Technology

Electronic Technology Activities

The following tasks will help you develop expertise in using various electronic resources indispensable to the researcher today. When you have completed all the tasks, please submit this checklist and any printouts that I have requested for specific tasks. Be sure to label the printouts clearly, indicating the number of the question for which they provide material. On the sheet below write in the date on which you successfully performed each task. Ideally you should decide as soon as possible what your research project topic will be and then use that topic as the focal point as you fulfill each task. I encourage you to collaborate with each other. You may ask and offer help. Some of us are more experienced than others in our use of electronic technology in research. Be sure to use correct MLA format for documenting electronic sources. You will need to find a comprehensive guide to MLA documentation as one of these tasks.

1. If you haven't already done so, set up an e-mail account on the Radford network, using your student ID number. Write your e-mail address in the space below.

Set up your Web CT login password for this course. Write your password in the space below (just in case you forget it later on).

2. Using the Web CT e-mail function, e-mail me at least one message about your research topic and download and print my e-mail message in response to you.

3. Participate in the bulletin board set up for this course by contributing the name of at least one research tool or source (printed, electronic, www, video, etc.) that you think might be useful to other scholars. Post your message in the bulletin board forum named "research tools." In your message, explain why you think the research tool might be useful for particular purposes. Write the date on which you posted your message and the name of the resource tool in this space:

4. Participate in the bulletin board set up for this course by contributing at least one "hot link" that we can add to our list of web sites that could be helpful in the study of literature, culture, history, cultural studies, media studies, etc. The web site may pertain to any discipline that you think might be useful to scholars in the field of English Studies. Send your message to the bulletin board forum named "hot links." In your message, write the name of the site, the URL address, and a brief description of the contents of the site with some evaluative comments. Write the date on which you posted your hot link to the bulletin board and the name of the web site in this space:

5. Subscribe to two listserv groups related either to your research project topic or to some other area of scholarship of interest to you. Write the names and e-mail addresses of the two listservs in the following space:

Analyze the two listservers for a couple of weeks and then decide which you think is better and why. In the space provided, write a brief evaluation of each and explain why you think one is better than the other.

6. On the World-Wide Web there are a number of sites that provide comprehensive explanations for using MLA format to document electronic and WWW sources. Find at least one such site. In the space provided, write out the location of the site.

Print the document containing MLA format for electronic sources and submit the hard copy with your problems. Use proper MLA format for any electronic sources you include in this checklist.

7. Find one electronic journal, preferably one pertinent to your research project topic. An electronic journal is one that is not published in printed form, but only in electronic form on the Web. In the space provided cite the title, author, and publication date of one article from the journal, using the MLA format developed for electronic sources. Print out the article and submit it. Be aware that you should look for electronic journals, not just electronic versions of articles published in journals that appear in hard copy.

8. Using the Internet, find one call for papers or proposals for a conference pertinent either to your research project or to a paper you are working on in one of your other courses. Print out the call for papers and submit. In the space provided, write out the location of the site where you found the call for papers.

9. On the WorldWide Web find two sites pertinent to your research project topic. In the space provided write the complete URL address for each site. Write a brief evaluation of the usefulness of each site.

10. Using the WorldWide Web, Look for one job opportunity in a field appropriate to your interests and qualifications. Print out the job notice or ad and include it with your problems. In the space provided, write the position and the complete URL address where you found it.