walks

Now that the weather is warmer, and the sunlight lasts a little longer, I have been going out for walks more often. It's nice to see the trees, the blooms, and the animals. A workday afternoon walk helps me relax. A weekend morning walk allows me to refresh. I highly recommend either one, or both. 

Easter Monday

A day off work as Spring Break comes to a close, but not a day off of my doctoral program. I am still hammering away at the two comprehensive exams that are due by April 24.  I've been slowly grinding out those two, 15-page papers...even blew them off for the four days I was in Palm Springs. And, I managed to pick up a head cold just before Easter Sunday. Good times. 

Back at the writing today. But, I did take a lunch break and repotted the (Tradescantia fluminensis) Nanouk that I picked up at Trader Joes's a few weeks ago. It needed a bigger pot, one that is not a bunny. And, I decided to break off the Snake plant (Sansevieria trifasciata) sprout from its mother and plant it on its own. Not only did it provide a nice break from writing scholarly papers, it serves as a reminder to nourish and recenter on occasion. 

note to self: only 29 more days of school until summer 

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