Open Letter

Dear EasyBib: Turnitin

I love you.  You make my life easier, and my students' lives easier. But You have a lot to learn about  21st Century searching!

I recently read a white paper from you entitled "The Sources in Student Writing."  In it, you state

"50% of matches lead to sites that are academically suspect, including cheat sites and paper mills,

shopping sites, and social and user-generated content (italics mine)."  A few paragraphs later, you included a chart, part of which showed  more specifically, the social sources you meant.

I didn't know whether to laugh or groan when I read this,  because it's so old school, privileging traditional sources and failing to recognize the dynamic shift in research sources and strategies "hip" librarians teach today. You see, we are all curators now, and search-savvy students recognize that and add social sharing sites to their personal search arsenal.

I was talking to a student today who is writing a paper about pollution in China and its effect on other countries.  He was having problems finding data, but did know the names of a few people studying the topic.  With his science teacher there, I told him:  Get on  Twitter and Technorati  or Google Blog Search to see if  your experts keep a blog or Twitter feed.  Follow them.    Comment on his posts or respond to his tweets.  Ask questions.  That's called primary source research. Or use this hashtag guide to search specific topics.

Then, dig through Scribd, Scoop,it and Slideshare.  Have they uploaded papers or presentations there?  Maybe they're on Diigo or Delicious--follow their bookmarks and read what they're reading.

Face it, EasyBib Turnitin. When even the MLA tells you how to cite a tweet, you know you've made it into the research Big Time!

 Of course students still need to be careful about authority, but that's true no matter what source they use.  The bigger picture, and the one your white paper didn't acknowledge, is  that authority no longer lies merely in books or databases. You can find it in blogs, on Facebook,  and certainly on Twitter.  Smart students create and follow their own PLNs, using a variety of tools  not only to expand their learning, but to bring it to them, rather than going out (or online) to find it.

And that's my beef with your article.  It didn't acknowledge that social sharing sites potentially great sources; it just lumped them together with Yahoo! Answers.

So pardon the rant, but, please--a little more nuance next time?

Sincerely,
Jeri Hurd
HS Teacher Librarian

UPDATE: Aack!  It was, indeed, from Turnitin, not Easybib.  See grovelling apology here.

Twitter! Aack!

Buffy Hamilton shared this post from Scott McLeod, once again showing all the things you miss if you're not on Twitter.  It's probably time to--once again!--make a concerted effort to incorporate Twitter into my regular reading. 

Flipboard: Your Life, in a Magazine

The hot new iPad app, Flipboard  links to your Facebook and Twitter account, showing articles and images posted by your friends.  It also links to sources chosen by Flipboard--they have a tech category, for example. It also allows you to share via the app.



I love the idea of this.  It's highly visual, and seems like a better way of working through your Twitter feed.  I must admit, I haven't had a chance to try it yet.  I downloaded it, but when I tried to connect to my feeds, I received a "the site is over capacity, try later" message.  As I said, the hot new app!

If your school jumped on the iPad wagon, this could be a useful tool for students to share info (assuming you're one of the rare schools that doesn't block Facebook/Twitter)  especially if they have different accounts for their school selves, vs. their social selves.

For myself, I'm hoping it will be a good way to keep up on Twitter, even when I'm not online, capturing all the links without me having to scroll through endless "more" links.

UPDATE:  OK, it's working.  This app is the COOLEST THING EVER!!   Forget checking my Twitter feed, I am going straight to Flipboard!  You can see everything article-style.  It gives the first few paragraphs of each link, then you go online to the actual website if you want to read further. It also shows who has re-tweeted, and gives you a link to reply, if you want.

The layout is positively elegant, with the app doing a brilliant job of choosing which images to display for eye-grabbing appeal. Here's a shot of my Twitter feed on Flipboard.

Bottom line:  If you have an iPad, you NEED Flipboard!

Paperli: Twitter Made Functional

I have really been trying to move past my dislike of Twitter these days. I fought using it for a long time...I still roll my eyes when my feed shows people Tweeting what they're having for lunch, or where...but I have picked up some very good links and tips there (including this one), sooo.... I'm struggling to use it.

But if, like me, you're having a hard time keeping on top of your reader, Facebook, Twitter, Ning, WebEd and the 800,000 other tools out there, at least one of them just got a bit easier.

Paper.li turns your Twitter feed into a daily newspaper that you can read at one sitting. No more trying to follow the constant influx of tweets, wondering what you're missing, and checking back hourly. Your Twitter feed is updated each day, just like the morning paper, so you can sit and peruse it with a cup of coffee.

I signed up today. Will let you know how it goes!

LINKS:
Paper.li

A Sign of the Times...or of the Apocalypse?

You knew it was only a matter of time. Yes, Twitter has come to education. Or, more precisely, Twiducate.

In the interests of disclosure, I should admit I'm not a big fan of Twitter to begin with, and don't really get the point. Most tweets I've seen are pretty pointless. Even if they were educational, I already have more communication/collaboration tools at my disposal than I can keep track of, and getting students to check them regularly is a headache.

Pew studies show that only 8% of online teens use Twitter (my students roll their eyes when I mention it). So do we really need an education version?

Enough of my curmudgeonly rant. If you DO feel a burning desire, but find Twitter is blocked, or worry about the local porn queen trying to follow your students, Twiducate may be the answer, nor are tweets limited to 140 characters.

I would be very interested in hearing how others use this in their classes, or of possible library uses. Posting updates on new books or programs? Leave a comment and let me know!

Twiducate also allows teachers to select posts to remain at the top of the feed list, ostensibly allowing you to use the site as a discussion group or blog, posting the question, and seeing the replies below.

Much Ado About Nothing??

I don't get it. Can someone please explain the use of Twitter to me? Why do I need to know on hour by hour (or minute by minute) basis, what someone is doing? I have enough real information to manage (not to mention my own life) without having to add in the minutiae of someone else's life. It seems to be the MySpace, nothing is personal anymore, concept taken to extremes.

I'm sure there's more to it. So, please, tell me: What am I not getting?