South Alabama Conference on Technology and Learning

On Monday, May 13th, we presented in our first academic conference. We presented our research and findings as a poster session and were the only graduate students to present in the entire conference. Other faculty engaged in us in dialogue regarding our work, and we valued the constructive feedback we received, which was overwhelmingly positive! Here are a few pictures from the day as well as a copy of our PowerPoint.

Technology Utilization among Graduate Assistants and Faculty from MsRyals

(from left to right:  Ashley, Lindsay, & Dr. Vitulli)

(our PowerPoint poster presentation)

Title:  "Technology Utilization among Graduate Assistants and Faculty"

Are you a "Digital Native?" 

Ashley & Lindsay preparing to present.

 

Oral Interviews/Case Studies for Our Research Presentation

Ashley and I are conducting our oral interviews that we are using as part of our research. We are interviewing Dr. Harold Dodge, Dr. Susan Santoli , Dr. David Gray, and Dr. Rebecca Giles from the Leadership and Teacher Education Department in the College of Education at the University of South Alabama. Here are a copy of our questions:  

Case Study Questions for Oral Interview 

Personal 

1.How have you met the demands of the shift in technology into your curriculum? Has it been a difficult transition? If so, how? 

2.What types of social media do you use? Do you use it in your curriculum? 

3.What new technologies do you find most promising in the field of education? 

4.Do you find any of the new technologies to be deterring factors in the field of education? If so, what are they? 

5.Do you feel comfortable in making informed decisions in regards to the use of technology in your classroom?

Technology and Collaboration 

6. When seeking help with issues with technology components, whom do you look  to for answers?

7.  What technology components do you often seek the most help with from graduate assistants? Do you view graduate assistants as a coach, a guardian (at times), a counselor, or facilitator when they offer help?

8. Do you feel like there is an already established and effective mentoring program between the faculty and the graduate assistants? Please explain both sides of the relationship, the exchange of knowledge, and give examples where necessary.

9. With today’s shift in technology and Digital Natives emerging in classrooms, what are the benefits that you see from the relationships between faculty members and graduate assistants who are also Millennials?

10. Some universities have begun to design mentoring programs for graduate assistants to aid in technology infusion with current faculty, and some of these programs require the assistants in the program to be in a class. Do you feel this type of program would help you with the shift in technology and collaborations within your department? If so, what key components (e.g. designing websites, creating podcasts, creating surveys, collecting and recording data, creating eBooks, using eBooks, help with university course management software, etc) do you think should be incorporated into a mentoring program for graduate assistants?

11. Do you think graduate assistants should design technology proposals to incorporate into their work? What might some of the effects be? Do you have any suggestions into this type of proposal?

12.  Has there been any negative effects with the introduction of technology into your curriculum or department? If there has been, how might graduate students assist with these effects?

 The Future of Education and Technology 

13. What factors or trends do you consider to be the driving force in educational technology adoption?

14.   To what extent have you seen some professors feeling uncomfortable with incorporating technology into their classrooms?

15.  What other barriers do you see at the university in adopting new technology?

16. What technological tools does your department currently use? Which tools do you think will still be in use within five years?

17.    What do the characteristics of Digital Natives suggest for future educational practices?

The Exchange 

18.   Many graduate assistants intend to further their educational pursuits following completion of their master’s program.  What do you see as your role in preparing graduate assistants for opportunities beyond their current program (e.g. preparing an effective curriculum vitae, improving effective academic writing, managing career progression, orientation to research and collection of data, obtaining ethical approval, presentation of research, etc.)?

19.   Do you feel like the faculty and graduate assistant relationships provided at the university allow for this exchange? If so, how? If not, why?

20.     If you are not satisfied with the current relationships, what efforts should be made to improve collaboration and imparting of knowledge?