Reflections on Research (Discussion Forums)

The purpose of this assignment is for graduate students to follow-up on one of their tweets and examine it from the perspective of education research. Pick one tweet that you encountered during the two-week time frame for Assignment #2) Participation in Discussions (Twitter). The topic of the tweet chosen should be examined from an education research perspective entertaining the following questions (Meriam Library, California State University, 2010). Currency: The timeliness of the information • How recent is the information? • Can you locate a date when the page(s) were written/created/updated? • Based in your topic, is it current enough? Reliability: Importance of the information • What kind of information is included in the website? • Is the content primarily fact, or opinion? Is the information balanced, or biased? • Does the author provide references for quotations and data? • If there are links, do they work? Authority: The source of the information • Can you determine who the author/creator is? is there a way to contact them? • What are their credentials (education, affiliation, experience, etc.)? • Who is the publisher or sponsor of the site? Are they reputable? Accuracy: The reliability, truthfulness and correctness of the information • Is it accurate? Is it supported by evidence? • Is the information balanced or biased? • Was it peer-reviewed? • Can you verify the information from another reliable source? • Are there spelling, grammar, or typographical errors? • Can you determine who the author/creator is? is there a way to contact them? Purpose: The reason the information exists • What’s the intent of the website (to persuade, to sell you something, etc.)? • What is the domain (.edu, .org, .com, etc.)? • Are there ads on the website? • How do they relate to the topic being covered (e.g., an ad for ammunition next to an article about firearms legislation)? • Is the author presenting fact, or opinion? Who might benefit from a reader believing this website? • Based on the writing style, who is the intended audience?