Hey all,
This week is all about research tools I think you should use. We're all familiar with the regular search engines that help us get the information we look for on the internet. They are helpful to a certain extent. What happens when we try to find specific information or specific research regarding educational issues and we want to get reliable sources? We often find ourselves wasting precious time reading irrelevant and unreliable materials. What happens when we want to engage our elementary and junior high school students with information and definitions of terms and we find that most encyclopedias like Wikipedia are written in a language level that doesn't suit or accommodate our students' level?
These questions led me to search for research tools that deal with these problems.
The first one I found is Simple English Wikipedia . I wasn't aware that there's another version to Wikipedia that engages elementary and junior high junior students in the level of language they can read and understand. When your students feel they can actually retrieve information and get knowledge from Wikipedia they get more competent and motivated in the English environment. Be sure to try it out!!
Looking for a specific/reliable source related to your discipline? Researches or essays that are peer reviewed by scholars? Go straight to Google Scholar. With the help of this tool you get access to academic materials you look for to explore more and expend your professional knowledge.
Last but not least is a link to a site called Noodletools . Here you will find a guide for using the appropriate research tool to your specific needs each and every time you search for information. For example, if you need to refine and narrow your topic Noodletools directs you to use iSeek Education and explains exactly how the tool is being used (you ask a question or search a topic in this database of "trusted resources" - use "targets" to refine search).
Have fun!!!
This week is all about research tools I think you should use. We're all familiar with the regular search engines that help us get the information we look for on the internet. They are helpful to a certain extent. What happens when we try to find specific information or specific research regarding educational issues and we want to get reliable sources? We often find ourselves wasting precious time reading irrelevant and unreliable materials. What happens when we want to engage our elementary and junior high school students with information and definitions of terms and we find that most encyclopedias like Wikipedia are written in a language level that doesn't suit or accommodate our students' level?
These questions led me to search for research tools that deal with these problems.
The first one I found is Simple English Wikipedia . I wasn't aware that there's another version to Wikipedia that engages elementary and junior high junior students in the level of language they can read and understand. When your students feel they can actually retrieve information and get knowledge from Wikipedia they get more competent and motivated in the English environment. Be sure to try it out!!
Looking for a specific/reliable source related to your discipline? Researches or essays that are peer reviewed by scholars? Go straight to Google Scholar. With the help of this tool you get access to academic materials you look for to explore more and expend your professional knowledge.
Last but not least is a link to a site called Noodletools . Here you will find a guide for using the appropriate research tool to your specific needs each and every time you search for information. For example, if you need to refine and narrow your topic Noodletools directs you to use iSeek Education and explains exactly how the tool is being used (you ask a question or search a topic in this database of "trusted resources" - use "targets" to refine search).
Have fun!!!
