Checking In

During my semester research project I’ve had a lot of successes and challenges.  Some successes I’ve had were finding all the types of articles I needed to write about my topic.  Another success that I had was being able to get all of my homework done that went along with my research project due to the fact that I had what was needed for my topic.  Some challenges I had was finding topics that could help me out on my research project right away, I had to dig for many of the articles that I have today.  Another challenge I had was getting the right search string down, sometimes my search string worked just find, and other times it wouldn’t even work at all.  Another challenge that I’m having with preparing for my presentation is picking out which items I want to put in my paper and what I think is important for people to hear about with my topic.  I’m doing a research paper in my English class on self-image for young girls in pageants. I’m having that same successes and challenges working with this paper as well.  There is so much information out there that it is so hard to choose what would be worth putting in the paper and what is worth leaving out of the paper.

Intellectual Property

My definition of intellectual property would be someone's literary work, pictures, designs which are used in books, novels, poems and websites that are published with their names on the work for everyone to see and use as items that will help them out with the information that they need. The definition that experts use for intellectual property would be, "a work or invention that is the result of creativity, such as a manuscript or a design, to which one has rights and for which one may apply for a patent, copyright, trademark, etc." Examples of intellectual property are novels, poems and plays, films, musical works, drawings paintings, photographs, sculptures, and architectural designs. This concept gets manipulated by people copying their work word for word. The writers aren't getting paid for what people are taking from them, so therefore, it would be considered stealing. Also another example of it being manipulated and shared is if a writer gives one person the permission to use their work, and it ends up getting used my many people that have never even asked for their permission to use the original work.

Urvashi Vaid Presentation

My expectations for the event were that we were going to learn more about the LGBT community.  I know that there is a lot of controversy with the LGBT community and that it is a touchy subject for many people.  The information that was presented by Vaid gave examples of true stories and she also presented it with statistical information for Williams NCT.  One thing that I learned was that 6 out of the 50 states approve gay marriage today.  Vaid was personal, professional and also had an academic background and authority on the topic.  She was a lawyer and a writer who is also a part of the LGBT community.  What I took away from the presentation that I could use in my Alternative Viewpoints Paper is with teen bullying in the transgender community.

Google 101

During Google 101 I learned that you can put .gov, .edu, ~,-, and + in the search box to make your search easier and able to find more relevant information with them as well.  I also did not know about the search tools on the left hand side of the Google page when you typed in your search string and hit search.  I've realized that these tips will help me out quite a bit with looking for my online resources.  If I can't find what I need the first time I will use the search tools and tricks right away instead of going around looking on a bunch of other different websites.  I feel as though this will help me out with my research with whatever topic it is that I need to find more information about.

Blogs -- Are they Legitimate Forms of News

In combing through different blogs, while research my topic on mental retardation, I find that some blogs are definitely legitimate forms of scholarship or news.  If you are looking at a blog such as Parenting Special Needs (http://special-needs.families.com/blog/category/420) Kristyn Crow has cited the APA works that shed used to backup her findings while doing her research.  Also, another example of this and she clearly stated that “The information on PKIDs' Blog is for educational purposes only and should not be considered to be medical advice.” (http://blog.pkids.org/tag/mental-retardation/), but she also includes the links to backup her findings.

Then, on the other hand some blogs are just a group of people sharing personal stories, chatting and trying to get advice on an issue to help find a solution.  An example of this blog would be “I Am a Mother of a Mentally Retarded Child” (http://www.experienceproject.com/groups/Am-A-Mother-Of-A-Mentally-Retarded-Child/103616).

So, basically a blog can either be a legitimate for of scholarship or news, but it can also just be a group of people sharing real life personal experiences.  One just needs to research the site and find out which type of blog it is.

Works cited:

Kristyn Crow (August 2011 to present). Parenting special needs. Retrieved from

http://special-needs.families.com/blog/category/420

Emily Willingham.,The information on PKIDs'.  Retrieved from

http://blog.pkids.org/tag/mental-retardation/)

Experience Group. I Am a Mother of a Mentally Retarded Child”. Retrieved from

(http://www.experienceproject.com/groups/Am-A-Mother-Of-A-Mentally-Retarded-Child/103616).

Semester Reseach Project

In reviewing the questions for my semester research project on Mentally Disabled individuals I feel that I have found information to answer most of the questions.  However, I am having difficulty finding up-to-date statistics on the mentally disabled adults in Minnesota versus the United States.

LGBT population

The “LGBT population” that I chose to learn more about was the transgender population.  I chose this population because I find it interesting that the people want to change their sex to correlate with what gender they feel they are mentally.  Therapy should be recommended by most mental health professionals for those who suffer from internal conflicts regarding their gender identity or those who feel discomfort in their assigned gender role, especially if they desire to transition.  I believe that this is true because I feel like it will help them out, and make them feel more comfortable with the changes that they choose to make.  I believe that it would also make them feel better about their choice if other people in their lives are not there to back them up on the decision that they choose to make with their own life.  The most difficult challenge that I believe I will have in doing this research on the population is finding all of the correct and up to date information.