A7.7: Participation Memo

Deidra Darst
10/6/07

Aims and Objectives: 
My personal goals with regard to this week of CD 315 were to complete my assignments in an exemplory manner and in a timely fashion.  I set out to start my assignments about midweek and to do at least one assignment each day.  I set out to do this because I had a pretty heavy workload this week.  I had a diagnostics test Tuesday, observation hours to clock for therapeutics lab I, and I wanted to visit with my family on Wednesday evening.  I successfully completed everything on my “to-do” list for the seventh week of the fall semester of my senior year!  As I sit here late Saturday night/early Sunday morning, I am accomplishing another goal – completing my CD 315 week 7 assignments. 

Declarative Knowledge: 

I learned about several different topics through the completion of this week’s assignments.  First, I learned about “The Three “R”s of Inquiry” in an article by Raymond McInnis.  He wrote that students must master the arts of research, reading and writing in order to successfully complete tasks of inquiry.  I also learned how to evaluate sources from the Internet; I evaluated the site betterdogfood.com by completing a set of questions from Purdue University’s library’s website.  I learned even more about evaluating online sources from the article Evaluating Information Found on the Internet.  This week’s Library Searching II assignment taught me about manipulating keywords within various databases to find pertinent information regarding my research topic.  Through Monday’s virtual meeting I learned valuable information about working with adult patients within an acute care rehabilitation center.  I learned about patient history and patient expectations and how these will guide your clinical decisions.  By registering for a social bookmarking site via del.icio.us, I learned about the process of social bookmarking and how it can aid me in my everyday web-searching adventures. 

Procedural Knowledge:  

I learned to do several things this week.  First, I learned how to interact with my classmates within a virtual meeting place.  I created an account, downloaded the necessary software, logged into tappedin.org, and joined my classmates in a designated meeting place.  I learned how to communicate with everyone via text and emoting.  I learned how to evaluate information found on the Internet.  Purdue University and Johns Hopkins University provided useful tips and strategies to consider when evaluating online sources.  For example, it is important to learn about the author and his or her background, education and expertise regarding the topic at hand.  The information itself must be assessed – is it credible?  Biased?  Current?  Verifiable?  One should also question the reliability of online information and not take it at face value.  I also learned how to use the social bookmarking site del.icio.us.com .  I created an account and read the directions about bookmarking websites.  Now, whenever I visit a site I can simply click on my “tag” button at the top of my browser and the site will be saved on my del.icio.us account.   

Conditional Knowledge:
  This week’s assignments taught me how to critically analyze and evaluate online sources.  The Internet is a great resource when it comes to research, but I need to know when I can trust information.  The documents from Purdue University and Johns Hopkins University were very beneficial as they provided me with an outline to follow when evaluating online information.   

As a student I am constantly asked to find information and present my findings in a paper or presentation of some sort.  This week I learned how to gather information by completing the Library Search II assignment.  In the process of completing my Web Evaluation assignments I learned how to analyze the information that I find.  I have read many articles this semester and many allude to the same thing; finding information is easy in today’s technologically savvy world, but interpreting, evaluating, and affixing a value to that information requires skill and practice.   

As a pre-professional I can relate to Katie’s discussion with our class on Monday night.  She talked about many field-related things:  preparing for therapy, working with different types of patients, acquiring the necessary background information, and working interdependently with other professionals.  I know that I will one day be in her position and I thoroughly enjoyed hearing a “newbie’s” point-of-view.   

This may seem a bit off-topic, but I made another meaningful connection this week.  While I have always considered myself an empathetic individual, this week truly opened my eyes.  During our discussion with Katie about patient values and goals, I realized that I am quite selfish.  While I often know and understand other peoples’ points-of-view, I often regard mine as “right.”  When a speech-language pathologist is working with a client, both the SLP’s and the client’s values are considered.  However, it is ultimately the patient’s decision to be made.  If a client does not wish to partake in speech and language therapy, that is their decision to make and not mine.  I will have to work on relinquishing power and letting others determine what is right for them.  

A7.4: Reflection on Discussion of 10/1/07

Deidra Darst

10/6/07

The virtual class meeting this week was a great experience.  I enjoyed being able to connect with my classmates, professor and guest speaker from the comfort of my home.  It was a very convenient way to have a class meeting, and I hope that we do it again in the future. 

