Wikipedia Step 4

Question:

Does methane cause more warming than CO2?

Answer:

Molecule for molecule, methane is much more effective than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere. And that's just part of the trouble.  "Methane is much more complicated once it gets into the atmosphere than something like carbon dioxide is," Shindell says, "and that's because it reacts with a lot of different important chemicals."

Source

Harris, Richard. National Public Radio. Methane Causes Vicious Cycle in Global Warming. (January 2010). Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122638800

Link

Web Page Evaluation:

Name of Page: National Public Radio

URL: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122638800

Date Accessed: June 2, 2013

How did you find the web page? Google search

Domain: .org  I trust this domain because it is an organization, not just a web page that anyone can create

Author of page: Richard Harris

Is the individual associated with any organization?  Does the author have any credentials?  Yes, the author is an award winning journalist who has been a correspondent for NPR since 1986.  He has traveled the world, and received some of journalism and science's most prestigious awards.

Contact information: No, I could not find any contact information about him on the web page

What is the purpose of the page?  To inform the reader.  The author is not trying to persuade the audience, he is simply presenting facts.

Are there ads on the page? The ads are all for NPR related information

Who is the intended audience? The public

When was the page last updated? January 26, 2010

Is the author authenticated? Yes, throughout the article their are quotes from NASA affiliate Drew Shindell and the University of Edinburgh

Is this source appropriate?  Yes, this is a source I would trust and recommend

Was the answer in Wikipedia accurate? How does this influence your perception of Wikipedia as a resource for learning in school?

 

No, the answer in Wikipedia was not accurate.  They downplayed the role of methane in the warming of the earth, when actually, it plays a significant role.  This tells me that I, and my students, need to be skeptical when using Wikipedia as a resource.  We should verify information from other reliable sources.

 

 

Wikipedia Step 3

What does it mean that this article and its editors are subject to General Sanctions?

Editors can be placed on article probation:

 

Editors making disruptive edits to articles which are on probation may be banned by an administrator from further editing of such articles as well as related articles and/or project pages.

Editors can be placed on community article probation:

 

Editors making disruptive edits may be subject to various administrative restrictions, depending on the terms of probation. This type of probation is similar to article probation, above, but is imposed by the community rather than by ArbCom.

Wikipedia Step 2

Claim:

"The sun's output has not increased since 1978."

Dispute:

"Since the late 1970s, the amount of solar radiation the sun emits, during times of quiet sunspot activity, has increased by nearly .05 percent per decade, according to a NASA funded study."

Web Page Evaluation:

Name of the page:  National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

URL:  http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/news/topstory/2003/0313irradiance.html

Date Accessed:  June 2, 2013

How did you find the source?  Google search

Domain:  .gov  I consider this a very reliable domain; I would trust this source

Author of page:  Elvia H. Thompson and Krishna Ramanujan

Is the author affiliated with an organization?  Yes, they are both affiliated with NASA.  Thompson works at NASA Headquarters and Ramanujan works at the Goddard Space Flight Center.  They are NASA professionals, and I would consider them experts in their field.  They don't show a bias; they just present the facts.  I would consider them reliable authors.

Contact information?  Yes, there are phone numbers for both of the authors.

Is the purpose of the page clearly stated?  Yes, the article is meant to inform the reader.  The authors are presenting facts; they are not trying to persuade one way or the other.

Are their any ads on the page?  No, there are no ads.  Everything on the page is NASA related.

Who is the intended audience?  The public is the intended audience.  It is meant to inform them.

When was the page last updated?  March 20, 2003

Is the article authenticated?  Yes, NASA is a reputable organization. 

Is this source appropriate?  Would you recommend it?  Yes, this is an appropriate resource.  NASA is a trusted organization who wouldn't post information without verifying its authenticity.  The authors of the page are professionals in their field.  I would definitely recommend this source.

Source

NASA. NASA Study Finds Increasing Solar Trend That Can Change Climate. (March 2003). Retrieved from http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/news/topstory/2003/0313irradiance.html

Support:

"The Sun's energy output has not increased since direct measurements began in 1978.  If increased solar output really was responsible, we should be seeing warming on all the planets and their moons, not just Mars and Pluto."

