Thing 16: Student 2.0 Tools

I looked at the Assignment Calculator several years ago, so it was good to review it now. Both of these tools are good in that they break research down into doable steps. If a students stays on task, s/he will avoid the last-minute basket cases we sometimes see at our Reference Desks. I do think, however, that it would take a very organized and focused student to use these tools on their own. It seems to me the calculators would work best when used with the instructor--the person from whom students are most likely to accept guidance. We as librarians can work with classroom teachers to incorporate these steps into assignments, perhaps introducing the teachers to the tools and encouraging them to use them with the students. For this reason, I was happy to see lots of resources for instructors included.

I looked at the teacher materials, and I saw useful ideas. Many of these we already use when we work with classes. I think it is helpful that they are available in Word format, so they can (presumably) be adapted for whatever lesson one might be teaching. One comment on the student materials--I think there was way too much text. I just can't see students reading through all that information on their own.

I'm wondering why the phrase "research paper" wasn't used instead of essay. I did like that the tool offered several options for a final project.

But these quibbles aside, anything that encourages students to organize their research and follow the steps suggested in these tools is, as Martha would say, a good Thing!