- 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 prompts for Week of 6/22
This week’s work centers around focusing and surveying, and we’re going to stick with that theme in discussion. I’d like you to consider an analogy to photography here. When you’re getting ready to take a picture, you need to make a whole lot of decisions. That starts with deciding what your subject is going to be–what you’re going to focus on. In the course of making that decision, you’re also weighing what else is around that focal point, deciding what to include and exclude based on how you frame the image (whether and how much you zoom, how you refocus if you do zoom in, and deciding whether and how to overlay filters and other effects).
That’s kind of how research works–figuring out what’s worth focusing on requires a lot of surveying the landscape to see what’s out there and what’s interesting, and then making a series of decisions about how to compose a final image that you think others will want to see. We’re entering the surveying phase now–looking to see what’s out there and then deciding where to focus and how to frame the shot.
Please respond to both of the prompts below by the end of the day on Wednesday, 6/24, and then tune back in later in the week to respond to a couple of your classmates’ posts.
- What search tools have you tried, and what are you noticing about them–how they work, what kinds of sources you turn up with different tools, what specialized features (i.e. Advanced Search features) seem especially helpful? If you’re running into roadblocks, explain what you’ve tried, so we can offer suggestions to help you keep moving forward.
- Plot some research goals for yourself. As you can see in the unit 2 assignment sheet you will need to have at least 1 scholarly source, and at least 1 primary source (check out the post below for a rundown of what constitutes a primary source). You’re welcome to include a variety of sources beyond that, but will want to ensure that your sources represent a range of different viewpoints and contributions. What kinds of texts are you hoping to find? Which fields and voices do you want to make sure are represented? How will you work to find them?
A refresher on source types:
Overview for Week of 6/22
I’ll be getting you feedback on your recent posts and on your focusing flowchart within the next 24 hours, so please be on the lookout for that, and use that to get started on your research for sources for your research portfolio.
Read on for the particulars of what’s due this week, but first, let me give you a bit more of the Big Picture of Unit 2.
In this Unit, you will be assembling a set of sources–representing a mix of voices of various stakeholders, a variety of source types (including primary, scholarly, and others), and a range of perspectives. Your primary tasks in this unit will be making decisions about what sources to include and becoming conversant with those sources. In this unit, we’ll focus on these elements:
- locating sources (working with the SU library databases and other tools)
- evaluating sources (assessing their value, credibility, and utility to your project)
- writing about your sources (in a couple of note-taking and discussion exercises, and in longer annotations that are part of your portfolio)
You’ll be building a research project with these and other sources down the road in Unit 3. This unit will let you take your time developing a strong foundation for that work, so that your research can be intentional, critical, and productive (and not just quote-dropping or patching together other people’s words and ideas). This will allow you to make something new, a valuable contribution to the world of knowledge on the subject you choose to explore.
So, here are this week’s tasks.
Reading:
- “Four questions to protect your organization’s culture during COVID-19
- chapters 6 and 7 of TSIS
- chapter 2 (“Forwarding”) of Rewriting
Writing and discussion work:
- 2 note-taking exercises (1 due Wednesday, and the other due Sunday)–this begins with you locating possible sources, and then working with 2 different techniques spelled out on this notetaking techniques handout
- discussion posts (your posts due Wednesday, replies to classmates’ posts due Saturday). Here’s the link to the prompts: