Journal
Sunday, July 1st 2012
Today I finished reading the dramaturgy chapter in Reynolds, L.T. & Herman-Kinney, N.J. Handbook of Symbolic Interactionism. Walnut Creek (CA): AltaMira Press and concluded that this is not relevant because the Storyboard project wasn't really interpreting behaviour.
Monday, July 2nd 2012
I've now included a new section in the Research methodology called 'Autobiography of the research methodology'. Mitchell et al. (2011) introduced the notion of an 'autobiography of the method' based on Miller's (1995) 'autobiography of the question'. This seems particularly appropriate in my case as many of the formative decisions which shaped the Storyboard praxis occurred several years prior to my commencement of formal action research.
Tuesday, July 3rd 2012
Today I expanded 'The use of storyboards in education research' section in the Literature review.
Wednesday, July 4th 2012
I've come across the Brunswikian lens and I'm wondering if this might be a useful tool for my data analysis.
Thursday, July 5th 2012
I've just read: Fleurke, N. (2011). Imaging the storyboard: On networks, concepts and communication. International Journal of the Image, 1(3), 155-162. She makes the comment that PowerPoint is no doubt inspired by the ubiquitous storyboard. This got me thinking, "What is the difference between the Storyboard project and previous studies using PowerPoint in the traditional sense?"
Friday, July 6th 2012
I've now changed section '3.5 Multiliteracies, multimedia and multimodality' to '3.5 Cognitive pluralism and multimodality' in the Literature review.
Saturday, July 7th 2012
I've been reading about Engeström's 'Expansive learning model' and 'Change laboratory'. The expansive learning model deals with the creation of new knowledge. In the Storyboard project, new knowledge could be seen in terms of the participants where they were acquiring knowledge which was new to them but not new overall. It could also be seen in terms of my research where a PhD aims to present new knowledge. Other similarities between the Storyboard project and Engeström's change laboratory relate to weekly meetings, the ZPD and the practice of seeking solutions.
Sunday, July 8th 2012
Today I worked on one of the biggest overhauls of the Literature
review thus far:
3.1 Introduction to the literature review
3.2 A brief history of storyboards
3.3 Knowledge representation and the affordances of symbols
3.4 Cognitive pluralism and multimodality
3.5 Approaches and methods for researching conceptual
consolidation
3.6 Research on the uses of animation in education
3.7 ICT in education
Monday, July 9th 2012
I've been thinking about the dynamics between description versus prescription. It would appear that noticing a pattern
(description) does not justify the proposal of a blueprint (prescription).
My copy of Adobe Dreamweaver arrived today. My previous version was not compatible with my new MacBook Pro so I've been using a combination of HTML coding myself and the freeware program Blue Griffin. I'm glad to back with Dreamweaver although the new changes don't seem to be improvements in terms of ease-of-use.
Tuesday, July 10th 2012
I've just read a very interesting article; Floridi, L. (2011). A defence of constructionism: Philosophy as conceptual engineering. Metaphilosophy, 42(3), 282-304. I've made some references to it in section '5.2 Epistemology - Constructionism' in my Research methodology.
Wednesday, July 11th 2012
I've come up with a walking analogy for activity theory. Rather than try to explain it now I will seek to draw it over the next few days.
Thursday, July 12th 2012
The meeting today with my supervisors was the best one yet. My walking analogy for activity theory seemed to be well received so I'll be happy to share that tomorrow at the Activity Theory discussion group at Deakin University.
Friday, July 13th 2012
The Activity Theory discussion group at Deakin University wasn't on but, by coincidence, I ran into one of my previous supervisors who was located in an adjoining room. I was already having a productive day and had already drawn the following diagram by adding Storyboard categories to Engeström's 2nd generation activity theory model as follows:
Saturday, July 14th 2012
I've only just realised that I've been using the wrong conventions for listing tables and figures. I thought that they were simply numbered according to the order in which they occur in the thesis. The correct convention suits me much better because it requires fewer changes when a table or figured is moved around.
