Using the Internet for School Research

You need quick and easy information for your next school research paper; problem is you have been given limitations on your paper by your teacher. He has excluded certain sites; one you use on a regular basis. It has all the facts, and you never have to sort through pages and pages of information to get what you want.

Your teacher tells you otherwise. He doesn’t want you to use it.

Now what?

Writing a research paper is never fun in and of itself, but hopefully, these key ideas will help you to get the job done without too much of a hitch.

If you are attending a college or university, check with the school’s website to locate journals, papers and magazines.
Use the Web News section when Googling a topic.
There are various academic and scholarly research websites on the Internet. By typing in academic articles a great list of options will be presented to you.
Blogs by professors and other professionals will give you great ideas as well as direction on your paper. Type in Professor Blogs to get a good start.
Make sure that other sites you come across are written by a professional. Most sites include information on the author. If the author is a professor in the field, or has just graduated in the field in which you have a question, there’s a good chance the information on the site is true and correct. You may also want to check for a listing of books or other resources listed on the site.
Don’t plagiarize. If the temptation is there, read for a day, and then begin your paper on another. This gives your brain some time to think about what you’ve read and express what you know in your own words.

Writing a research paper with correct information in a readable and informative style is the goal for any researcher/writer that wants an A.

Teaching Online

Teaching. You love it, you hate it. But mostly you love it. You especially love teaching live—the kind where you go out and present at a conference or instruct a class. But now you’ve been thinking to tweak the idea a little—share your teaching skills online. But how can you best do that? You have no idea who will be attending your “classes” no idea what those in your audience are thinking, no clear idea if the information is helpful.

Unless of course, you do.

• Teach a class via video. Ask for feedback following the presentation.
• Set up class time via your computer’s web cam.
• Get set up with a web conferencing service. The service allows you to speak with others via your telephone and share information like PowerPoint Presentations through your computer. Folks can respond anytime during a presentation using a computer message board.
• Create a blog; teach something new weekly.
• Teach a class through an online institution or college.
• Consider using a distant learning program such as WebCT.
• Tutor online. Start with one student, see how it goes, and add new students as you feel more confident. All assignments can be sent via e-mail attachments and phone calls are always good as a back-up.
• Add an RSS feed to your blog. This way, folks can get your next class or assingment directly in their in-box.

In the long run, teaching is more about getting the word out in fun and interesting ways and less on the place in which this learning occurs. When in doubt, talk to other teachers and get their ideas on how to best teach online. See what they’ve done to keep a class motivated and engaged online. Go inside yourself. As a teacher you already have most of the skills you need to create and share your ideas. All you need is to jump into the technical.