Friday, May 23, 2008
Week 7 - Endnote Exercise 2
The following images below consist of exercise 2 in the endnote task. This includes the addition of int-text and end-text references.
Week 7 - Endnote Exercise 1
The image below concerns the first activity for week 7's endnote tutorial. All in-text and end-text references have been included, along with the quotes from each text.
This exercise has allowed me to become more aware and understanding to the abilities endnote gives. Endnote does not only effectively reduce the common errors mistakenly done but also efficiently completes the citing and referencing job one must do when completing work for academic use.
This exercise has allowed me to become more aware and understanding to the abilities endnote gives. Endnote does not only effectively reduce the common errors mistakenly done but also efficiently completes the citing and referencing job one must do when completing work for academic use.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Week 6 - Evaluating Two Websites
The website, "American Cultural History: 1960 - 1969" from http://kclibrary.nhmccd.edu/decade60.html discusses the culture of the 1960s.
What is discussed is:
Art & Architecture
Theater, Film & Radio, & Television
Books & literature
Fashion & Fads
Education
Music
Events & Technology
Sports
Evaluation:
- This site holds only brief information concerning the 60s though can give good background knowledge of the development of the 60s.
- I have reason to believe that the information is accurate, as most of the information is provided with references and example of texts. The only reference not given, is for the facts of the 60s in the top right corner of the page. This leaves this to be unreliable facts.
- The website is written by the author Susan Goodwin though doesnt hold any information that concerns her. This forces the website to be less reliable though by not much as her references still sustain the information presented. She is also not very biased, as most of her conclusions come from texts concerning the 60s and what she is discussing. These conclusions can be seen clearly by the reader.
- The site's purpose is to inform the reader about the changes within the time of the 60s and how it has helped form culture to how it is today.
- The website can be seen to designed only for presentation within the web. There is no evidence that it has originated from an article, book etc.
This website is a valuable and credible as it has passed the criteria above. It holds quality, unbiased, referenced information that can be used for any topic concerning the culture of the 60s.
What is discussed is:
Art & Architecture
Theater, Film & Radio, & Television
Books & literature
Fashion & Fads
Education
Music
Events & Technology
Sports
Evaluation:
- This site holds only brief information concerning the 60s though can give good background knowledge of the development of the 60s.
- I have reason to believe that the information is accurate, as most of the information is provided with references and example of texts. The only reference not given, is for the facts of the 60s in the top right corner of the page. This leaves this to be unreliable facts.
- The website is written by the author Susan Goodwin though doesnt hold any information that concerns her. This forces the website to be less reliable though by not much as her references still sustain the information presented. She is also not very biased, as most of her conclusions come from texts concerning the 60s and what she is discussing. These conclusions can be seen clearly by the reader.
- The site's purpose is to inform the reader about the changes within the time of the 60s and how it has helped form culture to how it is today.
- The website can be seen to designed only for presentation within the web. There is no evidence that it has originated from an article, book etc.
This website is a valuable and credible as it has passed the criteria above. It holds quality, unbiased, referenced information that can be used for any topic concerning the culture of the 60s.
Week 6 - Evaluating Information strategies
The "ICYouSee Critical Thinking" page ( http://www.ithaca.edu/library/training/think.html ) discusses the tips for evaluating websites, enabling the reader to distinguish whether or not a website is of value.
The author firsty gives a number of questions which one should ask themselves when they view a website.
1) Make sure you are in the right place.
2) When in doubt, doubt.
3) Consider the source.
4) Know what's happening.
5) Look at details.
6) Distinguish Web pages from pages found on the Web.
Secondly, the author gives a criteria outline for evaluting sources, and how the questions above can be answered.
By analysing:
Authority: If the author of the source is credible
Accuracy: If the information is true/factual
Objectivity: If it is not biased
Currency: If it is a fairly new source and can be used to this day
Coverage: If the information is relevant to the topic and is detailed
Value: Is the information worth visiting
If it is a yes to all of these, then the website is a valuable and credible source which can be used for academic purposes.
