1. Collecting Extant Data
Janet Salmons, PhD

2. Two main Types of Extant Data Collection
Materials Analysis
Access, download and review visual, media as well as written materials.
Unobtrusive Observation
Observe online activities without interacting with participants.

3. Two main Types of Extant Data Collection
Materials Analysis
Materials found online = data
Unobtrusive Observation
Field notes by researcher = data

4. Materials Analysis
What kinds of materials fit your study?
Historical materials. Materials from the pre-Internet era scanned into digital formats and posted online or in institutional archives.
Contemporary materials. Materials described as contemporary are those created for electronic access.
Emergent materials. Materials described as emergent are those being created now in current discussions.