A6.2: Library Search II

Resource: Academic Search Premier
Keyword/keywords/phrase: cochlear implant and language
Bibliography:
Geers, A. (2002). Factors affecting the development of speech, language, and literacy
    in children with early cochlear implantation. Language, Speech, & Hearing Services
    in Schools, 33, 172-183. Retrieved September 29, 2006, from the Academic Search
    Premier database.

Resource: Academic Search Premier
Keyword/keywords/phrase: cochlear implant and language
Bibliography:
Seung, H., Holmes, A., Coburn, M. (2005). Twin language development: A case study
    of a twin with a cochlear implant and a twin with typical hearing. The Volta Review,
    105 (2), 175-188.  Retrieved September 29, 2006, from the Academic Search
    Premier database.

Resource: MEDLINE
Keyword/keywords/phrase: cochlear implant and language
Bibliography:
Geers, A. (2006). Factors influencing spoken language outcomes in children following
    early cochlear implantation.  Advances in Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, 64, 50-65.
    Retrieved September 25, 2006, from the MEDLINE database.

Resource: MEDLINE
Keyword/keywords/phrase:  cochlear implant and language
Bibliography:
Kane, M., Schopmeyer, B., & Mellon, N. (2004).  Prelinguistic communication
    and subsequent language acquisition in children with cochlear implants.  Archives
    of Otolarngology-Head and Neck Surgery, 130 (5), 619-623.  Retrived Septmeber
    25, 2006, from the MEDLINE database.

Resource: PsychINFO
Keyword/keywords/phrase: cochlear implant and language development
Bibliography:
Brinton, J. (2001). Measuring language development in deaf children with cochlear
    implants. International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders, 36, 121-
    125. Retrieved September 29, 2006, from the PsychINFO database.

A5.3: Week 5 Reflection

Aims and Objectives: My goals for this class this week were to continue my research, specifically through our library’s available databases. I wanted to find several different useful articles for me research.  I also set out to learn how to create a webliography. Since I have never created anything like this before, I first had to learn what it was and then how to make it.  I set the goals to try and get ahead in the research process and also to complete this weeks assignments.

Declarative Knowledge: In order to complete the weekly assignments I had to know several different facts.  First, I had to be aware of the available databases that our library offers to find information for my topic.  I also had to know that each database has subject specific articles.  Since my subject is cochlear implants, I knew I would possibly find more articles in the medical based databases.  Therefore, I used MEDLINE and then used ERIC.  After finding the articles I needed, I then cited the articles using the APA format. I learned that this is the format we had to use for this particular assignment as well as most of our other assignments in this field.  Next, I learned about what an annotated webliography is and the steps that allow me to create one.   

Procedural Knowledge:  In order to conduct a search for scholarly articles, I had to go to the library web page and click on the “articles” link.  From there, I had to decide which databases I thought I would get the most accurate and a larger variety of information related to my topic.  I then chose MEDLINE.  Knowing that different keywords/keyword/phrases would give me different results, I first tried the phrase “benefits of cochlear implant.” This only gave me one article, which luckily was useful for my research.  Then, I rephrased my key words and searched for “cochlear implant and language,” I received significantly more articles; several that were useful/interesting and some that were not.  The articles I found to be useful I had to either click on the link to the full text of the article, or I had to  request thearticles through the interlibrary loan.  I found more than the limited 5 sources we were required to find, but I had to use a different database to complete the assignment so I then went to ERIC and searched for “benefits of cochlear implant.” Once again, there were limited amounts of articles but I found one useful article to use and site for the assignment.  Then I changed my keywords to “cochlear implant and language.” Again this gave me more results and I found another article that was very useful.  After finding the articles I needed, I then went to Knight Cite on the library web page in order to know how to cite my articles. I also referred to the APA Publication Manual to ensure the correct citing.  Next, I created an annotated webliography.  To do this, I went to wordpress, logged in, and went to my dashboard. Then, I had to click on write, and write page. I had to give my page a title and then insert the text of my webliography.  I then came up with 3 different links for each category which were: fun/weird/zany/outrageous,sites for SLP’s/Audiologists, Research Resources for cochlear implants, Personal Interests, and Anything else we want. I then had to write 3-5 sentences (annotation) about each website and insert the links. In order to insert the links I had to highlight the words/phrases where I wanted the link and then choose the chain link in the formatting toolbar. Then, insert the URL and then click on insert.  Once they are all finished then save the page and publish it. 

