Assignment Task 2: Researcher

I am feeling more confident at starting Task 2 than I was when I started Task 1, however, when I read through the details for Task 2 I initially felt over whelmed and confused. The thought of creating a screencast video on how to use Endnote sounded very technical. Endnote was mentioned in a previous unit that I was enrolled in last semester, "Introduction to University Learning," but the software sounded complicated and so I did not research or use this referencing tool, (I wish I had).

I re-read the task details numerous times to gain a better understanding of what is expected and then explored LMS to find some learning tools to help me better understand how to research effectively, find out what a screencast actually is, (and how to create one), and to also get a better understanding of Endnote.

LMS was a great help in highlighting the fact that effective research not only saves you time but also  allows you to find the most relevant information relating to the key words that you input into the search engine. I looked at a useful tutorial demonstrating why word order matters when retrieving information using a search engine. I also watched a YouTube clip that demonstrated how to create a screencast using Quicktime on Mac and also how to import it to i Movie if you want to add graphic effects or titles.  I found this tutorial easy to follow and understand because there were clear step by step visual instruction.

Thomas, W. (Speaker). (2013). How to make a screencast/video tutorial on a Mac using Quicktime. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qKHq4gDnE4.


There is also a link to the Murdoch Library where a link is available to download Endnote for free. I have downloaded Endnote and found a fantastic YouTube clip that demonstrates how to use Endnote to add citations to a Pages document on Mac.

I am attending Lecture and Tutorial 6 today which will hopefully clarify my understanding of Task 2 and also discuss screencasts and Endnote in more detail.