G R E E N S
RESEARCH
H A N D L I N G I N F O R M AT I O N OV E R L OA D I N T H E D I G I TA L AG E
Research and the
Learner Profile
Good researchers
are:
Inquirers: Showing
natural curiosity and take
the initiative to learn.
Knowledgable: About
available resources and
organizing information.
Thinkers: Asking critical
questions and evaluating
sources.
Communicators:
Sharing their findings with
a larger community.
Principled: Using
others material ethically.
Reflective: Consistently
evaluating their
information and process.
K Y S T U D I O
Research and P2
So what is this information literacy stuff, anyway?
Believe it or not, a school garbage to find the
research project is a lot like information you need.
life. Every day, Thats what
were faced information
with Knowing where to literacy and the
choices find infor mation research
that (and what to do process are all
require with it once youve about!
informed found it) is half the
decision battle... Part of the skills
making. youll develop as
you work on the
Should I buy a
new iPhone? Is personal project is not
another phone better? Is only how and where to find
this new computer game the best information you
can, but also how to
really worth 600 RMB?
Which college should I go recognize good information
to? when you see it.
Information helps us to Of course, a part of that is
analyze the choices, draw also learning to recognize
conclusions, and make when information may be
decisions, and fortunately, flat out wrong, or at least
the internet makes finding not very reliable.
information easy, right??
So get ready for an
Wrong! The web consists importantand fun!
of over eleven billion web journey, that will help you
pagesso youll have to gain skills youll use for the
search through a lot of rest of your life!
 QUICK LOOK: The Research Process
Immerse/Explore
Identify/Gather
PUT IT ALL TOGETHER
Create/Evaluate
FOCUSING YOUR TOPIC
This is an important point in your
research process. A well defined
topic guides everything else you
do, from framing your research
question to finding information to
writing your thesis.
Decide your topic
Generate ideas
Explore a wide variety sources
Develop background knowledge
Remember:
Research both your topic AND your
product!
Identify / Focus your topic/research
question
Go broad and deep in your research
Choose meaningful resources, including
1-3 KEY sources
Record / document information
Ask questions!
Connect ideasfind your point of view
Analyze / interpret your findings
Evaluate: Do I need more
information?
Construct your product
Draft the report
How useful /reliable/relevant were your
sources?
Self-evaluate your process. Be honest!
Revise and edit for final draft.
General Topic: Photography
Narrower: Food Photography
Focused: How to take great food
photographs without fancy equipment.
Planning
Your
Search
Search Terms:
Decide on key search terms before you start
your search.

1. Choose the main nouns and verbs from

your topic (e.g. food, photography, budget)
2. For each word, make a list of synonyms or
phrases you could use
3. As you research, other terms you come
across that could be useful!

Resources:
Where do plan to find your information? You
need more than Google!

1. Books / Databases
2. Magazines / Websites
3. Experts: People you know, people you find
on social media (blogs or Twitter)
 GreenSky Studio Resources
QUICK GUIDE

Destiny: Search books in the WAB library

Google Books: Look for books that offer a
I Need Books FULL-TEXT or PREVIEW of their content.
Ask Ms. Hurd! She has money to buy books!

GENERAL
P2 Pathfinder: A collection of resources just
I Need Articles for the personal project
Explora Secondary: A general interest database

ISSUES-BASED
Opposing Viewpoints
Global Issues in Context

Try these search engines:

Sweet Search
I Need the WWW
LibGuides: You know the PP pathfinder? This
lets you search every pathfinder ever created
by any school!
 As you
TELLING QUESTIONS research,
These questions move past the
broad range of your research
ASK
question to zero in on
important information. These
QUESTIONS!
look for specific answers.
What kind of machines
will I use?
How many reps at which
weight?
Which menu items contain over
25% fat?

ANALYTICAL QUESTIONS
Whatever youre reading, its
important to ask How? and ELABORATING QUESTIONS
Why? Good analytical questions
These questions look at the
look for patterns, connections,
information and make sense of it.
contrasts or problems.
Typical questions might be
If students arent choosing
What does the author mean
available healthy foods, is it
by?
because of taste or cost?
What does this statement
How does the cooking process imply?
improve nutritional value?
What effect would this have on
Is grilling better than frying? the average person?

How does this connect with

(Be careful not to play other information Ive found?
guessing games with this kind What information is the author
of questioning. Ground your NOT discussing?
research in specific details!)
 EVALUATE YOUR FINDINGS.

Forgive the acronym, but everything you read should pass the
CRAAP test!

Currency: How recent is the information? Has it been

updated or revised? Will older resources work as well, or do
you need recent information?

Relevance: Does the information fit your topic and

research question? Who is the audience? Is it at an
appropriate level (not too easy or advanced). Is it appropriate
to cite in your paper?

Authority: Who is the author or publisher? What are

his/her credentials? Affiliations? Is this person qualified to
write about the topic? Can you find contact information?

Accuracy: Is the information supported by evidence? Is

this a peer-reviewed source? Can you verify the information
elsewhere? It is unbiased? Are there spelling, grammar or
typographical errors?

Purpose: Why was this source created? Is it

informational? Persuasive? Entertaining? Does the author make
his/her purpose clear? It the information fact, opinion or
propaganda? Are there any biases, whether political, cultrual,
religious or personal?
Research and the Personal Project
Lets take a hypothetical project. Omar wants to create a video for 8-10 year olds
about skateboarding safety, linking it to the Identities and Relationships Global Context.
He spends a lot of time researching skateboarding hazards and good safety practices
and protective devices. Omar thinks he is ready to begin, and is surprised when his
supervisor tells him hes nowhere close to ready. Why isnt he ready?

Remember, the focus of your project is not the project itself, but the process you go
through in researching that project, and the reasoning behind the decisions you make.

So, for example, aside from the questions about skateboarding and safety, here are a
few of the questions Omar should have been asking and researching.

Education:

If my goal is to educate young children, what are the best ways to do that?
Workshops? Brochures? Videos? How do children learn best? What factors affect
my decision? What tools or skills can I draw on to help? How will I reach my
audience? How will I measure what they learned? How will I know if I was successful
or not?

Video Production

What makes an effective educational video? What format should I use? What do I
need to do to get ready to shoot a video? What are the basics of video production?

Moreover, for each source of information you need to ask yourself the questions
above in the CRAAP test, because in your final assessment, youll need to 1) explain
why these were good sources for you and 2) how the information you learned from
them affected your project (in other words, how did you APPLY the information?)

Thus, throughout your research, your should link to or document your resources in
your blog AND write a short explanation of why its a good source why its relevant to
your research.

Works Consulted:

Mackenzie, Jamie. The Questioning Toolkit. From Now On:The Educational Technology
Journal.Vol 7. No 3, 1997. Web. 28 Sept 2010.

Meriam Library, Chico State University. Applying the CRAAP Test. Chico: Meriam Library,
Chico State University, 2010. Web. 29 Sept 2010.