Presented at a seminar of Queen Elizabeth I College students embarking upon the A level extended project, july 2014

1. www.le.ac.uk
Traditional and untraditional research methods
for the A level Extended Project
Terese Bird
Learning Technologist and SCORE Research Fellow
For Queen Elizabeth I College EPQ seminar 2 July 2014
Photo by slimlibrary on Flickr

2. What will we talk about?
• Go to the libraries
• Wikipedia
• Is Google evil?
• What’s ‘good’ online info?
• Excellent online ‘libraries’
• How to reference YouTube,
iTunes U, Flickr
• Online surveys and
interviews
Photo by Ed Yourdon on Flickr

3. University of Leicester Library/Public library
• http://www.le.ac.uk/library
• Only print books
• Open late!
• Public libraries
• eBooks at public libraries!
University of Leicester DWL on Flickr

4. Wikipedia: good or bad?
References at the end of articles are handy!

5. The truth about Google
• Google is a business, not a service
• When you Google something, the results are
different from when your friend Googles it
• Examine the website carefully

6. Websites can have excellent information
but…
• Consider the motive of the writer
• Advert?
• Look at the small print

11. What’s ‘good’?
• ‘Peer reviewed‘
• ‘Primary source’
• Examine the motivation for writing
• Examine who paid for it
• Educational authorities
• BBC, Government

12. Blog post by an expert

13. Open Educational Resources

14. New online ‘libraries’: YouTube.edu
youtube.com/education

15. New online ‘libraries’: iTunes U

16. New online ‘libraries’: iTunes U

17. Vimeo – vimeo.com

18. Flickr – research involving images

19. Research spark question:
Why does Leicester have a Statue of
Liberty on a roundabout?
Photo by Wyrmworld on Flickr

20. It was on a building once…
Photo:
Myleicestershire.org.uk

21. Why do the old factories burn?

22. http://myleicestershire.org.uk

23. How to reference a YouTube video?

24. How to reference a blog post

25. Internet power for surveys
• SurveyMonkey

26. Internet power for interviews
• Skype
• Google Hangout
• Ask permission to record or quote

27. Internet Power: Twitter

28. Internet Power: Twitter

29. Use old and new wisely
Photo by ocean.flynn on Flickr