December 11th, 2005
Final Learning Reflection
Throughout the semester I have learned a massive amount of information from enrolling in CD 315. I feel that obtained a great deal of knowledge because the class covered four major areas of work. These include the following: preparing for information literacy, discovering, retrieving, and managing information, processing information, and transferring information. Here is what I learned in each area of work:
Preparing for information literacy was my first “giant leap” for starting my multi-genre research project (MRP). I read several articles and websites which helped prepare me for information literacy. A few articles or websites which I found to be helpful were “Information Literacy,” “The World-Wide Web,” and “Recommended Search Strategy.” The first article helped me gain a general understanding of what information literacy exactly was. The second link listed above was an excellent website that explained what the World Wide Web was, and the last and highly valuable link taught me how to search the internet for reliable information.
To help me research for my project my class met in our Drinko Library one evening. While there we found out how to search peer-reviewed articles by using Ebsco Host.
After I leaned how to search the internet, I sat down and started to retrieve information for in MRP on closed-head injuries. A few websites which I found helpful were the Center for Disease and Control site and Ohio State University’s site. In addition, a few articles which I found on the ERIC database came in handy as well.
Since I gathered the majority of my information, I then decided it was time to process everything that I learned. This was when I began to make my website on closed-head injuries. This was a rather difficult task at first, but then as I created webpage after webpage it seemed almost effortless. I also learned post my genres on my personal weblog at tabulas.com. This weblog allowed me to revise my genres and receive feedback from two of my classmates before I turned my assignments and hard work into a webpage. I made seven different genres on my weblog. The one genre that was the most challenging for me was my PowerPoint because I needed to go “Beyond Bullet Points” when creating it.
After my drafts were reviewed several times I decided that I should move on to the last and final area, transferring information. To do this I simply copy and pasted my genres from my personal weblog to Microsoft FrontPage. I added the copyright information to each webpage and my e-mail address incase anyone wanted to contact me. I found out that it was important to include the copyright information from viewing a PowerPoint on-line created by Marshall University (my school).
Since my CD 315 class was divided into four different areas, I feel that the knowledge that I have gained this semester about information literacy and closed-head injures is by far 10 times more than what I would have learned on my own. Without taking this class and completing my assignments I would never have been able to display my hard work on-line at http://mupfc.marshall.edu/~miller255/.