A6.3: Copyright

Linsey Cushing
September 26, 2007

Copyright and fair use. (2005). Retrieved September 26, 2007, from http://fairuse.stanford.edu/

Harper, G. K. (2001). Crash course in copyright. Retrieved September 26, 2007, from
http://www.utsystem.edu/OGC/IntellectualProperty/cprtindx.htm

TAP:
The topic of these sites is copyrighting and the rights people have or can infringe upon due to copyright laws. The audience is anyone interested in knowing his or her rights regarding copyrighting, both as a creator and a borrower. The purpose of the information is to inform the public about copyrighting and how to legally follow copyright laws.

Claim:
Copyrighting was developed to protect any type of creative, original, physically evident work so that ideas and information are not stolen or reproduced without permission from the creator. Copyrighting sets up a system so that legal action can be taken if these laws are not followed but also allows legal Fair Use for people who are utilizing the information in a way deemed appropriate by the government.

Evidence:
Copyrighting can be applied to many different mediums, including books, magazines, music, movies, plays, and pictures. In order to receive a copyright, something must be physically evident, or “tangible,” original, and creative (2005). Copyrights do not protect ideas; the information must be present at some point to receive a copyright. The length of the copyright depends on when it was published and under what conditions it was published. In order to have protection, works no longer need to have copyright notices; anything published after March 1, 1989, is now protected under the copyright law. However, it is still advised to have a copyright notice just in case legal action is taken. Copyright owners have the right to reproduce, distribute, create adaptations, and perform or display their works (2005).
In order for people to legally access copyrighted work, the government created Fair Use. Fair Use allows people to utilize copyrighted work without the copyright owner’s permission. However, there are very strict and somewhat vague guidelines to follow for Fair Use that, if disobeyed, can lead to a lawsuit. For Fair Use, the person must use the information for commenting, criticizing, or as a parody (2005). Harper’s site includes four Fair Use factors that aid in determining whether the information is covered under Fair Use. These are, “What is the character of the use? What is the nature of the work to be used? How much of the work will you use? What effect would this use have on the market for the original or for permissions if the use were widespread?” (2001) In other words, if the work is being used for nonprofit, educational, or personal use, you should be safe. If the nature of the work is fact or published, Fair Use should apply. You should only use a small amount of the material, and this material should not be the main idea of the work. Finally, your use of the work should not cause you to compete with or detract from the original work’s selling potential (2001).

Connections:
Before reading this information, I did not know much about copyright at all. I had never even heard of Fair Use. However, I now feel like I have a good grasp on copyrighting basics. From what I’ve read, though, no one truly has a clear-cut definition for what is allowed and what isn’t, which is scary because depending on which court you are tried in may determine a difference of thousands of dollars. I wish that there was a way to more clearly define what is Fair Use and what isn’t, but I understand that the right to borrow materials is case specific. Reading this information has made me aware that I should take more caution when using other people’s information. The only time I think about using others’ works is when writing a research paper where I have to cite the information. However, I now know that I should be giving and asking for credit in a lot more instances. A major issue going on today dealing with copyrighting is downloading music illegally. We just received an email from the university stating that legal action is being taken against Marshall students for illegally downloading music without permission from the copyright owners.
Although this information does not relate to anything else that we have read for this class, the two different websites that I got the information from are very similar. They both include information about copyrighting and Fair Use. The Harper site, Crash Course in Copyright, is easier to understand and is geared toward a more general audience. The other site, Copyright and Fair Use, is geared toward a higher educated audience and was difficult to follow at times. Even though nothing else I’ve read has directly mentioned copyright, it applies to all the information because this information was protected by copyrights. It also is becoming more of an issue as we move toward sharing one another’s ideas on the Read/Write Web. This information relates to my future as a speech-language pathologist because as a clinician, I will have to be very observant and careful when taking information to use for client education. If I ever go into the educational field, I will also have to be very aware of copyrighting.

A5.5: Week 5 Reflection

Linsey Cushing
September 21, 2007

Week 5 Reflection

Aims and Objectives:
This week, my goal was just to make it through the week!! I had two tests on Tuesday, GRE on Wednesday, and I am leaving today (Friday) to go out of town as soon as I get this reflection done. If nothing else, I wanted to make it through alive and finish all of my assignments before I left because I will not be back until Sunday evening.

