DTE4 THESIS PROPOSAL FORM

Student Name: Kevin Forrey, g00288962

1. Working Title
An investigation into the creation of a MOOC to assist in online teacher learning of modern
technologies.

2. Research Aims

The aims of this thesis are to:

1. Assess the level of technology use in Materials Technology Wood.
2. Develop an online learning resource for teachers to assist learning already taken place in
a physical manner with a view to creating a suite of projects.

3. Prepare a cost analysis for the installation of a basic Laser Cutter set up within a school.

3. Research Objectives
The objectives of this thesis are to:
1. Review the use of modern technology/ICT in MTW.
2. Establish the needs for the new technology.
3. Create an informative teaching resource on the practice of modern technology use in
the MTW room.
4. Outline the main costs associated with Laser Cutter installation.

5. Design a suite of projects & briefs using the Laser Cutter.

4. Research Methodology
To get the most from this thesis I intend on dividing my research between secondary and
primary research.
Secondary Research
I plan on using secondary research to explore the types of new technologies that are on the
market and are aimed at second level schools. This will be in the form of attaining the names of
the manufacturers, from previous Techno Teacher conferences, of the Laser Cutter and make a
comparison of various models to decide which would be the best one to examine further.
Following this I will examine the type of projects that can be manufactured on the particular
machine in attempt to visualize future projects.
I will also research the policies that are currently in place regarding the setting up of Continuing
Professional Development programmes in order to establish the fundamental requirements of
these programmes. This is achievable by visiting the Teaching Councils website and examining
their documents.
I need to examine the best practices involved in setting up a decent, well organised and easy to
navigate website to ensure a reader friendly experience.
Primary Research
It is essential that I research how many schools actually have Laser Cutters set up in the
technology rooms. This will give me an approximate idea on the number of teachers that might
want CPD training. I propose to email the Laser Cutter supplier to give a rough estimation of the

number of schools with a Laser Cutter. If possible, I will obtain names of schools that have the
Laser Cutters in order to get in contact with them.
I will also conduct a carefully thought out survey at the Techno Teachers conference in Limerick
where a concentrated group of the target market will be gathered. This will give me a great idea
on the thoughts of the experienced professionals who will be able to give me an insight into
their opinions on training up on new technologies that they may not have gotten exposed to in
their own teacher training.
In order to showcase the teaching package I will need to create a website to upload all the
relevant information onto it. This will involve training myself up on the creation of a website
which in itself will be a difficult task.

5. Initial Literature Review

Listed below are a number of initial resources I have used to begin my Thesis. It is inclusive of
books, journals and websites. I began by researching books on writing a thesis and conducting
research in an attempt to create a suitable framework for writing the thesis and then furthered
my research on the area of my research.

Research Methods/ Thesis Writing

Doing Your Research Project (Bell, 2001)
This is a detailed book providing a great insight on the best practices surrounding carrying out
research. It serves as a great tool for researches to avoid things like inadequate preparation,
time wasting and also guides the reader to establish good research habits. I found the book
particularly useful on chapter 5 Finding and searching information sources.

How to do Research (Moore, 2006)

I found this book to be of great benefit to me in the initial stages of this proposal. It assisted me
in establishing my aims and objectives properly and clearly described what is involved in each.
In chapter 3 it details how to structure research proposals, describes writing about the
background or introductions, defines the statement of aims and objectives and also outlines
how to manage the timescale of the research. The book offers a wealth of valuable information
in a clear and easy to read fashion.

Research Methods in Education (Cohen, Lawrence, & Morrison, 2011)

Offering practical and concise advice and information, this book will certainly be a go-to book
for me. I will find it extremely beneficial when I will have to conduct interviews with teachers on
the type of training they would find most advantageous, as it outlines the correct procedures
surrounding confidentiality etc
Questionnaire Design, Interviewing and Attitude Measurement (Oppenheim, 1996)
I used this book to give me an insight into how an interview is conducted and the best way to go
about conducting one. It also outlined the disadvantages of doing an interview and this I found
very interesting. Issues such as determining the meaning of such a simple phrase for example
in the past week may be interpreted in many different ways as in does it include today, or up
to yesterday or This highlighted the need for strictly thought out questions during an
interview and to have a very distinct meaning for each and every single word. It concluded that
every question schedule has to be discussed with the interviewers, tried out by them, followed
by further discussion and a firm briefing (Oppenheim, 1996, p. 83).
How to write a Thesis (Murray, 2004)
The advice in this book is very motivational, practical and very easy to follow. It has been
written in a very easy to read manner which makes it a must have. Personally I will benefit from
the early chapters in this book, Starting to Write, Seeking Structure, The First Milestone, as I lack
the motivation to begin writing. I envisage these chapters to be a stepping stone to begin my
academic writing.
Writing a Successful Thesis or Dissertation
This book contains tops and strategies for students beginning to write their academic research
project. I believe this book will be hugely beneficial in the future around the time of the poster
presentations as it has a detailed chapter, The Defence and Afterward, which discusses how
exactly to prepare and practice your presentation, formatting the best presentation and
anticipate questions that might be asked.
The students guide to preparing Dissertations and Theses (Race & Allison, 2004)
The practical solutions in this book serve extremely well for students who have not written a
Thesis yet. It provides actual samples of Title page, Abstract, proposals forms of
acknowledgement etc This is great because it provides the reader with an example of
something they have not dealt with before and acts as a solid base from which to begin with. I

