Thursday, April 28, 2016

Thing #9- Search Strategies

Q1- Michigan eLibrary

First of all, lets start with Boolean Operators: (This will help you SO much!)

When researching its often hard to find the info you want so using and/or/not it helps a lot!

Example: 
   
   Trying to research: the cherry and apple industry in washington

   Type: cherry OR apple AND washington NOT george

This will look for articles with cherry or apple in them with washington but it will leave everything out about George Washington cutting down the apple tree. 

The video referenced can be found at this link:
 http://www.schooltube.com/video/8e4dca5cec51fa226408/Boolean%20Operators

By using Boolean Operators, the Michigan eLibrary, and Kids InfoBits I was able to answer these three questions:


    a. What three branches were created by the Constitution?

the legislative, executive and judicial

    b. Which branch of government makes the country's laws?

the house of representatives

    c.  In which branch would legal disputes be settled?

the senate

Using dictionary.com I was able to find the definition of the following terms very quickly:

ratify- to confirm by expressing consent, approval, or formal sanction
amendment- an alteration of or addition to a motion, bill, constitution, etc.
assemble- to bring together or gather into one place, company, body, or whole.

Warning: Be careful when you find the definition of words, make sure they are pertinent to your topic. Just like there are two different meaning to the word 'assemble'. Here are two picture depicting what assemble in its literary form means. 
Assembling parts to make one 

Assembling in a meeting

Q2- Safe Searching

For Quest #2 I will be using KidzSearch.

With this search engine I was able to answer the following questions:



a. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams didn't sign it [the Constitution].

He was in Paris serving as minister to France. John Adams was also abroad, serving as minister to Great Britain.

b. Why some of the others refused to sign. 

Fourteen men, having already left Philadelphia, were not present for the signing, and only Delaware delegate John Dickinson had a proxy sign for him. Three delegates—Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts and Edmund Randolph and George Mason of Virginia—were dissatisfied with the final document and refused to ink their signatures.

Also using KidzSearch I answered the following questions:

a.  Using KidzSearch to answer the questions below. 

1. What year was the first coin operated pinball machine invented?

1931

2. What was the name of this first coin operated pinball invention?

"Bally Hoo"

3. When was the first electronic pinball machine released?  

1933

4. What was the first electronic pinball machine named?

Theatre of Magic

5. What was the name of the first video arcade game machine?

Baffle Ball

Here is an example of what bad searching looks like:

Search Strategies tried outSearch #1:   spongeSearch #2:   sponge animalSearch #3:   sponge +oceanSearch #4:   sponge +animalSearch #5:   sponge +"ocean animal" 


Which of the search strategies above do you think had:     a. the largest number of results- Search #2

     b. the smallest number of results- Seach #3
     c. the best results for writing the report- Seach #5


So just be careful how you search topics.

Q3- Website Evaluation

For this quest I will choosing a topic of my choice to conduct research on so that I can evaluate different sources. I will choose two sources from Google and two sources from mel.org. 

My Topic: Silkie Chickens

Google Sources:

Wiki
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silkie

Backyard Chickens
http://www.backyardchickens.com/products/silkie


Michigan eLibrary Sources:

Academic OneFile
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?v=2.1&u=lom_accessmich&it=r&id=GALE|A350338611&p=AONE&sw=w&password=kepdorp

Academic OneFile
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?v=2.1&u=lom_accessmich&it=r&id=GALE|A276808740&p=AONE&sw=w&password=kepdorp


Using the CARRDASS system I found that all of my Michigan eLibrary sources were liable and none of my Google sources were helpful.

After reading up on CARRDASS I was able to answer the following questions:
carrds imagebasic carrds 

6. Respond and take notes on the following: 

a. What does CARRDSS stand for? 

Credibility, Accuracy, Reliability, Relevance, Date, Source, Scope

b. What are the similarities and differences between the CARRDSS
     and BASIC forms?

They both evaluate websites very well but the CARRDSS system is more in depth. 
c.  How do you know if your information is reliable or not?

By looking at who wrote it and what the date upon which it was written. For instance, I would rather trust Dr. James' report from last year than Trex479 from 5 years ago. 

d. How do you know if you should move on to another website to find your
     information?

If the website doesn't give you the information you need or it has a bad source, or it's not accurate information then you should move on. 
e. How would you explain this to your classmates so they know if the
      website is credible?

I would explain to them that if they were to use the CARRDSS system or even the BASIC system they would be fine.

Q4- Citing Your Source

Using mel.org I was able to answer these questions and site my source:

Citation Maker Practice      Benjamin Franklin Biography 
1. When and where was Benjamin Franklin born? 
January 17, 1706 in Boston, MA
Source: 
https://www.google.com/search?q=When+and+where+was+Benjamin+Franklin+born%3F&rlz=1C1GGGE___US627US627&oq=When+and+where+was+Benjamin+Franklin+born%3F&aqs=chrome..69i57&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
2. Name two of Benjamin Franklin’s inventions. 
Bifocals and a Lightning Rod
Source:
 https://www.google.com/?safe=active&safe=active&gws_rd=ssl#safe=active&q=when+and+where+was+ben+franklin+born
 3. List two of Benjamin Franklin’s famous quotes. 
Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.
By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.
Source:
https://www.google.com/?safe=active&safe=active&gws_rd=ssl#safe=active&q=ben+franklin+famous+quotes
 4. Name one of Benjamin Franklin’s publications. 
M.T. Cicero's Cato Major and Printer to the Reader
Source:
https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/franklin-printer.html
 5. How much formal education did Benjamin Franklin have?
He was schooled till the age of 10 at two different schools and then had an apprenticeship.
 Source:
http://biography.yourdictionary.com/articles/benjamin-franklin-school.html

Now with all of these URLs I will use bibme.com to put them into MLA format as seen below:
  1. Google. "When and Where Was Benjamin Franklin Born? - Google Search." When and Where Was Benjamin Franklin Born? - Google Search. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2016.
  2. "Google." Google. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2016.
  3. "Google." Google. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2016.
  4. "Printer and Writer: Benjamin Franklin: In His Own Words... (AmericanTreasures of the Library of Congress)." Printer and Writer: Benjamin Franklin: In His Own Words... (AmericanTreasures of the Library of Congress). N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2016.
  5. "Where Did Benjamin Franklin Go To School?" YourDictionary. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2016.
So as you can see, using Google for papers isn't the smartest decision while my last two sources would look very nice at the end of a school paper.

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