SITE Interactive 2023 – How Educational Technologists and Teacher Educators can help Bridge the Research to Practice Gap

As you may have seen yesterday, I mentioned that SITE Interactive 2023 was happening and that I had looked through the schedule to find the K-12 distance, online, and blended learning session.  The fourth one I wanted to blog about was:

How Educational Technologists and Teacher Educators can help Bridge the Research to Practice Gap

KeynoteID: 62774

1. Richard Ferdig
   Kent State University

Abstract: Educational research does not always impact practice in ways that researchers and practitioners would like. This is an enduring problem that also impacts educational technology and teacher education. In attempt to address this problem, an open-access, edited book was compiled by AACE titled, “What PreK-12 teachers Should Know About Educational Technology in 2023: A Research-to-Practice Anthology.” (Available here: https://learntechlib.org/p/222690/) This recently released book provides 45 chapters and over 450 pages of text written from authors around the world who are helping to support the move from research to practice. In this invited presentation, the editors of the book will briefly discuss the origin of the book as well as broad findings from the process. Several authors from the book will also be present to briefly discuss their chapter, talk about the research-to-practice gap, and answer questions about their work. Bio: The moderator for this session, Richard E. Ferdig, Ph.D., is the Summit Professor of Learning Technologies and Professor of Educational Technology at Kent State University. He works within the Research Center for Educational Technology and also the School of Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum Studies. He earned his Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from Michigan State University. He has served as researcher and instructor at Michigan State University, the University of Florida, the Wyzsza Szkola Pedagogiczna (Krakow, Poland), and the Università degli studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia (Italy). At Kent State University, his research, teaching, and service focus on combining cutting-edge technologies with current pedagogic theory to create innovative learning environments. His research interests include online education, educational games and simulations, the relationship between faith and technology, international education, and what he labels a deeper psychology of technology. In addition to publishing and presenting nationally and internationally, Ferdig has also been funded to study the impact of emerging technologies such as augmented reality, virtual reality, and K-12 Virtual Schools. Rick was the founding Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Gaming and Computer Mediated Simulations (http://www.igi-global.com/ijgcms), the past Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Technology and Teacher Education (http://www.aace.org/pubs/jtate/), a Consulting Editor for the Development Editorial Board of Educational Technology Research and Development (http://www.springer.com/education+%26+language/learning+%26+instruction/journal/11423), and the current Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Interactive Learning Research (https://www.aace.org/pubs/jilr/).

Topic

• Developing the profession: Growing in leadership, academia, and teaching practice

I was one of the presenters from this session, so I don’t have any notes to post.  I can tell you that our general plan is for Rick Ferdig, Richard Hartshorne, and Emily Baumgartner to host the session in roughly this format:

• a brief welcome and intro explaining the purpose of the book (<5 minutes)
• each of the 6 chapter presenters (4-5 minutes)
  1. Briefly discuss what you covered in your chapter. Highlight important research findings and practical implications.
  2. While the book was written for PreK-12 teachers, talk about the main findings that might impact teacher educators (this is a TE inspired conference)
  3. Talk about what you learned in the move from translating research to practice
  • The order will be as follows:
  1. 1. Activating Universally Designed Supports in One-to-One Learning Environments: Low Investment, High Reward:  Andrea Harkins-Brown, Lisa Carey, Hillary Goldthwait-Fowles, Jennifer Kouo, and Eric Moore
     2. Girls Just Wanna STEM: Active Engagement and Mentorship in a Middle School STEM Class for Girls:  Jillian R. Powers, Ann T. Musgrove, and Susannah L. Brown
     3. Misuse of AI (Artificial Intelligence) in Assignments: Can AI-Written Content Be Detected?  Ferit Kiliçkaya and Joanna Kic-Drgas
     4. Digital-Based Video Games and 21st Century Skills:  Grace Morris
     5. Getting Teachers Truly Prepared for PreK–12 Online and Blended Instruction:  Michael K. Barbour, Charles B. Hodges, and Richard E. Ferdig
     6. The Blended Teaching Journey: Research, Resources, and Guidance for Successfully Navigating Blended Environments: Jered Borup, Michelle Jensen, Cecil R. Short, Karen Arnesen, Leanna Archamabualt, and Charles R.  Graham
• a Q/A with questions of their own to start and then questions from the audience
• closing

In case that helps some.