Reflection:

What questions did you ask?

 I asked many questions under a few big ones; those big overall questions were: What is Mercury? How was it discovered? Where can you find Mercury? How does Mercury act? What is Mercury’s periodic table information? In all those big questions I asked smaller more distinct questions to try to get more details, for example I asked what colour is Mercury at its different physical states? Or something like, where is Methylmercury most commonly found in the environment? Or who discovered Mercury first?

 What new or familiar digital tools did you use?

 To make this assignment I used some tools that are familiar and some that I’ve never used before. To gather information, I decided to use google for my search engine, which I’ve used before. To write down my information I used Word, which is familiar to me. I’m using Microsoft Sway to present my information, and I have never used Sway before. I find Sway useful as it provides a very interesting and different way to present information. I will be using Sway for future assignments and I hope to explore the options of Sway more. I used the site Creative Commons for my pictures which was a very useful site. I’ve never heard about this site before and I wish I had. This site saved me time as it provided a text to use to credit the photographer, it also makes me feel better as I’m not stealing the photo. To site my websites, I used a citation machine website, I’ve used any citation websites, they’re very useful as they again save me time. Finally, I used the tool Edu blog to post my sway and reflection. I’ve just recently started using Edu blog this year for school.

 What was the process you used to research the topic?

 I first started my process by gathering big questions about Mercury. I then created smaller questions under each big question, so I could get more detailed and vivid information on Mercury. The next step was to get the answers and information on those questions. I searched the questions and went into websites to see if I could find the answer. After I gathered all my information (being written down in Word), I started to organize my information into Sway. I organized all my information under their related topics as well as add a picture for each topic. Once I was done the Sway, I cited all my sources (websites) as I save the URL’s in my Word document. Since Creative Commons provides a citation for the picture, I could copy them directly into the Sway. My next step was to write my reflection on my assignment, I did this by trying to answer each question with as much detail as possible. My final step was to create my post on Edu blog, I embedded my Sway into the post and wrote my reflection in it. The final step was to review my post and post it!

 How did you verify the site and information you found?

 I verified the sites I was using by looking at more than one site for information. So, if I had a question, I would go to more than one site to get the answer, if the answer is good/correct, it will show up in more than one website. I also tried to use websites that were created by scientific corporations and schools, instead of getting somewhere random like Wikipedia. I also didn’t write down the first answer I saw, I dug through website and took my time to get the correct informational answers.

 How did this process go, what would you do better?

 I’ve used this kind of process more than once and it seems to do me good every time. I’ve used this process so many times that it comes naturally to me when I get a project or assignment to do. This process is also what is best for me as I know my strengths and struggles, and my process works with that. Next time I would like to explore the app of presentation more. This means I would like to explore the options of Sway more, see how creative I can get with the apps tools and designs.

All citations in Sway

By: Gabby S