- Do you find that working with websites is easier or harder than finding articles in databases or information in books?
- What methods did you try when searching for valid websites?
- Was the checklist helpful? Why or why not?
- If you have begun data mining, where did you find the sources you intend to look up?
- When searching the web, does researching seem easier or more difficult than it did before? How/why?
Response due before class on October 1st.
Reply to classmate: Look at your classmate's replies. If you see someone who is struggling, offer a piece of advice that you think would be helpful. If you see that someone has succeeded where you are struggling, try their method and then report back to him/her as to how it worked out for you. If you are having a difficult time and you think a classmate might be able to help (based on his/her response), ask him/her a question.
Extra credit opportunity!
You can earn up to 5 points. Reply to more than one classmate. You must follow the directions in the reply to earn the extra credit. Reply to a question or questions posed to you on your blog.
I thought that finding credible websites was a little harder than the database search. I think the advanced search tool was more helpful on academic search than it was on google. I liked that I could look at specific dates from only scholarly sources with the library journals, but with google I spent a lot of time going from site to site only to have the site send me to another site or a PDF of an article. I think the check list is helpful, but really long and thats why its hard to find a site that fits into the scholarly/academic criteria. I have not begun data mining too heavily, I am still trying to find a interview and looking at only .gov and .org sites. When searching the web, research seemed harder than it did before because there is a fairly strict criteria on the type of sites we can use. This is understandable though, because some people are too biased to make a proper argument and may not have the facts, more of an opinion. The web is something that I have trust issues with, because I know anyone in the world can put whatever they want on the world wide web
ReplyDeleteI too had a hard time finding interviews. Ms. Taylor suggested YouTube and I found it the most helpful in finding interviews.
DeleteI agree on the fact that you get specific articles on the library databases. Even though it was a little easier to search on the web, it still was frustrating because it would give me a great abstract but then the actual paper or article would not be available, they wanted me to pay!
DeleteFinding credible websites is proving to be a little difficult. So is finding an interview. I am still using databases to find the bulk of my information because they seem to have more reliable sources that are better at addressing my topic. I haven’t tried the data mining yet, but I’m getting there. The checklist for websites is pretty long and that’s where I run into issues with finding sites.
ReplyDeleteI found that it is definitely difficult to credible sources on the internet. I think google videos might be a good place to search for interviews or someone suggested youtube to me as well. The databases are nicer than the vastness of the world wide web, but it is nice to have access to other sources besides the databases and books.
DeleteThere are many interviews on NPR. I found a few that speak to my topic.
DeleteI agree as well. Finding credible sources online is much harder than in the database. I tried limiting to .gov first and that did the trick for me. The advanced search in Google is one of the better ways to show more credible sites. As for interviews, NPR and PBS have a plethora of interviews on an extremely wide array of topics. If your topic is very limited that can also affect your ability to find an interview.
DeleteI am definitely struggling on finding an interview as well because I'm still trying to find a for sure topic alteration to continue with.
DeleteIn my opinion, I have found it easier looking on the internet for sources to use for my paper. Reason to my opinion is that I feel like I have a more broad and expanded way to look for what I am finding. I have learned that there is the advance search on google. I have never used it nor known of it. I found it so much easier for resources that are creditable. It helped me by being able to put more key terms that I want and the sites that I can use, such as, “.edu” and “.gov.” Using the checklist has also helped me because I can look on there to make sure the site I am using can be used for my paper. Searching on the internet has been easier for me because I have known it more and with the advance search, it has made it that much better.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you mean by key terms or key words? I feel that I'm not getting enough with my searches.
DeleteThe web is easier to find a wider array of articles with different perspectives, but the databases are easier to find reliable information. I tried using Google search engine, some .gov websites and YouTube to search for websites. I find YouTube to be the best place to find credible websites. The checklist was very helpful because without it I would be lost on whether a website was credible or not. It was nice to have a step- by- step list of how to tell the credibility of a website. I have not started data mining yet but am going to start doing so this weekend. Searching the web is harder in some ways but easier in others. Searching the web is harder than searching databases just because you have to make sure the site is credible. Searching the web is easier now because we have a list of how to know if a website is credible, and the web offers a wider range of sources than databases do.
