EDUC 6818

The posting from this point on will be for EDUC 6818.

Annotated Bibliography

Annotated Bibliography

Does multimedia communication such as texting and social networking affect students’ communication skills?

Scholarly Articles

Mund, T., & Behera, A. K. (2012). Understanding the theories of personality: A step towards being effective in communication skills . Manuscript submitted for publication, English, National Institute of Science and Technology , Whitefield, Bangalore. , Available from Education Full Text . (EBSCO)Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.fairmontstate.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=52d10eb8-6509-4ef5-a351-1bdea45faacd@sessionmgr114&vid=2&hid=119

This article discusses the requirements of being an effective communicator and the personality traits that factor into the communication process. It also discusses how a person’s personality affects their social interaction thus affecting their communication skills. This article focuses solely on communication and how it is related to the person. I plan to use this article to aid in my discussion about the importance of communication, personality traits related to social interaction of communication, and basic communication skills.

Osagie, K. O. (2012). Information and communication technologies in enhancing learning ability in secondary schools in edo state, nigeria. Informally published manuscript, Educational Studies and Management , University of Benin, Benin, Edo State, Nigeria. , Available from Education Full Text . (EBSCO)Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.fairmontstate.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=75b66eaf-514a-4882-9238-3adcfe00c313@sessionmgr115&vid=2&hid=119

This article discusses the methods of learning and communication through web-based technologies in Nigeria. Even though this paper is not focused on the Unite States a correlation between the students can be seen – students of today are living in a “digital world”. This article discusses how the web can be used to influence communication in the educational setting. I plan to use this article as an insight to the benefits that multimedia can have to develop communication skills and encourage learning in the educational setting.

Robinson , S., & Stubberud, H. A. (2012).Communication preferences among university students . Manuscript submitted for publication, Penn State University , Pennsylvania , United States . , Available from Education Full Text . (EBSCO)Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.fairmontstate.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=0fcc9f04-2507-44ec-bef8-86cc1cee1d70@sessionmgr110&vid=2&hid=119

This article is focused on college level students in the United States and Norway and their preferred method of communication. The article shows through the results of studies conducted that many students prefer direct communication such as email over other methods of communication such as social networking. The article makes a critical point to the focus question – in past studies and reports telephone and face-to-face communication was preferred to any method of written communication; however with the advancement of email and text messaging – written communication is now preferred to that of telephone or face-to-face communication. The article relates this change to the increases in technology and response time for written communication – making it as desirable as verbal communication. I will use this article to discuss the increase in written communication and decrease in verbal communication related to the advancements in multimedia forms of communication.

Goldsborough, R. (2012). Texting as social regress .Personal Computing , Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.fairmontstate.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=617388a8-bb2a-4cee-8f1a-54773f80b6c2@sessionmgr113&vid=2&hid=119

In this article Reid Goldsborough reflects on the book Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other, MIT psychologist Sherry Turkle. Reid focuses mainly on the negative aspects of the “digital revolution” and primarily texting and how it affects our students. Reid believes that the lack of face-to-face communication is hurting our students on both social aspect and the academic aspect. I plan to use this article to discuss some of the negative influences multimedia  is having on communication skills among our students particularly related to their social development.

Agosto, D., Abba, J., & Naughton, R. (2012).Relationships and social rules: Teens' social network and other ict selection practices.. Unpublished manuscript, , Available from Education Full Text . (EBSCO)Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.fairmontstate.edu/ehost/detail?vid=4&hid=119&sid=940e84c7-a4ea-4a5c-b5f7-fc0fad0122e3@sessionmgr112&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl

This document discusses the reasons teens choose to use a certain site for social communication and the ways in which they decide to communicate. It also observes the differences between communication of peers and family members and how that networking affects their social development. It is crucial that I understand why students choose to communicate through various sites and on the internet. Understanding this reasons will better prepare me to make a valid point when discussing why more teens are communication via internet rather than face to face.

