There are a few different resources and technologies that I’ve looked into to find a solution for this problem. The first resource that I’ll use is Kathy Schrock’s Research and Style Manual. This is a document that lays out how to gradually release the MLA format to elementary students. It begins with first grade, and ends with the sixth grade. At the first grade level, for example, the students won’t be required to document all of the bibliographic information. An acceptable citation for a book at a first grade level would be the name of the author and the book title. As each grade progresses, the students will be responsible to include increasing amounts of bibliographic information. By the time the students reaches 7th grade, their citations will match that of the MLA stylebook. This resource is not a new technology, but it is a tool that gives teachers a guide to follow.
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There are other technologies available to students to help them create their citations. These websites and applications can generate citations from user inputted information or can generate a citation after students do a web search for their source. For example a student could search a book or author, and the citation generator would populate all of the fields needed for a chosen citation style.
The first app that I analyzed is the EasyBib App. It is a free app for the iPad (and available on Android), which is great because each grade level at my school has access to an iPad cart. EasyBib is an app that generates citations by scanning a book’s barcode or using their search feature to search for a book or an author. This app is user and student friendly. All a student has to do is take a photo of the book’s barcode and the app generates the citation. If the student doesn't have the book right with them, that’s okay. The app has a search feature where the student can type in the book title and the author’s name. The student then selects the correct book out of the options provided and the citation is generated. There are a few constraints with this technology. First is that it only works with books, magazines, and journals. Because students will also be able websites and videos for their research, this tool will not be able to generate citations for all of their sources. That brings me to my next technology tool, the EasyBib website.
EasyBib also has a website, and it has capabilities to generate citations from website URLs and from user inputted data for multiple types of sources (over 20!). All a user has to do it copy and paste a website’s URL into EasyBib’s search engine, select the correct page, and it will generate the citation. I tried this feature many times, and found that it wasn’t very effective. On every website I tested, EasyBib never identified the author even though it was very clear on the original source. EasyBib, however, allows users to input that information manually. Another constraint with this website is that it only free when citing in MLA style. As students take different courses, different styles will be required. Even though that won't be a problem for me while the students are in my class, I would like to show my students a free tool that they can use throughout their education.
I looked and I found two more competing resources, Son of Citation Machine (which was almost identical to EasyBib, but had free APA and Chicago syles) and the OSLIS elementary-friendly Citation Generator created by the Oregon School Library Information System (OSLIS). Son of Citation Machine had the same problems as EasyBib, but also showed advertisements. As a teacher, I have no control over what advertisements are being displayed and that is a concern of mine. The OSLIS Citation Generator, on the other hand, has no ads. It generates citations using students inputted bibliographic information, can switch to APA style, and is just what I want for my students.
The first app that I analyzed is the EasyBib App. It is a free app for the iPad (and available on Android), which is great because each grade level at my school has access to an iPad cart. EasyBib is an app that generates citations by scanning a book’s barcode or using their search feature to search for a book or an author. This app is user and student friendly. All a student has to do is take a photo of the book’s barcode and the app generates the citation. If the student doesn't have the book right with them, that’s okay. The app has a search feature where the student can type in the book title and the author’s name. The student then selects the correct book out of the options provided and the citation is generated. There are a few constraints with this technology. First is that it only works with books, magazines, and journals. Because students will also be able websites and videos for their research, this tool will not be able to generate citations for all of their sources. That brings me to my next technology tool, the EasyBib website.
EasyBib also has a website, and it has capabilities to generate citations from website URLs and from user inputted data for multiple types of sources (over 20!). All a user has to do it copy and paste a website’s URL into EasyBib’s search engine, select the correct page, and it will generate the citation. I tried this feature many times, and found that it wasn’t very effective. On every website I tested, EasyBib never identified the author even though it was very clear on the original source. EasyBib, however, allows users to input that information manually. Another constraint with this website is that it only free when citing in MLA style. As students take different courses, different styles will be required. Even though that won't be a problem for me while the students are in my class, I would like to show my students a free tool that they can use throughout their education.
I looked and I found two more competing resources, Son of Citation Machine (which was almost identical to EasyBib, but had free APA and Chicago syles) and the OSLIS elementary-friendly Citation Generator created by the Oregon School Library Information System (OSLIS). Son of Citation Machine had the same problems as EasyBib, but also showed advertisements. As a teacher, I have no control over what advertisements are being displayed and that is a concern of mine. The OSLIS Citation Generator, on the other hand, has no ads. It generates citations using students inputted bibliographic information, can switch to APA style, and is just what I want for my students.