Philosophy+of+Research+Statement

Philosophy of Research Statement Anyone working in the field of educational research needs two things: a purpose and a goal. Though it is easy to say that research helps improve education or aids in the learning process, after this class, I have realized that I need to be more purposeful. Today in education students are growing up as digital natives. Yet many schools insist on making computers a class instead of an integral piece of the learning environment. That is why I think more research is needed to help bridge the gap between the teachers, who are digital immigrants, and their technologically indigenous counterparts. This can be done is through a Blended Delivery model; this means that classes are taught both in the classroom and online. Using this model will force even the most novice of technology users to meet students in a medium easy and exciting to them, thus increasing motivation, thus increasing learning. I believe more research is needed in the K-12 environment on Blended Learning. Nationally, the government will have to take a role in recognizing where technology is heading and plan the budget in order to accommodate the need for adequate software in America’s classrooms. I think that a mixed method of gathering data would be the most beneficial so that one could garner hard facts on the impact of this method on student achievement and acquire information on the attitudes and feelings of students that experienced a Blended Learning environment. Once some sound research has taken place, it will give more and more schools methods and best practices that will help them in their own transition into twenty-first century learning.