- Similar to many of my classmates, I am using Syracuse libraries as a main source. However I am also using the New York public library to search for sources as well. When searching for an article for the unit 1 assignment, I found it best to search for key words instead of long phrases. When I typed in key words, I found the articles were more relevant and consistent with what I was looking for. Whereas when I typed in long phrases, the articles differed drastically. So I am going to continue to keep my searches short with key words. Also using advanced search features such as publication date and content type, helps make the search a little easier. Content type helps narrow down the type of writing piece you want and publication date is important because you want recent information rather than outdated sources.
- My topic is about diversifying the education system and more specifically the process schools go through when they are screening and accepting students. When looking for primary sources, I have looked at mostly interviews with students and faculty for both private and public schools. Looking at the diversity between the two and the different viewpoints that are being offered. I have looked at articles about screening and all about the process of it for students and how it is different depending on the type of school and where it is located. When looking for scholarly articles, I referred back to Syracuse libraries as I have found a couple regarding the topic but will need to do further research. When doing this search, I hope to find people who are in the field of education or know a lot about it and are able to speak and contribute many viewpoints to the issue at hand.
Week of 6/22 – Discussion
- As I’ve begun researching my topic further I found myself struggling to filter notable sources. This may be because I was looking through too many databases (Google Scholar, Syracuse Libraries: Proquest, JSHOR, etc.) without refining my search engine. Instead, I was sifting through quick content searches with conflicting and indecisive interests. Because of this it took me a while to finally settle on just one source but eventually I found an appropriate article written on language diversity in the international workplace. Given my topic of interest it helped to look through a database that was pertinent to the field. For this reason I chose the LLBA: Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts however it did become intense handling numerous related articles. One tip I guess I would suggest would be to work more with less (instead of continuously trying to find the perfect source)!
- Some of the research topics I had in mind came about from my unit one assignment. From the article I chose the authors addressed limitations to their study and suggestions for further areas of future research. As of now I’m trying to find relevant work under this scope though I am a bit uncertain with concluding if a source is outdated (i.e. an article writing about the state of research then in 2006 compared to the research now) and if it can still be of value. Apart from this, I hope to find which voices are especially important to represent.
6/22 discussion
- To find the scholarly sources, I’ve used the SU library database primarily. I’ve noticed that when searching for articles its best to use unique describing words to find a specific subject, my searches typically bring up 10,000 or more articles, and that’s with 5-6 keywords. When searching with less than that I got results that varied much farther out of my topic, and it was much harder to search through the list to find ones that pertain to my subject. My major at SU is Fashion design, and I have only written three essays that have needed scholarly sources. So, in general, I’m not that experienced in the art of critical research, I haven’t run into any roadblocks when researching, and recently have found some great articles for our canon.
- My research has landed me on the subject of the diversity and profiling of children in the education system. The recent article I used was written by four early childhood professors, and addressed this issue and collected data from studies involving student teachers learning to form connections with their students and learning how to form equity in the classroom. Their insights were very informative and introduced me more to what the current education majors in college need to focus on when they start their professional careers. I’d like to find an article that a current teacher who teaches ages 6-12 has written and addresses the disadvantages the children face because of a physical or social difference from their classmates. This issue usually is too complex for the children to give an appropriate response to, so I hope to find an article that addresses the teacher’s role in the classroom and with their fellow teachers and how they work towards a level playing field for all students. Issues, in public schools especially, can range from racial, gender, and sexuality bias, as well as a child’s social class and physical appearance. These issues may not all align in a single article, so I plan on widening my search to books and journals, as well as multiple articles that could focus more on one specific issue rather than all or most of them.
Week of 6/22 research discussion, Aaron
- Mostly I have relied on JSTOR through the Syracuse Library’s website. I’m pretty familiar with it through other classes I have taken, and was aware at the vast amounts of articles/book chapters that are available on there. Originally while conducting this research I never used the advanced search to limit the publication dates, but have since changed that to find articles or chapters that were written in the last 5 years or so. I also plan to use some news articles (being aware at the plethora of unreliable websites out there) I’m deciding to only use things written by a reputable news source and written by an expert in the field of educational diversity, rather than just relying on any random post that some random person wrote,
- As stated above, definitely relying on the academic sources- peer reviewed is always a go to for me. Most of the sources that I have found so far on JSTOR have been chapters from books, so I plan to piece those together in the most fluid way possible. As far as news articles, looking through things like the New York Times, Washington Post, Forbes, etc. I realized I can probably just use the proquest search engine on the Syracuse Library website also since there’s a vast database of newspaper articles available on there. Do any of my classmates have good advice on sifting through newspaper articles to find something that isn’t opinion based or anecdotal? Thank you!