Newspaper Articles

Williams, G. (2009, Sept 15). Academics and social media: ymmv . The Chronicle of Higher Education . Retrieved from http://chronicle.com.ezproxy.fairmontstate.edu/blogs/profhacker/academicssocial-media-ymmv/22706

This is an article from the Chronicle and it discusses the relation between academics and social media. There are some very powerful quotes of accredited people in this article and their thoughts on the correlation between social media and academics. I plan to use this article to help me link academics, social networking, and communication to make a strong conclusion to the above question.

Hacker. (2011, June 3). Building a born-digital edited volume . The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from http://chronicle.com.ezproxy.fairmontstate.edu/blogs/profhacker/building-a-born-digital-edited-volume/33819

This article does not exactly pertain to the above question per say but it discusses the future of online communication. What if scholarly articles were discussed, reviewed, and editied on the web – similar to what is done on Wikipedia. The article questions how that would change our world and the world of academics. We are on the path of a new form of communication and academics where the media and internet are crucial components. It is important to understand these ideas when discussion how online communication affects ones communication skills.

Vaidhyanathan, S. (2008, September 19). Generational myth. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from http://chronicle.com.ezproxy.fairmontstate.edu/article/Generational-Myth/32491/

This article discusses the generation gap or the myth of this gap between the previous generation and the current one. It discusses references from a book Print is Dead: Books in Our Digital Age. This article discusses the myths behind the generation gap and that not all young people are quite as tech savvy as we would like to believe. This is an important concept to consider when we are generalizing our youth into one category. I plan to propose a generalized theory but recognize that not everyone falls into one specific category.

Websites or Blogs

Bumgardner , S., & Knestis, K. (2011, May ). [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://www.districtadministration.com/article/social-networking-tool-student-and-teacher-learning

This website is an posting about the benefits of social networking for the student and the teacher. This publication discusses that social networking is more than just facebook or twitter that is the use of online technology to collaborate with others. This is an important concept that needs to be understood to see the pros or benefits of social networking for further the communication among our youth. I plan to use this website to emphasize how social networking sites are not stopping communication just changing the way it is done.

Summers, A. (2011, February 22). [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://socialtimes.com/a-teen-speaks-is-social-networking-damaging-our-social-skills_b38991

This website includes a posting about an angered teen and the increasing use of social networking and how it is destroying the communication among her generation. She mentions how conversations of teens seem to be directly related to social networking in some form or another – while this is true there are many teens out there that find other topics much more appealing. This is an important posting because the author emphasizes the decrease in verbal skills and overall communication skills related to the shortened words and slang used on social networking while the demand for these valuable skills are increasing in the workplace. I plan to use this posting to help me focus on the feelings of all teens about social networking and how it is causing many grammatical and spelling errors in our youth’s communication skills.

Lecky-Thompson, G. (2009, May 30). [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://suite101.com/article/facebook-good-or-bad-for-communication-a121387

This article discusses primarily results of studies conducted about facebook and its effects on communication. I particularly liked this posting because it highlights the benefits and the negative impact social networking has on people and communication. The biggest highlights are how it was designed to increase the span of communication among persons – which it has done; however in that process it has also created a barrier where persons no longer communicate face to face and lack recognizing the verbal communication that is so powerful.  I plan to use this posting to support my discussion about the importance of body language and to further discuss the pros and cons.

Videos

MzWriteOn. (2011). Social media & teens [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=linGhv33VAc

This video discusses the role of social media in communication among high school students. Intervies by  High School Students explaining their thoughts on communication through various forms of media compared to that of face-to-face communication are conducted and reflected upon.  The students in this video explain how they “feel” they have more control over the conversation or their communication when using media rather than when communicating in face-to-face situations, and that it is simply easier than other forms of communication. I plan to use this video to aid in my discussion of how multimedia technologies such as social networking and texting are increasing communication among students in a virtual world, but decreasing communication in a face-to-face setting.

