Objective

The objective of this assignment was to apply critical thinking skills through analyzing published research in the field of educational technology. The requirements included identifying, describing, analyzing, and evaluating major research components such as research purpose, questions, sample, results, and limitations.

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Reflection

This assignment helped me improve my critical thinking skills. It allowed me to hone an essential skill which is how to closely read research and successfully determine its merit. One thing that was really advantageous about that experience is that I got to choose a study in a topic I was very much interested in at the time: gamification and GBL in online learning environments. This artifact presents the very first strong pillar on which rests the entirety of my MET journey. It enabled me to exercise making logical connections between ideas, and not take in information at face value but go beyond that and try to see what's not obvious on the outside. Moreover, this artifact enabled me to realize that I need to always keep a critical, open, thinking, and questioning mind not just in my academic life, but in my professional and personal lives as well. This is a particularly important skill in the field of educational technology because it is a rapidly developing field and as educators and consumers we are bombarded with tons of new technologies everyday and with plenty of research that claims the effectiveness of said technologies. The skill of critical thinking is an essential life skill without which sound decisions cannot be made. Moving on forward, I can exercise critical thinking on a high level as I venture into the world of instructional design. I can see things clearly from multiple perspectives. For instance, I can consider both the pros and cons of gamification and GBL and make informed decisions when it comes to applying them in learning designs based on their appropriateness in the learning context, and not on them being marketed as trendy. My main guide in this artifact and course was Suter's (2012) book Introduction to Educational Research: A Critical Thinking Approach. 

Goal Alignment
This artifact aligns with Goal1 because it equipped me with a necessary skill (critical thinking), which helped me to accomplish Goal 1 (critically examine academic literature in the field). I have used this skill continuously in successive MET courses.

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Metaphor Alignment

It fits within my metaphor because critical thinking is the skill that allows a writer to sift through the tons of information they encounter in the researching stage and make sound decisions about the most accurate information to use to construct good arguments and examples. 

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