• PDF • Wikispaces • Blogging• PBWorks

You are now ready to cut the red ribbon and unveil your project to your intended audience.

You can make your information more engaging to your audience by incorporating technology into the publication of your research. These forms of publication make effective use of technology.

A hyperlinked research paper allows your audience to click links to view additional information.

A wiki gives your audience the ability to help author your text with you.

A blog lets your audience read online journal entries about your research project.

A multimodal text allows you to add sound and video to make your point to your audience.

Hyperlinks allow your audience to investigate your sources easily and to find more information on points of interest.

Hyperlinks can help your readers navigate among sections in your paper. Here is an example of a hyperlinked research paper about artist Jackson Pollack.

The author has hyperlinked each entry in the table of contents.

Hyperlinks add validity to your work by enabling readers to verify information easily and read more about the facts, examples, or research to which you refer.

online sourcesrelated Web sites

You can add hyperlinks to

Hyperlinks also can help you receive feedback from your audience.

You can insert a hyperlink to your e-mail address that readers can use to send you comments.

Comments?

E-mail the author at

student14@schooldistrict23.edu

Before you post your hyperlinked research paper online, you might consider saving it in portable document format, or PDF.

Saving your paper as a PDF offers these benefits:

Readers can access your paper regardless of which word-processing program they use.

Tech Tool: PDF

Your content cannot be altered.

Your paper can be reproduced easily.

It is easy to convert your file to a PDF online.

Tech Tool: PDF

First, plug the keywords free PDF converter into your favorite search engine. Choose a site that allows you to upload files directly to its Web site.

Click Browse to select your document. Many sites will send you the PDF version of your file by e-mail.

You can present your ideas to a wider audience by publishing on the Internet.

Publishing as a wiki offers these benefits:

Your audience can expand on your ideas by adding to your work.

Tech Tool: Wikispaces

To create a free account, you need only to provide your e-mail address.

Tech Tool: Wikispaces

You can cut and paste your completed research paper from a word-processing program or attach text and image files.

Tech Tool: Wikispaces

To prevent readers from editing your content, you can use the Page menu to lock a page in your wiki.

Wikispaces offers several features to help you track changes made to your wiki.

Tech Tool: Wikispaces

Click Recent Changes or the History tab to view recent edits.

Set up an RSS feed that will notify you when changes are made.

Receive e-mail notifications about changes to your wiki.

This publishing form works well for historical research topics, allowing you to capture a time period in art, music, images, and video clips.

Plan your project by writing the script and creating a storyboard to outline visual and audio elements.

To publish your project as a multimodal text

Then, download free software such as iMovie or Movie Maker to draft and publish your project.

Reflection can help you become a more effective researcher. Reflect on all three aspects of your work.

The technology Which technology tools did you find most effective? How did they help you in your research?

The research What techniques did you learn that you can employ in other content areas?

The writing Which writing strategies were effective? Which would you improve upon in future projects?

You will receive feedback on your published work from your teacher, but it is also worthwhile to seek feedback from a wider audience. Publishing online allows you to receive feedback in several ways.

By inserting a hyperlink to your e-mail account

By tracking changes made to your class wiki and reading user comments posted on the discussion page

By embedding specific questions in your wiki, such as “What questions do you still have about my research topic?” “How can I make this page more effective?”

Readers can respond to your reflections by posting comments to your blog.

December 1, 2008

Tech Tool: Blogging

Tech Tool: Blogging

In this entry, the student reflects on proofreading her work.

The student chose to turn off the comments feature for this entry.

Your own reflections and the feedback that you receive from your audience will inform future projects.

Use what you learn about research and using technology to make future research assignments as effective and engaging as possible.

Talk About It

1. Which form of publication do you think offers the highest level of interaction for your audience? Why?

2. What are the challenges and benefits of publishing as a wiki?

3. How can you gather feedback from your audience in a wiki? a multimodal text? a blog?

4. How can you use technology to reflect on your research project?

Your Turn

Effects on audience

Tech tools needed

Hyperlinked research paper

Wiki

Multimodal text

Blog

Complete the graphic organizer below.

The End