TheVerbalEdge. (2011). The verbal edge - michelle merritt, social media communication [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUgowdSD-yQ

This video discusses the social skills and communication skills of our students’ futures. This video contradicts the idea that students are decreasing their face-to-face communication skills. The video discusses how students are becoming “fearless” in their communication because they perceive that their “world is very small”. Students do not see the barriers of distance or status as previous generations are; however they discuss that students need to stay educated on certain areas of correspondence and where certain forms of media communication are not acceptable.  This video is a contradiction to the the theory that multi media communication is decreasing out students communication skills, but it still influences the idea that there are some forms of communication that need to remain traditional and our students need to remain educated in those areas. I plan to use this video as my “devils advocate” in how multimedia affects our students’ communication skills for the worse. 

Week 7 - How College Students Search Article

How College Students Search for Information in the Digital Age 

1. What surprises you about the strategies digital age students use as they conduct research for course assignments?

As I read through the article I found that it made since concerning the findings. When I completed all of my Action Research Projects for my undergraduate course work I first turned to the library databases as I do for much of my course related research. Anytime I am doing personal research I usually refer to Google and search through their listings. These are the same results the study found. I also know that I have rarely asked a librarian for any help, I have relied on the help of the computer and internet first then confronted my instructor for further information. The results were not really surprising at all. 

2. How accurately do the findings from this study reflect your own research strategies?

As I indicated above there is little difference between the findings of this study and my own research strategies. 

3. This study provides a detailed description of the parameters of research assignments typical required for academia. How does it differ from the kinds of research people do in the workplace?

In academics students are mainly researching information in order to create a paper or presentation of their findings. For the most part workplace research reflects trying to solve problems or answer questions - at times it to could be for the purpose of presenting information. For the most part research in the workplace is thoroughly read and analyzed to solve a problem or create a project. The research is used for the purpose of learning rather than to reproduce the information in an original format. 

4. Do you think the recommendations to improve research process for college students will better prepare students for the world outside of school?

I think that the recommendations that the study provides are very thought out. If the research the students is required to do requires analysis and interpretation of the information rather than a reproduction of the information then it will help better prepare students for the same type of research that they will conduct in the workplace. I also feel that it is very important for librarians to specifically communicate with faculty to close the gap between the services that they offer. I believe that all of the recommendations the study suggest could provide more successful research techniques for college students. 

Week 6 - Diigo Activity # 4

Diigo

1. Do other people's annotations add to your understanding of content or hinder it?

I believe that it adds to it. At times there are ideas pointed out that I would not have thought of and it is interesting to see each persons perspective on a topic. 

2. Provide an example of a Diigo annotation that in your view is useful rather than spamish.

Any of the instances in our group discussiosn where we were determine if a lesson was a mindset 1 or 2. I think that we were able to create a discussion and explain our thoughts and how we came to the conclusion of why it was or was not. 

3. How did you use tags to make searching more efficient and beneficial?

Tags were used to find the content I was specifically looking for weather it be social bookmarking or a specific subject or even certain grades - they narrow the search to find sites you are interested in viewing. 

4.In your opinion what is the potential of social bookmarking to promote content area learning and/or information literacy.

Students have the opportunity to locate information for research as they have also done in the past, but by using a group they now have the opportunity to review what others have found and share what they have found. They can make comments and even have discussions about the sites that are found which can lead to a deeper reflection of the information and deeper understanding of the content while also building communication skills. 

Week 6 - Reading Practical Strategies: The Participatory Classroom

Practical Strategies: The Participatory Classroom: Web 2.0 in the Classroom 

Asselin, M. & Moayeri, M. (2011). Practical Strategies: The Participatory Classroom: Web 2.0 in the Classroom. Literacy Learning: The Middle Years 19(2).

1.How can schools meaningfully support the development of all students' new literacies; particularly those literacies engendered by Web 2.0 that foregrounds interactivity and collaboration around shared content?

Schools would have to start by making technology such as Web 2.0 available or accessible to all students. This may not mean everyday for every class, but the school will need to have an adequate amount of computer labs, mobile labs, and iPad labs to meet the needs of all students. Once the school has obtained the necessary technological requirements - schools will need to successfully train all educators on what new literacies are and how they can be met in the classroom. There should be a clear explanation between the two Mindsets and how teachers should gear their lessons towards Mindset 2. With the technology being available and teachers being properly trained on how to use the technology - schools should not have a problem supporting the development of new literacies. 

