Oh the research...!

 I am literally driving myself nuts.

Task 1: Crunch the massive amounts of data that I received from my teacher survey and create my revised/final rating scale to test tech skills (haha-only 2 teachers took it--that's all who were supposed to take it=o). It took about 3 hours. It's been eating at me that similar studies to mine always incorporated an assessment of students' perceived tech skills prior to testing their real skills. But it really serves no purpose for me. Based on the majority of findings (their perceptions far exceed their actual skills), I think it would be rude of me to give a survey to check their self-efficacy and then test them on their actual skills. It would be like saying, "This is what you think you know, and HA!, this is what you really know--not so great, are you?" I don't want to lower their self-esteem. I'm trying to help them!

Task 2: Research....again. I've spent about 10 hours this week so far. I keep coming up with different angles. Here they are:

1. Find studies that test tech skills of high school or college freshmen, focusing on the "myth of the   digital native" angle.

2. Tutorial vs. demonstrative instruction

3. The effects of not having a tech literacy program--I can't find anything--weird, right?

4. Importance of basic computer skills

5. The necessity of acquiring basic computer skills to have success in college and the job market.

6. ? Time will tell...

I cannot yet sit down and start writing. Every time I try, I find myself researching again. I am starting to wonder if a backwards approach isn't more my M.O.--start writing and then incorporate the articles I've found. I NEVER have trouble running at the mouth (keyboard). But now I do.

Daily Panic: See previous entries. Plus I feel like I'm in an endless Gravitron of research-I'm stuck and I'm spinning and I can't see clearly!

(I would rather spend Monday night writing at my computer, hint-hint).