In this assignment, you will form a group with a shared interest in a topic, tools, or issue in the field of educational technology. As a group, you will research and investigate the topic then prepare a short audio/video presentation to share your learning.

You are encouraged to work in groups of four and not overlap topics with other groups. Each group will prepare one audio/video presentation, that may include multiple inquiry questions, and group members can certainly take different positions and tackle different aspects of the presentation. Your presentation should be captured as an 5-8 minute audio/video file and uploaded and shared through a blog post. Please feel free to be creative with this project, and consider the use of screencasts, video presentations, podcasts, dramatization, simulation, animation, etc.

In addition to posting the project presentation online, your group will be expected to report out twice on your team progress in class:

  1. Initially, each team will present a preliminary report through a short (3-5 minute) presentation in class about their area of inquiry. In this presentation you can present the topic, why it is of interest, and any initial findings or thoughts.
  2. At the end of the term each team will present a 5-minute overview of their findings and reflections in a class presentation to be followed by brief question and answer session. You may show a short segment of your video project, but the goal is to encourage your peers to watch your video for more details.

Your project should be structured around the following prompts:

  • What is your technology inquiry question? (For example, What is the impact of screen time on children? How can one use Flipgrid in a classroom? What are some best practices in terms of copyright with regard to learning design?, etc.)
  • What is the relationship of your topic to teaching and learning?
  • What are the pros, cons, and risks?
  • What are some of the strategies, best practices, and tips regarding your inquiry findings?

You will use the same blog as for Assignment 1. When complete, you can post your resource can be copied/posted across all group member blogs. The category “edtech inquiry” on your blog will be used for this assignment. Here is a Group Project Planning Guide for you to review if you would like some guidance or tips on how to plan for a successful group project.

Questions to Help Inspire Your Educational Technology Resource Development

  • What is the role of cell phones in schools? What are the policies and research around this? What is my policy?
  • How does technology help me in answering an inquiry question?
  • Does Augmented Reality have a place in K-12 education?
  • What are the strengths and weaknesses of Google apps for education?
  • Can Kahoot be an effective formative and summative assessment tool?
  • What makes a good classroom website/blog?
  • How can video recording and editing be used effectively in teaching and learning?
  • What are some technologies that can help students with learning difficulties?
  • Are there Ed Tech tools to make individualized learning easier to implement? What different types of individualized learning are there?
  • What are the primary internet safety issues for use in the classroom, and how can they be most effectively taught?
  • What role, if any, should Minecraft, coding, or 3D printing have in K-12?
  • How compelling is current virtual reality technology for going on otherwise “impossible” field trips?
  • Can coding tools be a more engaging way to teach?