2.Why should schools engage students in the new literacies engendered by Web 2.0?

Schools should engage students with these new literacies because the build necessary collaboration skills that are key components in the cluture that drive political, social, and economic life today. These skills will help our students be better citizens in the furutre and succeed in the work world. As educators our goal should be to prepare our students with the knowledge and skills to succeed in our society. 

3.What are the differences between new literacies and conventional literacies?

New literacy offers more opportunities for the learners. New Literacy is the ability to locate, invent, and share the knowledge that the student has acquired through an activity. New Literacy is collective rather than individualized, emphasizes collaboration over individual production. New literacy allows others to view and learn from that of another. There is a more collaborative aspect to this new form a literacy. New literacy also focuses greatly on the technological advances and 21st century learning as well. New literacy is the visual, auditory and textual content produced into a multimodal production. Conventional literacy is simply a basic for of a visual, auditory, or textual production of information without the ability to combine the three. 

4. Provide your own example of a classroom use of Web 2.0 that promotes a "Mindset One" approach and a classroom example that promotes a "Mindset 2" approach (the examples do not need to be from your own teaching or learning experiences; you can make them up).

Mindset 1 - (Example 1)An educator wants to complete a review - the educators uses PowerPoint to create a Jeporady Game. The Jeporady board is displayed over the projector. Students are divided into groups and play the game reviewing key componets. (Example 2) An educator gives the students a question in which they must find information, students research the internet, locate information, and create a paper to report their findings. 

Mindset 2 - (Example 1) Students are provided with a workplace scenario - such as they must locate an image on the internet to perform photo editing techniques to as part of the completion of a skills section being learned in the class. Students use the internet to search for an image, save the image, properly cite the image and begin restoration or photo editing techniques. Students use the internet and previously learned skills to create a blog or add a post to their blog. In the blog posting students include the location of the photo, proper citation, reasoning for choosing the image, and all photo editing techniques done to the photo. Students will also insert the original image and the edited image into a blog. For a final part of the assignments students will be required to view each classmates blog and comment on one photo editing technique that was done to the photo and what they like or dislike about that technique - students may also ask questions about how a certain effect was obtained. 

Week 5 - Track Star Final Draft

Click here to view my Track Star - Learning about Copyrighted Images

Week 5 - Reading Trapped between a Rock and a Hard Place:

TRAPPED BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE

Lloyd, A. (2011). Trapped between a Rock and a Hard Place: What Counts as Information 

Literacy in the Workplace and How Is It Conceptualized? 

Library Trends, 60 (2) pp. 277-296.

What does the term "discursive practices" mean?

Discursive practices are the limitations of the setting. Concerning Information Literacy discursive practices is the continued focus on skills rather than a broader focus of how those skills can be used in a social context. 

What does "discourse" mean?

According to the article discourse is defined as being "ideological in that they win over the speaking subject by formulating a positive associative context for concepts so that they can legitimize themselves". From this definition my understanding of discourse is the way that we or a group of associated people understand the activity through the development of a social aspect. 

What is the "rock" and what is the "hard place"?

The rock is referring to how we currently understand and perceive information literacy, which is the focus on skills only. The hard place is how we can change this understanding and change the focus to be on how those skills are used in a social context and applied in the "real world". 

What are the differences between the skills prescribed for information searching in academic and workplace settings?

In the academic setting, the majority of information literacy is in the form of research reports - a presentation of basic information. In a workplace setting information literacy is an accumulation of the information while also answering the question "how?", this is the goal for the future workplace workers. Workplace information literacy is more of a reflective practice. 

How do academic notions of information literacy undermine workplace notions information literacy?

Academic notions require teaching, engaging, and learning of the information that is done in an organized manner to produce a product. The workplace is said to be messy and complex using a variety of different techniques and having little organizational methods to produce a product. 

How are information needs identified in work place setting like nursing and emergency workers?

With nursing there seems to be a lack of information literacy - due to doctors. Therefore the doctors are performing the activities of information literacy due to the understanding that nurses are just there to do what the doctors need - even though they are a profession of their own. Nurses must find their own information to properly care for the patients and rely less on the information literacy of their doctors. 

