Wrap-up 2

So, I didn't really stick to my plan of e-mailing one teacher every week with info on the databases, but I did do that a few times during this class. I think we are teaching a 2-day session on the databases this summer in Brookings, so I will have the opportunity to share with my colleagues then. I also try to make handouts from time to time that help teachers get to the right spot in the databases for what they want to do with their classes, and I try to keep everything accessible from my website. Thanks for all the great ideas and tips that made this class worthwhile!

Wrap-up 1

1. For my personal use, my best discovery was all the professional reading available at my fingertips. Sometimes I feel kind left out because I don't feel comfortable buying professional subscriptions with budget money (though I know that is valid!), so I was happy to find a spot to check it all out! I don't always take the time, but now I know I can!
2. I also liked learning some of the tricks and details of the various sites, such as using World Cat for cataloging suggestions, all the neat features of the databases, such as citing sources with one click and all the primary sources available.

Geneology/History

I enjoyed using these sites. It's fun to hunt up family history. I had more luck with my husband's family because Kirschenman is less common that Erickson or Wolf. I also realized that I have left quite a trail with moving so much in the last 20 years. My various addresses were listed, ones I hardly remembered. We don't have much call yet for these sites in high school, but I could recommend them to history teachers, especially when they do their family history projects.

Archive Grid and CAMIO

I can see that Archive Grid would be great for intensive research and hunting down primary sources, but I don't think I would use it very much for the average patron/student. I learned some background information about Sitting Bull that I didn't know before, such as their group traveling to live in Canada for a while and that he led several tribes of Native Americans, not just his own Sioux tribe. I also looked up some information about German Russians and the composer Scarlatti.

I love CAMIO. I came across it by accident this year and sent the link to the art teachers in our school. I found a great picture of flowers for my computer background, and some fun artwork of readers that we could use for National Library Week. I love how you can search by topic, artist, etc., and that a teacher could save images to use for an art lecture.

WorldCat

I've used WorldCat before, but I didn't know about all of these features! For this week, I spent a lot of time in the databases because I had never used those before. I plan to use the cataloging/call number feature in the future. I always use WorldCat as a kind of last resort for ILL when I can't get an item anywhere else. It has never failed me! Also, it is very easy to use, from finding authors and copyright dates to finding ideas for topics. I liked the hot topics option also. There is so much information out there!

NetLibrary

I perused the Idiots Guides, Cliff's Notes, and some specific topics such as Steinbeck. I searched Western History and Oklahoma; I located a delightful book called Nothing but Prairie and Sky. It had fascinating stories, such as what they did with a call girl who died and was too large for a casket. When I searched the term constitution, I found original documents and some advanced material about interpreting the constitution. I have recommended NetLibrary in the past, but the login process seems to keep some teachers from using it. I couldn't remember my password from before, so I did all of the above without logging in, while waiting for an e-mail with my password. What do you think of recommending this for teachers and classes? Would they just not be able to save their work/lists, or would there be other limitations? It looked like I had full access while I was there, just not able to make lists, etc.

Gale

Gale is so extensive that sometimes it is overwhelming. I checked on a few random topics. First I used an encyclopedia of mythology and found 17 articles about Hermes, with one main entry. Yesterday, it was so slow that it was unusable and I never did get to a specific article. Then I did general searches on tax cuts and the blood supply (two different searches!). There was plenty of information--some great general articles and many related topics. I liked how Gale keeps track of your search history. At one point I thought all was lost, but I found my lists and was able to backtrack very easily. Gale seems like one of the most academic databases, and I think of it as intended for high school and college.

ProQuest

I have a question about ProQuest and SIRS. At the bottom of one of the SIRS pages, I saw a ProQuest logo. Are they the same company? Does one own the other? I find them very different in navigation. I think of ProQuest as having fewer bells and whistles and teacher resources. It is sometimes easier to navigate for students who just want some basic info. I like how it is divided by types of resource.

I looked up Matt Kenseth (my NASCAR driver), Fawcett (very current articles on the Smithsonian donation), and a few other topics. I didn't always find in depth information, but enough to get me started.

