Dulcinea Media Announces Tutorial for Teaching Web Research Skills
June 22, 2011 – New York, NY – Each year, schools in the United States spend literally billions of dollars on Internet access to the more than 15 million computers in schools, nearly 100% of which are now online. Unfortunately, much of this money is wasted, because not enough time is invested in teaching students and educators how to use the Web to research effectively - a critical skill for 21st century workers.
Study after study conducted over the past decade has shown that most students cannot effectively find information online, evaluate it, and put it to use. Furthermore, recent studies show that many educators, who are overburdened by ever-growing paperwork and standardized testing, have, like most adults, not fully developed their own web research skills. Researchers now warn of a new digital divide, between students who do receive effective web research training and those who do not.
To help educators counter this new digital divide, Dulcinea Media, Inc. today announced the SweetSearch Web Research Tutorial, a research-based, multimedia tutorial that teaches effective web research skills to both educators and students.
Please view our video explaining the SweetSearch Web Research Tutorial.
Alternatively, view our SlideShare presentation, without the voiceover.
Lastly, click here to preview the educator version of the tutorial.
The company plans to release several versions of the Tutorial:
- For K-12 educators, titled “Web Research Skills for Educators;”
- for students in Grades K-6, titled “How to Be a Rock Star Researcher;”
- for students in Grades 7-12 and college, titled “Stop Searching, Start Finding: Get Better Results in Half the Time;” and
- versions of the above titles for Spanish-speakers
The planned full release schedule is as follows:
- the educator version will be available in early December 2011;
- the version for older students will be released in early December 2011;
- the version for younger students and the Spanish language version will be released in January 2012.
The Company will also release additional information about the Web Research Tutorial, in accordance with the above schedule, through its blog.
Composition of Tutorial:
The SweetSearch Web Research Tutorial is published as an electronic video book, with 16 chapters. Each chapter offers an introduction, a 3 to 5-minute video, a print guide to the topic, links to expertly curated third-party resources, and a self-quiz to help the viewer evaluate retention of the core concepts in the chapter. Each chapter builds upon, and reinforces concepts taught in the previous chapter. The company is also creating posters, glossaries and other visual elements to aid learning.
Chapter titles include:
- Planning and Adjusting Your Research;
- Using Special Search Functions;
- Finding and Using Primary Sources;
- Why Did the Author Write This;
- Thinking Critically; and
- Synthesizing Your Sources
The content engages the reader and respect the way people learn best today. Unlike many professional development systems that involve a lengthy, one-time presentation with little follow-up, Dulcinea Media’s tutorial offers a self-directed program of video tutorials, with several types of supporting materials and frequent follow-ups.
Dulcinea Media will update the Tutorial twice a year to incorporate new developments in web research and to leverage new learning tools.
Summary of Research Basis for Tutorial:
A 2006 report by the Educational Testing Service found, “students can use technology for socializing or entertainment but still have problems finding information, evaluating it and then putting it to use.”[1] Authors of a 2010 Northwestern study of college students reported that “students’ level of faith in their search engine of choice is so high that they do not feel the need to verify for themselves who authored the pages they view or what their qualifications might be.” [2]
Many other studies have similarly concluded that students do not know how to search the Web effectively, and struggle to synthesize multiple resources. Furthermore, no consensus has emerged on how to teach students Web research skills. [3]
The Web Research Tutorial is based on: (i) a thorough analysis of research studies of the habits of both skilled and inexperienced web users [4]; (ii) input from leading educators; and (iii) the research habits of the staff members of findingDulcinea, who have collectively written thousands of articles that effectively synthesize the best online resources about a topic.
Pricing:
The annual license cost per school for the Web Research Tutorial, based on total student population:
|
Student pop. |
Annual Pricing |
|
|
|
|
1-249 |
$719 |
|
250-499 |
$919 |
|
500-749 |
$1099 |
|
750-999 |
$1269 |
|
1,000+ |
$1399 |
All versions will be made available to all scholls purchasing the tutorial.
Pricing does not include the option for an in-person or virtual presentation by a Dulcinea Media staff member or consultant, for which an additional fee, and reasonable travel expenses will apply.
The license term is for one year and may be renewed annually.
Schools may acquire a permanent license with a one-time payment equal to 4x the annual fee.
Dulcinea Media will update the Tutorial twice a year to incorporate new developments in web research and to leverage new learning tools.
“Early Adopter” Incentive:
As an early ordering incentive, schools that pay for the tutorial within 30 days of its full release will receive a 50% discount, for the initial one-year term and up to two renewal terms.
Schools that order and pay for the tutorial between 31 and 60 days following its full release will be offered at a 25% discount for the initial one-year term and up to two renewal terms.
Standards Alignment:
The SweetSearch Web Research Tutorial aligns to the Core Common State Standards for English and Language Arts. In particular, it addresses the standards relating to:
- conducting research projects based on focused questions;
- tailoring searches online to acquire useful information efficiently;
- gathering relevant information from multiple print and digital sources;
- assessing the credibility and accuracy of each source; and
- integrating the information while avoiding plagiarism.
The Tutorial also aligns to standards set by ISTE, the ALA, and NCTE/IRA.
Delivery of Tutorial:
The e-book will be web-based, accessed through password protected accounts. In coming months, it will also be made available as an app on the iPad, iPhone and Android phones.
Ordering Information:
Please email info@DulcineaMedia.com or call (917) 597-3815 to discuss ordering the SweetSearch Web Research Tutorial.
_______________________________
[1] Paul D. Thacker, “Are College Students Techno Idiots?” Inside Higher Ed, November 15, 2006 http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2006/11/15/infolit
[2] Debra Viadero, “Collecting Evidence,” EdWeek, March 29, 2007 http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2007/03/29/30tcresearch.h26.html
[3] Eszter Hargittai, Lindsay Fullerton, Ericka Menchen-Trevino and Kristin Yates Thomas, Northwestern University, “Trust Online: Young Adults’ Evaluation of Web Content,” International Journal of Communication 4 (2010), 468–494 1932–8036/20100468 http://ijoc.org/ojs/index.php/ijoc/article/view/636
[4] Anne Aula, Rehan Khan and Zhiwei Guan, “How does Search Behavior Change as Search Becomes More Difficult?” Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2010 http://dub.washington.edu/pubs/215
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