Why do issues of plagiarism not resonate in workplace settings?

Information that is circulated through a workplace is not considered to be copyrighted and is assumed to be a collective body of knowledge that is passed through the workplace environment without limitations. 

Are information literacy skills transferable across contexts and settings? Why or Why not?

I would say yes. There are skills that overlap into both contexts. For instance both students and workers must be able to locate the information and pull specific content from the information located. The workplace requires more critical thinking and application of the information, but the basic skills clearly overlap in both contexts. 

What is "practice theory"?

Practice theory is the actual interaction of using the information to engage in a social aspect or interact with the world. 

How does the author of this article define information literacy?

"Information literacy is more than a skill it is a practice that is constituted through a complex suite of activities that are sanctioned by the discourse in which the practice is situated. 

How do educators need to change their understanding of information literacy literacy in order to prepare student for the information literacy practices they will encounter in workplace settings?

I think this is quite simple or at least it seems to be. Educators need to change their focus from the skills of acquiring information to encompass the skills of acquiring information, how the information was obtained and founded, how the information will be used, and how the information will be communicated in a social context. Students must be prepared to use the valuable skills they are currently using in education and apply those skills to a "real world" problem. 

What do the terms "ontological" and "epistemological" mean?

This refers to the setting which contains the conditions for finding and using the information and knowledge and how it is used. 

After reading this article, how useful is the traditional research paper we expect students to produce in school in preparing them for workplace settings? What are traditional research papers useful for? Should we still assign traditional research papers?

The traditional research paper is not completely useless nor is it complete in educating our students about information literacy. Our students need to be provided with a learning environment in which they can complete the necessary skills of a research paper and then apply the learned information in a "real world scenario". Without the application of the information the students is missing out on an important part of information literacy and as educators we are failing to successfully prepare our students for the work world. We need to refocus the goals of a research paper and add to it rather than remove it. 

What is one of the biggest challenges to changing the way information literacy is conceptualized in school settings?

Many educators fear change and this will be one of the biggest challenges in an education setting, others will feel that it is to difficult or unnecessary to meet these needs. There will need to be influence from administration to have the change occur. We must inform educators and even educate them about what information literacy really is rather than the discourse or understanding they currently have. By helping educators understand what it is, they will be able to change the curriculum to better meet the full focus of information literacy. 

What attributes of the 21st century make it essential that educators change their approaches toward information literacy?

The way in which we communicate is becoming very versatile. Communication can occur face to face, by video conferencing, online chat, email, and etc. We must prepare our students on how to perform the basic skills of information literacy and then how to properly and successfully communicate that information to others. 

What changes can teachers make to their classroom activities to engage students in the  information literacy practices they will encounter in 21st century workplace settings?

Educators can provide students with "real life scenarios" from workplace settings. Educators can create scenarios in which the students is required to find the answer to a problem encountered and then to communicate that problem through one of the many methods of communication that we currently use in the world such as: face to face, by video conferencing, online chat, email, and etc.

Week 4 - Track Star Rough Draft

Click here to view the rough draft of my Track Star. 

I decided to do my Track Star on Copyright Laws concerning students using photographs in an educational setting.

Week 3 - Website Validation Activity

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Week 3 - Information Literacy Quiz Activity

Below you will see the Information Literacy Quiz. All questions and my answers are in black. All answers provided by the answer key that were different than mine are provided in red.

1.List 4 major search engines and a major directory

·         Google

·         Bing

·         Yahoo

·         MSN

2. What is a blog?

·         Is an online application in a journal format in which the user can create posts and other users can view and comment on each post. Posts can include text, videos, images, and links.

Blog is short for weblog – it is literally a log of the Web 

3. Why might you use quotation marks when conducting a search?

·         By using quotation marks you are telling the search engine to search for specifically those words you have written.

Use “quotation marks” to ensure your keywords appear in your search results in the order you have specified. You would use them if you wanted to research a given phrase. For example, if you conduct a search for global warming, a search WITHOUT quotation marks would find sites that include the words “global” AND “warming” – the words do not have to appear together and you will get more hits than you probably want. 