Web Page Evaluation:

Name of the page:  New Scientist

URL:  http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn11642-climate-myths-mars-and-pluto-are-warming-too.html

Date accessed:  June 2, 2013

How did you find the source:  Google search

Domain:  .com  I'm skeptical of a .com domain, because anyone can create a web page with a .com domain

Author of the page:  Michael Le Page

Is the individual affiliated with an organization?  Does the author have any credentials?  No, the author is not associated with any organization that I can find.  In fact, the web page gives no information about the author besides his name.  He appears to be a blog writer.

Contact information:  No, there is no contact information for the author.

Is the purpose of the page clearly stated?  Not really, but I would guess he is trying to persuade the audience to believe his opinion.  I believe it is an opinion because he doesn't have any sources to back it up, and he doesn't present the other side.

Are there ads on the page?  The only ads are for subscribing to their magazine.

When was the page last updated?  May 16, 2007

Is the page authenticated?  No, the author gives no sources and no one else backs up his claims.

Is the source appropriate?  Would you recommend it?  No, I do not believe the source is appropriate.  It is just one man's opinion, with no sources to back up his claims.  This web page is unreliable and I would not recommend it.

Source

Le Page, Michael. Climate Myths: Mars and Pluto are Warming Too. (May 2007). Retrieved from http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn11642-climate-myths-mars-and-pluto-are-warming-too.html

Wikipedia Step 1

1. Does the Wikipedia article appear to be biased in any way or does it maintain neutrality?

Yes, I believe the article is biased in favor of the idea that global warming is happening, it is an immediate threat to us, and humans are the reason for global warming.  I believe the article is playing on people's emotions by trying to frighten them about imminent dangers.  The article does not examine the possibility that global warming isn't a new thing, that it has cycled and happened in the past, or that we are not in as much danger as they present.

2. What facts has the author omitted?

The author doesn't tell us anything about Earth's temperatures before the 20th century.  Most of the data cited is fairly recent.

3. What additional information is necessary?

Earth's temperatures throughout history going further back than the 20th century.  They need to examine whether this is something that has occurred in the past.

4. What words create a negative impression?

-inadequate
-sudden rise in global temperatures
-changes could occur abruptly
-might also be irreversible
-threat
-amplified global warming
-vulnerability of human societies

5. What impression would I have if different words had been used?

I think they used the negative, scary words to cause people to panic.  If they had used more neutral or positive words, I wouldn't feel that panic.

Examples of bias I found in the article:

"These findings are recognized by the national science academies of all major industrialized nations."

The bias is in the word "all."  I highly doubt that every single group has the same opinion.

"The probability that these changes could have occurred by chance is virtually zero."

The bias is in the word "virtually zero."  I don't trust this statistic; I don't believe it is possible that the chance is zero.

Source
NewsandEventsGuy. (2013, March 17). Global Warming. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming 

EDUC 6816-Weekly Reading #2

1. What is Henry Jenkins main arguments about Wikipedia?

His main arguments are: young people need to acquire social skills and cultural competencies to participate in new media, young people and adults work together to achieve a shared goal, and active readers need to ask questions about the facts presented and the sources to back up those facts.  He argues that while Wikipedia should not be used as a main source for research, there is valuable information to be found there, as long as you check the sources.

2. What is participatory culture?

-low barriers to artistic expression and civic engagement
-support for creating and sharing what you create with others
-members feel their contributions matter
-members feel a social connection to others
-members care what others think about what they have created

3. What is the relationship between old literacies and new media literacies?

Old literacies involved individual skills and information given to students.  There was no collaboration or constructing their own knowledge.  New media literacies involves social skills and participation.  Members work together toward a common goal.  They contribute on subjects they know a lot about.

4. What are the reading and writing behaviors associated with new media literacies?

*Collective intelligence-people pool their knowledge
*Judgment-assessing the credibility of information
*Networking-search for and synthesize information
*Negotiation-respect multiple perspectives

5. According to Henry Jenkins, why is it important to teach new media literacies in school?

It is important for students to learn to be skeptical of information they find on the internet.  They need to be taught how to evaluate the credibility of a source so that they don't just blindly trust anything in print.

6. What can young people learn through contributing or even consuming Wikipedia?

They learn what it is like to work together within a knowledge culture.  It allows people with different backgrounds to work together and share what they know with each other.  It allows students to think about their roles as researchers and writers in a new way.

7. How do you feel about Wikipedia?  Do you agree or disagree with Henry Jenkins?

For our first assignment I said that I would not consider Wikipedia as a good resource for students.  After reading the articles from Henry Jenkins I have changed my mind.  I agree with his argument that Wikipedia is a great starting point for research.  I don't believe it should be a primary source, but it can be used to identify other reliable, informative sources.  I also like his argument about how Wikipedia encourages social skills and collaboration.  It has definitely peaked my interest about how I could use Wikipedia in my classroom.

