Final Course Post

What an amazing course! I cannot thank you enough, Lauren, for showing us such easy to use (not that I have good luck with technology!), time-saving tools. Those which have impacted me the most so far are the following: Zotero, dropbox, wordle, and the various ways to transfer/code/manipulate data with Audacity, ExpressScribe, Transana, and Weft QDA. Since I will be using Transana for my grant work, I was disappointed to have such trouble (my tech bad luck + the demo version) working with it in class; I hoped to gain a bit more understanding with it, but I am thrilled that I feel brave enough to get my own trial to play with before I have to actually use the program. I remain intrigued by the themes that can be used in Weft QDA, and think I will use that in the future; for me, it's another concept map like wordle--which, I must admit, is helping me hone in my research interests, as I have a folder full of wordles from my written doctoral work! Beginning the transcription and coding, though we only dabbled, gave me the glimpse that I needed to see and experience to give me confidence and a better understanding of the work that's in my future. I also liked creating this blog because it is not something I would have done on my own and now I know how to do it!

In terms of tools that were not helpful....I don't have a suggestion for what to cut because for me, at my technological level, the variety and overview fit. I enjoyed the variety and I liked that we could make choices on how to spend our time and with which tools.

I had no idea what to expect from you or myself during these five weeks; what a gift!! I also appreciate how you respected our time and the ease with which you structured the course. As my work will focus on older adolescents (grades 8-12), their literacy practices, and their teachers, I know that I need to stay/become current with technology as a general consumer and a researcher. I recommend this class to many and wish you the best in your dissertation work and career. Thanks again; I truly appreciate you and this course!

ATLAS.ti

ATLAS.ti has been recommended to me in the past, so I wanted to investigate it further. I must admit that I was pleased to understand much of the reading on CAQDAS (in the assigned article), yet I would not position myself as ready to make a decision; fortunately, I don't have my own data to analyze yet! In researching more on ATLAS.ti, I discovered the following:
1.  There is a free trial version to download. The main site is as follows: http://www.atlasti.com/
2.  Student accounts can be purchased, with some basic "proof" of student status. Students receive a 90% discount-the price is $99 (and the regular, individual license is $1800)! Also, an individual license can be located on two separate machines: handy.
3.  One may received an order quote without having to purchase: this quote is an instant PDF as well as an email. Because I am not interested in receiving information now, I did not submit for an "official" quote (however, see #2).
4.  While the required article shared that ATLAS.ti can support a host of media, I was not thinking nearly as wide as necessary! The link provided is an easy to understand brochure and one of it's sections lists the varying media supported: wow!  http://www.atlasti.com/fileadmin/atlasti/downloads/atlas.ti6_brochure_2009_en.pdf
5.  Transferring between projects is stated on the brochure (link above); knowing I would not need to begin from scratch is a good thought. I think this is in the case in many programs, yet I'm reminded that I want this capability in a program I choose.
6.  ATLAS.ti can be exported into SPSS! Again, the time saved and knowing that programs work across one another is crucial.
7.  ATLAS.ti is a German-created product and is use world-wide in numerous universities and colleges.  From the searches and reading I have done, it appears there is much support (built-in the program, free additional structures, systems administrator licenses for purchase, and through the "community" tab on the website (see #1): forums, newsletters, testimonials, contact us, etc...
8.  Text is used in an .rtf format.

Wordle and Zotero

As I enter my second year of doctoral work, I am still swimming in too many research interests; narrowing the focus so I can select a committee and ensure that my courses are a fit has been stressing me out for months now. However, thanks to wordle, I'm getting closer! Using what I'm learning in the digital tools course, I have taken three major steps: 1.) I have been organizing my documents/courses into dropbox so I no longer have my work on two computers and four flashdrives. 2.) I took my written work: final papers, book reviews, conference proposals, etc... from my first year of courses at OSU and put each into a wordle. WOW! Seriously, I can't even express how much perspective this is providing me and how many patterns emerged. The collages are remarkable; even the shapes and colors speak to me and remind me of my energy and passion that I put into the written work! Now that I have them, I plan to print off all my wordles so I can peruse them all at once; seeing my work and my themes is already giving me confidence to draft and send my advisor my research ideas. Though I have had such stress about it, I actually am feeling great about where I'm headed because I have a better grasp (and a quick glance) at where I've been!  3.) I created my zotero account and started my library. I have been adding resources to zotero as I search for sources, yet my main focus has been on understanding zotero and "catching up" with the resources I already have. As one may expect, I still need to transfer many of my pdf articles and other books (from last year's work) into the library, yet I am making progress. I am in awe at the speed of the reference page (and I even enjoy the minutia of APA!) and look forward to using this new tool as I write (and cite!). It's just remarkable to organize electonically and have what I need at my fingertips.

I admit that I am concerned that the technology (particularly zotero and dropbox) will fail and I will lose my information, but I'm powering ahead anyway. I share my new discoveries at least three times a week and truly feel like a finally have a handle on my electronic life. Organizing relaxing me and I'm thrilled with my new options!