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.