In comparison to "ICYouSee Critical Thinking" page, the information found at "Evaluating Internet Sources", http://www.taftcollege.edu/newTC/Academic/INCO48/sec6-4.htm also discusses the method of evaluating a website though in more detail. "Evaluating Internet Sources" covers the importance of the domain of a website though "ICYouSee Critical Thinking" does not. For example, .com, .net, .edu, etc. The meaning of each of these can be explain, .edu as an educational site, which is seen to be more credible than .com, as .com is a commercial site which is usually made by anyone.
"Evaluating Internet Sources" continues by explaining the ten C's which can help to evaluate a website:
Content - This is discusses the type of information presented on a website, the currency, the purpose: satirical, serious, and if the website is 'juried'. This is similar to "ICYouSee Critical Thinking" currency, coverage and accuracy criteria areas.
Credibility - This is the similar to authority, the credibility of the author, though also the domain type of the website.
Critical Thinking - Think critically about the information, with a good criteria.
Copyright - If the author/creator of the website holds information without respecting the rights of copyright than it is usually created by the public. This holds little value as the reader as the information may have been copyrighted.
Citation - Resources for the information held on the website is important as this explains where the information (if valuable) originates from, eg: article, newspaper, government website, etc.
Continuity - It is more credible if the website continues to be updated, this helps to provide valuable information to the current date.
Censorship - If some words are excluded from a search engine's indexes than this may mean that the website has something to hide, and cannot be seen as not valuable from the point of a search engine.
Connectivity - Can the website be relied upon to be able to be connected to at all times.
Comparability - Does the website contain comparable information to other sites or stats.
Context - Relevance to the topic. Is the information valuable for the topic searched.
This is similar to that of "ICYouSee Critical Thinking" though adds more criteria levels and more detail.
The “Good, the Bad and the Ugly" website's criteria, found at http://lib.nmsu.edu/instruction/evalcrit.html and ICYouSee Critical Thinking page are fairly similar to each other. Both cover authority, accuracy, objectivity, currency and coverage, though this website does not cover value.
The author firsty gives a number of questions which one should ask themselves when they view a website.
1) Make sure you are in the right place.
2) When in doubt, doubt.
3) Consider the source.
4) Know what's happening.
5) Look at details.
6) Distinguish Web pages from pages found on the Web.
Secondly, the author gives a criteria outline for evaluting sources, and how the questions above can be answered.
By analysing:
Authority: If the author of the source is credible
Accuracy: If the information is true/factual
Objectivity: If it is not biased
Currency: If it is a fairly new source and can be used to this day
Coverage: If the information is relevant to the topic and is detailed
Value: Is the information worth visiting
If it is a yes to all of these, then the website is a valuable and credible source which can be used for academic purposes.
In comparison to "ICYouSee Critical Thinking" page, the information found at "Evaluating Internet Sources", http://www.taftcollege.edu/newTC/Academic/INCO48/sec6-4.htm also discusses the method of evaluating a website though in more detail. "Evaluating Internet Sources" covers the importance of the domain of a website though "ICYouSee Critical Thinking" does not. For example, .com, .net, .edu, etc. The meaning of each of these can be explain, .edu as an educational site, which is seen to be more credible than .com, as .com is a commercial site which is usually made by anyone.
"Evaluating Internet Sources" continues by explaining the ten C's which can help to evaluate a website:
Content - This is discusses the type of information presented on a website, the currency, the purpose: satirical, serious, and if the website is 'juried'. This is similar to "ICYouSee Critical Thinking" currency, coverage and accuracy criteria areas.
Credibility - This is the similar to authority, the credibility of the author, though also the domain type of the website.
Critical Thinking - Think critically about the information, with a good criteria.
Copyright - If the author/creator of the website holds information without respecting the rights of copyright than it is usually created by the public. This holds little value as the reader as the information may have been copyrighted.
Citation - Resources for the information held on the website is important as this explains where the information (if valuable) originates from, eg: article, newspaper, government website, etc.