was particularly attentive to chapters 13, 14 and 15 which dealt with Page size, Page margins
and Page numbering respectively as this will be of practical benefit when it comes to the
physical layout and publication of the Thesis.
Writing, Reading and Research (Veit & Gould, 2004)
This book contains an element of academic writing which I havent come across in my research
so far. Chapter 14, Argument, discusses an honest search for truth in a world where we must
acknowledge and respect competing representations of reality (Veit & Gould, 2004, p. 490). It
describes how the author of the thesis does not need to be hostile or arrogant to argue
effectively (Veit & Gould, 2004, p. 490) and explains how to be rational, open-minded and
consistent in the argument.
Assignment and Thesis Writing (Anderson & Poole, 2001)
This small book is an extremely practically based book. I t deals with all the issues students
would face when looking at a piece of academic writing this large. I found this book particularly
helpful as it gave good advice on how to use internet search engines most beneficially. It also
covered the usual practical applications like when to quote, abbreviations, using Microsoft
(Lipson, 2005) (Rowntree, 1985) (Moon & Murphy, 1999)Word and a long list of other features
that will enable you write a proper thesis.
Studying at a Distance (Talbot, 2007)
This book provides a detailed and comprehensive exploration of the benefits and developments
of e-learning and comments that the most satisfying conclusion is that online learning is being
successful (Talbot, 2007, p. 79). It discussed how blended learning is the most realistic
method of engaging completely with course content as this combines e-learning and face-toface learning. It can also be referred to as hybrid learning. This will now possibly be a
highlighted factor on the website by informing participants that learning needs to be taken
place in a physical manner previously. It also curiously discussed providing a blog section for elearners to flag any problems or discuss any issues that participants may encounter on the
website.
The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning (Mayer, 2005)
This handbook offers multimedia learning literature to scholars in a fashion that is research
based, educationally relevant, up to date and readable. It devotes an entire comprehensive
chapter to the topic of e-learning and multimedia learning in e-Courses. In chapter 35, when
asked the question Is e-learning a better learning medium, Mayer writes that when used
appropriately, the capability to present content in dual modalities, that is, relevant visuals

described by concise related audio, is advantageous when learners are novices and the context
is complex (Mayer, 2005, p. 609). Overall this book appears to be a great practical guide to
learning online.
The SAGE Handbook of E-Learning Research (Andrews & Haythornthwaite, 2007)
Online programmes can provide the necessary time flexibility to enable teachers professional
learning to move beyond awareness to nuanced understanding and commitment (Andrews &
Haythornthwaite, 2007, p. 478). The chapter on Professional Development for Teachers gives an
insight to case study experiences of online learning and courses. It discusses things like
understanding the content, learning and pedagogy, flexible practices and tools needed to
complete online courses. An invaluable book for me when it comes to formatting the
pedagogical side of my e-resource.

Reflection in a social space: Can blogging support reflective practice? (Killeavy & Moloney,
2010)
The literature in this article really challenged my beliefs and attitudes towards blogging as a
reflective practice. Personally I feel that it is a great and boundless facility for any learner to
reflect on new learnings. Is it not simply a digital diary/journal? It proposes that existing
communities may benefit from a blog-type reflective area, however the authors suggests it is
unlikely that a supportive community can be initiated by the creation of such a network
(Killeavy & Moloney, 2010, p. 1075). Contrastingly, Shih-Hsien Yang comments that two thirds
of the students expressed very positive attitudes towards the use of blogs as a platform to
reflect their learning and teachingthere was no limitations of time and space, and discussions
were therefore easier and more inviting (Yang, 2009, p. 17).
Effective Strategies for Teaching Adults (Seaman & Fellenz, 2002)
I got a great sense of confidence when I read chapter 3 in this book which discusses the use of
computer based training when it comes to adult education. It argued the benefits for what the
author referred to as Drill and Practice, reinforcing knowledge gained in the field of study. It
stated that in this form of instruction, the computer provides for reinforcement of certain
knowledge and skills (Seaman & Fellenz, 2002, p. 78).
Making the Transition to E-Learning Strategies and Issues (Bullen & Janes, 2007)
Transitioning from physical learning to e-learning can be and still is a very challenging aspect to
many people, young and old. This book offers an insight into the transition from experts around
the world. Chapter 12 discusses all the differing strategies for delivering course inline or even

providing an informational resource that requires no interaction at all. This is why I found this
book to be the most helpful and relevant book since the research began.
Web Design (Tammadge, 2001)
I soon realised that this book is more of a technical handbook providing step by step instruction
on how to create a website from scratch. It was all revolved around having a certain piece of
software on the computer which was pretty irrelevant to me. However there were some parts
of the chapters that interested me such as chapter 17, Designing a site for impact, which dealt
with design concepts, colour schemes, grabbing visitors attention and use of headings and
subheadings.
Web Style Guide (Lynch & Horton, 2008)
This book will serve as an extremely beneficial book when it comes to physically laying out and
designing the website. The author tackles the fundamental issues with setting up the website
and gives a lot of graphical explanations as to how to carry out some of the instructions.
Chapter 8, Typography, was particularly interesting thought-provoking and challenging chapter
to read as it forced me to think about the choices of typography that I will choose and more
importantly WHY.
Policy on the Continuum of Teacher Education (Teaching Council, 2011)
This official Government document sets out the information needed for teachers wishing to
develop their professional skills. It has been developed collaboratively with the Teaching
Councils role as the regulatory body that established the best practice to follow for those on the
stages of continuum of teacher education.

