Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Continuing my research

Right now, I am right in the middle of two different parts of the I-Search research approach. I am currently between the first 2 stages, called Selecting a Topic, which is a focus on finding resources and Finding Information, which is here I being to explore the resources and begin to generate questions about my topic. I like that I am able to be doing two different steps at once, which is why I chose the I-Search approach in the first place. I am currently scouring different tech sites, checking on some of the databases that are available to UB students and starting to look for different opinions. I think for my next post, hopefully I will be able to have some more solid evidence to report!

6 comments:

  1. The I-search model is great for multitasking. Our school currently blocks gmail, so I will be interested in what you discover. Are you finding a lot of information on gmail and schools? Jody

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  2. Not as much as I had hoped! I have been scouring tech sites and some of the databases that we have access too but haven't had a ton of luck. I am a little weary of the personal opinion pieces that I have found since it's been drilled into my head that they aren't really legitimate sources. I am just going to have to pull bits and pieces from what I find!

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  3. As far as finding information goes, I always am a big fan of going on the websites of certain tech magazines. There is always a decent article that has been researched on most subject. Gmail I am certain is no exception. Right off the top of my head I think of pcmag.com I'm sure they have some interesting things about gmail on the website.

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  4. Kathryn,

    I also like the fact that I am able to be doing two different steps at once, which is also why I chose the I-Search approach in the first place. I have done many projects and this seems to be the inquiry cycle for me.

    I feel like I am jumping between the three steps of Selecting a topic, Finding information, Using information. It feels like a messed up game of hopscotch, but this is how I research. I am still browsing through resources to answer sub questions which in turn generates more questions through discovered knowledge. This then leads to exploring further resources. Oye!

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  5. I had never used Gmail until UB. We formed a group of students that started in the first online classes for the MLS degree. Its a great tool as we can discuss classes, get help, chat live with each other etc. It really has helped. Sometimes we may have missed what the directions really meant and you can talk it out with a classmate. Doing the degree on-line with no teacher student class time can be hard sometimes when you just don't understand the directions or need a little help. We have even been able to keep in contact with a few of our professors this way as a group. The only thing we were not able to do was have a large class video chat.

    By Laura Esposito

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  6. Hi Kathryn,
    I'm glad you chose to focus on Gmail as your topic as this was a topic I was also considering as I feel like it's a subject I really don't fully understand. I also had never used Gmail before UB grad school, and I'm just starting to realize it's capabilities for chat and video chat. I'm also using the i-Search model for my project on iPads and love this model that does seem to allow multiple steps to take place at once, as I still consider myself to be in both the Finding Information and Using information stages.
    Megan Walker

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