InstructorInstructor

David BellDavid Bellbell@sfu.ca

WEEK #3WEEK #3

Plan for TodayPlan for Today

• Questions• “Can We Believe Our Eyes?”• Reading Assignment• Discussion: Your Position Paper• Break• Activity: Web searching strategies• Demo: Literature search with ERIC

Questions?Questions?

Reading AssignmentReading Assignment

The Position PaperThe Position Paper

What’s a Position PaperWhat’s a Position Paper

It is not

• A literature review – (e.g. the history of cats as house pets)

• A “how-to” paper – (e.g. how to keep cats as house pets)

• A pro and con paper – (e.g. the advantages and disadvantages of cats as house

pets)

• A “copy and paste” activity from a variety of sources

The Position PaperThe Position Paper

• Has three key parts:– Summary of an issue related to technology and

education in K-12 schools

– Summary of the various perspectives held on that issue

– Presentation and defense of a clear and reasonable (but not wishy-washy) position on the issue

• Referencing (minimum 5) to support your arguments

• No more than 5 pages double-spaced

• Academic writing

The Position PaperThe Position Paper

• Why do one?– Because you will need to shape positions in this

way throughout your career as an educator

Defining the Position Defining the Position PaperPaper

• It is an argumentative or persuasive essay– A reasoned argument rather than an assertion of

opinion

• Assertion = “X is true”– E.g. Computers are beneficial in schools

– Leaves people wondering:• WHY is this the case?

• HOW is this done?

• What evidence is there? (Is that really correct?)

A Reasoned ArgumentA Reasoned Argument

• Assertion = “X is true”• Backs it up with any of the following:

– There are persuasive reasons why X could be true– There is plausible explanation of how X could occur.– There is evidence which suggest that X is in fact true

• The strongest argument contains all three above

““Set the Stage”Set the Stage”

• The first paragraph or two should introduce – Your specific issue and the main perspectives on the issue– Your position (thesis statement)– Your arguments/areas your arguments will focus on

• Do not waste valuable space – by starting with general statements– providing a general context of how beneficial computers are for

the future, etc. or – a historical account unless it is specifically relevant to you

argument– E.g. Up to recently, literature has suggested that guinea pigs were the

extent to which apartment dwellers could consider as pets, however cats are…

What to keep in mind?What to keep in mind?

• Goal: to persuade the reader (me) of your view. Think of it along the lines of a newspaper editorial.– (e.g. cats are the ideal house pets for working apartment dwellers)

• Where you take a stance/position/specific view on a topic– While "yes/no" issues are tempting (e.g. "should computers

be used for mathematics instruction?"), they are often too broad

– Ideally a meaty issue with three or four possible positions that have been studied, such as

– "Why do so few women enter careers in high technology? Should schools try to change this, and if so how could it be done?"

ComponentsComponents

• Once you know your stance, make it clear– Cats are ideal pets for working apartment dwellers

• Then find 3 or 4 arguments to support it– (Broad) Due to their 1. need for little space, 2. cleanliness, and 3.

independence

– (Narrower) From a psycho-social perspective. Cats 1. provide rich interactions, 2. are independent when left alone, 3. do not require socialization with other cats, and 4. can remain indoors without psychological problems.

• For each argument look for supporting examples from articles

““Strength” in CitationsStrength” in Citations

[Cats] “Need for little space”• Reference to support the argument: Cats are suitable for

smaller homes because their compact size enables to live in smaller spaces (Fuzzy, 2002).

• References to provide evidence to support the argument: Cats are suitable for smaller homes because their compact size

enables them to live in smaller spaces. Morris (1999) investigated the relationship between housing size and longevity, health and temperament among 596 cats. He found no differences even when housing consisted of 250 square feet. [anticipate a “dog” argument] A study by Rover (2000) however, suggests a negative relationship between temperament and housing size for dogs.

