last semester.

As a side note, I would like to add that I have been taking notes and writing thoughts in Evernote during class since Ginny's presentation for my blogs--and I made a grocery list with it today.  I am liking that tool!

 Paulus, Lester, Dempster (2013) Feedback

So far, I am finding the text extremely informative.  I appreciate the clean layout and the concise language. Although it is a scholarly work, it is not ‘dry’ nor written in such high academic language that I feel as if I have to read it multiple times (I am personally relating that statement to my first experience with Khun, T. (1962) The Structure of Scientific Revolutions).  The ‘signposting’ discussed in class and in Kilbourn (2006) is apparent.  Each time I read a chapter from this book, I think to myself, “I want to write like this.  I want my work to be as academically solid yet approachable and interesting.”  What a model for me to follow.  Thank you. I also appreciate the keywords, the objectives, and even defining terms listed in the keyword section.  Again, this makes the digital world available crystal clear.

Citation Manager Software

Thank you to both Doctors Yamagata-Lynch and Varga for their engaging presentations.  I have said this on other occasions, but I do not consider myself a ‘techie’. However, I recently had an experience with another course that used the most non-user-friendly, awkwardly interfaced program for uploading video and rubrics.  Evrix.  It was not clear, the interface was non-present (literally, there were things missing that should have been visible to click for uploads, viewing, etc.), and uploading less than 10 minutes of video took over 24 hours, even when given a WIRED connection.  Prior to this experience, I did not realize how comfortable and competent I was with programs, applications, and software.  This experience solidified my own confidence in knowing what “works for me” and the presentations last night amplified this thought.  Although Mendeley looks better than Zotero in my opinion, both presentations were executed with the same professionalism.  I am planning comparing Mendeley and Endnote for one of my skill builders.  I am going to find some articles for my literature review, and try a couple different things:  1. Annotate and highlight using Adobe, then import that file to both Mendeley and Endnote to see if the ‘marked up’ pdfs save. 2. I also plan on trying to write a few paragraphs using the automatic citation feature (in both Mendeley and Endnote) that both our speakers did not use for fear of incorrect citation or the function not working properly.  I thought that the Mendeley software interface looked cleaner and seemed very user-friendly. Although I have yet to try any citation management software, I am attempting to maintain a paperless course throughout my comprehensive exams.  However, old habits die hard, and I am still adapting to reading on my computer.  I have an e-reader, but it is the original “Nook” from Barnes and Noble. I believe that it may not have all of the features I may need for highlighting and annotating texts.  Not only that, I do not believe that I can install any apps. 

Social Networking for Scholars

In chapter 4 of Paulus, Lester, and Dempster (2013), many tools are mentioned for scheduling meetings and social networking for scholars.  I appreciated the online demonstration of Doodle (Thank you, Dr. Paulus) because I heard my committee saying, “Let’s set up a Doodle for a meeting schedule.”  I knew that I would hear about this tool in this course, and it is in the book.  Like many things, it is much simpler than I imagine it will be, which is never disappointing. Since Doodle cannot compare with ATLAS.ti, I do not have much to say about affordances and constraints, except the one constraint I can think of is that the people you send the link to do not respond.  That is not a constraint of the application, but rather the user.

 The discussion surrounding social networking in Paulus, Lester, and Dempster (2013) such as Google Scholar and academia.edu are of no interest to me. At this point in my life, I feel overwhelmed with all of the social networking opportunities.  Frankly, I do not want to take the time to create profiles, edit posts, share, or check all of those feeds. I would get caught up and then I would waste valuable time. Seeing a brief demonstration online was beneficial for the sake of knowledge, but I am trying (sometimes my efforts are in vain) to wean myself from Facebook. I find the more connected I get online, the more DISconnected I get to my immediate life and existence.  I am easily sidetracked (a trait that is a burden to a doctoral student) and I am already addicted to my smartphone.  It is amazing to think what I did before smartphones were on the market, and I am also attempting to separate myself from it at least slightly.  I do check emails and ‘work’, but I also play games, check Facebook, text, and play games with friends, such as “Words with Friends”, which distract me from what is important.  At this moment in time, my children, who are out of school for the summer, want their mother to be involved with them, not looking at her phone.  Also, I was just assigned my comp questions on Tuesday (Might I add, this course could not have come at a better time, I am going to study, and probably cite parts of this book.) which means I do not have time to waste.  I do believe that social networking sites do have many affordances, such as networking with others, possible collaboration opportunities, and having access to the most recent publications, but the constraints can be within the program, such as privacy, sharing, and including people as ‘friends’ or in a ‘circle’.

“Fully” Online Courses

I say the word “fully” because there are hybrid course options available where students meet face-to-face and online, and there are also asynchronous courses where students go at their own pace.  I agree with Dr. Paulus, as Tuesday’s online session was seamless.  All of the application sharing was working, nearly everyone was able to stay online, there were minimal microphone and headset issues, and the group discussions (at least in my group) were beneficial, clear, and without technical difficulty.  I know that Dr. Paulus asked us via email for feedback surrounding EDPY 604 to be strictly online.  My answer to that would be a resounding “no”.  I should not be negative, I know, but I did have one strictly online synchronous course last semester that was a debacle nearly every time we met.  Part of it was the use of the Evrix tool, but there was a human element lacking as well.  There was a cohort of teachers taking the course simultaneously along with their principal.  This may or may not have affected the dynamics of the students, but the three hour course was dull.  No one would speak, and it seemed there were all sorts of technical snafus throughout the entire semester.  Feedback due to incorrect headsets, five or six people in one computer lab, and you could hear nothing but everyone else’s voices, people not being able to hear one another, people not able to login, etc.  It was awful for me.  I became frustrated, and I did all of the things that one is tempted to do in an online course—facebook, text, chat, surf the web, email, pet my dog, play uno with my kids—I did it all.  I need face-to-face time in a class.  It helps me build relationships and allows me a level of comfort so I can ask questions.  I am not averse to a hybrid design for this course, but I feel that I would be lost if it were completely online.