Heather Owings
SLM 521
October 19, 2003
Web Link Bibliography
The
Big 6
Educational Resources
The "Big6™" is copyright © (1987) Michael
B. Eisenberg and Robert E. Berkowitz.
Task Definition
a. Define the information problem
b. Identify information needed to complete the task
Finding
A Focus – This is a basic introductory of the first step in the Big
6 process. I especially liked that this site links (internally) to an explanation
of why the Big 6 emphasizes having students focus in on a research question
rather than a research topic. I found it helpful because the Big 6 strategy
is new to me, and the Big 6 website, while informative, assumes you already
know why a student should have a question instead of a topic. Also great are
the examples of essential and foundation questions. This is a site I could outgrow
once I become more familiar with the Big 6 concept, but for now I think I will
use it frequently.
Date visited – 10/11/03
http://www.kent.k12.wa.us/KSD/KR/RESEARCH/definition.html
Questioning
Toolkit – This toolkit contains numerous questions that can help a
struggling student or teacher narrow the focus of their topic. Here’s
how it works: once a general topic is decided on, and the student has the question
within that topic that she needs to answer (part a of task definition), she
can hit one of the question links (like inventive questions), and she is given
a whole new set of questions that help her to narrow her topic even more (part
b). The questions are concise and straightforward, some of the questions give
examples of graphic organizers that work best with that topic.
Date visited – 10/11/03
http://www.fno.org/nov97/toolkit.html
Task
Definition: Module One – This comprehensive website breaks task definition
into four parts: selecting the topic, taking the topic and turning it into a
question, reviewing the question, and looking for the limitations of the question.
Under the “Select your topic” link, after choosing a topic, students
are encouraged to scan encyclopedias for a brief background on their topic.
I think this is important, especially if they plan to do Internet searching.
An encyclopedia entry might give them words (that they might not have come up
with on their on) to limit their keyword searches. Also helpful is the third
step, where students are encouraged to think of synonyms for words in their
question (again helpful for those keyword searches).
Date visited 10/11/03
http://www.du.edu/~miclark/tutorial/mod1_intro.htm
Graphic
Organizers – A handy website that includes examples of spider maps,
chain-of-events maps, compare/contrast maps and many others. It also links the
each organizer to key questions, again helping the student pick the best organizer
for her topic. Organizers can be copied and pasted individually. This website
created by North Central Regional Educational Laboratory.
Date visited – 10/11/03
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/students/learning/lr1grorg.htm
Information-Seeking Strategies
a. Determine range of possibilities
b. Evaluate different sources to determine the best ones
Possible
Sources List – This is a simple list of possible places to find information
about the research topic. It lists: magazines, books, videos, Internet sources,
etc. Students often want to just jump on the ‘net to do research, but
it is important that they know that there are other sources for information.
Date visited – 10/11/03
http://www.cps.ci.cambridge.ma.us/crls/Research%20Web%20Site/5_possible_sources_list.htm
Internet
Search Tools: A Quick Resource Guide – A complete Internet resource
guide for student researchers. It lists a variety of websites, and what specific
information they can provide, like whether their results center on people or
places. It also has a tutorial at the bottom about refining searches and how
different websites have different Boolean shortcuts.
Date visited – 10/11/03
http://www.itrc.ucf.edu/conferences/pres/srchtool.html
Noodle
Tools – This site is dedicated to search strategies. Allows students
to choose the best search, and website, to answer their questions. It offers
websites for biographies, U.S. government, news coverage, opinions, and other
countries’ perspectives. It can also search for media types, images, sounds,
and spreadsheets.
Date visited – 10/13/03
http://www.noodletools.com/debbie/literacies/information/5locate/adviceengine.html
Evaluating
Web Sites – Students tend to be gullible where the Internet is concerned.
They never think that a web page could be providing them the wrong information.
This site has a teachable unit on what student’s should look for while
researching on the Internet. The cloning sites are a trip, especially Christians
for Cloning Jesus, and I think it would teach students to be more careful about
what they believe.
Date visited – 10/13/03
http://mciunix.mciu.k12.pa.us/~spjvweb/evalwebteach.html
Evaluating
Web Pages – Another web evaluation site geared more towards college
students and teachers. It explains in detail what to look for specifically:
the URL, the domain, who “published” it, etc. It gives links to
reputable directories where links can be looked up and verified. A site that
encourages a very thorough investigation of every website used in research.