We discussed many things during our online session Monday evening.  The first item we covered was areas of personal interest.  Each student introduced themselves and briefly explained what he or she wishes to do with their anticipated Masters Degree.  Our guest speaker, Katie McComas, MS-CFY-SLP, introduced herself and described her educational and professional backgrounds.  Katie described a typical good and bad day at her job in an acute rehabilitation hospital.  She mentioned that a patiented “coded” (died) during her shift Monday.  This segued into a conversation about inter-professional relationships amongst individuals who work in acute care settings.  She talked about educating patients and how demanding and important this task becomes.  We discussed literacy skills and education levels and how they are interrelated.  This discussion led us to Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences which was very interesting.  She explained that it is important for the SLP to understand the client’s background and therapy goals.  The SLP is often required to “brush up” on math or literature in order to best provide services for clients.  A recurring theme of the conversation was “it depends.”  As we have heard innumerable times, there is no “cookbook” for this profession.  Every client is different – they are individuals with different backgrounds, concerns and wishes.  The speech-language pathologist must always take into consideration “evidence-based practice (EVP).”  EVP is comprised of research, clinical expertise and client values.  These three components form a dynamic model that makes each case unique. 

Utilizing an online space for a class meeting required a specific process.  First, I had to created an account with tapped-in, the online community that we used for our virtual meeting place.  Mrs. McComas added me to her friends list.  I downloaded the Java software because it was needed in order to utilize the chat box function.  The night of the meeting, I logged into tapped-in.  I found the chat box at the bottom of my screen.  I located Mrs. McComas’ username, clicked on it, and clicked on “join” from the action drop box.  This added me to my class’ “classroom.” Within a few minutes, everyone had joined the group and the discussion began.  To contribute to the discussion I entered my text and hit enter.  My text could be seen by me and everyone else in the virtual room.  To emote, express actions or emotions, I typed a colon followed by the text. 

I had never taken part in a virtual meeting prior to this session, so I learned alot about the process.  I now know how to join a virtual meeting and effectively utilize its provided functions.  I learned that the process is generally informal, which is quite different from what I had imagined.  Virutal meetings are not as intimidating as I had previously thought.  Meeting in an online space was convenient, but we did not sacrifice content for convenience.  I was able to learn just as much from this session as I would have from a live in-person meeting. 

I learned quite a bit regarding content as well.  I learned that hospital settings do not categorize aphasic patients as “Broca’s” or “Wernicke’s.”  While it is important to know the differences between the two, professionals within these settings just refer to them as “patients with aphasia.”  The most important thing I learned is that I do not have to know everything about the field when I graduate.  As Katie mentioned several times, she has certain specialty areas that she knows more about.  She also mentioned that, sometimes, no one answer can be found.  Many times therapy is trial and error, and I will be able to learn from my own experiences.  I think it is great that she just graduated in May and already has so many professional experiences.  It made me realize that my professional career is not that far away!

A7.3: Library Searching II

Deidra Darst

9/22/07

1. Database:  PsycARTICLES

Keywords:  bilingual, literacy

Bibliographic Information:  

Swanson, H., Sáez, L., & Gerber, M. (2006, May). Growth in literacy and cognition in bilingual children at risk or not at risk for reading disabilities. Journal of Educational Psychology, 98(2), 247-264. Retrieved October 6, 2007, from the PsycARTICLES database.

2. Database:  PsycARTICLES

Keywords:   bilingual, literacy

Bibliographic Information: 

Proctor, C., August, D., Carlo, M., & Snow, C. (2006, February). The intriguing role of Spanish language vocabulary knowledge in predicting English reading comprehension. Journal of Educational Psychology, 98(1), 159-169. Retrieved October 6, 2007, from the PsycARTICLES database.

3. Database: ERIC

Keywords:  bilingual, literacy

Bibliographic Information: 

 Bialystok, E. (2007).  Acquisition of literacy in bilingual children:  A framework for research.  Language Learning, 57(1), 45-77.  Retrieved October 6, 2007, from the ERIC database.   

