The next step in the Geniusing process is to create a source analysis to defend the validity of your four sources (one expert and three others of your choosing--and some people may have more!). Think of this as the foundation of your elevator pitch during Shark Week (which, btw, is March 14-23).
This analysis is simply an explanation of each source, outlining both its validity and its usefulness while briefly summarizing its content. Each explanation should also include direct access to the source (via a link or contact info.).
The validity portion of the analysis should focus on the credibility of the source, its author, and its publisher. If it's a person, you should discuss that person's affiliations and biases while talking about their credentials and qualifications as an expert. In essence, this entry answers the question, "Why should we trust this source? What weaknesses might this source have in terms of credibility?"
The usefulness section focuses on how the source has been or will be useful to you specifically in this project. "How has/will this source helped/help me?" Be specific.
The final piece is to give a brief summary of the information you gleaned from each source.
You will create this three-part analysis for EACH of your sources. THIS IS WHY THIS POST IS SO TIME CONSUMING!
Check out my friends at the Purdue OWL for more detailed information, but here is an example of a source analysis entry. You can even organize it just like I have!
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EXAMPLE:
Source: Kelsey Habig, English teacher at HSEHS, [email protected]
Validity: Miss Habig has been running autonomous learning projects in her English classes since the 2013-'14 school year, including opportunities both small and large with students at all levels of high school. Most notably, her Probletunity Project in English 11 has taken off in its four seasons and now encompasses an authentic Shark Tank-style pitch to community members and culminates with a TED-style talk at the year's end. Next year Miss Habig will teach an entirely experimental course in autonomy called Innovations, emphasizing skill-building and synthesis through a process of problem-solving and student introspection. In terms of weaknesses, Miss Habig is something of a risk-taker. She openly abhors established rules and institutions, so her mindset is completely free of the traditional constraints in education. Certainly her bias is toward this style of learning as she actively shames traditional classrooms.
Usefulness: Miss Habig's experience in helping students learn autonomously is immensely helpful to my project. She can help me navigate issues that arise and is always available for my questions. I really like her Genius Hour website because I can see the breakdown of weekly assignments as well as match them up with her students' blogs.
Summary: Miss Habig has given me a plethora of books and resources to utilize. Our conversations have mostly been about structure and management in the classroom. Grading is also a point of discussion. Motivating students and re-training their mindsets seems to be a challenge for us both, but sharing her experiences has been quite useful in my planning.
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Your source analysis is due as a blog post on Friday, 3/3 at 3pm.
This analysis is simply an explanation of each source, outlining both its validity and its usefulness while briefly summarizing its content. Each explanation should also include direct access to the source (via a link or contact info.).
The validity portion of the analysis should focus on the credibility of the source, its author, and its publisher. If it's a person, you should discuss that person's affiliations and biases while talking about their credentials and qualifications as an expert. In essence, this entry answers the question, "Why should we trust this source? What weaknesses might this source have in terms of credibility?"
The usefulness section focuses on how the source has been or will be useful to you specifically in this project. "How has/will this source helped/help me?" Be specific.
The final piece is to give a brief summary of the information you gleaned from each source.
You will create this three-part analysis for EACH of your sources. THIS IS WHY THIS POST IS SO TIME CONSUMING!
Check out my friends at the Purdue OWL for more detailed information, but here is an example of a source analysis entry. You can even organize it just like I have!
--
EXAMPLE:
Source: Kelsey Habig, English teacher at HSEHS, [email protected]
Validity: Miss Habig has been running autonomous learning projects in her English classes since the 2013-'14 school year, including opportunities both small and large with students at all levels of high school. Most notably, her Probletunity Project in English 11 has taken off in its four seasons and now encompasses an authentic Shark Tank-style pitch to community members and culminates with a TED-style talk at the year's end. Next year Miss Habig will teach an entirely experimental course in autonomy called Innovations, emphasizing skill-building and synthesis through a process of problem-solving and student introspection. In terms of weaknesses, Miss Habig is something of a risk-taker. She openly abhors established rules and institutions, so her mindset is completely free of the traditional constraints in education. Certainly her bias is toward this style of learning as she actively shames traditional classrooms.
Usefulness: Miss Habig's experience in helping students learn autonomously is immensely helpful to my project. She can help me navigate issues that arise and is always available for my questions. I really like her Genius Hour website because I can see the breakdown of weekly assignments as well as match them up with her students' blogs.
Summary: Miss Habig has given me a plethora of books and resources to utilize. Our conversations have mostly been about structure and management in the classroom. Grading is also a point of discussion. Motivating students and re-training their mindsets seems to be a challenge for us both, but sharing her experiences has been quite useful in my planning.
--
Your source analysis is due as a blog post on Friday, 3/3 at 3pm.