Date visited – 10/13/03
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html
Location and Access
a. Locate sources (intellectually and physically)
b. Find information within sources
Fact
Monster – From Information Please Kids’ Almanac. This ready
reference website is for younger students, but I personally love it. It’s
fun, colorful and factual. It answers the basic almanac questions about dates,
timelines, presidents, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1940, etc. Similar to
exploring topics in an encyclopedia, this website would be a good starting point
for learning basic background information about a research topic.
Date visited – 9/30/03
http://www.factmonster.com/
Awesome
Library – How will you enter the door? As a teacher, kid, teen, parent,
librarian or college student? This is the first of many selections to be made
on the Awesome Library website. It offers subject searches for all disciplines:
math, social studies, the arts, science, English, health, physical education,
and Special Ed. Plus it enables you to browse in a multitude of foreign languages.
Again, this is a good starting source that will lead to stronger primary sources.
Date visited – 9/30/03
http://www.awesomelibrary.org/
Subject
Pathfinders – Lists of pathfinders for subject typically assigned
to high school students. Each pathfinder lists sources where information on
that subject can be found. It helps narrow the question (and topic) of student
research even further. It gives sample searches for Google and lists call numbers
for books on that topic. Also helpful, at the bottom of the pathfinder are ways
to evaluate and document the source.
Date visited – 10/11/03
http://www.valencia.cc.fl.us/lrcwest/pathfindersub.html
Homework
Pathfinders – Compiled by the Cleveland Heights-University Heights
Library system (Way to go, Ohio!). Another subject pathfinder list, this one
is geared toward younger children. It has links to great websites like the Cleveland
zoo. The only detraction (for those non-Ohioians) is that it does focus on Ohio
history, although it does offer pathfinders to other more general historical
events. Another drawback, all of the books offered as resources are located
in the Ohio library, although with the call numbers a student might be able
to find something in their library.
Date visited – 10/11/03
http://www.heightslibrary.org/teachertools/pathfinder.htm
Librarians'
Index to the Internet – This searchable annotated index was compiled
by librarians. The goal of the website is to “provide a well-organized
point of access for reliable, trustworthy, librarian-selected Internet sources.”
The selection criteria includes availability, credibility, authorship, and external
links, in addition to: authority, scope, content, design and function.
Date visited – 10/13/03
http://lii.org/
Use of Information
a. Engage the information in a source
b. Extract relevant information from the source
Trash-N-Treasure
Note Taking – Taken directly from The Big 6 website. It explains the
process of reading for research. A researcher, like a pirate, is looking for
a specific information (treasure). As such, there are useless facts (or in the
case of buried treasure: sand, dirt, or rocks) that can be thrown out like trash.
These are facts that do no pertain to the research topic. The process keeps
students focused on the topic (treasure). The note-taking aspect ends up resembling
the pirate’s treasure map, it marks the process (or route) one must take
to reach the desired information (treasure).
Date visited – 10/18/03
http://www.big6.com/showarticle.php?id=45
Active
Reading - From the University of New England, active reading is described
in detail and can be used as is for teachers, but will need to be modified for
most students. The best readers are those that: know what they are looking for
and how to find it, relate new knowledge to old knowledge, make patterns or
connections, and ask questions about the text. The point of active reading,
and the 4th skill in the Big 6, is to read with a purpose.
Date visited – 10/18/03
http://tlc.une.edu.au/ALO/active1.htm
Effective
Notemaking – Note making is an active process that the student works
to construct notes, charts, or maps of information based on relevance and importance
to a specific topic. On the other hand, note taking implies a passive process
of student writing down everything without sorting it by relevance or importance.
This is another website put together by the University of New England, targeted
for college students but that can easily be modified for middle and high school
students.
Date visited – 10/18/03
http://tlc.une.edu.au/ALO/effective1.htm
SQ3R
– The SQ3R method of reading requires a student to survey the text
(“S”), ask questions she feels will be answered in the text (“Q”),
she then actively reads to find answers (“R”), recites the answers
out loud (“R”), and then reviews the material and her questions
and answers (“R”). Although I found several sites about this reading
method, I liked Sweet Briar College’s site best. It seemed the most straightforward
and concise.