Declarative Knowledge:
This week, my learning centered around very social aspects of the Read/Write Web, especially social bookmarking, virtual worlds, and virtual meetings. I learned that social bookmarking allows the user to bookmark sites just as the old type of bookmarking did, but makes these bookmarks and the tags that you put along with them available to the public so that you are instantly connected with others who are bookmarking the same type of information. This allows you to find an abundance of resources without having to do much searching and also with a large amount of people who are knowledgeable or at least interested in the same topic as you. I learned that virtual worlds allow people to create their own virtual person, or avatar, and “live” in a virtual world while communicating with others (also real people represented by avatars). Virtual worlds are used both for entertainment and educational purposes. For example, some universities are using virtual worlds for medical students to practice on virtual clients before they actually have to deal with real people to allow time to adjust and room for error. Finally, I learned about virtual meetings. These allow participants to meet on any computer that has an Internet connection. Teachers are able to conduct class, use audio and visuals so that students can see the teacher, and an electronic whiteboard is available for demonstrations and communication between students and teachers. Also, virtual meetings allow for students to be connected with guest speakers or other students who can literally be anywhere in the world as long as a meeting is set up that agrees with both time differences.

Procedural Knowledge:
This week, I learned how to subscribe to a Newsreader and how to add a link for this Newsreader on my Weblog. First, I went to bloglines .com and clicked on the “Sign up now It’s free!” link in the center of the page. I entered my email address and a password and clicked on the “Register” button. I received a confirmation email and after clicking on a link in the email, I was officially signed up! Next, I added four newsfeeds to my newsreader to start learning how to operate it. I simply added the URL for each site to the upper right-hand box on the page and selected “Subscribe to URL” in the pull-down options. I chose which link I wanted to subscribe to out of a list, and I was connected. I repeated these steps for each newsfeed I wanted to subscribe to, which were: 2 cents worth, indexed, Read/Write Web, and Weblogg-ed. To link to my blog, I went to my dashboard, clicked on BLOGROLL, put in the name and address of my newsfeed, and clicked “ADD LINK.” I also learned how to begin social bookmarking in Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms.

Conditional Knowledge:
I will utilize the information I’ve learned this week throughout my educational, professional, and social life. As a student, this information will come in handy very soon because I am currently creating a research question for research that I will do for this class. By utilizing social bookmarking, I will be able to keep track of my sources on any computer and also will be able to find more sources than I alone could find by connecting to others. I will also use virtual meetings in the upcoming days because our class meeting on Monday, September 24, will be our first virtual meeting. I am excited to see how this goes because I’ve never had a virtual meeting before. I think that Marshall should begin to require virtual meetings for classes offered online because whenever I have taken an online class, I feel very detached from the teacher and my classmates. As a pre-professional, this information can lead me to others who are striving to become speech-language pathologists so that we can share our knowledge and resources together. As a citizen, I could use virtual meetings to connect with other people from my community. I could even join a virtual world where Huntington is depicted. I think that I would really enjoy virtual worlds because I used to play Sims all the time. I am reluctant to join one because I have a feeling I would be on it a lot which would take away from my homework time. Facebook already does enough of a job on that. =) Overall, I think that the information I’ve learned this week will greatly help me in my future in all aspects of my life because it is helping me to become a more well-rounded person, especially in the technological aspect of the Read/Write Web.

A5.3: Library Searching I

Linsey Cushing

September 20, 2007

References

1. Database: Academic Search Premier

Keywords: cochlear implants, literacy

Bibliographic Information:

Connor, C. M., & Zwolan, T. A. (2004). Examining multiple sources of influence on the reading comprehension skills of children who use cochlear implants. Journal of Speech, Language & Hearing Research, 47, 509-526. Retrieved September 19, 2007, from Academic Search Premier.

2. Database: ERIC

Keywords: cochlear implants, literacy

Bibliographic Information:

Easterbrooks, S. R. (1998). Association of college educators of the deaf and hard of hearing annual conference: Collected papers. Retrieved September 19, 2007, from ERIC.

3. Database: Academic Search Premier

Keywords: cochlear implants, literacy

Bibliographic Information:

Geers, A. E. (2002). Factors affecting the development of speech, language, and literacy in children with early cochlear implantation. Language, Speech & Hearing Services in Schools, 33, 172-183. Retrieved September 19, 2007, from Academic Search Premier.

