First – I loved the introduction to the Education Policy and
Analysis Archives. The requirement of a video summary for published work is
fantastic! What a great way to make the research accessible to a wider audience.
I look forward to investigating the site further. Also, I had no idea TCR
required something similar. It’s a good sign that digital tools and multiple
means of representation are becoming more prevalent.
I’m really glad to be entering the discussion of digital
tools for representing findings. I’ve been mulling over several things the past
few weeks, kind of an itchy scratchy idea in the back of my mind that I’m
looking forward to finally sharing as the readings have helped to bring these
ideas more to the forefront of my thoughts.
I really began thinking about how powerful presenting a
story via multiple media can actually be and how difficult this is to do in a
fluid manner. I’ve seen people attempt to incorporate media into presentations,
but sometimes it feels piecemeal or clunky. While there is great promise for
things like blogs, websites, video ethnographies etc. I don’t think the traditional
academic journal article will completely diminish – but it might become
technologically enhanced (beyond a companion piece like the ones from EPAA or
TRC). I am sure we will find ways to incorporate technology.
I stumbled across one of the most seamless examples of what
this might look like in journalism from a March 9th article in the New
York Times Online by Dan Barry titled “The ‘Boys’ in the Bunkhouse”. At first
glance it seems like a traditional piece of investigative journalism to include
stunning images. However, the images didn’t seem quite right, then I realized
that many of them were moving (almost like they were taken from the pages of
the Daily Prophet). The Times had incorporated Vines throughout the article and
several of these images linked to more in-depth video clips. While this isn’t
academic qualitative research the presentation proved powerful and gut wrenching, the images and video just made it more so without pandering.
As journals begin the migration to online platforms I
believe this type of media integration will emerge and prove a powerful
extension of thick description associated with high quality qualitative
research. However, there are constraints, many related to participant
protection. Also, I question the new set of skills researchers will require to
render video that when taken out of context is capable of capturing the emotion
or symbolism for the average reader/viewer.
But I can’t deny the importance of video analysis in both
interpreting and presenting the data. I was fortunate to see Barbara Rogoff
speak last week regarding her work on “Learning through Pitching In.” I found
her discussion both interesting and her descriptions effective, however when
she showed examples of students learning and working together I was struck by
just how significant her observations were. The videos captured participant interaction
with researchers in a way that neither the most detailed written descriptions
via field notes nor an audio transcript would ever be capable of capturing. (The
two most powerful examples of the significance of video and nonverbal
communication begin around 44:50 and 1:02:00.)
Wow! I love this post. There is some much to think through. First, really great example from the NYT. I would LOVE to see academic writing move to formats that are not just bound to words on a page. This would not only open up possibilities for who engages with our work, but also allow us to engage with understanding interpretations of data in new ways. Great point around Rogoff's lecture and indeed the two examples you highlighted were powerful...there is something about showing the media file that creates closeness to the data -- which I think is fundamental to the research process and the rigor of our work.
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