Scoop it!

Contact me at malcolm.mcinerney@thebartonsc.sa.edu.au
The address for the Researchit blog
http://researchittsc.blogspot.com.au/

Scoop.it: Great for the Research Project research and Folio

Scoop.it is a way of organising your research and to develop some interactivity with your investigations. Try using Scoop.it at http://www.scoop.it/

Here is a Scoop.it I created on the Environmental issue of locating a Nuclear Waste  dump in South Australia.  http://www.scoop.it/t/environmental-issues-1

Give it a go to organise your research. Why not create a Scoop.it for your Research Project?

Just a few clicks away!

Contact me at malcolm.mcinerney@thebartonsc.sa.edu.au
The address for the Researchit blog
http://researchittsc.blogspot.com.au/


The Research Project is called that for a very good purpose, it is about research. The majority of your grade will be awarded for the quality of research you conduct. Hence today's lesson with Anne from the library was extremely important. Whilst only half the class was there, I hope the those absent take the time to talk to others who attended and follow up the research information I will put up on this blog posting.

The research required for the Research Project must go beyond the normal "Googling" process. A more comprehensive process is required which involves the fantastic database research facilities we were shown today. If you don't know how to use them just ask others and practice using them. The codes are available on the bookmarks supplied – get one from me or the library (I can't put them up on this public blog!). You must use the databases if you are doing any issue/topic based Research Project (maybe product projects may also find the databases of use as well). Moreover, when you have found the source you must citate in accordance with the Harvard system which Ann again demonstrated today. Don't leave the bibliography until the end, it should be collated as you go along correctly citated. Go to citation facility on the library link to create the correct citation of the source.
Hopefully you are all still doing your log?!!

Anyway, here are the links from today for you to play with and use. All your research is just a few clicks away!

1. LinksPlus: available to all TSC students using the password.

This is an amazing categorised data base of websites which have educational value for a huge range of issues/topics. LinksPlus is designed to guide research and save time for students, teachers and librarians. Go to http://www.weblinksresearch.com.au/login/, log in using the TSC User name and Password and start looking for sites for your issue/topic.

2. Newstext: available to all TSC students using the supplied password.

Newstext contains nearly 30 million articles from 150 News Corporation newspapers worldwide, and is updated daily. Most of the newspapers are published in Australia. The archive for some newspapers begins in 1984.
Just go to http://www.newstext.com.au/ and login using the TSC User Name and Password.
Remember,
* Only open the article if the abstract looks promising (costs for each article opened).
* Print article, don’t ask for an email of the article because they all go to Anne in the library.
* Use “and” in your searches.

3. 3. EBSCO Host databases

EBSCOhost databases and discovery technologies are the most-used, premium online information resources for tens of thousands of institutions worldwide, representing millions of end-users. It contains thousands of articles from magazines, journals etc on every imaginable topic/social issue.

EBSCO Host contains:

* Australia New Zealand database

* Australia New Zealand points of view

Again, the User ID and Password is on the bookmark.

Logging it!

Contact me at malcolm.mcinerney@thebartonsc.sa.edu.au
The address for the Researchit blog
http://researchittsc.blogspot.com.au/


Keep a log - No log, no help!!

As mentioned today, you will be required to present a folio of project progess and process. You should start the log now. I will expect you to bring the log to each lesson and show me as required to help you with the project.

That is, you should have a ringed folder with plastic sheets (containing all the handouts, collected materials, photocopies of printed material) and a A4 notebook with the entries started. Date each entry and if appropriate paste in any documents relevant to the entry. The entries may be cross referenced to the ring folder).

A well put together log makes it easier for me to see the process you have gone through with the project. The Folio assessment sheet gives you an idea of what I will be looking at.

The sort of things you could write in your log are:

* Summary of what is done each lesson/session of work on the project
* Reflective comment on progress
* Questions or problems that come up and possible solutions
* Diagrams showing your thinking
* Annotated articles
* List of references (books, articles, websites, - references using the Harvard Referencing system).
* Records of conversations or observations
* Future plans and time management ideas (timelines)
* Survey drafts
* Interview questions drafts

It is important to do this as we go. You cannot rely on remembering the process and all the refeences/drafts etc at the end when you are putting the product together.

The project can take many forms

Contact me at malcolm.mcinerney@thebartonsc.sa.edu.au
The address for the Researchit blog
http://researchittsc.blogspot.com.au/



What can it be?


The Research Project can take many forms. Think creatively about what you can create beside an essay/report (these are still fine products but there are other possibilities). Here are some ideas:


• advert
• anthology
• artefact
• article
• artwork
• Blog
• booklet
• chart
• computer program
• design, diagram
• drama script
• essay
• fashion page
• guidelines
• interactive media
• issue report
• key idea/concept
• leaflet
• letter
• model
• movie
• performance
• Photo Story presentation
• oral presentation with slides
• question
• radio segment
• report
• scrapbook
• sketch
• song
• speech
• theory
• webcam clips
• webpage
• wiki contributions
• written report.


In fact, the nature of the product may influence your fine-tuned topic even at this stage. This point is supported by the attached Research project exercise on the relationship between the research topic and the research outcome.


It is necessary to mention if you go for a creative product, it is even more important that you journal accurately and thoroughly the process over time.


This video may help your thinking on thinking differently.




Start planning.


As mentioned in class today, complete the initial planning sheet and be prepared to hand up to me on Tuesday for discussion. I would prefer that you type the document after your written draft in class today. Just download and type your repsponses into the boxes.