Continuity - It is more credible if the website continues to be updated, this helps to provide valuable information to the current date.
Censorship - If some words are excluded from a search engine's indexes than this may mean that the website has something to hide, and cannot be seen as not valuable from the point of a search engine.
Connectivity - Can the website be relied upon to be able to be connected to at all times.
Comparability - Does the website contain comparable information to other sites or stats.
Context - Relevance to the topic. Is the information valuable for the topic searched.
This is similar to that of "ICYouSee Critical Thinking" though adds more criteria levels and more detail.
The “Good, the Bad and the Ugly" website's criteria, found at http://lib.nmsu.edu/instruction/evalcrit.html and ICYouSee Critical Thinking page are fairly similar to each other. Both cover authority, accuracy, objectivity, currency and coverage, though this website does not cover value.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Week 7 - Lecture
This week's lecture involved the discussion concerning Endnote. Firstly endnote was defined as a tool for managing one's references and creating a bibliography which makes it much easier to search for your references from your research.
Having the choice of either using endnote on its own or in MS Word, they both end up being a great tool for systematically listing your references.
We were then provided with a well detailed walkthrough of using endnote that made it very clear what was to be then done in the tutorial tasks.
This showed us how easily it is to search for what we have previously researched. There are a number of different ways to search for your reference.
At the end of the lecture we were told to have a play with endnote and learn to get used to it because we will use it alot in the future as undergraduates but we should not expect to get it the first time we try. (ALSO SAVE ALL WORK DONE ON ENDNOTE)
Having the choice of either using endnote on its own or in MS Word, they both end up being a great tool for systematically listing your references.
We were then provided with a well detailed walkthrough of using endnote that made it very clear what was to be then done in the tutorial tasks.
This showed us how easily it is to search for what we have previously researched. There are a number of different ways to search for your reference.
At the end of the lecture we were told to have a play with endnote and learn to get used to it because we will use it alot in the future as undergraduates but we should not expect to get it the first time we try. (ALSO SAVE ALL WORK DONE ON ENDNOTE)
Week 6 - Lecture
The week 6 lecture firstly discussed the freedom one has concerning the ability to create any web content at any time. Because of this, when researching it wise to understand the process of distinguishing the high quality information from the large amount of low quality info.
The cause of such freedom was said to be because of the time the ARPANET was created which enabled the retrieval and sending of information on the web.
The next part of the lecture focussed on the methods of determining the quality of the information provided on the web. Some of these methods include asking ourselves, "Is this accurate and recent information?", "What is the point of view and how bias is this content?" (Objectivity), "Has an editor or someone with a distinguished background verified this information", etc. With as much importance of questioning, you must question where the research for the information derived from, this is where searching for their bibliography comes in handy. Such methods enable any reader to sort the information provided through out the entire web.
The cause of such freedom was said to be because of the time the ARPANET was created which enabled the retrieval and sending of information on the web.
The next part of the lecture focussed on the methods of determining the quality of the information provided on the web. Some of these methods include asking ourselves, "Is this accurate and recent information?", "What is the point of view and how bias is this content?" (Objectivity), "Has an editor or someone with a distinguished background verified this information", etc. With as much importance of questioning, you must question where the research for the information derived from, this is where searching for their bibliography comes in handy. Such methods enable any reader to sort the information provided through out the entire web.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Week Five
LECTURE SUMMARY
Week 5's lecture concerned the various search engines used for their different purposes. Firstly we were given a quiz about search engines followed by distinguising the 3 categories of information on the web.
- The Free, Visble Web
- The Free, Invisible Web
- Paid Databases over the Web
We were also shown many example of search engines which could be used during our studies with their advantages and disadvantages.
Disadvantages of Search Engines
- Too many search results
- The quality and little relevance of your search query
- Many broken links
- Badly ranked page system
- Many irrelevant and out of date results
Directories were also discussed within the lecture. They were described as 'Human-Edited'. Many webpages are sent to directories manuallt to be reviewed to make sure that it is of quality. This is done manually to stop automatic submissions of webpages being misleaded.
