Collaborative vs competitive in business writing classroom

Description: Researchers broke students into three different groups and presented the same information to students using different materials. One group was given only an e-book, another the audio-book, and the final group had access to both. They found no great correlation between comprehension and the modality which the information is given in.

Rating: 9/10

Reason for the rating: This test was given to college students about a non-fiction text which they were unfamiliar with. Students were randomly placed in their groups and the data analysis looks reputable. The information given in this text shows that audiobooks can be as effective as text in regards to comprehension. This will be valuable for the my proposal to incorporate audiobooks into English Literature classes.

Description: The authors discuss the use of podcasts to engage undergraduate students and aid in their test scores. The goal of the study was to have a teacher create podcasts of their lectures for students to listen to outside of class. Though the study found no correlation between exam scores and podcasts, the majority of the students did utilize them for studying and found them useful.

Rating: 8/10

Reasoning for the rating: The scope of my proposal will be using audiobooks or podcasts in a general English literature class. Though this discusses the use of podcasts for a large lecture based class, it is focused at biology rather than literature. Yet, the study is comprehensive about the influence on the podcasts on student's test scores.

Description: The authors discuss the usage of blogs in political science classrooms at a university level. There are five skills (critical thinking, political awareness, background research, essay writing, and reflection) which are improved through the use of blogging and the article dedicates a segment to each skill. The last section of the article discusses two types of blogging students can attempt: response to news clippings or experiential blogging. The first kind is available to all students and requires learners to find and respond to news articles. The second is more reflective of a current opportunity students might have such as studying abroad or an internship.

Rating: 7/10

Reason for the rating: The article gives detailed explanations for the impact blogging has on student achievement. It gives examples of each type of blogging to help the reader fully understand the writers ideas. Yet, the article focuses only on political science students while blogs-- and four out of the five skills mentioned above-- can be applies to the majority of university classes.

Description: Students in four different college level science classes were asked to complete concept maps then reflect on their helpfulness. A majority of the students in endocrinology found concept maps useful while students in neurobiology disagreed. Students were also allowed to state why they felt positively or negatively towards the activity. Through the survey, they found students wanted an answer key, more discussion with peers, and less terms to place on their concept maps. In the conclusion, the authors state concept maps must be appropriately designed for the end goal of the class, there must be adequate feedback from the professor, and students should see the relevance of the topic for the concept map.

Rating: 7/10

Reasoning for the rating: The article clearly explains the study and the results. Additionally, the article includes charts and graphs to help readers visiualize the information. This study only uses the data from the surveys and does not delve into the actual usefulness of concept maps as a study guide.

Description: Researchers asked students in a second language class to complete a research video assignment. Students reflected the research helped them gain key insights and a feeling of self-confidence. This self-confidence was tested as they attempted to incorporate the second language which pushed many students out of their comfort zone. Students found ways to simplify the content so they could explain their research in the second language. Due to the video presentation format, students were able to practice their language repeatedly which helped them grasp the vocabulary. As a whole, the student felt as if they learned more content and vocabulary with the video assignment.

Rating: 8/10

Reason for the Rating: The data received from the research was survey based therefore it included more opinions rather than facts. It would have been interesting to see student's final grades or test scores and compare them to previous semesters. The article is well supported with facts and quotes.

Description: Silver-Pacuilla discusses the use of assistive technology in small tutoring groups. Students belonging to these groups are adults and have a learning disability related towards literacy. The conclusion was assistive technology can help bridge the literacy gap if used in small group settings

Rating: 6/10

Reason for the rating: Great discussion about students with learning disabilities. It tackles both the pros and the cons of technology, but this setting is for tutoring groups rather than classes.

Description: This article delves into the importance of comprehension and vocabulary for college level students. It outlines different tools students can use online to help them comprehend such as annotations and graphic organizers.

Rating: 9/10

Reasoning for the rating: This article uses many sources as it describes the methods to best comprehend complex texts. It also takes time to explain the importance of comprehension in English classes as well as outside. It supports each method with an example or explanation for the success of the model. Though it touches upon ineffective methods, it does not delve into why they fail.

Description: Banner discusses the correlation between literacy blogs and reading comprehension in students. He outlines the relationship between socialization and motivation. Furthermore, he describes the steps a teacher can use to implement literature blogs in their classroom.

Rating: 7/10

Reason for the rating: Banner uses multiple sources to support his theories and methods. The examples given in the text are well-thought out, but focus on middle school and high school students. Additionally, the website "Emerging Ed Tech" is designed to be a space where educators can discuss how to integrate technology effectively in their classrooms.

Description: This article reflects on the impact of self-directed learning, technology readiness, and student motivation in blended and non-blended learning environments. These three categories were selected due to their importance in success as a student as well as an employee. It is clear that self-directed learning has a bigger effect on blended learning environments because of the independence students must exhibit during the online portion of the class. Similarly, students need more technology related skills to be successful in a blended environment. Yet, student motivation impacted both blended and non-blended learning nearly equally.

Rating: 7/10

Reason for the rating: There are plenty of citations throughout the text and the data is represented in an easy to understand fashion. Yet, the data sample size was small with only 200 students participating in the research. Therefore, more trials are needed to get a definitive answer.

Description: The article discusses the use of social media in a blended learning environment. There were three groups. The control group was taught the material face-to-face without technology. The first experimental group was taught in a blended setting with some face-to-face interaction and limited internet classes. The second experimental group was blended, similarly to experimental group one, but also had access to the class through social media. All students took a pre and post test. Students in the control group stayed the same while students in the experimental groups grew. The researchers concluded that the blended environment helped while social media support did not.

Rating: 6/10

Reason for the rating: The researchers were thorough in their data collecting and interpretations. They described each method in detail and included charts with their data. Yet, only 74 people participated in this study therefore it may not be the best judge of social-medias ability to aid education.

