Discussion:
Responses should be at least 2 to 3 paragraphs with citations
1. As an advanced graduate student, there will be plenty of assignments where we have to analyze articles critically. As we move through our chosen degree paths, we must be cognizant to select scholarly articles that are reliable. Once we find those scholarly articles, it is then that we should utilize an effective tool to help us as scholars identify key elements of the research article as well as pertinent information. That tool is the Research Article Organizer from the Toolkit.
I will reflect on my experience with using the Research Article Organizer. In my opinion, the Research Article Organizer is a great tool, and it helped me organize information from a multitude of sources for my literature review. It enabled me to brainstorm my research paper and connect ideas collaboratively. When I used the Research Article Organizer, there were only two modifications I made. One was to change the text color for each area, and the other was to add another topic area. I know some people think that a lot of colors could be a distraction and that black or blue ink should only be used. But, putting each area into different colors helped me to locate the area I was looking for with just a quick glance. I also put another category called resource location. In this area, I put where I found my resources. I used this category to write where I located my references in case I need to obtain an article, book, etc. from that source for assignments in the future.
On another note, it took some time to locate the Toolkit and all the searching was becoming a bit frustrating. Therefore, I think the Research Article Organizer and any other tools that we can use from the Toolkit should be on the sidebar where course overview, the syllabus and such are. It would be much easier to find and students wouldn't have to question the whereabouts of such tools.
2. I have utilized a running record, per se, in my master's course work in the development of my thesis. Using the research tool was much more helpful than the running record. My record was pretty simple - author, title, and summary of the article. I found it easy to look up information for future writings and confirmation of thought processes.
With this tool, I found that I had a more complete view of the author's research, questions, and methods. Another benefit that I found was that I could make a correlation between the articles quickly. I could pair or group them for comparison should I need using the column to identify key words. I did add a column that would give me information for a bibliography should I require it, making the citing of sources a little easier. I also expanded the notes section so that I could enter more details regarding the findings. Several of the articles had details that were pertinent that I did not want to neglect.
Overall, I did like using the research tool. I started to formulate the literature review, and how I would use this information in my head as I was working through the tool. Using it helped me see connections between the research and findings and my thoughts and processes. In the previous research on the common core, I found myself looking for the same articles for pieces of information.
This tool should help eliminate the constant search for the same information.