9.3.2019

Since today was the first day of school back from summer break, we reflected on our final presentations last semester. A key problem that Mr. Paterson had noticed was the lack of incorporating true and unchanged evidence into our ideas. I looked back on the presentation and realized that although I had created data, there wasn’t enough research to prove our concept. Self-collected data shows evidence, but only on a specific demographic, so there would be uncertainty to assume that the data implies on a larger scale. Also, compared to studies online, the level of trust towards self-collected data will vary, since anyone can create false information. By being able to incorporate research published from studies into our presentation, I thought that we could further persuade the audience about our ideas. From this, I was able to understand the importance of the“Proof of Concept”. 

We also learned about a method to gather proof called crowdsourcing, where we have introduced to sources that channel information into ones that are viable. This was new to me, so I would like to use these sites effectively for other projects. I felt that cooperation through sharing sources would benefit the whole class since we are offering information, and not an idea itself. I think that every person can think of an idea, but not all people have acquired the abilities to find inspiration or proof. Which means that there may be some with amazing ideas because they have the skills to find great proof, and some, who couldn’t find evidence to support their idea, therefore creating a difference. By providing the source itself, it can help people find evidence and inspiration for their projects. Also, by being able to access to a document with the websites, team members can know who’s researching what page, therefore ensuring that there won’t be duplicate information. On the other hand, by being able to know who’s gathering what information, they can deliberately search on the same page, to speed up the process, and increase the accuracy of reading every bit. By doing so, I thought that the number of ideas would increase, and therefore have the chance to find the idea that would support their pitch. By changing the way of finding proof, I can quicken the researching process more efficiently.

Although these skills are necessary, we need to be careful about addressing the data, so that plagiarism doesn’t occur. There are many ways to avoid purposely or accidentally tweaking information to make it look like it was your finding. One way is to write the date, title, and other information to prove the sites’ reliability. Upon searching other tools to help create citations, a site called “MLA” was suggested which utilized the MLA format that automatically creates the resource as long as you type in the needed information. At school, when we are given homework, some teachers write an example citation for sources other than websites, that can be also used for projects, as well as following guidelines on the school booklet. However, I personally think that cooperating is the easiest way to avoid plagiarism. Through this class, I was able to understand the importance and the effects of having proof. If we continue to grow the list, we can all benefit to find ideas and inspiration, that can be implemented to polish our presentations