Conditional Knowledge:  Further using the databases from our library web page will ultimately assist me for finding important information for this particular class/project topic, other classes, and other projects I may have in the future on different subjects.  It is good to know what resources are available to us as students, and what the resources can help us with.  Citing our sources is something that I personally can use all the practice I can get.  I’m sure I will never really memorize all the APA citation formats, but I am sure that I will forever need to cite different sources that I utilize.  The webliography was very interesting to me because I have never created anything like it.  Along with being part of our MRP, I think it will be a good way to learn about our classmates interests and will be interesting to look at a few years from now. 

A4.7: Week 4 Reflection

Aims and Objectives: This week I set out to revise and create a better research question by analyzing my previous question on cochlear implants in order to learn more about my topic.  I also set goals to use the search strategies that we have discussed the past few weeks to help me with my research question, and to learn how to accurately evaluate a website and information.  I did these things to prepare myself for future research that we will do for our class projects.

Declarative Knowledge:I learned that revising the essential research question and analyzing the support questions will give you a better understanding of what kind of question is needed for this project.  I also learned that developing a well planned search strategy will ultimately give me the most accurate results when doing my research.  Along with these things, I learned that it is important to analyze the key words in the essential question in order to revise the question in a more researchable way.  Having a question that is either too broad or to narrow will not yield the best search results. Additionally, evaluation of different websites and information is very important when doing research.  Looking at aspects such as accuracy and objectivity is vital when deciding if the information is from a reliable source and useful for projects like the one we will conduct.

Procedural Knowledge: In order to revise my essential question, I had to take each of the content words and think of how they could be more specific.  Some examples are “implantation-pacemaker, cochlear, embryo” and “development-language, growth, physical, maturity.”  After making a list of these, I had to choose which words to use in order to make my question much more specific; thus, giving me my revised question.  Next, I took my revised question and made a list of the foundation questions, or questions that lead me to answering my essential question.  Some of these included “what is a cochlear implant?,” and “who can be implanted?”  After revising and coming up with the foundation questions I then had to think about search strategies. It is important to consider key terms/phrases and where I can search for these terms.  I then had to conduct a search on my topic, and then on collaborative software.  Next, I learned how to evaluate a website using the Purdue Worksheet and then an evaluation guide on the internet for evaluating information.   

Conditional Knowledge:Learning and knowing how to revise questions is a very important skill to have in order to be successful both in school and the real world.  Until now, I did not know the correct questions to ask myself in order to narrow a topic down.  Again, search strategies are important for everyday life, and evaluating information is very important since it is so easy to publish things on the internet.  I ultimately need to know how to do all of these tasks in order to accurately conduct my research, not only for this class but for my future classes and profession.  I feel like I will use these search strategies and evaluation techniques for my career because we will be obligated to use evidence based practice as speech-language pathologists. 

A4.6: WWW-Evaluating Resources II

Resource URL: http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/coch.asp

Authorship
   This resource did not list a specific author but led me to believe that the group organization, the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) collectively created the site.  I came across this site by searching “cochlear implant” on Google which I have found to be a fairly reliable place to search.  The NIDCD’s geographical information is listed on the site along with an e-mail address to request additional information. The address is nidcdinfo@nidcd.nih.gov. Also, when you click on the NIDCD website link, their telephone number is also available to contact them with listed office hours.

The publishing body:  The name of the organization is clearly listed on the document, along with contact information. I’m not certain what it is, but there is some sort of stamp on the bottom that says “National Institutes of Health” and “FIRSTGOV”. I am not aware of this organization being recognized in our field, however I have used their information for other classes. I feel like the organization is suitable to address this topic considering cochlear implants are interesting and useful for the deaf community. I can’t tell about the relationship of the author/publisher because no specific author is presented. This document is not someone’s personal website, it is an official website which the link is provided to the observer in the document.

Point of view of bias: Since there are no other sources cited in the document, I assume that this is the NIDCD’s point of view. However, I don’t really feel it is opinionated because it is more informative. 

Referral to and/or knowledge of the literature: There is no bibliography. The author does use a statistic and gives the proper assocation credit. The author gives the appropriate information about cochlear implants, what they are, who can get them, and what the future holds for them.  Additionally, related topics and different sources where to find more information on cochlear implants.