4. Database:  ERIC

Keywords:  bilingual, literacy

Bibliographic Information: 

 August, D., Snow, C., Carlo, M., Proctor, P.C., Rolla de San Fransisco, A., Duursma, E., et al. (2006).  Literacy development in elementary school second-language learners.  Topics in Language Disorders, 26(4), 351-364.  Retrieved October 6, 2007, from the ERIC database.   

4. Database:  ERIC

Keywords:   bilingual, literacy

Bibliographic Information: 

Paez, M.M., Tabors, P.O., Lopez, L.M. (2007).  Language and literacy development of Spanish-speaking preschool children.  Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 28(2), 85-102.  Retrieved October 6, 2007, from the ERIC database.   

A7.2: Web Evaluation II

Deidra Darst

10/5/07

Bilingual Children’s Mother Tongue:  Why Is It Important for Education? 

Website URL:  www.iteachilearn.com/cummins/mother.htm

Authorship:

I did not recognize the author of this document, Dr. James Cummins, so I searched for his credentials.  The site claims that he is “a leader in second language learning and literacy development research” (2003).  He is associated with the University of Toronto, so his affiliation with an academic program added to his credibility.  The “about” section thoroughly explains his credentials.  He holds a PhD in in Educational Psychology, has held many pedagogical positions, and has received numerous awards for his work and research in this area.  He has contributed to numerous journals and textbooks and is widely published within his field.  From Cummins’ main page, visitors can contact him via email by clicking on the the “contact” link on the lefthand navigational bar.  Dr. Cummins’ text appears to be a great source of information about bilingual children and how professionals can help them. 

Publishing Body:

The copyright section of this document provides information about the “publishing body” of the text.  It is associated with iteachilearn.com, which is Dr. Cummins’ ESL and Second Langauge Learning Web site.  The site creator’s information is linked on the site’s main page.  Justin Olmanson, the creator, holds a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction, has contributed to journals, completed grant work, and is associated with several “societal affiliations” (2003) such as the American Educational Research Association.  This information can be found within the iteachilearn URL.  I could not find anything regarding causal or ”for-free” relationships; however, the site states that the creator wishes to use technology to improve educational curricula.  I used the website www.register.com  to determine who owns the domain name site.  Justin Olmanson is the owner of the domain iteachilearn.  The site provided the owner’s name, address, email address, and a list of the domain servers.  I also utilized www.whois.ws to determine the server on which the site is found.  The site is location on the whois server whois.networksolutions.com.  

Point of view or bias:

 While this site seems credible, it does have an agenda – to persuade educators to embrace bilingualism and alter their pedagogical styles to encompass culturally and lingustically different children.  Cummins’ article does state opinions differing from his own, but he is speaking of them in a negative fashion.  As the Johns Hopkins article Evaluating Information Found on the Internet states, sites dealing with controversial topics are likely to be biased. 

Referral to other sources:

 This document does contain a bibliography at the end of the text.  He cites other published authors who are knowledgeable about the issues addressed in his article.  Cummins is very knowledgeable about techniques and theories common to bilingual education.  He is aware that this topic is controversial and alludes to this within the document; he writes of various practices that differ from his favored techniques and pedagogical style. 

Verifiability:

 This document is verifiable.  Cummins writes of numerous studies that he used to collect information and form hypotheses.  He fully cites other sources, but does not include links to them from his cite.  (However, with the information provided, one could easily locate the documents.)  The document included some background information – basically developmental issues and norms – which could easily be verified with some research. 

Currency:

 The site does not indicate when the information was gatheredl however, the copyright is set for 1999-2003.  Most of the references are from 2000, so I gather that the document was written in the year 2000.  Information provided in the document is not directly connected to a specific time period or year.  The copyright years are provided – 1999-2003.  A “last updated” date is not provided.  I could not find any information concerning regular updates or revisions.  However, the site whois.ws stated that the site was last updated in August 2007. 

This Internet site appears to be a great source of information.  The only true “downfall” that it has is that its currency cannot easily be identified.  The other areas “passed with flying colors.” 

A7.1: Web Evaluation I

Deidra Darst

10/4/07

Site:  BetterDogFood

website URL:  http://www.betterdogfood.com/

Accuracy

1.  Does the author cite sources used to develop the site?

-The author did not use any cited sources to develop this site. 

2.  Is it possible to verify the legitimacy of these sources?

 -N/A.  I could not find any sources to verify!

