questions

• How are instructional technologies socially conceptualized?

• Which theories are predominant in specific learning domains?

• What new theory has been developed, and/or is "old theory" adequate to the task of explaining the social impacts and use of the digital?

• To what extent is digital research theoretically or empirically driven?

• Which concepts and key themes cluster and link regardless of theoretical or empirical approach?

• Can a new "theoretical framework" for understanding instructional technology (digital learning) be generated, and is this needed?

• To what extent have interdisciplinary approaches modified or developed theory?

• Which methods and approaches predominate in education?

• Does the availability of large volumes of digital data change how the digital is studied and/or the approaches taken to instructional technologies in education?

• Are certain methods intrinsically linked to certain domains or theories? How are methods tied to the social contexts around instructional technology research?

• Have interdisciplinary approaches modified or prioritized certain methods in the study of instructional technology?

*list of questions adapted from various existing research journals and texts 

sorting

Sorting things is a fascinating process. Lately, I have been sorting through my Dad’s stamp collection, which includes my grandfather’s stamp collection. 

The two small file boxes in the image above show only a fraction of what I have inherited—there are two large file boxes filled with binders, envelopes, and loose stamps from all over the globe. 

What strikes me as I sort through this collection is not the monetary value of the stamps but the sentimental value. Collecting and cataloging stamps is a labor of love, but it is also a connection to something bigger. 

I wish I could properly convey how it feels to handle this stamp collection. Maybe the tangibility fosters connection. Maybe it’s the attention to detail and beautiful print work that is evident on the stamps. It’s wonderful. 

1972

El Dorado National Forest, past the Swansboro Airport and up Mosquito Road, 1972

This must have been shortly after Dad returned from Viet Nam and bought 55 acres here. That parcel has grown to 90 acres now, with half of it bordering National Forest land. 

The rad Pontiac station wagon is long gone. But, the sign is still there. And, I’m still here. 


experience

"It is only with experience that you begin to understand everything you do not know."

As I enter the Comprehensive Exams portion of my doctoral program, I realize that I am beginning to understand. Education is an interesting construct. It is personal, and it means different things to people. Education flows along a continuum, and begins to take different meanings as a person grows older. Perhaps the experience truly is the education.

*video: my moment of zen today