Accuracy or verifiability of details:  There is no explanation of how the data was gathered, but statistics were accurately cited and given credit.  This document does not rely on other sources.

Currency:  The document refers to the FDA’s 2005 data. There is no copyright date listed but the content was updated in May 2006, and the page was last updated on Sept.  7, 2006.

A4.5: WWW-Evaluating Resources I

Site Name and URL: BetterDogFood   Http://www.betterdogfood.com 

Accuracy
1. Does the author cite sources to develop the site? no
2. Is it possible to verify the legitimacy of these sources? No, there are no sources
3. Does the background of the author point to knowledge of the subject covered? No, the information about the author says he worked for the telephone company and speaks different languages.
4. If the site is research-based, does the author clearly identify the method of research and the data gathered? No, this site is not research based.

Aurthority
1. Do you recognize the author’s name? No, but the president Rebecca Hargrave sounds familiar.
2. If you don’t recognize the name, what type of information is given about the author? Position? Organizational affiliation? E-mail address? Biographical information? The president’s e-mail was listed as petchick@betterdogfood.com but there was no other information or organizational affiliation.
3. Was the site referenced in a document that you trust? Yes, it was listed for class.

Objectivity
1.  Determine what is the aim of the author or organization publishing the site. I’m not positive because it’s strange but you give them a dog and they sell you dog food.
2.  What is the purpose of the web site. Advertisement and sales.
3.  Do you trust the author or organization providing the information? Given the information, not really.

Currency
1.  Is the date clearly displayed? Yes, 2000 
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? It is the copyright date but that is the only date listed.
3.  Are the resources used by the author current? There were no resources
4.  Does the page content demand routine or continual updating or revision? No
5.  Do the links on the page point to the correct Internet site addresses? No, most of them are no longer in use.

Coverage
1.  Are the topics covered on the site explored in depth? No
2.  Are the links on the site comprehensive or used as examples? Most don’t work
3.  On the site, are the links relevant and appropriate? Assuming they worked, they would be appropriate if you had an interest in the topic.
4.  How valuable is the information provided? Not very valuable and strange.

A.4.4: Collaborative Software

In order to find information on collaborative software I used Google to do my search.  With google, I received 1,450,000 “hits.”  I first found that collaborative software, also called groupware by some is the basis for computer supported cooperative work.  The purpose of this software is for groups of people who have a common interest, task, or goal to provide and share information in a particular environment.  Anyone can use collaborative software and its popularity is currently growing.  Some examples of collaborative software are e-mail, calendaring, chatting, instant messaging, web-conferencing, and others.  A few of the makers of this software include IBM/Lotus, Microsoft, Novell, and Oracle. 

As a student, collaborative software may be utilized for several different tasks.  A few examples of what students can use them for is what we are doing in this class.  You can access and generate information, and then publish the results.  This gives you information and a different point of view which can enhance learning.  Opening up to new ideas and different ways of thinking about different topics can give you a new understanding just from other people’s comments.  This also makes me think that you could use this type of software as a student and clinically since we are in the age of evidence based practice.  This type of software could introduce ideas and link you to different sources that may be helpful in finding evidence for therapy, etc.  I think this kind of software will be beneficial to our field.

A4.3: Search Strategy

In order to research my question “how has early cochlear implantation in deaf children been more beneficial for language development?” I will need to use a few different key words and a few different combinations of those key words.  The key words from my question are cochlear implantation, deaf children, beneficial, and language development. With these, I will search for “cochlear implants”, “cochlear implants in deaf children”, “benefits of cochlear implants in deaf children”, “benefits of cochlear implants for language development.”  I intend to use Google, Ask, EBSCOhost, MEDLINE, and Miles on the school library webpage in order to find articles and books to utilize the information for my research question.

Throughout the past few weeks we have learned that it is important to come up with a good research strategy in order to find accurate, reliable information.  I think my strategy will help me find a variety of resources with accurate information to answer my research question.  I want to use the websites and search engines I listed because I think they will give me a wide variety of information to choose from, and will not be very narrow by using more than only one source.  I feel like the articles, books, journals, and webpages will be very useful in my search.  I feel that using only the internet or only books would give me a narrow point of view, which is not a very good search strategy.  I believe having an abundance of information is better than having too little in order to find the answer to my question. 