Websites:
TechSoft
http://www.techsoft.co.uk/default.asp
Above is the link to Tech Soft, a company that supplies the modern technology upon which this
thesis is based. The link was retrieved from the Techno Teachers website. This site will give me
information on the different types of new machines and also acts as a contact link to the
suppliers themselves.
Coursesites

https://www.coursesites.com/webapps/Bb-sites-course-creation-BBLEARN/pages/index.html
This is a website that allows the user to create a free website. This is one of many options I have
explored as a website creation page. From my research of this site, I have made the decision to
stick to making a Weebly website for the provision of my free technology resources.
Weebly
http://www.weebly.com/
This is the website that I will be using to create my own website. I have chosen this one as it
seems to be the most user friendly and easiest site to navigate around. This site allows the user
nearly an endless range of scope to personalise and organise the site to best suit your needs for
the particular standards you wish.
Epilog Laser Company
https://www.epiloglaser.com/index.htm
This is one manufacturer of the Laser Cutter based in the U.S.A. Here I was able to get
information about the laser and how it works. I soon found out that it has distributers here in
Ireland and offers a range of customer service advice etc This may be a potential supplier for a
Laser Cutter.
t4
http://www.t4.ie/
This is a support website for the teachers of the 4 technical subjects in Irish second level
schools. It provides resources, links to educational matters and gives details of upcoming events
related to the technical subjects. It is a fantastic website that gives great support for practicing
teachers and students alike.
PDST
http://www.pdst.ie/
This is a support service for schools which aims to serves as high quality developmental and
supportive service for teachers in both primary and secondary schools in Ireland. I will use this
website to stay in touch with the developing and ever changing methods of Continuing
Professional Development of teachers.

6. Initial List of References

Anderson, J., & Poole, M. (2001). Assignment and Thesis Writing. Milton: Kyodo Printing Co.
Andrews, R., & Haythornthwaite, C. (2007). The SAGE Handbook of E-Learning Research.
London: Sage Publications.
Bell, J. (2001). Doing Your Research Project. Philadelphia: St Edmundsbury Press Ltd.
Bullen, M., & Janes, D. P. (2007). Making the Transition to E-Learning Strategies and Issues.
London: Idea Group Inc.
Cohen, L., Lawrence, M., & Morrison, K. (2011). Research Methods in Education. Oxon:
Routledge.
Killeavy, M., & Moloney, A. (2010). Reflection in a social space: Can blogging support
reflective practice? Teaching and Teacher Education, 1070-1076.
Lipson, C. (2005). How to Write a BA Thesis. London`: University of Chicago Press.
Lynch, P. J., & Horton, S. (2008). Web Style Guide. Kendallville: Yale University.
Mayer, R. E. (2005). The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning. New York: Cambrdige
University Press.
Moon, B., & Murphy, P. (1999). Curriculum in Context. London: SAGE Publications.
Moore, N. (2006). How to do Research. London: MPG Books Ltd.
Murray, R. (2004). How to write a Thesis. Berkshire: Biddles Ltd.
Oppenheim, A. (1996). Questionnaire Design, Interviewing and Attitude Measurement.
London: Biddles Ltd.
Race, P., & Allison, B. (2004). The students guide to preparing Dissertations and Theses. New
York: MPG Books.
Rowntree, D. (1985). Developing Course for Students. Liverpool: Athenaeum Press Ltd.
Rudestam, K. E., & Newton, R. R. (1992). Surviving Your Dissertation. London: SAGE
Publications.
Seaman, D. F., & Fellenz, R. A. (2002). Effective Strategies for Teaching Adults. Ohio:
Macmillian Publishing Company.
Talbot, C. (2007). Studying at a Distance - A guide for Students. Berkshire: Open University
Press.

Tammadge, R. (2001). Web Design. Dublin: Gill & Macmillan Ltd.

Veit, R., & Gould, C. (2004). Writing, Reading and Research. USA: Pearson Education.
Yang, S.-H. (2009). Educational Technology & Society. Using Blogs to Enhance Critical
Reflection and Community of Practice, 11-21.
http://www.pdst.ie/conferences
https://www.epiloglaser.com/how-it-works/laser-photo-gallery.htm
http://www.weebly.com/#themes
http://uki.blackboard.com/sites/international/globalmaster/Markets/FurtherEducation.html
https://www.coursesites.com/webapps/Bb-sites-course-creationBBLEARN/pages/index.html
http://www.techsoft.co.uk/default.asp
http://www.t4.ie/