My most interesting find was in the publication feature. I had never used that, and I think I will use it a lot in the future to scan professional journals that we can't afford. Do most databases have this feature? I opened up the newest issue of Library Journal and found the article, "Bodice Rippers Without the Bodice." At first I figured it would be about nudity. Nope. It is male/male romances written by and for straight women. Who knew? The article listed the Top 10 in the genre, so apparently there are many more, ranging from pirates to private detectives to farmers. Anyway, I'm looking forward to reading current professional journals whenever I want!

SIRS Researcher

Anyone remember when SIRS came in newsletter form and we kept them in binders??? I love the way SIRS is organized. I recommend to teachers that they print off the printable flyer, write a quick assignment, such as pro/con research, a debate format, or just reading and writing a summary or reaction to articles. Then they have an instant lesson plan for a sub or between units, or wherever it works best. They could also do the same thing with the current events section. Especially with a substitute, it helps keep students in a certain area of the internet. I compared the country information between Discoverer and Researcher. Discoverer actually has enough information for indepth assignments, but Researcher branches out with more with different types of references. I learned something new today. The English language is 40% French origin. I always hear that it is a Germanic language, so who knew? Sacre bleu! I also found an excellent section on Bastille Day and took a fun quiz (the corset is not the emblem of the French revolution!). There is just so much available. Teachers always complain that inservices just throw information and sites at you, but don't give enough follow-up. This is a site where teachers could spend a lot of time finding resources for students and all the tools available to make their jobs easier.

SIRS Discoverer

I used SIRS Discoverer a lot when I was K-12, and I went there today thinking I'd just go through the motions for the assignment. I started out with animals, but ended going through all the monthly features and other fun things, and ended up finding tons of current info on authors and books at all levels. One thing I did notice about the animal search was how many directions you could go from there; along with info on animals, there were suggestions on related topics, such as animal rights. I also spent time with the new science fair experiments section and the discussion of fair use under the educator's resources. I have also used the workbooks to teach SIRS to students. An area that I am interested in learning about (or at least know that I should!) is lexiles. When/if teachers or administration ask about lexiles, I will at least be ready with plenty of resources. I love the high-interest, enticing setup of the site! You can just jump in anywhere and find something intesting, which takes you to something else...

Learning Express

It took me a while to find logins and passwords that I had created some time ago, but then I was off and running. I took a vocab practice test. I liked the immediate, specific feedback. This would be good for students and helpful to teachers with ease of grading.

For the ACT and SAT practice tests, I've given the teachers a step by step guide to getting to the right spot to take a test, which they use in test prep courses.

I looked through the job skills and career sections. I downloaded and skimmed an e-book about green careers. It was well-written, easy reading, and actually fascinating. The beginning sections included historical background, important terms to know such as a carbon footprint, and definitions of what makes a career considered green.

World Book 2

I liked the uncluttered look of World Book Discover. At the bottom, students can click on WB Student or Advanced if they want more information. Also the read-aloud features and dictionary would be helpful.

I also played around with the foreign language features. These would be great for our ELL students. It also helped me brush up on my French, so they would be great for foreign language teachers also. As I work, I get ideas for "instant lesson plans" or activities that would be good for teachers to have ready for a sub.

World Book 1

Here's my photo of an aardvark. There wasn't much about habitat in the Kids WB, other than it being a nocturnal African animal that builds holes to hide from enemies. I'm enjoying playing around on the site; it's been a while. I have two ideas/goals for this class. I thought I'd share them since most of my comments about World Book are similar to other bloggers. 1) I'm going to save some links in a Word document for each lesson for things that I find that I may want to use later to use or share with someone. (I could use something more elaborate or save things on my website, but this seems like an easy way to organize my progress). Anyone have better ideas? 2) I'm going to e-mail one co-worker a week with something that I think they would like or use.

The student WB had similar information, not a lot more, but it looked like a higher reading level.

The Advanced WB was quite in depth. I looked up France and checked out the internet links. I liked the photos--it seems like it would catch students' attention; then they could click on the pictures and read more about the topic.