A4.2: Foundation Questions

Revised Question: How has early cochlear implantation in deaf children been more beneficial for language development?

Essential Questions:   
   1. What is a cochlear implant?
   2. Who can be implanted?
   3. What is the prime age for implantation?
   4. How does cochlear implantation affect language development?   

A4.1: Revising Research/Essential Question

Question:  Has early implantation in children proven to be more beneficial than implantation later in development?

Content words and additional terms:

implantation- pacemaker, embryo, cochlear
early- near the beginning, premature
children- hard of hearing, deaf, hearing, typical developing, babies, toddlers, school-age, girls, boys, prelingual, postlingual
proven- confirmed, verified, demonstrated
development- language, physical, growth, maturity

Revised Question: Has early cochlear implantation in deaf children proven to be more beneficial than implantation later in development?

Revised Question: How has earlier cochlear implantation in deaf children been more beneficial for language development?

A3.8: Week 3 Reflection

Aims and Objectives:
My personal goals this week were to explore the websites we were provided for preparation and then complete the assignments over the course of a few days.  I also tried to do some extra research while completing the required assignments so I would have a better understanding of the subject I was searching for.  I originally intended to try and do some of my work before the weekend because I went out of town and did not have access to a computer. However, I did not have very good luck.

Declarative Knowledge:  This week I learned that there are several websites that can aide me in finding information on certain subjects that I might be interested in.  I also learned that it is important to be specific on these websites to acquire the accurate information that I need, and I should use multiple websites to see what each one offers.  Along with the different websites, I learned that I can join a mailing list that is based around a specific subject area, and I can learn about the subject through receiving e-mails from different members of thisparticular group.  I also learned that there are mailing lists for almost everything you can possibly think of.  Through taking the VARK inventory I learned that I am an aural, read/write, and kinesthetic learner.  Additionally, I learned that in order for a question to be a good research question itmust have a few different elements like being specific, researchable, and lead to a better understanding.

Procedural Knowledge:  To start out this week, I read about the web and then visited other websites that may help in researching later on.  I then went to my weblog and created a category of Week3 following the same directions as last weeks assignments.  In order to find a mailing list to join I then visited catalist, tile.net, and then searched on google to finally find a mailing list for cochlear implants.  After sending an e-mail to join the list I shortly got a reply back that said that list no longer existed, therefore I went back to google and tried another mailing list.  This time, I got a confirmation e-mail which I had to reply to in order to confirm, and in turn they sent me an e-mail saying I am now on the mailing list,which is extremely busy by the way.  Next, I chose three websites to search to find my last name “kester” and did the same for my topic “cochlear implants.” I went to these websites typed in either my name or search topic and then began to explore the results I received.  Some were helpful, and some were not so helpful.  In order to answer the probe I had to reflect on my learning experiences and when I have been successful vs. when I have experienced trouble learning.  To complete the VARK inventory I had to go to the website, click on the questionnaire link and fill out the inventory.  It then gave me the results of the inventory to tell me what kind of learner I am and different studying strategies that might be helpful.  I then posted my results on my weblog and what I learned from the inventory.  To come up with a question, I had to list areas that I am interested in, choose one area and then turn it into a good research question. 

Conditional Knowledge: Learning how to use websites to conduct accurate searches is very important and will not only help for educational purposes like conducting research, but also for everyday life when trying to find anything you can possibly think of.  Along with searching different websites, another good way to recieve information about certain topics is joining a mailing list.  I would have, and never had, thought about joining a mailing list before this assignment but I now see how it can provide you with a lot of information.  I have recieved a lot of e-mails so far of other recommended websites I can visit that have information on cochlear implants that I may be able to use for future research.  The mailing list serves as another good resource for information for school related topics but also for things like daily quotes, personal interests, etc.  Knowing what kind of learner you are can help you in maximizing your performance.  The results gave me some interesting and useful studying tips I will try with my upcoming tests.  Knowing how to write a good research question will help me in doing my actual research not only for this class, but for others I will soon have.  Knowing how to write the question will help me in searching and finding an answer. 

Questions: My mailing list is very very active. I received an e-mail from it actually saying that if the mail load was too much that I could instead of recieving e-mails just join the group. Should I just join the group or stay on the mailing list? I actually like the e-mails, they’re intersting, but the amount of e-mail is a bit overwhelming along with all of the e-mails from this class, family, etc.