Sunday, July 15th 2012
Engeström developed the following model as the 3rd level of activity theory. This model depicts a pair of the 2nd generation models to represent two interacting activity systems. The interest in this model lies in the interaction between the two models which is shown here as a 'potentially shared object'.
(Figure 8.1: The third generation of activity theory. Source http://www.helsinki.fi/cradle/chat.htm)
When I first encountered this model I had been been reading about Engeström's change laboratory where change was sought through the weekly meetings of the participants within the change laboratory. When I considered these meetings and the similarities that they have with the Storyboard case study, the one common feature was that such meetings occurred on a weekly basis. This point is so glaringly obvious that it could have easily been missed or rather dismissed as regular meetings occur in business, classrooms, counselling sessions, private music lessons, etc. all over the world each and every week. The following model is my response to Engeström's 3rd generation model.
(Figure 8.2: CHAT sessions)
The point of the walking analogy is that the change can occur in the actual meetings or in between the meetings. I've called this figure CHAT sessions because without the meetings there would be no in between either.
Monday, July 16th 2012
I returned back to school (work) today. I have three more days of work and then I'm off on long service leave for another 20 days. I also looked into the 'APA 6th' conventions for my Reference list. As my thesis is in HTML I haven't been using Endnote software.
Tuesday, July 17th 2012
I've been sorting through my library books for my holiday. I decided to take the earlier works which are mainly Vygostky's books.
Wednesday, July 18th 2012
I've been outlining my case study method using more detail in the Research methodology section. This was something which I had written on my 'to do list' during the last meeting with my supervisors.
Thursday, July 19th 2012
I'm now on a flight to Sydney and then onto a 15 hour flight to Dallas. I've been working on a new part of the Discussion section as follows:
8.4 Conceptual models - Meaning, substance and levels of understanding
This new heading includes discussions from previous headings such as 'Bonini's paradox' and 'The uses of metaphor in education' as that content has been merged and expanded in this new section.
Friday, July 20th 2012
The section '4.3 Working with digital media' has now been taken out of the Explanatory Animation Framework and merged into the introduction to '3.7 ICT in education' in the Literature review.
Saturday, July 21st 2012
Today I expanded the case study section with specific details about the Storyboard implementation as follows:
5.6 Methods
Sunday, July 22nd 2012
I discussed the Storyboard project with some people from Texas State University last night at a party. There was a suggestion that I could narrow it down as there are many issues that I am trying to cover.
Monday, July 23rd 2012
I feel I need to form a definitive opinion about Vygotsky's notion of Scientific v Everyday concepts.
Tuesday, July 24th 2012
I spent many hours by the pool today reading Vygotsky, L. (1962). Thought and language. Cambridge, MA: The M.I.T. Press.
Wednesday, July 25th 2012
Conceptual change and conceptual consolidation are not the same thing. This is somewhat of a breakthrough as the term which is throughout the literature is 'conceptual change'.
Thursday, July 26th 2012
I've been rewriting the introduction to the Literature review in view of the conceptual change / conceptual consolidation distinction.
Friday, July 27th 2012
Added the following three subheadings in the introduction to the Literature review:
Saturday, July 28th 2012
Today I commenced a Storyboard synopsis animation. I might not do much on this for a while but it would be very handy to have a video such as this.
Sunday, July 29th 2012
Today I added the following definition in the introduction to the Literature review:
Conceptual consolidation can only be measured and assessed according to a specific conceptual topic. This stated topic must then be explained through the careful use of symbols including (but not limited to) language.
Monday, July 30th 2012
I had lunch today with a friend from the University of Houston. We talked about many things including the fact that his department is being renamed from 'Curriculum and Instruction' to 'Instructional technology'.
Tuesday, July 31st 2012
I'm starting to think that it will be less contentious to use the term 'Explanatory models' rather than 'Conceptual models'.