IS299 Associate’s Capstone Unit 2 Your Topic and Sources

Agenda Welcome Questions on Unit 1? Preview Unit 2 Assignments/Readings Seminar Questions

Getting to know you… Share something about yourself that most people would not believe to be true. I set my hair on fire in 8 th grade science lab!

Unit 1 Review The Scientific Method--how will we use aspects in creating the Capstone Project? Observation Hypothesis (thesis) Collection of Data (research) Analyze/interpret Data Draw Conclusions

Hypothesis vs. Thesis Hypothesis An hypothesis is what you "suppose;" An hypothesis is what you do before you examine, analyze, critique, argue, and verify the evidence for or against your hypothesis. Thus an hypothesis is what you suppose just 'off the face' of things. Thesis A thesis is what you "pose" (or "posit"). A thesis is what you conclude to after you do all this difficult work. A thesis is what you pose after deeper examination. However all this work does not make a thesis necessarily correct. All we can say is that a thesis is the best-supported explanation of the evidence, and that it has many things to say for it.

Main difference Hypotheses Hypotheses can then be regarded as the lowest explanation that an uneducated person would give to a particular phenomenon Thesis thesis is a higher explanation that rests upon many facts and experiments *

Unit 2 - Select Your Topic Selecting your topic (technology theme)-subtopic list (U1 and U2) What are some ones you have chosen or are thinking about?

Unit 2- Select Your Topic Subtopic Ideas? Interesting and Personally Meaningful Researchable (good resources) Important

Focus Your Topic Identify a research question, point or argument you'd like to support Develop a thesis (summary of your point of the paper) Thesis is a guide to the reader--maintain focus, the objective of the paper Examples: 1.Support a view (social networking is a valuable resource to be used in education) 2.Inform (the various assistive technologies available for special needs people-- pros/cons) 3.Persuade (high school students should be permitted to have cell phones in school)

Start Your Initial Research Initial research will indicate if you have selected a good topic Web searches vs. KU Library Kaplan Library Presentation (Course Home) Library Info: UAH Library Guide/FAQ Scholarly journals (KU Library->Online Resources->Electronic Articles->Academic Search Premier) Books (KU Library or others) other sources (web sites/pages, magazines, reports, newspaper, film, government report, interview, speech, etc.)

Scholarly Journals Brief summary of article Serious, academic look (charts/graphs) Cite sources in footnotes/bibliographies Written by scholar/researcher in field Reports on original research/experimentation Often published by a specific professional organization Genamics Journal Seek at a good source for locating journal types.

Scholarly Journals- Examples American Economic Review Journal of the American Medical Association British Journal of Educational Technology European Physical Education Review TechTrends: Linking Research & Practice to Improve Learning Teaching Exceptional Children Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness Technology Teacher Reading Teacher American Fitness New Scientist University Business International Journal of INfo. Technology

Seminar Question “Critical Thought and the Web” htm How do you use Critical Thinking in evaluating your resources (journals, books, websites, etc.)? How can you tell if it is a credible source? How to use critical thinking when evaluating resources? 1.Identify author/organization 2.Type of resource 3.Facts vs. opinions 4.Supported with citations?

Unit 2 Project: Sub-Topic Identification Worksheet Identify your subtopic and discuss why/how you selected it Annotated Bibliography: List at least 3 resources (scholarly journal, book, other) Explain briefly what the resources is about (summary) and why you think it will be useful for your capstone project Use APA Format (see APA Quick Guide & Guidelines in Doc Sharing)

Unit 2 Assignments Learn about the KU Writing Center (pdf doc) Reading Topics 1.Annotated Bibliography 2.Resource Journal (for units 3 and 4) 3.Steps in Writing the Capstone Paper Practice using KU Library "Top Ten Mistakes in Academic Research" Discussion Question (1) Project (sub-topic Identification Worksheet)

APA Format Article in a Newspaper, Magazine, or Other Periodical Publication Author last name, Author first initial, (Publication year). Title of article, Title of periodical, Volume number (Issue number), Pages (numbers only). Zany ways to learn citation. (2004, May). Citation Psychology Today, 98 (11),

Annotated Bibliography Stem Cell Research: An Annotated Bibliography Provide reference in APA: Holland, S. (2001). The Human Embryonic Stem Cell Debate : Science, Ethics, and Public Policy. Boston: MIT Press. This is the annotation of the above source. In this example, I am following APA 2009 (6th ed.) guidelines for the bibliographic information listed above. If I were really writing an annotation for this source, I would offer a brief summary of what this book says about stem cell research.

Annotation continued… After a brief summary, it would be appropriate to assess this source and offer some criticisms of it. Does it seem like a reliable and current source? Why? Is the research biased or objective? Are the facts well documented? Who is the author? Is she qualified in this subject? Is this source scholarly, popular, some of both? The length of your annotation will depend on the assignment or on the purpose of your annotated bibliography. After summarizing and assessing, you can now reflect on this source. How does it fit into your research? Is this a helpful resource? Too scholarly? Not scholarly enough? Too general/specific? Since "stem cell research" is a very broad topic, has this source helped you to narrow your topic?* *look here for more help

Review Resources-Scholarly vs. others (see Doc Sharing) Credibility of Resources/websites Qualitative vs. Quantitative Data (see Add’l Resources)

Quantitative vs. Qualitative Data Qualitative Data Overview: Deals with descriptions. Data can be observed but not measured. Colors, textures, smells, tastes, appearance, beauty, etc. Qualitative → Quality Quantitative Data Overview: Deals with numbers. Data which can be measured. Length, height, area, volume, weight, speed, time, temperature, humidity, sound levels, cost, members, ages, etc. Quantitative → Quantity Source: Oswego City School District REgents Exam Prep Center at

Any Questions? Good Night and Good Luck!