Writing a Paperless Paper: A Student Guide to Electronic Study Skills
Book Description
You're a kid and you've just been assigned a research paper. A snap, right? Just jump on the Internet, snag a couple of sites, print out everything you find, copy some more stuff, organize a bit, add a title, print out your paper, and you're finished or so many kids think.
Alas, it's not quite that easy. Learning how to search for and verify sources, as well as organize, analyze, and take el... More
You're a kid and you've just been assigned a research paper. A snap, right? Just jump on the Internet, snag a couple of sites, print out everything you find, copy some more stuff, organize a bit, add a title, print out your paper, and you're finished or so many kids think.
Alas, it's not quite that easy. Learning how to search for and verify sources, as well as organize, analyze, and take electronic notes is just the beginning. Citing sources and avoiding plagiarism is a must. And thinking, writing, editing, and coming up with the best format for your project - which just might be in some other form besides printed on paper - -is more of an art today than it has ever been in the long (but perhaps not always illustrious) history of homework.
So how can kids learn these research techniques with a technology twist? The first step is taking apart the process of producing a paper (or perhaps even a "paperless paper") and discussing and analyzing what works when a computer is involved. There are lots of books and pamphlets on how to write a research paper, but until now none have truly focused on how a computer can become a helpmate at every stage in the process.
Introducing Writing A Paperless Paper: A Student Guide to Electronic Study Skills by James G. Lengel, a professor at the College of Communication at Boston University. This 24-page booklet introduces, outlines, and explains in clear and simple terms a ten-step process for creating a research project in which the computer helps students plan, organize, research, take electronic notes, keep track of citations, brainstorm, write, edit and ultimately "publish" a paper. It isn't just a guide to good Internet sites for homework assignments or a research guide that fails to show how helpful the computer can really be (such as those that instruct kids to copy information off the computer onto note cards only to type it back in later). This timely how-to booklet urges students to take advantage of all the computer has to offer.
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