DIGC102

Week One

Tuesday March 2, 2010

Dr Chris Moore
Moorenet@gmail.com
 Introduction
to Methods in Digital
Research:

Sources, Knowledge and

Identity
 Today’s Lecture

 summary of the subject outline

 what is research?
 blogging and research

Image by Wonderlane
by el_aguacil
 Course Structure
• 1hr Lecture / 2hr Lab/Seminar
• 100% attendance to Lectures and Labs
• Student Consultation Monday and
Thursday by Email appointment
• Students are required to fulfil the
attendance requirements, the online and
class participation requirements and submit
all assessments To Pass The Course.
 Assessments
1. Information Search Assignment

2. Information Search Presentation

3. 2x Blog Report

4. Group Presentation and Dossier

5. Online Participation

6. Class participation
 Assessments
1. Information Search Assignment – E-waste
Friday, March 26 - Week 4 by 4pm posted to your
class blog and email notification. 15%

500 words - excludes reference list.

2. Information Search Presentation

Tuesday April 12 - Week 6 during lab/tutorial. 15%
5 minutes minimum – 10 minutes maximum
 Blog Report
• Week 5, Friday April 2 and Week
10 Friday May 14, by 4pm. 20%
• Students nominate their strongest post via email
and include provide a short justification for their
inclusion. Students will also nominate the best post
and comments from your peers. (250 words) (10%
Total Each Report)
 E-waste
Group Presentation
Presentation during Weeks 11 and 12
Tuesday May 18, Tuesday May 25.

Group Research Dossier

(1500 words) submitted in Week 13
Tuesday June 1, by 4pm

30% (15% presentation, 15%

Research Project Dossier)
 Participation
• Participation for the subject is assessed during the class

(10%) and includes an online component (10%).

• Participation in the class includes listening, summarising and

asking questions.

• It also involves establishing links and face-to-face

communication with your fellow students.

• Online participation includes commenting on a minimum of

three (3) blog posts from your peers each week.

 Gmail and
Google Groups

http://groups.google.com/group/digc102
What is Research?
 A Research Process
1. Deciding what to research: formulate and revise the
research question

2. Finding things out: looking up, collecting data, acquiring

knowledge and verification (checking sources)

3. Putting it together: figuring out the story by managing,

shaping, and analysing the data

4. Presenting your findings: writing it up, re-drafting and

revisiting the earlier steps where needed.
 The
research
question

image by jurvetson
Looking
Stuff Up
and
Finding
Things
OUt
 Types of Sources
1. Primary

2. Secondary

3. Tertiary
Primary Sources – are those are produced
by the object of your study: the film or
video game, the government policy
document or legal summary.

Primary sources can generated by your

own research i.e. a survey, an interview or
statistical data on an event.
Secondary Sources - are those produced
by experts, professionals and critics.

Popular, trade and journalistic sources

including blogs and other types of
publication that relates to your topic in
some way is usually considered to be a
secondary source
Tertiary sources – are fully peer-reviewed,
verified and referenced sources.

Tertiary sources include academic journals,

university press publications, online
academic journals, some larger commercial
presses.
Putting it
Together
Presenting
Your
Findings
by striatic
 Epistemologies and
Theoretical Perspectives
Epistemologies are means of understanding and
explaining theories of knowledge and ‘ways’ of
knowing.
Theoretical Perspectives – Positivism,
Interpretivisim, Systems Theory, Critical Theory

Weerakkody, Niranjala 2008, Research methods for

media and communications, Oxford University
Press, South Melbourne.
 Methods and
Methodologies

• Experimental Research
• Surveys
• Content Analysis
• Ethnography
• Discourse Analysis
Qualitative and
Quantitative
Research
Quantitative
Quantitative
Qualitative
 Blogging and
The Researcher
Identity

O’Donnell, Marcus, 2006, Marcus ODonnell

Blogging as Pedagogic Practice Asia Pacific
Media Educator, issue No 17. Dec 2006.
[available: http://www.marcusodonnell.com/fi
les/APMEODonnell.pdf] accessed January 27,
2010.
 Being Critical
• Balanced (Fair)
• Verified (Check Your Sources)
• Hyperbolic (Exaggeration)

John Stewart
 Special Topic
E-Waste and the New Media User – examining
our relationships as individuals, as a cohort
and as a community of researchers and new
media users to the cycles of innovation,
obsolescence and waste.

by Samuel Mann
 Week One Blog Topic/s
• What is your area of specialised knowledge or expertise?

• Where is your interest most often held in politics, sport,

fandom, technical knowledge or an interest in a

particular academic discipline?

• Consider your own ‘researcher identity’. What do you use

research for in your everyday Internet activities?

• What is your standard practice for finding information

online – how might you improve it?

• All Blog topic posts should be a
minimum of 250 words and
include examples of primary,
secondary and tertiary sources,
and be fully referenced.

• Ensure to read and posts

comments on at least 3 blogs
from peers each week.
 Next Week
• Google and You
• Tutorial Labs – WordPress Field Notes
EduBlogs

Tutorial: No Tutorial/Lab
Seminar for Week one