In my previous post, I discussed my initial plans for developing a Google Site as a hub for Middle (and potentially Elementary) students to access several resources and tutorials to help streamline the more technical aspects of the research/writing process, particularly related to creating "bibliographies/works" cited pages. My hope is that this site will be easily accessible to students and teachers alike and might help research skills become more integrated into all disciplines rather than just Language Arts.
I began attacking the project in broad strokes, and have since realized that it's best to keep steps small, practical and specific. I've decided to focus on a recorded lesson that students/teachers can access - students will be able to mimic the process to learn how to create a bibliography, format it, alphabetize it and even begin creating correctly-formatted citations for each entry. On April 17 I performed a lecture/presentation with my 7th graders in LA in which I demonstrated the use of parenthetical citations. I would like to write a rough transcript of the lesson and record it in a polished, streamlined video. With a new focus I have also come across a resource that is exciting in that I think I will be able to abandon the ad-cluttered Easybib.com and time-worn KnighCite for another sleek and simple citation. This will be explained further on in this entry.
Challenges
Research being a multi-faceted skill, it has been difficult to decide exactly where to begin in the project. After much time has gone by, it became too challenging to approach the site as a single project. Instead I will be tackling the project step-by-step, focusing intensely on each variable of research in time rather than rushing an all-encompassing but shallow final product. Likely this full site will take longer than a year to complete, especially while I am teaching full-time and in grad school.
Celebrations
A frustration has yielded a breakthrough. One of the most crucial tools for research-writing projects are services that allow students to build, edit, curate (etc) bibliographies in a correct format. While we do have analogue resources to do this, they are time consuming and realistically archaic, especially as they are resources that students will find less accessible in future academic settings, especially as more and more schools go digital.
The two tools I've used most frequently in the past are more problematic with each passing year. KnightCite seems to no longer be updated and will therefor not be able to provide any support for students using websites hosting online videos (eg: YouTube). Furthermore, KnightCite is far outshined by EasyBib, the site most readily advertised for this category of academics. However, over time EasyBib has turned into a product and has been heavily monetized, resulting in cumbersome operation and screens crawling with ads. This is no longer good for students, and it is inefficient anyway.
In my search for a solution I stumbled across a resource called ZoteroBib. This website is perhaps the simplest, sleekest citation website I have ever seen. It is updated enough to keep up with the updated trends of research, but simple enough to easily encourage students to use the "Manual Cite" option to help students more fully understand the "formula" used to generate a bibliography entry. An exciting bonus is that the website also automatically generates parenthetical citations for each entry entered into the bibliography - a concept that can take a long time for students to understand otherwise.
Support
I am hoping that it is understandable that I am choosing to narrow my focus, and that the Google Site itself will probably be a long time coming.
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