Date visited – 10/19/03
http://www.arc.sbc.edu/sq3r.html
Notemaking
Tools – From the book Tools for Thought. A multitude of graphic organizers,
note maps, and teaching tools. According to the site, even Leonardo da Vinci
used mapping techniques in his journals. An excellent starting point, especially
if one cannot decide which type of map is best for her research. This site will
help direct a student to the best map for the job.
Date visited – 10/19/03
http://www.englishcompanion.com/Tools/notemaking.html
Synthesis
a. Organize information from different source
b. Present the information
The
Five Paragraph Essay - Basic outline of this typical research paper. It
can be modified for both older and younger students. It offers examples of introductions,
thesis statements, transitions, and a sample essay. An excellent guide for both
novice and experienced writer.
Date visited- 10/18/03
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Atrium/1437/howto.html
Types
of Essays – A more sophisticated website than the five paragraph essay
one. It offers a variety of essay examples including: argumentative, cause and
effect, comparison and contrast, and literary analysis. Each essay type has
a concise description of what that particular essay entails. Plus, each essay
type has a sample essay link so that a student can see how the description translates
into an actual essay.
Date visited – 10/18/03
http://www.rscc.cc.tn.us/owl&writingcenter/OWL/Types.html
NoodleBib
– Noodlebib is an online tool that simplifies creating a bibliography.
This web site allows a student to choose MLA Junior, MLA Advanced, or APA Advanced,
depending on their scholastic level. It is a subscription site, it costs $8.00
per year, but has additional tools for students beyond the bibliography help.
A worthwhile investment for students.
Date visited – 10/18/03
http://www.noodletools.com/noodlebib/index.php
What
Is an Annotated Bibliography – Cornell Library Research guide defines
an annotated bibliography. It gives sample annotations, in both MLA and APA
style. Offers a concise distinction between annotations and abstracts. Also
includes helpful link to an internal site dedicated to the critical analysis
of information sources.
Date visited – 10/18/03
http://www.library.cornell.edu/okuref/research/skill28.htm
Plagiarism
– An important site for all students. It delves into the differences
between summarizing and plagiarizing. It has tips for avoiding plagiarism as
well as brief definitions of the vocabulary necessary to teach plagiarism. Although
a university site, it can be used at a high school level or modified for a middle
school class.
Date visited – 10/19/03
http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/wts/plagiarism.html
Evaluation
a. Judge the product
b. Judge the information problem-solving process
Kathy
Schrock's Guide for Educators – A wonderful site full of assessment
tools, rubrics, electronic portfolio ideas, graphic organizers and report card
comments. A site exclusively for teachers, it offers an array of helpful links
and ideas for just about any grading or assessment problem that could be encountered
in a classroom. In addition, the electronic portfolio sites encourage a teacher
to stay current and up-to-date as far as tracking her accomplishments.
Date visited – 10/19/03
http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/assess.html/
Secondary
Assessment Tools – Has a variety of projects and their assessment
criteria. If a teacher only needs a criteria, this is the site. However, if
she needs more information or a description of parts of the criteria, she will
not find that here. Most of the assessments are self-explanatory, so the site
is still immensely useful.
Date visited – 10/19/03
http://www.bcpl.net/~sullivan/modules/tips/assess_sec.html
Evaluation
Tools – Different types of evaluation techniques. Although related
more to business than education, all evaluations could be modified to fit a
specific project or paper. For example, the evaluation matrix might be modified
by media specialists and given to students to find out how much of their research
relied on print materials and what came from online sources.
Date visited 10/19/03
http://mime1.marc.gatech.edu/MM_Tools/evaluation.html
Information
Power - From the ALA website, a list of the nine information literacy standards
for student learning. Ultimately, these are the standards that assess the effectiveness
of the Big 6 instructional curriculum. If a student learns to use the Big 6
properly and effectively, they should have no difficulty achieving the first
three literacy standards. As students grow more competent with the Big 6 Skills,
they should be able to tackle the independent learning standards. Ideally, a
graduating high school student should at least have an understanding if not
experience with all nine information literacy standards.
Date visited 10/19/03
http://www.ala.org/aaslTemplate.cfm?Section=Information_Power&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=19937