There were also a number of examples of directories which are used widely.
Later there were statistics of search engine use with Google being mainly used. Instructions concerning how to use search engines and search efficiently were discussed. This allowed all of us to understand how we can lower the disadvantages of search engines while we use them.
READING ACTIVITIES
Reading (URL) - The History of the Internet: (Chap 4 - Search Engines)
This reading task concerned the history of search engines, beginning with the creation of the first set of search engines by universities within USA. It was interesting to see that the first search engines are similar to those of today, although of course with much more simplicity. These search engines only needed simple keyword searches that when executed, a search list would form where the user would email the results to theirselves. Information concerning the growth of websites produced vs number of hosts was admitted, which shocked me because of the growth of the net.Following the history of search engines, the reading text then began discussing how to find imformation on the internet effectively via search engines. The author explained all the symbols and words which can be used to specify your search results. For eg: "...." + AND OR, etc.Directories were next discussed, implying that they are rarely used these days though still in use. Directories are lists of sites which are usually sorted alphabetically. This was once used frequently to go from site to site from your search results.This reading task has allowed me to understand the development of search engines through out history which enables me to admire what search engines we have today. I now understand how to get more effective results when searching.
Reading (URL) - Robert Harris: "Web Search Strategies"
Internet Search Tips and Strategies, written by Robert Harris first discusses what was in the lecture; the 3 categories of information on the web and what a search engine and directory are.Harris continues to discuss the flexibility of the english language to help with your search results. Many people around the world use different words with many words sharing the same meaning with other words, eg: test, exam.This is followed by the types of words you can add to your search queries to add needed specification to lower the search results and add quality. These types of words are called 'Boolean Operators'; AND; OR; NOT, etc.URLs are also explained with the ability to guess a location of a website you wish to visit. For exmaple, if I heard of a website named "Blogger" which enables one to create blogs, I would guess that the URL for this site may be http://www.blogger.com/ with having success.Throughout the article, Harris gives links to other websites to help explain what he discusses and also to help the reader with other search skills.Robert Harris has helped me to understand the ability of searching efficiently and obtaining the information I want with help from my week 5 lecture about search engines.
TUTORIAL ACTIVITIES
Monash Tutorial Strategies
The Monash tutorial has a number of tips for searching:1) Use quotations to specify your search. For example "to be or not to be". Having the words with that order in quotations. These days, search engines have those words, in that order indexed, making results much more efficient.2) There are boolean search functions available for one to use. Examples of Boolean search functions are: AND, OR, NOT, etc. These can be used to help a search engine know more specifically what results you are trying to find. If one were to search; Chocolate AND disease, the search hits will appear that are only related to chocolate and disease and nothing else. This is a great technique to use as it will simplify a search.3) When typing a search term, keep in mind that the word may have synonyms. Consider the word 'baby'. The search terms that include the word baby will appear, though many websites may hold the word 'infant' instead of baby. This may cause one to not find all possible and valuable information on the web.4) When searching a topic of your choice, enter other words concerning the topic. These words must have relevance as they be included in the websites meta tags. This allows for words, even though they be only mentioned once in the web page, they will be more likely to appear when searching. This is only done when the author includes those words as the web page meta tags.
QUIZ
Researching the answers for the questions in the above quiz was done by using a number of techniques I have learnt from this week's module. The techniques included; Boolean searches. When finding when one of four people were born, I typed in Born AND 1879. Search results appeared with Albert Einsein. I also used quotations for a number of other questions I faced. Boolean search techniques were my main technique of searhcing which provided me with all 10 correct answers.
Week 5's lecture concerned the various search engines used for their different purposes. Firstly we were given a quiz about search engines followed by distinguising the 3 categories of information on the web.
- The Free, Visble Web
- The Free, Invisible Web
- Paid Databases over the Web
We were also shown many example of search engines which could be used during our studies with their advantages and disadvantages.