4. Database: ERIC

Keywords: cochlear implants, literacy

Bibliographic Information:

Marschark, M., Rohten, C., & Fabich, M. (2007). Effects of cochlear implants on children’s reading and academic achievement. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 12, 269-282. Retrieved September 19, 2007, from ERIC.

5. Database: ERIC

Keywords: cochlear implants, reading

Bibliographic Information:

Vermeulen, A. M., van Bon, W., & Schreuder, R. (2007). Reading comprehension of deaf children with cochlear implants. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 12, 283-302. Retrieved September 19, 2007, from ERIC.

A5.2: Chapter 6 – Richardson

Linsey Cushing
September 19, 2007

Richardson, W. (2006). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

TAP:
This chapter discusses learning through the social web, especially social bookmarking. The intended audience is teachers who are wanting to bring technology into their classrooms. The purpose of the chapter is to inform readers about social bookmarking and to persuade them to begin using social bookmarking.

Claim:
With so many Web sites available online, it is easy to be intimidated. However, by using social bookmarking, people can organize information while being connected with others who are interested in the same topics. This in turn can provide users with new social connections and new resources. Also, by creating new systems of classification, people will help to create the “folksonomy” of the social bookmarking world.

Evidence:
There are currently over 10 billion Web pages that exist on the Internet (Richardson, 2006). Although this may seem overwhelming, there is a solution: social bookmarking. Social bookmarking allows people to save links and create their own keywords or tags to go along with the link. These keywords or tags are then matched up with other keywords or tags of the same name, connecting you with other people interested in the same topic. Not only does this allow you to be connected to people, but it also allows you to create an RSS feed so that whenever someone adds something to that particular keyword, you are notified. As Richardson states, “RSS lets us read and connect with what others write; now we can read and connect with what others read as well,” (2006). New social connections are made as people are drawn together through keywords which creates a community of like-minded people. Also, when people create these keywords or tags, they are developing a classification system known as “folksonomy .” This is taking the place of the old taxonomy used by librarians and involves the general knowledge of all users to form a socially acceptable and understandable classification system. By joining social bookmarking sites such as Furl.net or del.icio.us , people can begin the social bookmarking experience and take part in a popular aspect of the Read/Write Web.

Connections:
After reading this chapter, I am excited to join social bookmarking. It seems like this application will be essential in the future of the Read/Write Web because it is convenient and collaborative. I think that social bookmarking is a great idea because with the old type of bookmarking, you could only use one computer and did not share with other people. However, with social bookmarking, you can access your bookmarked sites anywhere, create folders, and share your keywords with other bookmarkers . In turn, you are able to see the sites they find noteworthy, which you can add to your bookmarks if you want. I think this will help me a lot when I am doing the research project for this class because with the help of hundreds, maybe thousands, of people, I am sure that I can find great sources on my topic. I think that social bookmarking will definitely be used in future classrooms to aid in organization and research. This information helped to clarify the information I learned about in 7 Things You Should Know About Social Bookmarking earlier this week. It provided more details and gave instructions on different social bookmarking sites that I can join. The information also relates to the larger aspect of the Read/Write Web that I refer to again and again in my connections. Finally, social bookmarking will be beneficial in my future career because I can connect to other speech-language pathologists, audiologists, and other health professionals who are tagging Web sites that concern whatever topic I’m interested in. For example, I could create keywords such as stuttering, cochlear implants,dysphagia, or apraxia and find sites that are linked by these keywords while also finding people I can discuss information with.

A5.2: 7 Things You Should Know About Virtual Worlds

Linsey Cushing
September 18, 2007

7 things you should know about virtual worlds (2006, June). Retrieved September 17, 2007, from http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7015.pdf

TAP:
This article discusses basic information about virtual worlds. It is geared toward anyone interested in virtual worlds but has an educational aspect to it. The purpose of the article is to inform readers about virtual worlds.

Claim:
Virtual worlds offer users a place to exist in a world that is created by the group of users. Virtual worlds can be used for entertainment purposes or educational purposes depending on the setup. Virtual worlds are being coordinated into collegiate curriculum and offer many benefits through constructivist learning.

