Ankica Stevanoska Jancheska

Back to Action Research Group, Action Research Implementation

Action Research 2.0 Project Planning for Ankica Stevanovska Janchevska

Title: Assessment of Students Photoshop Projects through Blogs - Motivation for Learning

Overall aim: The overall aim of this project is to improve students motivation for learning through the use of blog as a new assessment tool.

Key words: student's project, blog, assessment

Key developmental goals of the project

Increase student interest in working with Photoshop by assigning project in which they can develop their skills in creating and processing pictures;
Motivate students creativity in producing better pictures by informing them about using blogs as a new assessment method;
Increase interest for the gallery of pictures presented on students blogs;
Stimulate posting of comments and evaluation of pictures;

Key research questions of the study

How much publishing students picture using blogs will motivate students?
Can part of the student grade for the project be based on students comments and evaluations?
Will the new method of assessment increase student interest in learning more tools for processing pictures in Adobe Photoshop?

Research methodology and methods

At the beginning students will have a few lessons on how to work with Photoshop. During the first lesson presentation method will be used to teach them how to use tools, filters and layers. Then hands-on-experience collaborative method will be used to help them become comfortable with different ways for picture processing. Students will work in pairs.

After the main techniques for picture processing have been mastered a project work will be assigned. Each student will get a picture with a task to use different tools for modifying it and creating a better one. In addition they will be informed about the final phase of the project in which 24 students will publish their pictures (the original and the modified one) using blogs available at [1] or [2].

Their colleagues from the other classes will take part in the assessment. Their task will be to assign a grade for each modified picture based on the number of tools used to modify the picture using the following criteria:

- if 4-6 groups of tools are used, then grade 2 is assigned;

- if 7-9 groups of tools are used, then grade 3 is assigned;

- if 10-12 groups of tools are used, then grade is 4 is assigned;

- if 13-15 groups of tools are used, then grade is 5 is assigned. The role of the teacher will be to repeat the assessment herself using the same criteria and make a comparative analysis. In addition an evaluation form about how the new method of assessment has improved their motivation for learning will be filled by the students.

Research ethics

I will underline to students that they must be positively in their comments and evaluations about pictures. But if there are the comments with insulting content will be deleted and don't take in proccess of evaluation.

Review of relevant literature

Instructions for processing pictures in Photoshop : Gjorgji Jovanchevski (2004) - Informatichka tehnologija (II godina gimnazisko obrazovanie);
Action research for teacher (introduction, preparation, planning, action and results)- [3] ; (video clips for action teacher and teacher interviews)([4]
Higher education, critical professionalism and educational action research : Melanie Walker, school of Education, University of Sheffield (11 October 2001)- - [5]
About origins of ethical discord in e-learning (privacy, confidentiality, anonymity, privately public or publicly private?):Heather Kanuka and Terry Anderson - Ethical Issues in Qualitative E-Learning Research; [6]
What is action research? How do I do action research? What is focus of action research? The action plan in detail, criteria... :Jean McNiff - Action Research for professional development; [7]
Short description of blogs and educational blogging (key blog features, types of blog, blogs in Education) : Sue Harrison-Introduction to blogs and educational blogging; Tiedosto:Introduction to Blogs and Educational Blogging.pdf
Introduction to blogs, types of blogs:w:en:Blog; creating blogs on:[8] or [9]

Activity plan

05-18.01/2009 => Planning of Action Research
20.01-28.02/2009 => Execute teacher's and practical student's activities (lessons for Photoshop, creating pictures)
01.03-30.03/2009 => Creating a project blog and publishing pictures on the blog, giving comments and mark grade
01.04-20.04/2009 => Summing feedback and comments from students
20.04-25.05/2009 => Analysing data and writing report