Discussion Prompts Week of 6/22
- My first time around, I went straight to google scholars as my first way of attempting to find an article, but this time I started with using library.syr.edu. I’ve already found several articles on ProQuest and Wiley Online Library by using the Summon Search. I’ve noticed that typing in the appropriate keywords is what leads me to find what I’m looking for, but sometimes being too specific is not the right strategy. It’s disappointing, though, when the same articles constantly appear after several attempts at different searches when I know they do not contain the information I am seeking.
- While I will need to have at least 1 primary source and at 1 scholarly source, I hope to find texts that encompass how this generational gap in the working environment is adjusting to each other. Because these sources should have different viewpoints and contributions, I will try to look for authors of different ages who have different experiences in this topic. For example, I want to make sure a voice from each generation (if possible) is represented: Baby Boomer, Gen X, Xennial, and Millennial. I understand this may be difficult but hopefully my research is successful. I will work to find them by trying out different databases, maybe even searching related TEDTalks and then looking up the speakers to see if they have written any articles, etc.
Prompts, week of 6/22, Toni
What search tools have you tried, and what are you noticing about them?
I was inspired by one of the readings this week as a source/topic, the reading about Four Questions To Protect Your Culture From CoVID-19, and particularly the statement: “every moment is a culture-shaping moment, for good or for bad, and will continue to have an impact long after theCOVID-19 crisis.” This time I went to the SU Libraries first. It was much more successful than my first round and I do think I have some better scholarly sources to start out with. I already feel more secure in this endeavor than the last one with the results I saw just by one search topic in the SU Libraries. I also will continue to use the Notetaking exercise we were given this week, to help focus the selected articles and the information most robust to my topic. I found this very helpful and similar to what I have been doing, but with more specificity. I also think it will help narrow down my topic more clearly.
Plot some research goals for yourself.
I plan to expand my search topics, but keeping within the pandemic/capitalism and also diversity and inclusion within that topics, i was not expecting those to be so easily searchable, but it seems there’s a breadth of discussion around all of these topics individually and together. I feel once i have worked with the following selected sources so far, I will be able to whittle down an even more focused search criteria.
First, I’m wondering if my 1 primary source would be the article we read this week that inspired me to move forward with this topic? https://www.thinkbrighthouse.com/2020/03/4-questions-to-protect-your-culture-from-covid-19/
Other than that I am developing a nice list of scholarly sources from both general searches on the internet as well as the SU libraries.
https://hbr.org/2020/04/preparing-your-business-for-a-post-pandemic-world
https://pressto.amu.edu.pl/index.php/sr/article/view/22515
https://journals-sagepub-com.libezproxy2.syr.edu/doi/10.1177/1090198120922942
Discussion Post 6/24
- The main search tool I have been using when researching sources is the SU library databases. I have found this to be the most useful because I know it is credible and that I have access to all of the information that is on it so there is no need to click through to make sure I can get onto the web page. It is efficient leaving me with more time to focus on the sources I am choosing between rather than searching aimlessly. The search screen includes all the databases found along with a feature that allows you to search by title subject area or content type narrowing the results down so that they are just what I am looking for. One other resource I have been using is Google Scholars which focuses on the scholarly literature available. Google Scholars is a bit more open-ended, with less specific filters to search by. While I trust this source because I know it is pulling from publications based on the results of research or studies I get stuck scrolling through pages due to the limited filters making me feel as though my time is being spent searching rather than analyzing the actual content.
- Along with a primary, and scholarly source I would like to include
a secondary source. Since I am focusing my research on
empathy, including sources that are specific to perspective and
help with understanding is key. I would like the voices of diverse
individuals to be shown through primary sources since they are
usually first-hand experiences or observations. While primary
sources can give a direct point of view and opinion it is also
important for me to search for secondary sources, such
as an analysis of the topic, that has less personal bias than a
primary source to provide context and give another perspective.
Lastly, a scholarly source adds credibility through data and facts
from a professional on the topic. These three sources give a voice
to the people being discussed, those analyzing the topic, and the
scholars researching and collecting the data. I will find these
sources by searching through the SU library database,
Google Scholar and any other resources I find through my peer’s
posts.