4. URL is an acronym for…

·         Universal Resource Locator

 correct

5. Identify three Boolean search terms.

·         and

·         or

·         Not

             correct

6. How do you find the owner or publisher of a Web site?

·         Scroll to the bottom of the page and find the copyright information at the bottom of the page. I think you can also go to file and click on webpage properties to obtain information about the page.

Go to www.easywhois.com and enter the URL of the site you would like to research. 

7. Identify these extensions and what they represent:

.org – organization                             

 .com – company

.sch – school  (used outside of US)    

.k12 – K through 12 Public School Site most US school sites

.edu – educational site US higher ed   

.gov – government site

.ac - ?  higher ed outside of US usually used with country code, example, “.ac.uk”                        

.net – network site

.mil – military site                                               

.co - ?  (if paired with a country code, example “.co.uk,” the state of Colorado or the country, Columbia)

8. How do you find out who is linked to your school’s Web site?

·         Don’t understand what the question is asking for.

Go to Google: www.google.com and do a link: command search. In the search box type link:your school’s address. 

9. What clues in a Web address might indicate you are on a personal Web site?

·         A name being displayed – multiple slashes and indications such as page levels. A username.

 Look for a tilde “~” or the “%” sign or a personal name “jdoe” or the word “user” after the domain name and the first forward slash “/“

10. How would you conduct a search for the following: a list of Web sites of all the academic institutions in South Africa? (Hint: South Africa’s country code is .za)

·         “Educational Institutions” + “South Africa” + za

 Go to Google: www.google.com and type site:ac.za in the search box

11. How do you find the history of any given Web site?

·         Not sure

 Use the Wayback Machine. Go to www.archive.org and type the URL of the web site you would like to research into the search box.

12. How would you conduct a search for the following: US higher education Web sites that contain the word turtle?

·         “turtle” edu

Go to Google: www.google.com and type “site:edu + turtle” in the search box. 

13. How do sites get to the top of a result list in Google?

·         Having the majority key words related to the search

       One factor Google uses to rank sites is popularity. It counts the number of links from sites all around the Web. For example, if a large number of sites has a specific keyword somewhere on their Web site along with a link to a particular site, Google counts the number of times the keyword appears along with the number of links to a particular site. The higher number of links to a site, the higher Google will rank that site on a list of results. There are several additional factors as well, including but not limited to the title of the site, the site’s meta information and the actual content of the site.

Week 2 - Wikipedia Activity

Steps 1, 2 and 3

Wikipedia begins the article by taking a factual approach of providing information. But then the article appears to take a side indicating that the increase has occurred since 1980 and that 90% of scientist are sure that it is caused by greenhouse gasses produced by humans. It continues to indicate that the global warming will cause major changes in our earth conditions – such as increased temperatures around the world, expanded deserts, and melting of the ice caps.

Step 4

The claim I found in the Wikipedia article or description is: “2005 and 2010 tied for the planet's warmest year since reliable, widespread instrumental measurements became available in the late 19th century, exceeding 1998 by a few hundredths of a degree.”

Step 5

VERIFY

 To verify the claim I searched Google for the hottest year. I found this statement on NASA’s website  “Hansen said he expects record-breaking global average temperature in the next two to three years because solar activity is on the upswing and the next El Niño will increase tropical Pacific temperatures. The warmest years on record were 2005 and 2010, in a virtual tie.”

Web Page Evaluation Checklist

Name of page: NASA – NASA Finds 2011 Ninth-Warmest Year on Record

Address/URL: http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/2011-temps.html

Date Accessed: 

How did you find the page? I used the search engine Google to search for the hottest year on record  

DOMAIN

What is the domain of the page? .gov

Do you feel that the domain type helps add to or lessen the page’s credibility? I believe this being a government site adds to the pages credibility.

AUTHOR/AUTHORITY 

Is the author of the page identified? Yes

      Is the author of the page an individual? Steve Cole and Leslie McCarthy and the organizations is identified as NASA Headquarters and NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies.