Disadvantages of Search Engines
- Too many search results
- The quality and little relevance of your search query
- Many broken links
- Badly ranked page system
- Many irrelevant and out of date results
Directories were also discussed within the lecture. They were described as 'Human-Edited'. Many webpages are sent to directories manuallt to be reviewed to make sure that it is of quality. This is done manually to stop automatic submissions of webpages being misleaded.
There were also a number of examples of directories which are used widely.
Later there were statistics of search engine use with Google being mainly used. Instructions concerning how to use search engines and search efficiently were discussed. This allowed all of us to understand how we can lower the disadvantages of search engines while we use them.
READING ACTIVITIES
Reading (URL) - The History of the Internet: (Chap 4 - Search Engines)
This reading task concerned the history of search engines, beginning with the creation of the first set of search engines by universities within USA. It was interesting to see that the first search engines are similar to those of today, although of course with much more simplicity. These search engines only needed simple keyword searches that when executed, a search list would form where the user would email the results to theirselves. Information concerning the growth of websites produced vs number of hosts was admitted, which shocked me because of the growth of the net.Following the history of search engines, the reading text then began discussing how to find imformation on the internet effectively via search engines. The author explained all the symbols and words which can be used to specify your search results. For eg: "...." + AND OR, etc.Directories were next discussed, implying that they are rarely used these days though still in use. Directories are lists of sites which are usually sorted alphabetically. This was once used frequently to go from site to site from your search results.This reading task has allowed me to understand the development of search engines through out history which enables me to admire what search engines we have today. I now understand how to get more effective results when searching.
Reading (URL) - Robert Harris: "Web Search Strategies"
Internet Search Tips and Strategies, written by Robert Harris first discusses what was in the lecture; the 3 categories of information on the web and what a search engine and directory are.Harris continues to discuss the flexibility of the english language to help with your search results. Many people around the world use different words with many words sharing the same meaning with other words, eg: test, exam.This is followed by the types of words you can add to your search queries to add needed specification to lower the search results and add quality. These types of words are called 'Boolean Operators'; AND; OR; NOT, etc.URLs are also explained with the ability to guess a location of a website you wish to visit. For exmaple, if I heard of a website named "Blogger" which enables one to create blogs, I would guess that the URL for this site may be http://www.blogger.com/ with having success.Throughout the article, Harris gives links to other websites to help explain what he discusses and also to help the reader with other search skills.Robert Harris has helped me to understand the ability of searching efficiently and obtaining the information I want with help from my week 5 lecture about search engines.
TUTORIAL ACTIVITIES
Monash Tutorial Strategies
The Monash tutorial has a number of tips for searching:1) Use quotations to specify your search. For example "to be or not to be". Having the words with that order in quotations. These days, search engines have those words, in that order indexed, making results much more efficient.2) There are boolean search functions available for one to use. Examples of Boolean search functions are: AND, OR, NOT, etc. These can be used to help a search engine know more specifically what results you are trying to find. If one were to search; Chocolate AND disease, the search hits will appear that are only related to chocolate and disease and nothing else. This is a great technique to use as it will simplify a search.3) When typing a search term, keep in mind that the word may have synonyms. Consider the word 'baby'. The search terms that include the word baby will appear, though many websites may hold the word 'infant' instead of baby. This may cause one to not find all possible and valuable information on the web.4) When searching a topic of your choice, enter other words concerning the topic. These words must have relevance as they be included in the websites meta tags. This allows for words, even though they be only mentioned once in the web page, they will be more likely to appear when searching. This is only done when the author includes those words as the web page meta tags.
QUIZ
Researching the answers for the questions in the above quiz was done by using a number of techniques I have learnt from this week's module. The techniques included; Boolean searches. When finding when one of four people were born, I typed in Born AND 1879. Search results appeared with Albert Einsein. I also used quotations for a number of other questions I faced. Boolean search techniques were my main technique of searhcing which provided me with all 10 correct answers.
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