Evidence:
Virtual worlds are online environments where users are represented by avatars that they personally create. These avatars are able to interact with other avatars (who are controlled by other people, not the computer) in environments as directed by the users. The avatars can communicate with one another, making virtual worlds an area to create a sense of community and belonging. Many people use virtual worlds as a gaming area, creating rules and restrictions for users. On the other hand, universities are beginning to incorporate virtual worlds into their curriculum as monitored environments for student learning. For example, the article describes a virtual world in which a medical student has to work with patients (actual medical students) in different clinical settings. The environment is monitored by the professor, who gives suggestions to the students when needed. Other examples included a virtual archaeological site and disaster training environments. Instructors can either require students to meet in their virtual world at a certain time or they can allow students to log on whenever they have time and interact with one another. Virtual worlds promote constructivist learning because they require the student to figure situations out on their own without setting strict guidelines. The teacher can sit back and watch learning take place between students without them even realizing it. Overall, virtual worlds blur the line between real and computerized environments while allowing students to learn on their own and become part of a community.

Connections:
When I first started reading the article, all I could think about was a game called The Sims that I used to play. This game must have been the precursor to virtual worlds because you took on a persona/avatar and lived a life in a virtual world. I can see where virtual worlds are a hit with gamers because they are able to connect with real people. However, I also recall reading an article about a woman whose husband played Second Life, the game mentioned in the article, and was “cheating” on his wife with another woman, devoting every waking hour to the game. So I guess there are good and bad aspects to virtual worlds. People should not be consumed by them and sacrifice face-to-face interaction for avatar interaction because however social you are in a virtual world, you still need to have physical friends. On a more positive note, I think that educationally, virtual worlds offer a lot. They allow students to interact with “fake” people before they actually have to interact with patients, which allows for mistakes and learning from these mistakes. I hope that Marshall will consider adding virtual worlds to several of their programs because I think they would be very beneficial to students while also being fun at the same time. This information relates to what I’ve read about virtual meetings because it is essentially a virtual meeting but people are represented as avatars and the environment is different. It is also a unique aspect of the Read/Write Web. Finally, this information could be very beneficial in my future as a speech-language pathologist. Virtual worlds would be great to work on before I actually started therapy as a beginning clinician. If I stay around a university program after I become a speech-language pathologist, I am sure that I will see virtual worlds again.

A5.2: 7 Things You Should Know About Virtual Meetings

Linsey Cushing
September 18, 2007

7 things you should know about virtual meetings (2006, February). Retrieved September 17, 2007, from http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7011.pdf

TAP:
This article discusses basic information about virtual meetings and how they are conducted. The audience for the article is mainly educators and students in higher education. The purpose is to inform the reader about virtual meetings.

Claim:
Virtual meetings offer an area for real-time interaction between students, teachers, and other guests. Virtual meetings provide teachers with an opportunity to teach distance learning as they would in a classroom, allow an alternative for on-campus or residential students, and provide a connection to students and professionals worldwide. Virtual meetings create a sense of community that fosters interaction that normally would not be there for distance learning.

Evidence:
Virtual meetings are real-time meetings that are conducted over the Internet. The participants use features such as audio/video, chat tools, application sharing, and an electronic whiteboard to communicate with one another through computers. Participants utilize an application, such as Live Classroom from HorizonWimba , to connect. The opportunities available for virtual meetings are endless. Students can use virtual meetings for study sessions or group projects. Teachers can use it for labs that need audio or visual aids, to connect students with professionals or other students worldwide, for distance learning classes so the environment is more personal, or for on-campus students as a different method for lecturing. By using virtual meetings, teachers can incorporate guest lecturers from other countries into the “classroom” without wasting any money on traveling or hotel services. The only restraint between communicating globally through virtual meetings is time zones, which can be coordinated with proper communication. Virtual meetings offer tools such as the electronic whiteboard for students and teachers to communicate. The audio/video option allows for students to see the lecturer as he or she talks. This can also include students if they have access to a Webcam . Another advantage to virtual meetings is that students can ask both guest speakers and instructors questions and get answers back in real-time, rather than waiting for an email response or a meeting. Virtual meetings provide the opportunity for both students and teachers to interact as if they were in a regular classroom while promoting a sense of community between learners.

