Author Archives: Anne Leonard

Notes from today, and reading/blogging/writing assignments for November 14

Posted on November 12, 2012 | Leave a comment

Today we discussed using library databases to find articles. On Wednesday, we will discuss how and why to evaluate sources in any format. Please review the following 2 websites:

UC Berkeley Library, Evaluating Web Pages:  Techniques to Apply & Questions to Ask
Cornell University Libraries, Critically analyzing information sources.

and read the following 2 articles:

Fister, B. (2003). The devil in the details: Media representation of ritual abuse and evaluation of sources. SIMILE: Studies in Media and Information Literacy Education, 3(2), 1-14.

Grimmelman, J. (2008/2009). The Google dilemma. New York Law School Law Review, 53, 939-950.

Blogging Amnesty: Because there has been confusion about the due dates of reading and blogging assignments, you have until Friday, November 16 to complete the blogging assignment originally due today (November 12). This  blogging assignment is to comment on a classmate’s blog post — either one 100 word comment or 2 comments totaling 100 words.

The annotated bibliography is due on Wednesday, November 14. Please get in touch if you have questions about the assignment.

Slides from today are available here.

CUNY posted more Hurricane Sandy help and information that might help with any questions you have about financial aid, enrollment, and attendance.

~Prof. L.

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Notes from today, and reading and blogging homework for Monday, November 12

Posted on November 7, 2012 | Leave a comment

Today we discussed finding information (books and other media) in library catalogs, including the CUNY catalog and WorldCat As you search for information on your topic, don’t forget about other resources available to you, including those of the New York Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library and Queens Library systems.Remember that resources in other academic libraries in Brooklyn are available to you via the ALB consortium.

On Monday, November 12 we will discuss finding information in library databases. Please read Badke pp. 94-120, and pay special attention to section 5.9, for further study. Your blogging assignment is to comment on a classmate’s blog post — either one 100 word comment or 2 comments totaling 100 words.

The college has made a plan to make up for the instructional time missed during Hurricane Sandy. Friday, December 21 will be the last day of classes, on which we will finish up the group presentations.

Slides for today are available here.

Please get in touch with any questions you have about the annotated bibliography, which is due on Wednesday, November 14. I will be out of town from tonight through Sunday evening but will make an effort to check email regularly.

 

~Prof. L.

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Reading and blogging homework for Wednesday 11/7

Posted on November 5, 2012 | Leave a comment

By tomorrow we should get an update of how we’ll make up the classes missed due to the college closure during Hurricane Sandy. I’ll let you know as soon as I find out. In the meantime, I posted an updated schedule of readings and assignments. Today we discussed advanced internet searching, including Google Scholar and the importance of setting up Library Links in your Google Scholar settings, various browser add-ons such as LibX for searching and Zotero for citation management, and briefly touched on EasyBib, which we investigated a few weeks ago. EasyBib also has browser extensions for Chrome (and Firefox?) that allow you to quickly cite or evaluate a website or online article or e-book. Please note that the library’s EasyBib demo now ends on November 30. On Wednesday, we’ll discuss searching & finding in library catalogs. Please read Badke, ch. 5 pp. 89-93 and review the Library of Congress Classification Outline.

Please write one research journal blog post in response to the prompt below:

In class today you tried out advanced search strategies and scholarly internet resources from the Badke reading to search for sources on your research topic. Describe 1 advanced strategy or scholarly resource you used. Did you find different information sources than you found doing a regular internet search (just using Google, Yahoo, etc.), and if so, how are they different? Did you encounter any difficulties that you haven’t encountered in a regular internet search?
Slides for today are available here.
Go vote tomorrow! Check the updated list of NYC polling sites that have been changed due to Sandy damage if you think there’s a chance that your usual polling site has been moved.

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Updated schedule of readings, blogging, and assignments

Posted on November 1, 2012 | 2 comments

hi everyone,

I posted an updated class schedule on the course OpenLab site. You can find it under Syllabus. Some of the blogging assignments may be adjusted a bit to accommodate due dates of other written assignments. The annotated bibliography is NOT due Monday, November 5. It is now due on Wednesday, November 14.

See you Monday! Stay safe.