3.  Does the background of the author point to knowledge of the subject covered?

 -The site listed a management team consisting of Rebecca Hargrave, Carl Malamud and Spot the dog.  Hargrave is a webdesigner and animal lover, so I assumed that she would be knowledgeable about this site that appears to deal with animals.  Malamud is the founder of betterdogfood.com and is described as “an international speaker.”  His biography on the site does not provide information concerning his expertise within a particular field.  Spot is the mascot of betterdogfood.com.  Because Spot is a dog, he would be an expert on dogfood, however he obviously does not contribute to the site as stated in his mini-biography, but I continued to read the site regardless of its blatant fabrications and exaggerations!

4.  If the site is research-based, does the author clearly identify the method of research and the data gathered?

 -This site does not appear to be research based.

Authority

1.  Do you recognize the author’s name? 

 -I do not recognize the names of the authors/management team. 

2.  If you don’t recognize the author’s name, what type of information is given about the author?  Position?  Organizational affiliation?  E-mail address?  Biographical information? 

 Hargrave is the the President and Chief Creative Officer for this website.  She is associated with Today’s Breeder Magazine where she designed the web-based magazine.  Her email address is provided within the mini-biography section.  It gives a brief description of her technical skills and love of animals.  Malamud is listed as the Founder and CEO of the site.  He is not associated with any organizational affilifations on the site.  His email address is provided as well.  He is noted as an aminal owner and international speaker.  Spot’s blog is mentioned in the description about his work on the site. 

3.  Was the site referenced in a document that you trust?

-I was directed to this site by my weekly assignments sheet from CD 315.  I have always trusted these documents as the come from my instructor, but this site is making me wonder… 

Objectivity

1.  Determine what is the aim of the author or organization publishing the site.

 -I think the authors are trying to sell dog good because their site states “We give you the dog and sell you the dog food.”  By clicking on the “storefront” link at the top of the page I was directed to what appeared to be a legitimate online store selling dog food and other dog products. 

2.  What is the purpose of the web site:  Is it advertisement for a product or service?  Is it for political purposes?  Is it trying to sway public opnion on a social issue?

 -This site appears to be an adverisement for dog products.  It also has an emblem on the first page stating “save the spotted owl campaign” and that seems to be a social issue that they want to address.  It mentions a “doggiering,” and attempts to pursuade visitors to do it by engaging in the worst middle-school ploy ever – peer pressure.   

3.  Do you trust the author or organization providing the information?

 -I have no reason to discredit or distrust the authors of the site, however, I am confused about what they are trying to accomplish.  They might have a really good site/campaign/reasoning, I just don’t know what it is!

Currency

1.  Is a date clearly displayed?

 -The year 2000 is clearly displayed at the bottom of the page. 

2.  Can you determine what the date refers to?  When the page was first written?  When the page was first posted on the Internet?  When the page was last revised or updated?  The copyright date?

 -The date refers to the copyright date. 

3.  Are the resources used by the author current? 

 -No.  I clicked on “Meet Spot”, and a message came up saying that the user was no longer active.  The authors (SPOT!) obviously have not kept up with the links away from their main site.   

4.  Does the page content demand routine or continual updating or revision? 

 -I would not say that the site demants continual updating, but it should be checked routinely to maintain accurate links and the most up-to-date information. 

5.  Do the links on the page point to the correct Internet site addresses. 

 -The links seem to connect you to the appropriate Internet sites, however, the sites are not relevant to the site’s information.  For example, Malamud is said to speak in places such as Kazakhstan, and the word Kazakhstan is linked to a site.  By clicking on the link you are directed to a transcript of a speech given in Kazakhstan by Malamud entitled Internet Perspectives.

Coverage

1.  Are the topics covered on the site explored in depth?

 -No.  I attempted to find more information about the site and its objectives, but everything was short or led to a dead end. 

2.  Are the links on the site comprehensive or used as examples?

 -The links are examples and are not comprehensive. 

3.  On the site, are the links relevant and appropriate?

 -No.  The sites lead to information that is not related to the site betterdogfood.com .

4.  How valuable is the information provided?

-I did not find the information to be very valuable.  I could not even determine what the site was really about!  The site is lacking in informative content, is disorganized and very confusing. 