Connections:
Although I’ve never heard of virtual meetings, I think this is a really good idea. In today’s age, the majority of people have easy access to computers and are on them quite a bit during the day. Virtual meetings provide an opportunity for students to interact with one another and with the teacher or guest speaker in real-time, making it seem personal and convenient. I have taken several online courses here at Marshall, and the main drawback was I was not able to get to know the teacher or the students in the class. Also, if I did not understand the lectures, I could not just ask the teacher in person; I had to e-mail the teacher and wait days for a response. Virtual meetings would be a great application to add to Marshall’s online learning community. I think that as universities become more adaptive to technological advances, virtual meetings will be as common as classroom lectures. I am excited to experience my first virtual class meeting next week to see how it goes. This information related to what I’m reading because it involves a community of learners working together with technology. Virtual meetings are yet another addition to the Read/Write Web. As far as my future, I have a feeling that virtual meetings will be very common once I am ten years or so into my work as a speech-language pathologist. ASHA allows teleconferencing for therapy sessions, so I figure that virtual meetings could be a substitute for therapy for patients who are unable to come to the session as long as its not every time. I figure I will also meet with colleagues in virtual meetings to discuss information relating to the field.

A5.2: 7 Things You Should Know About Social Bookmarking

Linsey Cushing
September 17, 2007

7 things you should know about social bookmarking (2005, May). Retrieved September 17, 2007, from http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7001.pdf

TAP:
This article discusses basic information about social bookmarking and is geared toward anyone interested in learning about it, especially the academic world. The purpose of the article is to inform the reader about social bookmarking basics.

Claim:
Social bookmarking is an update on traditional bookmarking. It allows users to share their bookmarked sites on a global scale, creating a community in which everyone can share resources. Users are able to express different perspectives on topics while finding others who are interested in the same topics they are. By tagging the bookmarked sites in their own individualized ways, users take part in a “folksonomy.”

Evidence:
Social bookmarking involves bookmarking Web sites and saving them to a public Web site, such as del.icio.us or Furl. When users save a bookmark, they add a keyword to the site to help categorize it. Instead of the traditional bookmarking method, social bookmarking allows global access and therefore users are not limited to one computer. It also allows friends, colleagues, and complete strangers to view your bookmarks and keywords. This encourages people to share resources with one another while gaining different perspectives on topics. Users can search through bookmarks or keywords to find areas they are interested in. Once they are on a site, they can also see what other sites that people have bookmarked. This makes it easy for social connections to be made with people who have similar interests. Another feature of social bookmarking is that users can see how many people have used a tag and all the other resources connected with that tag. In other words, social bookmarking is a giant web of organization for resources. The users create a “unique structure of keywords to define resources-something that has come to be known as a ‘folksonomy,’” (2005). Social bookmarking is ideal for people involved in research because it provides a global reference list that is categorized according to topic. Instead of spending hours searching for the correct topic, users simply log on to the public Web site and search through the keywords, bookmarks, or people and are provided with hundreds, maybe thousands, of related Web sites to explore.

Connections:
Before today, I had never heard of social bookmarking. At first glance, I figured that it was synonymous with bookmarking. I have bookmarked Web sites off and on during my Internet career, but I have found that it is often easier just to type in the site rather than searching through the list. I also didn’t like the fact that I couldn’t access my bookmarks on anyone else’s computer. However, social bookmarking seems to be the solution to my problems. I think that the idea is great because it connects you with other people who are interested in the same topic and have found different sources than you have. The keyword addition is helpful because you are able to organize your pages while also understanding others’ pages just by looking at a word or two. By allowing users to see how many people have tagged a site, you can see how popular and perhaps valid the site is. I think that social bookmarking is another way for us, as part of the Technology Generation, to become a more global, collaborative community. As a student, social bookmarking is great because it allows me to do research in much less time. I just need to log on to one of the public Web sites and start searching for my topic. Once I find it, I will be able to see all the bookmarked sites related to it, how popular the sites are, and who all has tagged them. This not only puts me in contact with resources, but also with people who share common knowledge and perhaps expertise. This relates to what I’ve been reading because it is another collaborative effort that will enhance the Read/Write Web. Finally, this will influence my future as a speech-language pathologist because I can use social bookmarking to do research on my area of expertise or a disorder I’ve never heard of. Social bookmarking can also connect me with other professionals involved in my area.