~Prof. Leonard

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Classes will resume on Friday, November 2

Posted on October 31, 2012 | Leave a comment

hi everyone,

The latest CUNY alert tells us that classes are cancelled again tomorrow, Thursday, November 1:

ALL scheduled Day and Evening classes at ALL CUNY campuses have been canceled for Thursday, November 1, 2012. Classes will resume on Friday, November 2, 2012.

See you all on Monday; we’ll pick up where we left off with the reading/blogging assignment originally due on 10/29. I’ll distribute an updated schedule of readings, discussion, and blogging assignments as soon as I can. Stay safe!

Best,
Prof. Leonard

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Reading and blogging for Wednesday, October 31

Posted on October 29, 2012 | Leave a comment

I hope everybody is safe for the duration of Sandy.

For Wednesday, October 31 please complete the reading and blogging assignments originally due on Monday, 10/29.We’ll discuss advanced internet searching. Please read Badke, chapter 6 (all) and chapter 7, part 7.7 (pp.161-162) and view the web search strategies video. The research journal blog post originally due Monday 10/29 is now due on 10/31. I’ll update the schedule of readings and assignments later this week.

Stay safe, everyone!

~Prof. Leonard

 

Stay safe and dry, everyone!

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How-to video — track changes in MS Word

Posted on October 25, 2012 | Leave a comment

hi all,

I found several videos that show how to use Track Changes in Microsoft Word to manage edits in a word document. I picked the one below because it is short and the narrator speaks clearly; start at about 0:48 into the video to get to the most relevant part:

Take a look in Youtube — if you find a better one, feel free to post it! And let us know if you find it helpful or not in the comments.

~Prof. Leonard

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Notes from today, and reading and blogging assignments for Monday, October 29

Posted on October 24, 2012 | 2 comments

Today we continued our discussion of the process of research. We took a look at Easybib.com, a new library resource that helps with documenting research resources and organizing ideas into an outline. For some help visualizing your ideas, try experimenting with concept mapping using bubbl.us, a way to organize your ideas by showing relationships between them. If you have questions about the annotated bibliography assignment, please get in touch. We’ll be discussing it more in the next few class meetings.

On Monday 10/29 we’ll discuss internet research strategies. For Monday please read Badke, chapter 6 (entire) and chapter 7, pp. 161-162 only. For your first research journal blog post, respond to the following questions in one 100-word post:

You are working on choosing a topic and developing a research question for your paper. What difficulties (if any) have you encountered as you work on your research proposal?
What strategies (if any) have you used successfully during this work?
What questions (if any) do you have about the assignment?

Slides from today are available here.

~Prof. Leonard

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Notes from today, and reading and homework assignments for Wednesday, October 24

Posted on October 22, 2012 | Leave a comment

Today we discussed the beginning of the research process, including needs assessment, preliminary strategies, and topic development.

On Wednesday, we’ll continue our discussion of the research process and examine how to refine a topic and how to create search strategies. Please read Badke Appendix 1 pp. 223-257, review Badke Ch. 3 pp. 42-48.

Your research topic proposal is due by the beginning of class on Wednesday, either handed in to me or emailed to me as an attachment. If you have questions, do not hesitate to get in touch — and do not wait until Tuesday night. Chapter 2, “Taking Charge,” from the Badke book is definitely worth reviewing if you need practical advice and examples of good approaches to the development of a robust research question.

Slides from today are available here.

~Prof. Leonard

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Notes from today, and reading/blogging homework for Monday, October 22

Posted on October 17, 2012 | Leave a comment

Today we discussed the mechanics of database searching, including Boolean operators, nested searching, and phrase searching. The next time you’re using your favorite search engine, try some of these advanced search techniques and consider whether your results are more relevant than usual. Slides from today are available here.

On Monday, October 22 we move into the course segment on finding information and media. We’ll start with the basics of research process: needs assessment, preliminary strategies, and topic development.
Reading: Badke Ch. 2
Assignment: Comment on at least one blog post

Your research topic proposal is due on Wednesday, October 24 at the beginning of class. I prefer documents emailed as attachments but will accept paper documents handed in at the beginning of class. Please get in touch if you want to discuss your ideas in advance of turning in the assignment.

~Prof. Leonard

 

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