Description: The purpose of this article is to explore the idea of using Wikis inside the classroom. Wikis are considered great tools because they are flexible and promote collaboration. The author discusses the different ways teachers can implement wikies from groups creating and presenting a single wiki to each student creating their own and commenting on their peers wikis. Furthermore, Wikis are familiar to students which helps promote engagement. The last section describes how to create Wikis and integrate them into a classroom setting.

Rating: 10/10

Reason for the rating: This topic fully engages the reader with easy to understand text and diagrams. There are plenty of citations to support the theories.

Description: This article outlines three phases for collaborative teaching: Planning, implementing, and reflecting. It discusses the ways teachers can support student interactions through the implementation phase by creating well-thought out activities which engage the learner. These activities should focus on collaboration of peer ideas in order to be effective in building social and academic skills. It mentions a few examples such as discussion groups or large projects. The author gives multiple examples of the teacher's role in a collaborative setting as well as issues that may occur. The article encourages both the teacher and the students to reflect on the learning and collaboration afterwards.

Rating: 9/10

Reason for the rating: The author is very thorough in their research and explanation with the text. They have many citations to support their theories as well as diagrams to help illustrate their ideas. The biggest fault with the paper is that it is entirely idealistic without any reference to a case study.

Description: This article explains Bloom's Taxonomy in the college environment. It begins with an overview of the theory before delving into the questions used in the research. By using Bloom's Taxonomy, the college course was able to have students tie higher thinking to concreate examples which helped the learners gain more understanding of the materials presented.

Rating: 8/10

Reason for the rating: This article reflects on one researchers attempt to place Bloom's taxonomy into a classroom setting. It shows the reader how to implement the theory with examples and data. There are plenty of citations provided throughout the text to help support the theories. Though it does not mention technology integration, it does discuss tailoring lessons to fit student ability. Technology could be used in conjunction to help promote an even deeper understanding.

Description: This article describes online learning through the lens of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. The author describes for a person to be successful in an online setting they need to have a safe home environment, consistent formatting, and collaboration opportunities. For students to really excel in a field, they must also have an inclusive environment, assistive tools to help with self efficacy, and positive feedback on assignments. Technology plays a key role in allowing students with disabilities or weaknesses in a class to feel confident.

Rating: 10/10

Reason for the rating: The article is supported with an abundance of citations. It is organized in a clear and logical format as it follows Maslow's pyramid in order. The writing is concise and easy to understand.

Description: This article discusses English languages learners and their self-directed learning levels. The researchers took a wide sample to ESL learners and surveyed them about their demographics and their English media consumption outside of the classroom. They found that a majority of ESL students watch TV programs in English as well as have native English speakers as friends. These are considered strategies for ESLs to learn English outside of an ESL classroom.

Rating: 7/10

Reasoning for rating: The article is well supported through data and citations. It discusses the data with little bias and attempts to use learning theories to interpret their findings. Though it does not discuss the integration of technology inside of the classroom, it reflects on the use of technology in every day life to help support the learner.

Description: The article begins by defining social learning theory and reviewing Bandura's contributions to the field. Then, it discusses technologies influence on social interactions in the modern era and student engagement levels when utilizing technology inside the classroom. Games especially help students with following directions and creating critical thinking strategies which they can bring into the classroom setting.

Rating: 5/10

Reason for rating: The website for the article is minimal at best. The article itself is well written with plenty of citations to support it, but the formatting is not consistent throughout.

Description: This article begins with a thorough analysis of adult learners and andragogy. The author gives both the positive and negative reviews of andragogy before delving into the technology advancements of this era. The authors discusses social medias effect on society and education before writing about andragogy and technology together. Finally, he ends on the integration of technology and gives examples of effective usage of technology in adult education.

Rating: 7/10

Reason for rating: The information presented is well thought out and supported with citations. Yet, the text is difficult to understand at times and repeats ideas.

Description: The article describes four pillars when integrating technology into an educational setting. The four parts are the implementation models such as blended or supplemental, reflecting on using data to drive technology integration, creating a technology rich infrastructure, and supporting the instructors. In each of these pieces, the author outlines best practices and other recommendations.

Rating: 10/10

Reason for rating: This article specifically discusses adult learners and technology integration. It gives practical advice which is easy to understand and follow. The information is supported through infographics and bullet point lists to help readers firmly understand the main points of the document. Additionally, the text uses many credible sources to support their theories and claims.

Description: As the title suggests, this article dictates the necessities for a curriculum or class dedicated to teaching adult learners. Not only does it describe the environment where they flourish, but delves into twelve principles of effective teaching for adult learners. There are also examples of engaging teaching strategies which range from basic and general ideas-- for example, modeling, teamwork, and transitions-- to complex and specific tasks such as SNOW cards, gallery walks, and bumper stickers.

Rating: 8/10

Reason for rating: This article cites many different researchers and includes facts to support their theories and ideas. It defines important principles with simple and easy to understand text for novice teachers. Though it does not address technology integration, many of the ideas can be altered to include technology to enrich the learning and increase engagement levels.

Description: This text describes adult learning theories best used in a workforce training. It describes the environmental factors which lead to success in an adult student (such as a positive atmosphere) as well as techniques like heterogeneous learning groups. It attempts to persuade the reader to address the personal needs of each student while still moving the class towards the trainings goal. As a whole, this article covers the basics of what trainers need to know when teaching adults in a workface setting.

Rating: 6/10

Reason for rating: This article is very quick and direct. It discusses each technique, skill, or factor with examples and reasoning for the suggestions. Each suggestion is well-thought out and logical. Yet, the article cites few other texts which discredits it a little. The article was found through JSTOR which only sources peer-reviewed texts.