If the author is an individual:

      Is the author clearly affiliated with a corporation, institution, organization or group? Yes

      If so, does this affiliation lend credibility to the author? Yes

      Are the author’s educational, occupational or other credentials identified? No

      Is the author a professional in the field or a layperson interested in the subject? Yes

      Does the author present any other evidence that supports his/her ability to accurately present the information that he/she is presenting? No

      Does the author display any obvious bias (religious, political, commercial or other)? No

      Is the author the original creator of the information presented? No

      If not, does the author acknowledge the sources of the information he/she is presenting? Yes

      Does the author provide his/her contact information (usually an e-mail address)? Yes

      In conclusion, do you feel that the author is qualified to present the information found on his/her web page? Yes

If the author is a corporation/institution/organization or other group:

      Does the organization have a reputation for credibility? Yes

      Does the organization explain its purpose, mission, goals, or guiding principles? On other pages within the site, yes.

      Does the organization provide the names of its officers, editors, staff or other major participants? On other pages within the site yes.

      Does the organization provide contact information (phone, address, or at least an e-mail address)? yes

      Does the organization appear to filter the information appearing under its name?           Yes

      Does the organization display any obvious signs of bias? No

      In conclusion, do you think that this organization is qualified to present the information found on its web page? Yes

INTENT

Is the purpose of the page clearly stated? Yes

What is or appears to be the purpose of the page? Inform

Does the page contain advertisements?  Do the ads distract from the page’s content, affect the page’s reliability, or appear to be the main focus of the page?  Might they be necessary to support the organization responsible for the page? No

INTENDED AUDIENCE

Who appears to be the intended audience for this information/page?

Anyone interested in the topic.

Does the level or complexity of information provided, the vocabulary used, and the overall tone of the information/page match your needs? Yes

CURRENTNESS

When was the information on the page created or last updated? January 19, 2012

Are the dates of articles, news stories, newsletters, reports and other publications given? Yes

Is the page properly maintained or does it have broken links, outdated events calendars or other signs of neglect? Yes

  

RELIABILITY

Is the content peer-reviewed, authenticated by experts, or subject to some sort of editorial scrutiny? No

Does the page display any awards given by reliable sources, or link to favorable site reviews by reliable sources? No

Considering your answers to the previous questions, other observations you’ve made, and your overall sense of the page, how reliable does this source seem?

The source seems very reliable.

CONCLUSIONS

Do you feel that this source is appropriate for your current assignment or information need? Yes

Would you recommend this source to a friend doing similar research? Yes

What reservations, if any, do you have about the source? There are quotations made form individuals which might have some bias in them but overall the information provided seems to be factual.

DISPUTE

To dispute this claim I searched Google for the warmest year on record. I found this statement on the NOAA website: ” Global temperatures in 1998 were the warmest in the past 119 years, since reliable instrument records began, the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced today.” What is important to understand about this website is that it was last updated on January 11, 1999.

Web Page Evaluation Checklist

Name of page: 1998 Warmest Year on Record, NOAA 99-1

Address/URL: http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/releases99/jan99/noaa99-1.html

Date Accessed:  6/3/12

How did you find the page? I used the search engine Google to search for the warmest year on record  

DOMAIN

What is the domain of the page? .gov

Do you feel that the domain type helps add to or lessen the page’s credibility? I believe this being a government site adds to the pages credibility.

AUTHOR/AUTHORITY 

Is the author of the page identified? Yes

      Is the author of the page an individual? Stepahine Kenitzer and Patricia Viets

If the author is an individual:

      Is the author clearly affiliated with a corporation, institution, organization or group? No

      If so, does this affiliation lend credibility to the author? No

      Are the author’s educational, occupational or other credentials identified? No

      Is the author a professional in the field or a layperson interested in the subject? Not stated.  

      Does the author present any other evidence that supports his/her ability to accurately present the information that he/she is presenting? No

      Does the author display any obvious bias (religious, political, commercial or other)? No

      Is the author the original creator of the information presented? No

      If not, does the author acknowledge the sources of the information he/she is presenting? Yes

      Does the author provide his/her contact information (usually an e-mail address)? No

      In conclusion, do you feel that the author is qualified to present the information found on his/her web page? I am not sure there is not enough information provided about the author.