ReplyDeleteI found working with websites to be both easier and harder than finding articles in databases. I looked for valid websites using the advanced Google search and the advanced yahoo search. I took turns singling out different types of web pages such as .edu or .gov, while also varying my key words in the search box. I found the checklist to be helpful in determining which of these sites were more reliable, but also found the checklist quickly eliminated many of my options. Thus far my data mining has mainly come from my interview source. The interviewee has published several works around my topic that I wish to explore. over all searching the web made the research seem easier, but proved to be more time consuming. I have more places to find resources, but if eel to many resources to cycle through. To develop a better sense I need to spend more time trying out this new method.
ReplyDeleteThe web is easier for me because it's convenient and a tool that I've used for several years. The resources are usually short and scrolling through them seems to be time effective. I still haven't figured out how to use keywords so I need help with that.
ReplyDeleteI messed around with advanced search for a while, and it helped a fair amount. You could see if there is a keyword search tool, or even try putting exactly the words you want to find in quotations.
DeleteI found websites both easier and harder to use than an article or a book off of a database. In the database it was harder to find more specific topics, but definitely easier to find raw information. The .gov, and .edu options for advanced searching made it a fair amount easier to find more credible sources. The checklist would have been extremely helpful had I used it more; it’s definitely a useful tool especially for those who like the step by step process. I simply took my sweet time gathering information about the source and only later did I actually glance at the checklist. I haven’t started data mining, and I also do not know if I will. I found a variety of sources on EBSCO that I need to filter through to see if I even need more sources. I understood that google advanced search existed before this class, but I had no idea it could filter .gov, .edu, etc…; this has made resource hunting extremely easy, even if only searching for broad topics. The major reason this class makes it easier to research is that we are being shown how to complete the research ourselves through shortcuts and different tools.
ReplyDeleteI agree that this class is easier because we are receiving help in how to research. If I was to be given topics like this in my English 121 class, without the help in research, I would of really struggled getting my paper together because I would spend a significant amount on time trying to gather research and valuable information
DeleteI found that working with websites to be the same as finding an article in a database. When searching the internet I typed in my question in order to search Google for websites that would help me with my research. Once I found a website I would look to see if it was a .org, .edu or .gov site. Afterwards I would search for the author to see if they had credentials to be arguing about the topic. I would then check the source of the publishing company to make sure the publisher was also an a credited publishing source. I did find the checklist to be useful, because if I forget what a scholarly source was I can look at the checklist to double check. I have not done the data mining yet. Since searching the web did seem easier to research information due to the fact I was able to find more sources than I would have if I was searching through databases.
ReplyDeleteWorking with websites is a lot easier than working with databases to find a scholarly article. Much more information comes up about your topic but although this is true, they are not necessarily scholarly or a reliable source. The checklist was definitely valuable when looking for sources on websites because it helped me look out for the reliable and valid website sources. When I did data mining to get different approach to my original topic, I found good sources on google using the .gov and .edu specification. It is definitely easier for me to find website sources rather than database articles because I feel as if there is more to look at.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that working with websites is easier. The checklist was also a plus and allowed me to determine whether or not my websites were credible and allowed. I personally haven't done the data mining. What was your experience like?
DeleteI personally find it easier to work with websites because it provides a holistic overview of experiments and research conducted that is relevant to my topic. Whereas articles and databases sometimes only allow me to view the abstract and aren’t as relevant. In regards to what method I used I simply typed in what my thesis was into google and spent a great amount of time fishing through websites and finding credible sources. The checklist that was handed out in class was helpful because it helped me determine which sources I could use and which I could not. Researching on the web is easier to me because not only is the language more understandable but there is also more of it. I struggled with the databases and scholarly articles because sometimes there wasn’t enough information. On the other hand, websites/online contains extensive amounts of information on my topic.
ReplyDelete