About Me
I am Santosh Sapkota, from Nepal. I am currently a full-time PhD student at the Centre for Research in Education and Educational Technology (CREET), at the Open University, Milton Keynes, in the United Kingdom. I am interested in open and distance education, Teacher Education and the integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Education. My interests also include ELT, language pedagogy and technology, multimodal discourse, computer-mediated communication, and pedagogical practices in virtual worlds such as Second Life. Currently, I am exploring Teacher Education through Open and Distance Mode, particularly in a developmental context like Nepal.
Recently, for the Master of Research (MRes) degree, I conducted an ethnographic study to explore multimodal learning and teaching practices in the virtual world of Second Life. I was involved in a project called Schome (i.e., neither School nor home) where as a member of in-world staff and a researcher, I collected data for research. It was very interesting to explore the virtual world, and at the same time collecting and analysing multimodal data proved to be very challenging, both in terms of research ethics and the practicalities of research.
Prior to the MRes, I studied International ELT and Applied Language Studies at the London Metropolitan University graduating with a Master of Arts (MA) with Distinction in 2006. My MA dissertation explored the multimodal discourse of Nepalese online communities.
Back in Nepal, as a part of my two-year Master of Education (M.Ed) degree, I carried out a study on the language used on the Internet, in chat rooms and SMS, with a particular focus on the Nepalese context.
I believe that using information and communication technology, and virtual worlds, in education, it is possible to innovate pedagogical practices even in a developing country like Nepal. It is, however, important to consider the fact that educational innovation and change is determined by technological affordances (such as internet speed, mobile coverage), and education infrastructures.
What am I up-to?
Writing-up my thesis...
Welcome to MERORESEARCH