If the author is a corporation/institution/organization or other group:

      Does the organization have a reputation for credibility? Not stated.  

      Does the organization explain its purpose, mission, goals, or guiding principles? No

      Does the organization provide the names of its officers, editors, staff or other major participants? No

      Does the organization provide contact information (phone, address, or at least an e-mail address)? No

      Does the organization appear to filter the information appearing under its name?  Not sure

      Does the organization display any obvious signs of bias? No

      In conclusion, do you think that this organization is qualified to present the information found on its web page? Unsure

INTENT

Is the purpose of the page clearly stated? No

What is or appears to be the purpose of the page? Inform

Does the page contain advertisements?  Do the ads distract from the page’s content, affect the page’s reliability, or appear to be the main focus of the page?  Might they be necessary to support the organization responsible for the page? No

INTENDED AUDIENCE

Who appears to be the intended audience for this information/page?

Anyone interested in the topic.

Does the level or complexity of information provided, the vocabulary used, and the overall tone of the information/page match your needs? Yes

CURRENTNESS

When was the information on the page created or last updated? January 11, 1999

Are the dates of articles, news stories, newsletters, reports and other publications given? Yes

Is the page properly maintained or does it have broken links, outdated events calendars or other signs of neglect? Yes

  

RELIABILITY

Is the content peer-reviewed, authenticated by experts, or subject to some sort of editorial scrutiny? No

Does the page display any awards given by reliable sources, or link to favorable site reviews by reliable sources? No

Considering your answers to the previous questions, other observations you’ve made, and your overall sense of the page, how reliable does this source seem?

The source seems like it might be reliable but needs to be further researched on the organization to determine if the source would in fact be reliable.

CONCLUSIONS

Do you feel that this source is appropriate for your current assignment or information need? Yes

Would you recommend this source to a friend doing similar research? No

What reservations, if any, do you have about the source? There is a lack of information provided about the organization that needs to be evaluated. The information provided in the article is over 12 years old and has not been updated. This is not a reliable source to obtain information from.

                                                                                  

Step 6

The talk link indicates that this article is subject to general sanctions. Basically I understand that this means that the article has to meet all rules, laws, and guidelines of the organization. I also understand that Wikipedia clearly states that the information should be verifiable and that users must understand that the article is an area of reference and should not be used as a source of information.

Step 7

The question that I choose under frequently asked questions was: “Can't the increase of CO₂ be from natural sources, like volcanoes or the oceans?”

This article http://presenters.climaterealityproject.org/news/article/545 shows how we are causing the increased emissions of C02 faster than the atmosphere can tolerate.

Step 8

I believe the “Back to old lede” sections  shows that Wikipedia does not claim to be completely accurate in their information nor up to date. I feel that it is responsible that they do mention this information – but at the same time – I wonder how many people know where to find this claim. I know that I did not know this information was provided here and even though they are acknowledge the mistakes in their article they are not making this available or readily seen on the article. The normal viewer might assume all information is accurate and up to date and not know about the Talk section. I do not believe this makes the site more reliable for information, however it does make them more ethical in the information they are presenting.

Step 9

I believe, after looking at this site I can see why Wikipedia should be a source of ideas of information to further research. I could not find any credentials or experience on scientific topics for this user; however they are a contributor to the global warming page. Has this user been involved in the research process first hand or is their knowledge base from prior research they have completed. This is why Wikipedia is not a reliable source of information, but a great place for locating ideas for research.

Step 10

Wikipedia could be integrated into classroom research activities as well as ethical activities. Wikipedia can be used for students to locate information and then be required to verify that information with other sites. Students could learn about ethics and how to use the information provided on Wikipedia and how to properly cite information from other locations when creating their own report. Wikipedia could also be used when discussing participatory web and web 2.0 how we now participate and create a majority of the information on the web – this would be great to tie into why students must understand to determine the credibility of the site with which they are obtaining information from. 

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