Thursday, September 15, 2011

Forked Path: Which is which?

I am at this point when I am tempted to do something nitty gritty for my study vs. keeping focus on what I think I should do first. The nitty gritty is this: I have 4-6 audio transcriptions in. for Nellie's classes. I want to align the data, meaning to say on a sheet of paper, I'd like to align the audio flow vs the chat--make the data in sync. That's the best term I can think of.

Recalling here the steps I've  done so far in terms of data gathering:
1) Scheme through 1 recording per teacher: N, G and NA. This gave me a sense of their classes.
    Then I've selected classes based on most recent recordings (due to recent WizIQ changes in the virtual class, consecutivity---how close the sessions are so I can follow the flow of content)
2) Transcribe 1 recording per teacher--this is to get used with the language they have; the communication happening and start taking down notes on what is happening.
3) View more of Nellie's recordings to examine her teaching and what's going on in her classes. I've started to take note of segments in the recordings and code teaching moments on my scratch sheet.
4) After viewing the first identified batch, I decided to select more classes.
5) Then I've asked 2 people to start with the audio transcriptions as I move on with viewing the Batch 2 recordings and noting  more segments to highlight.
6) I've seen emerging themes and would want to exhaust the data hence viewed  Jan-mid Feb recordings.
7) This time I've experienced a shift---I have now started to pay close attention to the chat to audio interactions, chat-chat interactions, audio to chat responses.

Since now I have the transcriptions in for Batch 1, I am torn between:
Plan A= doing a chat-audio sync of the data on paper  OR
Plan B=simply focusing on the audio transcriptions.

Plan B goes this way:  I review  Nellie's recordings again=2nd level. This means my goal is to look at the audio transcriptions then start highlighting segments based on my initial notations=coding.  I see the need to do this lest I forget the context of my notations.  This time, I shall follow a more systematic flow--starting with (Feb 18), Feb 25, March 5, March 12, March 25, April 1. 

So here goes.... I will go for Plan B.  Do this for 1 week....and keep blogging. I need to get over school reports then writing proper for research start first week of October.

Photo finish in time for October 11-13 Conference at Penang. My paper will end with a degree of certainty=emerging themes + uncertainty=possibilities for future investigation of the 'interactions' which is about a semblance of not just TP---but tp + lp= as role both T and L do.  Final questions raised=is this just unique to the style of teacher and how her perspective of online teaching and language learning? or are there in fact observable patterns in among exemplary teachers w/ a range of  teaching style.

Side questions:
1)How is teaching presence diff from teaching style and online teaching? Or what are the relations?
2) May I do a first person writing? What justifies such? Where/which part/how should I write about the choice to do first person?

I feel like I'm scribbling co centric circles in this QR path---it ain't linear at all. But it's a path I feel safe in navigating with the knowledge that this is all part of the process.  After all, I realized that I am going through this with ample reflections---I am not yet in the-wanting- to- get- this- over- and- done- with phase. I am still learning something new and look forward to seeing more recordings of N & G....G most especially!

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