Week 2 Tutorial Task

Tutorial Tasks – Week 2

Task 1 – Saving Black Mountain

1.       Structure the search with double quotes and without double quotes and analyse the difference.

Searching with quotation marks ensures that the words or concept will be searched for as a whole and not picked apart by the search engine. For example, typing black mountain without quotation marks could potentially retrieve all items that mention black, all items that mention mountain, as well as all items about black mountain. This often leads to way too many search results that are often irrelevant to your topic.

2.       Analyse the information you find.

In a standard Google search, I’d say five out of the 10 first search results were relevant to the actual topic. Other results from the initial ‘saving black mountain’ search (without quotation marks) included pages to do with the Black Mountain Savings Bank in America and tourist and holiday spots near Black Mountain.

3.       Analyse the difference between Google and Google Scholar.

The key difference between these search engines is that Google Scholar limits its search to scientific literature and articles. So when you put in ‘saving black mountain’ (without quotation marks) in the search engine of Scholar, scholarly articles and books with the key words saving, black and mountain are retrieved. Adding quotation marks to “saving black mountain” retrieves the article original article by Powell, Cantrell & Adams (2001) and other relevant texts that cite the original article.

Task 2 – Sand Mining

1.       Find where this site is located.

North Stradbroke Island, Queensland.

2.       Analyse the information on different perspectives on the sand mining at this location.

In terms of being against the sand mining on Stradbroke Island, I’ve found the following link very informative: 10 compelling reasons to stop sand mining. Alternatively, a positive aspect of sand mining on Stradbroke Island is that it creates local jobs and helps the Island’s economy. Also there are a number of different rehabilitation projects happening on the island by the mining company that without the mining, would not be happening.

3.       Design an information learning activity using this as a topic for either middle-upper primary, secondary or tertiary.

Set up a purposeful problem-based inquiry project for the students to complete; for example – a student debate, newspaper article (research and interviews), a biology report. Organise an excursion or a school camp to the island where students can interview/ investigate/ tour the CRL mines. Students can gain different perspectives by interviewing and asking questions of the workers/management staff and talking to local environmentalist and other community members who live on the island.