8. Find an online resource that supports your position.  Summarize the argument being made and explain how it supports your argument.

The article that I found, Is Wikipedia Becoming a Respectable Academic Source, talks about how scholars are using Wikipedia in their research.  It also addresses some of the most common criticisms of Wikipedia.  They support my argument by saying that Wikipedia should not be cited in an academic paper, but it is a valuable resource when conducting research.

9. Find an image that relates to Wikipedia and schooling.

I love this...so cute!

 

http://cyberschooltips.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/wikipedia-cat.jpg

Sources

Jenkins, H. (2007, June 26). What Wikipedia can Teach us About New Media Literacies (Part One). Retrieved from http://henryjenkins.org/2007/06/what_wikipedia_can_teach_us_ab.html

Jenkins, H. (2007, June 27). What Wikipedia can Teach us About the New Media Literacies (Part Two). Retrieved from http://henryjenkins.org/2007/06/what_wikipedia_can_teach_us_ab_1.html

Is Wikipedia Becoming a Respectable Academic Source? (Sept 2008). Retrieved from  http://digitalscholarship.wordpress.com/2008/09/01/is-wikipedia-becoming-a-respectable-academic-source/ 

 

EDUC 6809-Weekly Reading #2

How did our Multigenre Multimodal Textual Lineages relate to the following articles?

Writing Outside of School- Instead of using paper and pencil to create our stories, we used digital writing.  I used Photo Story, and combined pictures with my text, to tell my story.

Literacy Learning in the 21st Century- We live in a technology driven environment.  Technology is how most of us now communicate.  In order for students to be successful in the 21st century, they have to be able to convey information in a new way; just like we did with our textual lineage stories.

Reading and Writing Differently- Sometimes people don't have the time to read long passages of text.  We need to be able to present our ideas in a condensed version, but in a way that the audience still gets what we are trying to tell them.  We told a story, but in a quick, summarized way.

Writing Now- We write for many purposes and for many different audiences.  Students need to learn to identify their audience and why they are writing to them. We did that in our stories; our audience was our classmates, and we were writing to tell them about three texts that have influenced us.

Adolescent Literacy- In order to motivate students to write, we need to give them a choice in their writing tasks.  If they are writing about something they care about, they will be invested in it.  For this assignment we were given choices.  We could choose the texts we wrote about, as well as how we would present it.

What are 3 ways the readings reinforced your thinking about the role of digital technology in teaching students to read and write?

(1)  Writing Outside of School- I have seen the positive impact writing outside of school has on two of my students.  When we have any assignment that involves writing, they always complain, but they are always eager to show me the comic books that they write together (which have a lot of dialogue).  They don't realize that what they are doing IS writing, to them, it is just something they enjoy.
(2) Literacy Learning in the 21st Century- I like the idea of letting students present what they have learned in a way of their choosing.  When we do research, my students always present their findings with the class, and I let them choose how to do it.  Some like to make a poster, make it into a script, or present a PowerPoint. 
(3)  Writing Now- I believe, like the article says, motivation is key in student writing.  If you give them a topic they have to write about, where is the motivation in that?  It may be something they have no interest in.  On the other hand, if you give them a choice, they are engaged and motivated because it is something they like.

This Webquest is one that I used with my 4th graders this year to learn about landforms.  They were each given a specific landform and then researched it through linked websites.  They filled in a graphic organizer as they went along.  Afterwards, they wrote a brochure highlighting what they had learned.  This was a great project combining social studies, reading, and writing.  I also integrated art by having the students construct and paint their landform out of modeling clay.  They loved it and learned so much!!

Sources

National Council of Teachers of English. (2009). Writing Outside of School.

National Council of Teachers of English. (2009). Literacy Learning in the 21st Century.

National Council of Teachers of English. (2008). Reading and Writing Differently.

National Council of Teachers of English. (2008). Writing Now.

National Council of Teachers of English (2007). Adolescent Literacy.

Mrs. Modena. (n.d.) Creating Landform Travel Brochures.  Retrieved from http://www2.needham.k12.ma.us/newman/learningmaps/webquests/landform_brochures/landform_main.htm#rubric

EDUC 6809-Multigenre and Multimodal Textual Lineage