Logic and ArgumentsLogic and Arguments

• Ensure that your arguments are organized logically, related to each other and flow well from one to the other

• Try to anticipate counterarguments, present them and then refute them with referenced supporting material

• Avoid circular reasoning:

– E.g. Media literacy education is needed to improve media literacy. Instead: Media literacy is needed because it:

• enables students to search the internet more efficiently (cite studies that have found this)

SummarySummary

• Includes your position statement

• Includes each of your arguments

• May have some additional ideas/suggestions

• Ties your paper together in a nice package to try to “sell me on your idea” (in an academic way)

Position Paper GradingPosition Paper Grading

• 20% - Description of the issue and the various perspectives held

• 25% - Presentation of your own position on the issue

• 30% - Effective argument for your position (using references)

• 10% - Closing summary of your argument

• 15% - Overall clarity of presentation, effective use of English and format requirements met

Broad areas for Broad areas for position papersposition papers

• Media awareness or media literacy• Software design and use for Elementary students• Software design and use for Secondary students• Information Technology policy in schools• Information Technology in the school curriculum • Access and equity with regard to computing

resources in schools

More Position Paper IdeasMore Position Paper Ideas

• Technology and particular subject matter– ESL, History

• Technology and the socialization of children• Technology and children with learning disabilities or special needs• Technology in the primary grades• Technology and children’s health• Particular software applications for the classroom

– Tutoring systems– Learning environments and simulations– Productivity tools– CMC tools

• Equity and access to technology• The internet in schools, mixing adult and children’s cultures• Computers and commercialization in the schools

Referencing online sourcesReferencing online sources

• http://www.apastyle.org/elecsource.html

Online periodical: Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author,

   C. C. (2000). Title of article. Title of    Periodical, xx, xxxxxx. Retrieved month   day, year, from source.

Online document: Author, A. A. (2000). Title of work.

   Retrieved month day, year, from source.

ActivityActivity

• Take a few minutes to think about your position paper topic and jot it down

• Discuss your topic with David if needed

BreakBreak

ResearchingResearching

Pertinent SearchesPertinent Searches

• What is a scholarly journal?http://www.lib.sfu.ca/researchhelp/publicationtypes/

periodicaltypes.htm

• What’s ERIC?http://www.lib.sfu.ca/researchhelp/subjectguides/educ/ERIC/

ERIC.htm

• To access ERIChttp://www.lib.sfu.ca/researchtools/databases/dbofdb.htm?

DatabaseID=374

How do we find useful How do we find useful information?information?

• Often, someone else passes it on to us• Other times, we need to carry out an active search• At least three strategies can be used in search

– Keyword searches– Following links or references– Referring to a trusted authority

• Which strategy you start with depends on how much you know about what you’re looking for

• Most of the time we combine strategies

Online resourcesOnline resources

• Search engine watch– http://searchenginewatch.com/

• Evaluating websites– http://www.lib.sfu.ca/researchtools/

internetsearch/webevaluation.htm

Search EnginesSearch Engines

• List of major search engines– http://searchenginewatch.com/links/major.html– http://www.lib.sfu.ca/researchtools/

internetsearch/index.htm

Search EnginesSearch Engines

• Basic techniques– Boolean searches (+/-) (and/or/and not)

• +Saturn – car• Saturn and not car (i.e. Alta vista advanced search)• (car  or  automobile  or  vehicle)  and  (buy  or

 purchase)  and  used – Quotations for words side-by-side

• “global warming”– Asterisk (*)

• math*

Some handy tipsSome handy tips• Whenever possible, use nouns and objects as keywords

– EXAMPLE:    fiesta dinnerware plates cups saucers

• Put most important terms first in your keyword list; to ensure that they will be searched, put a +sign in front of each one– EXAMPLE:    +hybrid +electric +gas +vehicles 

• Use at least three keywords in your query– EXAMPLE:    interaction vitamins drugs

• Combine keywords, whenever possible, into phrases– EXAMPLE:    "search engine tutorial”

• Avoid common words, e.g., water, unless they're part of a phrase– EXAMPLE:    "bottled water”

ERICERIC

• The world's largest source of education information• The database contains more than 1 million abstracts of

education-related documents (including reports, conference presentations, lesson plans) and journal articles, dating from 1966

• ERIC updates the database monthly, ensuring that the information you receive is timely and accurate.

• Many documents are available directly through ERIC, or can be found elsewhere with ERIC’s reference data.

• Get to it through http://www.lib.sfu.ca/

Sample ERIC SearchSample ERIC Search