Annotating Marathon

This week I feel like I have been drowning in journal articles. The first round of annotations for my annotated bibliography are due on Sunday. Yes, I had 22 in my IDT 8100 Annotated Bibliography but many just don't seem to address my Guiding Inquires.

My Guiding Inquiries (research questions) currently are:

1. What are some of the current autonomous learning approaches being used in teacher professional development?
2. What is the current state of the use of digital badges in teacher professional development?
3. What is the rationale for using digital badges in teacher professional development?
4. What are some of the benefits and barriers related to use of digital badges in teacher professional development?

I have no doubt that I will be turning in each assignment on time (at least, I hope I will) but I expect that I will age many years in the next 10 days. In 10 days the third and final set of annotations is do with a minimum of 60 references. The fact that I am working full time this summer and am attending/presenting at a conference next week only exacerbates my stress level. 

I am, however, grateful for the structure of the course and the degree program. There is no room for slacking and the professors are so incredibly helpful and understanding. They know their students well and are helping us make our way through the process. I just have to keep persevering and use every spare minute. It will be worth it!

I love reading the journal articles, particularly if the PDF is made of text and not an image so I can have my computer read the text aloud. One of my biggest challenges comes in becoming easily distracted when reading PDFs on my computer or tablet. Yesterday I made the decision to go ahead and print out hard copies. I am hoping that will help me along in the process more efficiently. It did last night. I notated on my paper copies as my computer read aloud. I feel like that work flow is going to be a better fit for me. 

I came across an article that gave me some great insights into self-regulated learning as it relates to autonomous learning, not only for students but in regards to the role the teacher plays in the process. I expect to revisit this one many times. 

Nakata, Y. (2014). Self-regulation: Why is it important for promoting learner autonomy in the school context? Studies in Self-Access Learning Journal, 5(4), 342- 356. http://sisaljournal.org/archives/dec14/nakata 

I will be continuing to tweak my work flow as it related to researching in an effort to fine-tune my learning environment. Now, if only my cats would cooperate!

Image Source: http://www.clipartbest.com/clipart-jTxpX58TE