Concept Map - Doc Talk Week 2

Research topic and concept map
This research topic concept map has been revised based on my reflections on a) questions posed to me during the course; b) readings; c) presentations by guest professors; and d) a presentation by a doctoral student. Here is a summary the changes I've made to my topic, and the thinking which has influenced these changes:

1. I have changed the purpose of the study from "design and test" to "design, develop and evaluate". One of the influences to the change in wording came from my learning about the design based method in the presentation by Drs. Jacobson and Friesen, which led to my realization that research could also encompass an intentionally interventionist approach. Their presentation was eye-opening and motivational for me; the approach to research method as an intervention, rather than an observation of a phenomena, was key to my understanding of the possibilities of research. The second influence on the change in phrasing came from my earlier reflection and blogging on the concept of "improving performance", as it is explained in Educational Technology: A Definition with Commentary (Januszewski & Molenda, 2008). I saw connections between improving performance and the AECT domain of evaluation, and in linking these concepts to an interventionist research method, decided that the term evaluation should be added to the description of the purpose of the study. I realize this is still an initial frame for my topic, but it now feels more grounded.

2. Lynn Moorman's candidacy paper The metaphysics of here to there: the relationship between the known and unknown and her presentation caused me to reflect on my approach to thinking about indigenous knowledge, specifically the nature of climate, and how we understand and experience this. The disaster management literature would address and frame a related issue as 'perception of risk', which I connected back to Lynn's paper and her discussion on the known and unknown. Ever since Lynn gave her presentation, I've been pondering and exploring the concepts of known and unknown, and find those concepts as important and underlying threads which weave through the literature I am reading. Lynn's paper also connected with me on another level, tying back to my thinking about different forms of experience in disaster management, ways of knowing, and the implications for a field of practice.

3. Based on a question posted to my blog, from my general readings in the course, and class explorations of technology trends, I have changed the term 'video-mediated strategies' to 'educational technology'. It is important to consider how the benefits of high tech can yield benefit in low tech environments. Video is one tool that can be incorporated into the design of an intervention, and/or, may be a research tool, as explained and explored in Dr. Susan Chrichton's presentation. But video is only one option. My interest is in how visual media enhance communications, both in the communication of 'expert' knowledge, the representation of 'indigenous knowledge'.

4. While my initial concept map include two field of expert knowlege (disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation), and indigenous knowledge, the way I connected and illustrated expert and indigenous knowledge has changed. While I think I at one level understood the relationships as I have now presented them, there were at least two influences on my change in representation on my concept map. First, my reading (and continued re-reading) of the chapter on Improving Performance, in the course text, specifically the section describing the media and the message, and the discussion on learning from (referening Clark's studies) and learning with (referencing Kozma's studies) fead into my thinking about the relationship of forms of knowledge. Second, our group Wiki exercise, and my own work on the non-formal section, and the case study analysis specifically, really focused me on the concept of co-learning.

I know that as I now read more literature on my topic, I will bring these new perspectives to the literature and that this influence my lens, and critique. Great learning these last two weeks for me.

First literature review
I have written, over the course of the last week, a series of potential questions or topics for my initial literature review assignment for this course. I've been struggling with this. There is a vast amount of literature on the topic of disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation. These are two distinct fields, and much of the literature speaks about the relationship and needed intersections between the fields. And then I am adding the layer of an educational technology lense. Where to start, and make this literature review a productive task? A 50,000 ft level, as the issues I am addressing are global, a 10,000 ft level, understanding a certain aspect of my topic, a 1,000 ft level, understanding an specific element in my topic.

I had a brief conversation with Dr. Jacobson the other day, and one thing she said was 'have you found one good article?'. I have lots of good articles, that is my challenge. And then I found a great article from 2008, Community level adaptation to climate change: the potential role of participatory community risk assessment, and after skimming it, realized it was on the track I wanted to go, which is at the 50,000 ft level. This article will help to shape the scope of the rest of my reading for this literature review

In the search I found another great article, which also seemed worth reading, perhaps not for this literature review, but it opened up another aspect of study related to my topic. The article is entitled Adaptive capacity and human cognition: the process of individual adaptation to climate change.

Some of my literature review options are/were:
1. How is early warning climate information communicated? (1,000 ft level)
2. What are the research gaps related to climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction as understood through an educational technology lens? (50,000 ft level)
3. What efforts are being made to incorporate climate change into disaster risk reduction approaches, and what are the educational technology considerations? (40,000 ft level)