Week of 6/22 Discussion Post
- I decided that I want my topic to be about inclusive education, so the first thing I did was search inclusive education in Syracuse University Library Summons. A wide variety of articles, books, and other scholarly journals came up, but nothing was exactly what I wanted. I made my search a little bit different by saying that I wanted a journal article, and searching inclusive education benefits. The advanced search was helpful because it allowed me to be more specific, and find some articles that could be a great source. Although I found many great articles by changing by search only a little bit, in the past, I have found it helpful to really take advantage of the advanced search section. For example, you can specify the area of study, make sure the article is current, and even filter your search so that you have only peer reviewed articles. Overall, I like to do my research using the Syracuse Library Summons because of how easy it is to work with.
- I think that one important thing that I can do in order to represent different voices is find sources that are written, or have input from various people who are involved in inclusion. For example, I could find an article where a student who has a disability shares his/her experiences with education, whether it be in a special education classroom, or a general education classroom. Also, I think that it would be interesting if I could find an article that includes the experiences of a child who does not have a disability in their inclusive classroom. Experts, teachers, and school administrators could also be a great resource because they have had experiences with so many different kids. Overall, I think that it is really important to collect sources that include input from various people instead of just showing one side of the argument or one person’s perspective. In order to find these sources, I will do research, and use available filters in order to find what I need.
Discussion Week of 6/15
- When actively analyzing the constructs of organizational culture and workplace values we are always brought back to the central ideas of diversity and inclusion within communities. When attempting to grow from prejudice and discrimination against factors such as race, gender and disability we must find the internalized problem and study inclusion tactics that will help workspaces become more diverse spaces. One article that I believe really added to the central idea of the canon was ““Workforce diversity and organizational performance: a study of IT industry in India”. This article not only highlights the lack of diversity within certain environments but brings light to the companies that lack diversity and the steps that can be taken to resolve each issues. I think it’s important that this article not only targets the injustice faced but provides methods on which positive changes can be made.
3. In Bogost’s article on Diversity in computing he begins his article focusing on an issue that has been disputed for years and tackled by various consumers, in this case a woman going through airport security. Bogost builds an argument on one problem that correlates to a wide scale issue of lack of diversity within tech culture. He also emphasizes how there should be more representation within an industry that affects the lives of so many individuals. Although he spends the first half of the article addressing the central issue, he makes a very seamless transition when he explains to the audience how he personally plans to fix it with his own team of researchers. Bogost establishes his credibility within the audience when he says “Among them is the Constellations Center for Equity in Computing at Georgia Tech, where I hold faculty positions in the colleges of computing and liberal arts.” With this statement he transitions to telling the readers how he and other workers plan to do their part and get down to the real issue within the computing world.
Blog Post Week of 6/15 – Toni
In Bogost’s article I do not get a firsthand sense of whether he agrees or disagrees, neither in the beginning nor at the end. In fact, I don’t see much of a point of view of his at all. He even ends with a question that comes across as an incomplete sentence. I suppose he could be quite a rhetorical genius in this regard, as I did not feel he was arguing, persuading or had any agenda whatsoever, other than displaying information effectively. And by effective, I mean, easily palatable and interesting for most any reader. He is telling just what is needed from the personal experiences of Webb and how her questions formed and took her research up stream, to technical jargon that is supported by confident quotations. However, he is neither agreeing nor disagreeing nor agreeing and disagreeing at the same time. Or I cannot find places that allude to this in the piece. He gives us a lot of good information, and I was given what I needed to follow along and continue to gain curiosity by what Webb and other’s like Bobb were arguing, both of whom were very clear on their points-of-view, in helping us to understand (lack of) diversity in tech; Bogost doesn’t even seem undecided. It seems he does agree with both, he agrees with the problem and he also agrees with how they both disagree. However, even when he’s speaking of his own association with holding faculty positions at Georgia Tech’s Constellations Center for Equity in Computing, he gives the goals of the center and lists activities. He states they have merit, but also mentions their impact might be a drop in the bucket. Again, in this passive way there isn’t directly persuasive or argumentative rhetoric. While we read in TSIS this week, that it helps the reader organize around the reading if they know your argument from the start, I am basing this largely on that. I will say, I did not need his argument to remain fascinated with the information, the examples he chose, and the quality of the writing is simple to follow, but I don’t see HIS argument in this; I hear him supporting other peoples’ arguments at the same time. I am not discounting this, and it reminds me of in Chapter 4 in TSIS, where they are referencing new students not feeling they can be a part of the conversation because they don’t know enough to argue. While I don’t think Bogost has much of an “argument” and therefore I am not sure where to go with the question of the rhetoric shifts of his argument, but he is part of the conversation. He’s broadening the conversation by researching, speaking with and illuminating those whom have very strong arguments for what they know, and passing it on in palatable way to the rest of us.