#02: What is your masters project topic?

[Steve Gibbs]

What are you considering as a masters project? If you are still unsure, share what you are tentatively considering. Why have you chosen this topic?

[amyy]

I'm still unsure what my project will be but I'm thinking about trying to figure out if data director can be used to determine which students are more likely to drop out and end up at one of the alternative high schools. I'm not sure I want to do this because I might want to do something more "hands on" that will relate directly to my classroom and not so much to the school as a whole.

[jhartman]

I have been using WISE (Web based Inquiry Science Environment) projects for several years now and have not been satisfied with the reactions from students. There is a lot of potential, but there is something missing. I completed a project call Graphing Stories, which had the student write about and graph the motion of a group of kids on a hiking trip with a bear encounter. They had to graph the motion on a position time graph and use a motion probes to physically produce the same shape on the computer screen. This was the first time I saw the "light bulb" turn on for students. I would like my masters project to be on how using data collection devices, such as motion probes, increases student understanding of position time graphs.

[lauren]

The debate continues to rage on the effectiveness on homework: does it translate into higher test scores? How do I cover the language of science and insure students have the background needed to understand our curriculum without asking some effort on their part outside of the classroom day? I personally feel that homework is an essential component of learning - not always just for the subject being studied also but for the broader implications of teaching personal responsibility and carry through. Many studies have been done on this but I would like to compare homework turn in rates to test scores or perhaps compare test scores for classes never assigned homework during a particular unit with classes who were assigned homework.

[kellyh]

I am still unsure on what I am going to do, but I have been leaning towards Utilizing Project Based Learning in the classroom. I would like to incorporate the use of technology, which most PBL units do.

[erlyn]

Just like Kelly, I am still unsure. I am interested in the effectiveness of social networking sites for doing book projects/reviews. I also attended a workshop on using the InteractiveMOBI. If this is something we can get, I would love to do my thesis on how effective this product is in raising student test scores.

[Brittany]

I am still trying to narrow it down, but I know my topic will deal with electronic/computer math games in the classroom and how do they engage the student.

[Steve Gibbs]

It's Saturday, March 6, 12 noon. I'm checking in to doc responses. Those who haven't posted yet, keep it coming, please. Project ideas are tentative. No problem changing it later.

[Megan Gerdts]

I was hoping to do something related to the effectiveness of using document cameras. Do students score better on tests after being taught using document camera technology? I am running into issues with finding research related to this topic. There is a little bit of research relating to smart boards, but nothing for the use of document cameras in the elementary classroom. I found some articles about the use of doc. cameras in distance learning, but that's it. So, I guess I'm open to changing/modifying my topic and am open to suggestions!

[brandys]

I'm pretty sure I want to do my project on something related to SMARTboards. After doing some digging in the online journals I have ran across the idea that many teachers don't have the training in the new technology that they receive, therefore they aren't able to use it to its fullest potential. The first part of my project would involve creating a training guide or how-to for teachers who are beginning to use LCD projectors, document cameras, and SMARTboards in their classrooms. It would include tips and tricks for using the new equipment, and ideas for lesson plans.
The second part of my project would include creating a share drive or wiki that would allow teachers from the district to post Notebook lessons for the SMARTboard to share with other teachers in the district. I would organize and administer the site so that lessons were easy to find based on grade level and subject. My goal is to make a place where teachers who are just beginning to use the technology will be able to pick up lessons that they can download and use immediately. Teachers would also be able to use the site or drive as a place to look up lessons that might have already been created, because who wants to recreate the wheel every year?

[tbonebusch]

Researching the effectiveness of computer based "on pitch" singing assessments.