A4.8: Week 4 Reflection

Linsey Cushing
September 14, 2007

Week 4 Reflection

Aims and Objectives:
This week, my goal was to get all of my work done before the weekend because I have two tests on Tuesday I need to study for and a wedding on Saturday. I didn’t do very well because it is Friday night, and here I am typing away! My other goal was just to try not to stress too much about this class. When I saw how much we had to do this week in addition to my other classes’ work loads, I was quite overwhelmed. However, I’m trucking along and slowly making progress!

Declarative Knowledge:
This week, the I learned about Wikipedia, RSS, and searching the Web. I did not know that Wikipedia was the eighth most visited Web site in 2005. Considering it’s popularity, it is probably higher today. I also learned that Wikipedia has a Discussion tab where editors can give their reasoning for editing the page so that others can search for bias in the article. Most of our readings for the week focused on RSS, or Real Simple Syndication. When you apply to an RSS feed, you select the Web sites that you want searched. Then, an aggregator searches these sites for updates and whenever it finds one, that site is identified on your RSS feed. This way, you no longer have to search sites for updates, saving you time and effort. RSS is the solution for organizing the overwhelming amount of information that is currently available on the Web. As author Will Richardson said, “RSS is a powerful, flexible tool that…will be changing our information gathering habits for years to come. If you don’t try any other tool…, you simply have to start using RSS” (2006). Finally, I learned about searching the Web for topics. I learned that there are three types of search tools: search engines, subject directories, and the invisible Web. Search engines are databases such as Google and Yahoo that allow you to type in a topic and search for results. Something called a “spider” searches through the database and returns to you with results, known as “hits.” Subject directories are for specific topics and are created by people interested in this topic. Finally, I learned that some Web sites are “invisible” and cannot be picked up by search engines or subject directories. The most important thing I learned about searching the Web, however, was that you should search more than one area when looking for information.

Procedural Knowledge:
This week, I learned to how to properly search the Web for information in search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and Ask. I learned how to manipulate the wording of the topic so that different numbers of hits will come up when I search for it. I also learned how to subscribe to an RSS feed in Chapter 5 of Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. Finally, I learned how to subscribe to a professional mailing list when I joined one that related to my topic about cochlear implants.

Conditional Knowledge:
The knowledge I acquired this week will be very helpful in my future, especially in the near future for this class. We are in the beginning stages of a research project, and the information I learned about Wikipedia, RSS, and searching the Web will all be very useful when I am searching for information on my topic, which deals with cochlear implants and literacy. For example, I will probably use Wikipedia as a starting point for research but not as a main source because it is ever-changing and therefore hard to cite. An RSS feed would be helpful in identifying when new information is added to sites involving cochlear implants and literacy. The information I learned about searching the Web is already coming into play because this week, we had to search different search engines for our topic. Also, the mailing list that I joined will aid in my research. As a pre-professional, this information is useful because I am learning to incorporate technology into my future career, which will be essential in the future. I’m sure that I will use an RSS feed to keep track of Web sites that pertain to speech-language pathology. As a citizen, Wikipedia is a great place to become part of the global community. I could help to contribute to Huntington’s page on Wikipedia to fulfill my duty as a citizen.

A4.3: Reflection on Searching the WWW

Linsey Cushing
September 12, 2007

Reflection on Searching the WWW

When I search the Web for information, my first spot to visit is always Google. After reading this information, I realized that although Google is the number one search engine, it still does not find every option that is available on the Web. I learned that when comparing search engines, many factors besides number of hits and amount of information available come into play. Yahoo Search is named as the second best search to Google, followed by Ask.com. I realized when reading this information that I have hardly ever accessed either of these search engines when doing research. I have been cutting my resources short and not even known it! Although a lot of information about Google, Yahoo, and Ask.com was available, I found that it was too over my head to understand. Even after reading what these terms were in the glossary, I still was somewhat lost. However, I found that I learned a lot about search engines in general. I was very surprised to find that search engines do not actually search the Web; rather, they have a certain database that the “spider” searches through in order to find the Web sites that I see after a search. I always thought that when I did a search engine, it was searching the entire Internet for sources. From now on, I plan on searching Google, Yahoo, and Ask.com for information so that I can get a variety of hits. Another aspect that I found interesting and surprising was that some Web sites are “invisible” to the search engines and therefore cannot show up as a hit when I search, even if these sites contain my topic. To find this invisible information, you have to search sites such as Google Scholar or belong to a group that subscribes to certain advanced searches, such as ERIC or PsychInfo. My advantage is as a Marshall student, I have access to EBSCO Host and I can search through this for many invisible Web sources. Another thing I had never heard of before today was Subject Directories. These Web sites allow you to connect to sites that are selected and maintained by certain people. For example, at www.lii.org , librarians compile the information. I will keep this type of search engine in mind when I’m looking for a specific topic. I really liked the ITools site and Keith Stanger’s site because each one is filled with search options that I did not have before. I will definitely use both of these sites in the future.