A7.6: Response to McInnis

Deidra Darst

10/4/07

 

McInnis, R.G.  (1994).  The three “R”s of inquiry:  Teaching literacy in academic cultures.  Council of Chairs Newsletter. Retrieved October 2, 2007, from http://www.marshall.edu/commdis/courses/315/mcinnis

TAP:  The topic of this is article is the three “R”s of inquiry:  research, reading and writing.  This article targets educators who wish to assist their students in the research process by implementing the “discourse commuity model” (1994).  The purpose of this article is to explain how instructors can teach students to effectively find and compile information through the use of research techniques, reading and writing skills. 

Claim: 

McInnis claims that many students search for answers rather than searching for evidence that may lead to an answer (1994).  He states that instructors can improve students’ information-finding strategies and information-organization skills by teaching them how to find, interpret and manipulate information.  He writes that knowledge is “socially constructed” (1994) and students require interaction with informed instructors in order to facilitate learning. 

Evidence:

McInnis believes that it is possible to overcome students’ lack of understanding, knowledge, and skill in the area of research.  He writes that teaching students how to research, read, and write will improve their “inquiry in academic disciplines” (1994).  First, it is the responsibility of the instructor to teach “the three “R”s” to students.  This provides them with the background information and techniques that will lead to their ultimate success throughout the research process.  The “discourse commuity model” requires teachers and students to engage in meaningful interaction, thus providing the opportunity for information to become part of the student’s knowledge base.  Research, reading and writing are part of a category McInnis calls “knowing how.”  Whereas “knowing that” constitutes factual information, “knowing how” encompasses much more work on the part of the learner.  In order to “know how,” learners must be active and become engrossed in the material.  Students should evaluate the consistency, relevancy, reliability and validity of materials collected during research.  Reading material, McInnis believes, is the best way to obtain information.  By truly reading and comprehending the information students become involved with the material.  By writing, students must have a thorough understanding of the material and relay it in a clear and understandable fashion.  Writing enables the student to become actively involved with the material.  Those students who can find relevant information, interpret it, form conclusions, and use their abilities to teach others are most likely to form meaningful connections with the research information. 

Connections: 
text-to-self:  This article highlighted several things that we have been utilizing all semester for CD 315:  audience and evidence.  Mrs. McComas has asked us to determine the target audiences of many readings throughout this semester.  As McInnis states in this article, the piece of work is greatly influenced by the intended audience.  Is this article meant to inform?  Persuade?  Is the audience knowledgeable about the topic beforehand?  Will this be their first encounter with this topic?  Because everything is written with a particular audience in mind it inevitably takes on a certain tone and format.  All of my reponse logs have included an “evidence” section.  McInnis states the importance of evidence within academic writings.  Did the writer include his sources?  How credible are those sources?  Did he or she effectively and accurately convey information obtained from other sources?  The author’s manipulation and presentation of information must be analyzed when conducting research.  McInnis writes that many students are in search of answers when they begin the research process rather than attempting to find information that may assist them in formulating an answer.  This reminds me of something Mrs. McComas told the CD 315 class - the information you find will help you find an answer, not necessarily the answer (McComas, 2007).  I had never thought about that before, but I too have searched for “the answer” when no single correct answer is available.  I have been looking for “the answer” when I should have been collecting data in an attempt to make my own decisions about the material available to me.  Research is about finding information that I can analyze, interpret, and ultimately formulate my own conclusions based on the materials I have found. 

text-to-text:  McInnis’ article made several points that reminded me of some previous readings from the beginning of the semester.  He wrote about the importance of being able to find information and knowing how to organize and interpret it.  Because the Internet makes information readily available to today’s students, we often accumulate vast amounts of information but cannot do much else with it.  Another article stated that a process must occur to turn information into knowledge.  McInnis believes that this process can be accomplished by teaching students about research, reading, and writing.  By understaning “the three “R”s,” students know how to organize and interpret information and turn it into knowledge. 

text-to-world:  This is probably the most relevant article that I have read this semester in regard to the future of this field.  Research must take place in order for the field of speech-language pathology to expand, grow, and improve.  Research means studying what others have written and writing about what you have learned.  The key is to share and communicate with other professionals.  As McInnis wrote, relationships are a medium through which information can be exchanged and knowledge can be created.  By recording your experiences and findings you just might be providing useful information for other professionals.