research skills for the 21st century - secondary

Research Skills for the 21st Century

Greg Scotchburn and Isabelle Hobbs December 2008

Presentation created by G. Scotchburn

Student Research Habits


Information Literacy

“Information Literacy is defined as “the ability to acquire, critically evaluate, select, use, create and communicate information in ways which lead to knowledge and wisdom” (Information Studies K-12, OLA)


Finds best solutions for family counseling Social Worker

Reads journal for latest proceduresDoctor

Checks local building codesCity Planner

Revises menu to improve nutritionChef

Compares specs of new models for emissions testing

Automotive Shop Owner

Gathers archival background for novelWriter

Updates knowledge of computer systemsVideo Game Designer

Research ActivityField

Information Literacy in the Workplace

From TDSB Information Literacy presentation


DDSB Information Literacy Skills Continuum

http://programs.durham.edu.on.ca/ddsbinfoli/


Designing Research Assignments – Some Models

• Take a position

• Compare and contrast

• The Re-Create Model

Loertscher, David and others. Ban Those Bird Units 15 Models For Teaching and Learning in Information-rich and Technology-rich Environments. Salt Lake City UT: Hi Willow Research and Publishing, 2005.


Take a Position


Compare and Contrast


Re-create Model

Preparing for Research

Define, Explore, Identify, Relate


Explore

• You are researching MARC records – develop 5 questions

• Resources – Grolier http://go-passport.grolier.com/splash (no username or password necessary at school, home access for students and teachers username: durham password: research12

• Canadian Encyclopedia (www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com) no useraname or password required

• other encyclopedias (ex. Worldbook, Britannica),, library resources, textbook


Setting the Context: Developing Questions

http://programs.durham.edu.on.ca/ddsbinfoli/


Think Literacy Resources

• Access Think Literacy documents online at:

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/studentsuccess/thinkliteracy/library.html


Accessing Resources

• Locate, Select, Gather, Collaborate


Where can they look?

• Internet searches• Encyclopaedia/Databases• Classroom resources• Library


School work – Finding and Evaluating Information

• The Internet is the clear winner over books from a library:o Grade 4: Sixty-two per cent of

students prefer the Internet, while 38 per cent choose the library

o Grade 11: Ninety-one per cent of students prefer the Internet, with only nine per cent choosing the library.

From: Young Canadians in a Wired World Study (2005)


Where do they go?


How do search engines work?

From: http://computer.howstuffworks.com/search-engine1.htm


Google

• “Anatomy of a Search” in the Skills Continuum

• No human review!• Results based on:

o Keywordso Popularity (as determined

by how often other sites link to the page)


Paid results

Computer Generated Results


How much for that Keyword?

• Video - Bidding on keywords


Buying Keywords

• How much does a keyword cost?


Searching Hints

From: http://www.brandonu.ca/library/ocls/boolean.gif


Searching Hints – Boolean Searches

• Googleo Searches automatically use ANDo OR must be capitalizedo NOT is represented by a “-” signo Try the advanced search

examples Juno Beach –Florida


Searching Hints

• Quotation marks to finding an exact phrase – great for finding plagiarized papers!

• Use ctrl f to find words on a page


Evaluating Websites

• When students are asked what Internet-related subjects they would like to learn about in school, the top choice for 68 per cent is “How to tell if information you find on the Net is true or not.”

• (http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/research/YCWW/phaseII/key_findings.cfm)


Evaluating Websites

Criteria:• Authority• Objectivity/Bias• Content and

Accuracy• Currency


Check for Authority• Who is the author of the site?• What is the authority or

expertise of the individual or group?o What else comes up when

you type the author’s name into a search engine?

o Does the source have a political or business agenda?


Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org)

• What is a wiki? o A wiki is computer software

that allows users to easily create, edit and link web pages. (definition from Wikipedia of course!)

• Pros and Cons• Create your own?


Objectivity/Bias

• Check for any indication of bias• Look at the domain address:

commercial site.com

Canadian site.caorganization or advocacy group

.org

British site.ukgovernment site.gov

personal web page~educational site.edu


Reading a website address

http://www.bigredhair.com/robots/index.html

Truncate the address to find more information


Objectivity and Bias

• Find the owner of a site at:o www.easywhois.com


Objectivity/Bias

• What is the purpose of the site?o Does the source have a political or business

agenda?• Is there an organization sponsoring the

site?o sponsored by a political, business or

advocacy group? If so, what can you find out about that group?


Objectivity and Bias Example

• Students have been asked to research the life of Martin Luther King

• Go to google and search for Martin Luther King

• One of the top hits in Google is:

www.martinlutherking.org

• Is it a good source?


Objectivity/Bias

• Who is the intended audience?

• Is the information free from advertising?


Content and Accuracy

• Can the information be verified using another source?

• Is there documentation to indicate the sources of the informationo Does the site provide a list of

sources or a Works Cited page?o Can you locate any of the source

material? How reliable is this material?



Students are researching and come up with the following site while searching the web

• Benefits of Dihydrogen Monoxidehttp://www.dhmo.org/ • What sites link to this site in Google

link:http://www.dhmo.org/



• Linkso Are there links to other credible sites with additional

information?o Does the site provide a link for emailing the author

or webmaster?o Did you reach this site through a reputable link?


Authority - Links

• What sites link to the site you are investigating?

• Use the link command in Google:

Link:www.webaddress.com


Currency• Does the site clearly

state a date of creation or a date for the most recent update?

• Does the information cover recent changes or advances in the field or topic you are researching?


Online Databases/Encyclopedias

Encyclopedias/databases have many advantages over the “free” internet…• Organized and authoritative information• No pop-up commercial advertising• Designed for educational research• Age appropriate articles• Safer searching


• eLibrary - contains aggregates full-text periodicals, international newswires, classic books, hundreds of maps, thousands of photographs, as well as major works of literature, art and reference. Students can tap into over 2,000 full-text and multimedia sources, plus access History Study Center and ProQuest Learning: Literature.

• No username/password necessary from school at home username: durham password: research12


SIRS Researcher - a highly-acclaimed general reference database containing thousands of full-text articles exploring social, scientific, health, historic, business, economic, political and global issues. Articles and graphics are carefully selected from 1,500 domestic and international publications according to strict criteria with regard to content and age appropriateness. Database features include World Almanac excerpts, Maps and a Directory of Publications.• Ask your teacher-librarian for password information


Thomson Gale

• A number of resources you may consider• http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/ko_k12hs_d24• Direct access from school - only a password is

necessary from home: research12


Processing Information

Analyse/Evaluate, Test, Sort, Synthesize


Making Jot notes

• Marzano says that notes provide students with a clear picture of what the teacher considers important. Notes provide student with a model of how notes might be taken. All sort of ways but want to avoid plagiarism.

• Notes/summarizing are two of the most powerful skills students can master. They provide students with tools for identifying and understanding the most important aspect of why they are learning.

• The Information Literacy Skills Continuum has several examples of jot notes templates


Smart Ideas

• Ministry Licensed software


Fish Bone

Good Grades

Cause 2Cause 4

Cause 1Cause 3

Good Study Habits

SufficientSleep

Healthy Diet

In-classWork

Presentation created by G. ScotchburnPro/Con or Agree/Disagree Chart

Topic: Hockey Violence


Transferring Learning

• Variety• Technology Tools:

o Photostory, WordPerfect, MS Publisher, MovieMaker, Audacity, Dreamweaver, PowerPoint, Corel Presentations, Smart Ideas, PhotoShop

Documents

research skills for the 21st century - secondary