What I learned today about search engines and subject directories will be very beneficial in the future. It will impact my work because I now know that searching just Google does not give me nearly the amount of choices that I could get by searching Google, Yahoo, Ask.com, and some specific subject directories. I plan on utilizing many of these Web sites when doing research for this class and also in the future when I am doing research. This will help me to find valuable information much faster and also lets me not settle for mediocre information because it was all I could find. Hopefully, utilizing what I learned today will improve my research in the future and will be reflected in my final product.

A4.2: Chapter 5 – Richardson

Linsey Cushing
September 12, 2007

Richardson, W. (2006). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

TAP:
This chapter discusses RSS basics and is geared toward educators. The purpose of the chapter is to inform the reader about RSS, describe how to download and access RSS, and persuade the reader to use RSS.

Claim:
Because of the ever-expanding amount of information that is available on the Web, organization can be overwhelming at times. However, RSS is the solution to this problem. As the title of the chapter quotes, RSS is “The New Killer App for Educators” (Richardson 2006). RSS is a necessary addition for every educator and student because it allows the user to log onto the RSS aggregator and view which Web sites, Weblogs, wikis, etc. have been recently updated instead of having to search each individual site. RSS saves time for the user while also improving critical thinking skills.

Evidence:
RSS, or Real Simple Syndication, allows the user to set up an aggregator, which does the searching for you and sets up the RSS feeds. Then the user selects which Web sites, blogs, wikis, search engine topics, or newsgroups are of interest and adds these to the RSS feed. Finally, the user fine tunes the RSS feed by choosing whether others can see what he or she subscribes to, how often the aggregator should check for updates, and how long the information should be saved. When the user goes back to the RSS feed, he or she will see that the Web sites that are updated are highlighted. This way, the user does not waste time going from site to site but instead has all the updates available on one. The user must learn to glance at the new information and determine whether it is valid, useful information or simply something that came up and is useless to the user. This aspect of RSS is particularly useful in the classroom because it can help improve students’ critical thinking skills and judgment. RSS is also very beneficial to teachers because it allows them to create an RSS feed for the students’ blogs. When researching, RSS is useful because you can use search engines such as Google to search for a particular topic and have the aggregator add any updates to Web sites about the topic or add any new Web sites created about the topic. The same can be done for news searches such as Google News and Yahoo News. As Richardson concluded the chapter, he said this: “RSS is a powerful, flexible tool that…will be changing our information gathering habits for years to come. If you don’t try any other tool, … you simply have to start using RSS” (2006).

Connections:
Before taking CD 315, I had never heard of RSS. When I first started reading about it, I was somewhat confused. However, this chapter really clarified how beneficial RSS can be if I look at the updates on a daily basis and teach myself to differentiate between useful information and updates that just need to be deleted. I am amazed at all the different sources that can be added to an RSS feed. I was really surprised that even a Google topic search can be added to the aggregator instead of a true Web site. I am planning on using an RSS feed in the future for my research project and I am excited to see where it leads me. I can definitely see RSS being commonplace in the near future because it saves you time while also organizing information. This reading directly relates to the article I read a day ago, 7 Things You Should Know About RSS. However, this put the basic information from that article into perspective while actually giving me Web sites I can use and directions on how to create the necessary information. As I have said in previous connections, this is yet another addition to the Read/Write Web that will bring users together while also saving time and energy. This information about RSS will be very useful in my career as a speech-language pathologist because I can add Web sites such as ASHA to my RSS feed so I can be updated on new information while also adding general topics concerning my specific area of study to be updated on. If my clients have blogs at school or home, I could even add those to my RSS feed to keep up with their daily lives outside of the clinical atmosphere.