Pitch to a First Year Writing Professor

Library Research 2.0 is less about complicated web tools and more about connecting, consuming, and creating information through social media in order to be more effective, efficient, and meaningful in finding sources and writing research papers. There are many free resources available that students should be encouraged to incorporate into their research.

Consume: The library currently has excellent databases which allow students to consume scholarly information. We propose the following tips and sources to aid students in finding information for their research.

• RSS feeds keep you updated on new information being posted on any subject.
• Zotero can be used to find bibliography information although Ref Works is a great citing resource for scholarly articles.
• Google scholar is a great resource for finding scholarly material and can be connected to the library. (Tips for using Google can also be included. See blog post. http://digiciv-hammondlynsie.blogspot.com/2012/03/how-to-do-real-research-on-google.html )
• Students can find out what others are saying about their topic and what is currently being done about a certain issue by exploring blog posts and websites from enthusiasts.

• Connect: Students should connect to other researchers on their topic using digital tools. This makes students’ time more effective, since they can build off of articles and sources found by others, jump-starting the research process. They can also personally contact experts and researchers to gather content. This helps students learn how to build networks, and will prove to be a valuable research tool as students and as professionals.
• Connecting can be as easy as speaking to an expert in addition to reading their work. This can seem daunting to students, but with the digital tools we have today, it is relatively easy to contact experts on any subject.
• Students can find contact information through university websites
• If a student finds a scholarly article relating to their topic, he or she can usually find the author’s blog and comment to find more information. This may even spark a conversation with them on the subject, which will add both quality to the research paper and value to the student’s experience in writing the paper.
• Students can also go into an office which might have more information on the subject. For example, if a student was researching how technology has influenced education, he or she could go to an office of a nearby school and ask to interview someone on any new forms of technology their school has implemented and how it has influenced student’s learning. Interviews are generally considered scholarly sources and can generally be cited in research papers.
• Note: tell my story about connecting with the Danish expert on a certain species of Australian ant for my First Year Writing paper
• One great connecting tool is delicious.com. This site allows students to access sources from others who are researching a particular topic. The student can use these sources and build on their research by publishing a new list of sources on that topic for others to use.

Create: Students’ work will become more meaningful to them if it can be read and used by others. There are many fields in which an online presence will help with career opportunities and collaboration. Teaching students to share their work online will not only give them a chance for social proofing their ideas, it will also help them develop skills that may be crucial for their future careers.

• Publish their papers into Wikipedia articles. This is what my First Year Writing professor had us do. Knowing that others would be able to read and edit my work over time really motivated me to put my best effort into my research paper. However, I recognize that this is not possible for all research topics.
• Students can publish their work through eBooks. This is an easy way to publish a 8-10 page paper.
• Students could also turn their work into a Prezi presentation. They could design the presentation to be explored on its own or create a video where they explain their research while using a Prezi as a visual aid.
• The class could produce a TED talk where all students could take turns making a brief presentation of their topic and direct the audience where they could find more information if they are interested. A single student could also produce a TED talk to fully explain their research.
• Students can present their research as a video and publish it on You Tube.
• Information could also be presented as an infographic.
• Students can publish their research as a blog.
• A student could both create and connect by presenting their research to an expert on their topic and ask for suggestions on publication.

Growing Accessibility to Information

I recently read an article from the ERIC database, comparing the development of the printing press and technology today. I am not sure the link will work if you are not logged into BYU's library system, but here it is. http://www.eric.ed.gov.erl.lib.byu.edu/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=ED474051 .

This article claimed that the printing press was evolutionary not revolutionary. It just added to what had been developed over years and assisted in the ageless effort to make information accessible to the general public. It mentions the humble beginnings of the printing press and how it took 300 years to make printed materials fully accessible to the general public. We can see the same thing (but on a shorter time scale) with the integration of automobiles, telephones, and television. They each took about a generation to be accessible to everyone. I think it is no surprise that the same theory can be applied to the humble beginnings of  the internet. In the past few years we can see surprising growth in the accessibility the general population has to the internet. I would be as bold to say that every American has access to the internet, whether it be through work, home, or school. Anyone can simply walk into a public library to have unlimited information at their fingertips.

Now we see an increase in use of social networks to consume, create, and connect the information we use. How much more can the accessibility to internet grow?

How to Do Real Research on Google

In universities, many professors snub Google, but it can actually used to find great information...if used correctly. The disadvantage of Google is that it doesn't always give you scholarly sources. However, if you know how to find the sources you want and utilize Google scholar, you can definitely find some good information. The advantage of Google over traditional scholarly databases is its advanced search system. The problem is that about 75% of students don't know how to use it. Due to a handout created by Professor Cheri Earl of my HONRS 290 course, I have found some great tricks to using this resource.

• How to Google
• Example of what you want to find: New York Times articles about test scores in college, but not the SATs, written between 2008 and 2010
• How to Google it
• site:nytimes.com ~college "test scores" -SATs 2008..2010
• site: only searches for pages of that site
• ~ will also search related words such as "higher education" or "university"
• "" searches for the exact phrase, not each of the words separately
• - excludes this item from the search
• .. shows results from the designated date range
• Another example: A report on the different air speed velocities of common swallows
• Don't type questions into Google
• filetype:pdf air speed intitle: velocity of *swallow
• filetype: searches only results of the file type you designate. You can use this for pdf, doc, jpg, etc
•  intitle: only shows results with that word in the title (in this case, velocity)
• * replaces itself with common terms in your search
•  Google Scholar: only academic and scholarly work
• Example: papers about photosynthesis by Dr. Ronald L. Green and Dr. Thomas P. Buttz

• author: green photosynthesis "tp buttz" 
• author: searches for this word only in the author of the article instead of the entire article
• Just typing it in (like photosynthesis) works like a normal Google search
• "" more specific results 

• More tips for Google
• for quick definitions
• define: depart
• calculator: works for basic functions
• (2*3)/5-41+2

Hopefully these tips make Google more useful. Happy Researching!