The blog purpose

Contact me at malcolm.mcinerney@thebartonsc.sa.edu.au


The address for the Researchit blog
http://researchittsc.blogspot.com.au/


It was really good to meet most of you all today for first time. I think you did great to listen to all the input today - this blog posting gives you the chance to take your time to read the documents related to the course and getting started with the Research Project. I suggest that you regularly check out the Researchit blog to see what has been posted.
Welcome to the Researchit blog for the Research Project class of Malcolm McInerney at Thebarton Senior College. The blog has been created to provide resources, thinking, ideas and support for stduents undertaking the SACE Stage 2 Research Project. As the first entry we need to look at the actual SACE Research Project curriculum.


To start with I suggest you go to the SACE website for the Research project.


You can get download a copy from the SACE Board site.


Further support materials are available on the SACE Board site.


2. Today in class we started to begin thinking about what you may research using the attached document called “Beginning the Thinking for the Research Project”.
This process involved identifying a topic you are interested in (hopefully passionate about)and then fine-tune it down to a valid, rigorous, challenging and achievable focus. This may be in the form of a question or hypothesis you will examine. Whilst a difficult process this stage is critical to get a research topic which you enjoy and get a good grade for (achieve able with rigour).


3. We also discussed the type of assessment which will be conducted during the Research Project.


4. Finally we talked about the design of the Research Project.


Here is some background videos which provide some background on the Research Project:


Fundamentals of the Research Project


Assessment and the Research project


In Thursday's lesson you will have the opportunity to fine-tune your topic that you gave in class today. Please feel free to change your topic if you have had further thought on what your Research topic could be. Use the attached design information to guide your response to the question: What are you planning to research? i.e. Subject topic topic and some possible Research topics.

Good luck at this really important first task for the course.

Being critical in a positive sense?

Contact Malcolm atmalcolm.mcinerney@thebartonsc.sa.edu.au
The address for the Researchit blog
http://researchittsc.blogspot.com.au/

Here’s the Student Feedback Survey for the Research Project:

 https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/R2WQQ7D

The Evaluation of the Research Project and being critical

For the evaluation you must present the evaluation in written form; it can include visual material such as photographs and diagrams integrated into the written text . It needs to be a written assessment of a maximum of 1500 words (excluding the written summary). On the Moodle there is a document which gives you headings to guide the writing of the Evaluation and a Powerpoint which provides all the information you need on this final assessment piece.

Now that some of you are at this stage it is worth considering some information on being critical to guide your discussion on the use of the sources you used in your research project. 

Being critical may be defined as a challenging approach to the reliability, usefulness and bias of a source. It involves the questioning and challenging of the attitudes, values and beliefs that lie beneath the surface of a written source (Internet, pamphlet, book etc) or person/s interviewed or surveyed.

To be critical is often associated with being negative or finding fault unreasonably but I would like us to view being critical as:

• careful or analytical evaluations 
• skillful judgement as to the truth or merit of something.

An ability of a person to be critical is sometimes referred to as a type of literacy (literacy meaning an 'ability to'). 


In the case of your research when looking at websites, reading written materials, listening to your interviewee and reviewing your survey data I am sure you regularly asked questions like:

• Who has presented this information?
• How much of it is fact and how much opinion?
• Is the information biased?
• Whose point of view is missing?
• Is this an ‘expert’ opinion?
• How objective is this information?
• How do the opinions reflected in this information compare to that of other social groups?
• What are the values and attitudes implicit in this information?
• How are the opinions in this information likely to make some people feel?
• Are the opinions in this material likely to cause ‘injury’ to others? Is the writer using stereotypes to describe a social group

To ask these questions is to be critical in the positive evaluative way.  It is such questioning and challenging of your research that should appear throughout your evaluation document.    /ˈkrɪtɪkəl/ Show Spelled
I would also like to read the words credibility and bias in your evaluation discussion when referring to sources.

Credibility being something that is credible and is worthy of being believed because it has a high degree of accuracy. Some sources of information are more creditable than others. Newspapers and magazines vary greatly in their credibility as do television programs and the Internet.  No source can be totally creditable; each has a degree of credibility which must be acknowledged and discussed to explain how it effects the conclusions.


Bias being the misrepresentation of information to create a distorted view that could create opinions that are not credible. Much of the information we receive is biased in some way. Taking a particular point of view and disregarding all other perspectives is a form of bias as is leaving parts of information out of discussions. It is always important to identify whose point of view is not represented, and why it is not presented in any information that you have.

Please do not be fearful of being critical of your research


The moderators will not think less of your work if you have been critical (in the positive sense) of your process and research (but don't expose too may inadequacies - just challenge the veracity of the data and processes you used).  They will see that you have effectively evaluated your research and deserve to be rewarded as a deep and evaluative thinker.  Use the words and ask the questions.

Putting the jig-saw together

Contact Malcolm at
malcolm.mcinerney@thebartonsc.sa.edu.au
The address for the Researchit blog
http://researchittsc.blogspot.com.au/

End of semester hand-ups

Semester 1 Resulters

As mentioned in a previous posting those students resulting this semester are to hand up all their work by the end of Week 6  . However due to some changes in SACE 'pick-ups', we now have a little more time.  Here are the new deadlines:

• Folio's by the end of this Week: 1 June.
• Outcomes by Wednesday 13 June.
• Evaluations 19 June at the latest. 

***Please note that no editing can go on after these deadline due dates***

Both the Folio and Outcome must be in hard copy (printed) to me for submission to the SACE Board. The final Evaluation must be in electronic form for uploading to the SACE Board on 21 June.

Attention to detail at this late stage is really important to ensure the best grade possible for your research project.


Semester 1 Non Resulters - resulting in Semester 2

For students who do not plan to result this semester, you should still be trying to get the Folio (and a draft outcome if possible) completed and to me by the end of Week 9 of the Semester so that you have a sound launching pad for next Semester.  You will only need to do your Outcome and Evaluation to complete the course.