A bit of an explanation seems to be in order. I am working
on a manuscript for publication with Dr. Szapkiw's group. It is being
completed via Sharepoint, so I am not really working on a wiki version.
At the beginning, I did not have access to the Sharepoint version of the
manuscript. This post is from that period of time.
My initial encounter with the manuscript I am working on with Dr.
Szapkiw's group came in the form of an email copy. I remember the
excitement - and the sense of foreboding - about working on a manuscript
intended for publication. I felt it was a daunting task before me. I remember skimming the manuscript and noticing areas
that could use some attention. However, I needed some guidance about how
to proceed. Dr. Szapkiw and I met via Skype for over an hour discussing
the manuscript and other Ed Tech "hot topics." We agreed she
would comment on the manuscript during an overseas flight and send me access to
the updated copy from her remote location. We discussed I would be
responsible to Dr. Szapkiw for the literature review and research proposal.
Meanwhile, I began searching for "peer-reviewed"
research that might apply to e-textbooks. This was a source of major
frustration, as I found there was little available in current research related
to e-textbooks. I was surprised there was so little information available
about student use of e-textbooks. To complicate matters, after a few
days, I had not heard from Dr. Szapkiw. Through email correspondence, I
discovered unforeseen circumstances prevented her from sending me a copy
of the manuscript. She advised I would get access to the manuscript after
her return to the country in a couple of weeks. I later found out a
computer issue was the blame for the delay! I do love technology!
With little applicable current research, and no manuscript access,
I was in a bit of a bind. These few weeks were a time when I had a bit of
available time before the end of the school year rush, yet I still was not
quite sure how to proceed. Multiple attempts to discover applicable
research, using different key word searches, proved futile. I was stalled
and had no way to proceed. To further
complicate matters, I felt a bit isolated. I didn't truly fit with other
classmates due to the nature of this assignment, and I was unsure how to
proceed. This waiting time gave me a taste of what I may encounter in my
future educational career as I will be working on our district technology plan
soon. Team work has periods of intense work and other periods of waiting.
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