Who Am I Talking To?: A Question of Audience

Taylor, my fellow leader in my inquiry project group, brought up some really good points about targeting our audience and how we can influence them. So here are my thoughts on possible audience members and how we could make a difference with our project. 

If we target students: We could post our info online (maybe a BYU site) and ask the library to play our video on their TVs on the third floor. I could also ask the other Peer Mentors to host workshops with your information to help students in the First Year Writing Course.

If we target teachers or librarians: We could present a proposal to include our information in the Library instruction course or mention our information when the First Year Writing class is doing their research unit. We could also speak to Advanced Writing professors (I have a relative who teaches advanced writing, so maybe I could do some social proofing.


I also made a point earlier that the those teaching the library research portion of First Year Writing seem to be stuck on scholarly articles and books rather than web tools. However, I think if we focus on how to use web tools to enhance those sources and allow others to view student research using Library Research 2.0 techniques, they would be very interested. If we focus our attention on a student audience, we would have to shift our project to focus on using Library Research 2.0 to save time with research and convince them to put in the necessary time to publish their work in such a way that other students could use. 


Their are clear benefits to both. However, I feel like we should choose our audience soon, so we can focus our research better. My personal choice? I am not sure although I am leaning towards teachers and librarians. I feel like they could influence students in the work they do, and our work would have much higher chances of actually making a difference in the academic world.

Technology Takes its Tole

I recently read a fascinating article by Sherry Turkle, a professor of the social studies of science and technology at MIT, about how technology is making us more antisocial and substituting real lives for virtual ones. People live an entire virtual existence, designing their dream mansion and perfect life on the computer. The shy get to live bold, and everyone gets to live the life they've always dreamed of. The problem? IT'S NOT REAL! People get obsessed and emotional attached to a virtual life which holds no actual meaning. Furthermore, this often leads to a depression when reality finally sets in.

Even for those who do not create virtual lives for themselves, technology still manages to steal time away from us. If we have a few minutes before class starts, we check Facebook or text instead of taking time for personal reflection or noticing those around us. Devices like laptops and smart phones were invented to multitask and save time. However, it seems like we fill up every available minute using these gadgets and have lost valuable time to take our time. It is no longer normal for people to take time to ponder, reflect, and simply appreciate the world around them.

One way I have tried to counter this is by walking to school. While I walk, I put my cell phone and iPod deep in the bowels of my backpack and take the time to think. I notice the beauty of fallen snow on a tall pine tree or reflect on my experiences. No matter what I think about, I always make sure to take the time to think. Hopefully the rest of the world catches on before we completely transform into the horror described in Surrogates, living lives that aren't truly ours in fast-paced world.

JFK loves TV!

I had a lot of fun imitating John F. Kennedy in class today, but it made me realize how much a new medium of information (like television) can shape history.

John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon were close in the polls for the 1960 election. What gave our iconic president the edge he needed? Television. In the first televised presidential debate in American history, JFK worked with the camera using makeup and an overall stellar appearance. Nixon did not. In fact, he looked rather sweaty and gross, but he did very well with the debate. Radio listeners were in agreement that he had won the debate while television viewers believed JFK stole the show. The difference? An ability to use technology for your benefit. 

Watch JFK Own the Camera in Nixon's Sweaty Debacle

Look at the difference between George W. Bush and Barrack Obama. Bush was slammed by the media and acted like a child on camera. Obama has perfected his TV personality and has online chats with anyone who wants to listen. Although Obama still has a long way to go before he gains JFK's level of approval, his digital literacy certainly helps. Online chats with government officials also allow us to become better participants in our country. How much more effective would government be if government adopted Web 2.0 to allow us to communicate back to them? Being more digitally literate wouldn't hurt Congress approval ratings either. HINT TO CONGRESSMEN: Get on the Web 2.0 bandwagon!

Research Tips from Professors

In an interview with a couple First Year Writing professors about they have been able to maximize their research time.

• Use subject librarians. They know specific terms and research in your subject and the best ways to find the information you are looking for.
• Search one particular aspect at a time. For instance, if you are studying a comparison between public transportation systems, you should first search specifically about environmental impact. Then research differences in cost, etc. 
• Remind yourself of your topic as you read abstracts of articles. If it is not completely relevant to your topic (even if it is interesting), do not read it. 
• Keep a schedule. For the earlier example, you could spend one hour on researching differences in environmental impact and one hour on differences in cost. 
• Keep a research log. Write down the particular aspect of your project you are researching and how much time you are spending on it. This makes you accountable for sticking to your schedule and evaluate where you need to go next in your research. This also allows you to keep track of your sources and how you got there (key phrases and databases used in an EBSCO search etc.)
• Have a research buddy to keep you on track and help find sources.
• Use university websites to find experts
• Google scholar has great sources most of the time, but it takes a lot of time to find what you need. Google books is usually more helpful and has lots of great sources.
• Take time to get off the computer and out of the library. Talk directly to people in offices that can supply useful information. Interview sources, collect stories, and distribute surveys to wide groups of people. You will be surprised at the amount of information you can gather from real people as apposed to journal articles.