Able2Know members and School Projects

No, but I don't mind helping.

At least (I hope) they're learning.

I do think it's fair to help select a topic and suggest a line of attack, and don't see anything wrong with pointing them to a few sources.

I have no problem with helping if I know something about the topic. This is a knowledge sharing forum.

But aren't you bothered by the fact that there may be some kids who are just lazy to do research on their own?

Nah.

Anyway - we ARE research...

When this first started happening, I really got ticked off, and told a couple of people off. I think it was the WAY that some members couched their questions. When the thread looked like it came right out of a homework assignment, or sounded like a demand, rather than a request, I used to see red.

Anyhow, like the others, I have softened somewhat. I will offer direction, maybe by pointing a student to a link where he can pick up the information that he needs. Sometimes I will teach a student HOW to find what he is looking for. I think that that is much more valuable to him than giving him the answer on a silver platter. Sometimes, I will offer a "teaser".............just enough information to get the student started.

I agree with dlowan, that we ARE research, and I attempt to encourage students to become interested in what they are doing.

I hate it when people tell off someone they assume is asking a homework question, too. Not that I think you do, Caprice - but some folk have been very rude.

Yes, people have been very rude, myself included. And we've had people come here, demand answers, and tell us they expect to get a good grade on their assignment, after we've provided the information. I now tend to give pointers on what they should look for. They can write their own papers.

Able2Know - ask questions, get answers. (edit - because I apparently can't read this early in the day)
Free knowledge exchange.

I think that's what this site is 'advertised' to be. So, it makes sense that people are coming here looking for answers. If the site is to be successful in the way it presents itself - well, then, I think we should be offering answers to questions. If we have the answers, that is. From a few posts and a thread I've seen recently, it seems we're falling a bit short on that. People have posted looking for sites where they can get answers, not opinions and discussions.

and yup, I really get annoyed when people are snarky to people asking homework-type questions. There's no need to be rude/unkind about it.

Ive gotten help with my homework here. But only after I've spent several hours tearing my hair out trying to find the answer myself. But I do like to see some input from the student, than rather just asking outright for the answer.

yes - and lots of folk here are fabulous at helping point the way, but not doing the work.

Yeah, that's the thing. There's a big difference between the kid who comes along and says, "I'm doing a paper on such-and-such, and I don't know where to start," and the one who says, "Solve this math problem for me." The former kid is actually showing some initiative, looking for advice on how to approach a problem that they are apparently not getting elsewhere. Dunno about other places, but the library at my rural high school and the city library were both utterly useless.

(Hmmm. Thinking next time I should point them to a page at the U of Wisc library about evaluating websites for credibility. It is -- or should be -- elementary to the folks it's directed at, but could be very useful for a high-school age student...)

Agree with most here - we are here to provide answers. But at the same time, surely we're not here to be the equivalent of the answers in the teacher's version of the book. No one learns when stuff is just handed to them on a silver platter.

It's like the "teach a man to fish" parable.

A few weeks ago someone had an algebra problem. I showed them how to set up the problem, and how to check their answer. But I ain't doing the actual math for 'em. I think graduating kind of releases you from algebra problems.

Anyway, there are also a lot of people who still haven't got a clue as to how to use Google or even that such a service exists. No harm in pointing them to it, and even in teaching them how to set up a query. After all, no one's born knowing how to do that.

And, there's no reason to be rude to these folks. Point them in the right direction or just don't answer the inquiry. Surely we can all find something else to do that doesn't involve insulting people.

I'll admit to being ticked off once or twice on another forum when homework-type questions were asked. However, looking back, a pointer might not be amiss. It can be true that not everybody knows the internet as well as we might assume - most of us have been at this a while. It never occurs to me that people might not have heard of google or other such engines that are very helpful in getting to information.

However, I take exception to the idea that we are here to answer questions, any questions! In the interests of this being a free forum, isn't it a place where we can answer something if we wish to, it interests us, or we want to know more, etc? I don't like the label of being here to specifically respond to any and all queries put to us. This is not an organized information center. We share ideas, information, feelings, discussions, debates, etc., because we want to - not because we have to. None of us claim to be experts and no-one is getting paid for a service here, so if someone were to come here, pose a question and not get an answer (or an answer they are satisfied with), they might grumble and moan about not getting what was promised - "ask questions, get answers".

Last week case in point where I responded to this situation. Lazy and demanding I thought.

Well, in asking the questions, they are not guaranteed of the relative value of the answer. In a role-playing game for PC which i play, there is the shade of a long-dead, murderous king who directs your character to perform a task, and he will answer a question. You go out and do the deed, and then return, and ask for your answer. He replies that he knows that the source of the evil you seek does not lie in the valley where his tomb is located. Your character responds that this is not the answer promised . . .

"Promised, adventurer? I made you no promises. At any event, knowing where your enemy is not is as important as knowing where your enemy is."

Perhaps the answer is not what they had hoped for when they come here, but they have gotten an answer, as advertised.

http://able2know.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=18979&highlight=

Heeven, I don't think anyone is talking about "If you see a homework-type question*, you must answer it", but more like, "Well, yeah, we're a free knowledge exchange site, it doesn't make sense to berate someone for using the site as it was intended."

The thing about homework-type/ factual questions is that say someone asks what "paraskevidekatriaphobia" means, and then later someone looks up "paraskevidekatriaphobia" and is directed here! Assuming a goal is continued growth, would we prefer that that person see an answer or a good lead, or "You can't find it yourself, newbie?? Get off your lazy butt!"

*An additional beef is that I have seen questions dismissed as homework-type when they were just curiousity, or being asked for some specific reason, not homework.