Final project for iPads for Middle School Libraries

This is an outline of the final project for the iPads in the Classroom training.  We worked as a middle school group on this project.  I have to say we are a great PLC group and work well together. All of us have strengths that benefit the group as a whole.

Creating Variable Media Book Reviews Accessible by QR Codes

1.     We set up Google Docs to be able to share QR codes created between the middle school libraries.  Each building would create a minimum of 10 QR codes to begin with.

2.     We located a QR code app on the iPads.  With this step we learned that even though a QR code creator app was labelled “free” only the reader portion of the app was free; the user would have to pay for the creator side of the app. Creating QR codes on a desktop is only free for a trial period.

3.    Link the YouTube, TeacherTube, Nancy Keane’s audiobook podcast for book reviews and student written reviews to QR codes.

4.    Print the QR code and attach it to the book cover in the library collection (or create a bulletin board.)

 

Different libraries will experiment with placing the code on the spine, on the cover, or inside the cover of the book.

 

We hope to inspire our students to make their own trailers and reviews. This will move the educational depth of the project from simply using technology to inform the students’ reading choices to having the students create new content including the consideration of voice, perspective, choice of format, the use of comparison and contrast, and persuasive writing. These last issues bring the considerations of civil discourse into the project.

Our goal is to create QR code book trailer links for 20 titles over the summer, and have our students begin creating book trailers during the next school year.

Apps – Notability and GoToMeeting

Apps – Notability and GoToMeeting

The last couple of weeks, in the ipad class, I had the opportunity to actually utilize two apps.  The first was Notability. We were asked to work with partners from a different grade level.  I worked with Tina and we imported the PDF of the app rubric from Edmodo into Notability.  We first opened the PDF in Edmodo and had to send the document to the app Notability.  Once in Notability, we were able to highlight, erase, hand write type on the PDF.  We filled out the rubric and was able to send the PDF back to Edmodo and turn it in for the assignment.  Going back later, I looked at the cut and paste feature in Notability.  I did notice I could only cut, copy or paste what I had added to the PDF, none of the original document was affected.  I also created a new note in the app for the Book Spine Poetry, I had my sixth graders work on.  I was able to import pictures of their poetry.  Tina and I were able to record ourselves reading the poetry within the app.  I would be able to have the students sign their names or we could opt to have their names typed.  I see potential for a math class as a student could record how they solved their problem and voice record themselves detailing the step they took.  I do not see this as a way to present a final project but as an app to dissect the process of an activity.  I hope to look at Haiku Deck app as a possible app for presenting a final project.  Tina posted a link in Edmodo on how one teacher used Notability to weed a library.  I will need to take time to view this link.

The class held a virtual meeting using the app GoToMeeting.  Several tasks had to be completed before the meeting could be successfully attended.  I helped a couple of my fellow librarians set up their work email on the iPad.  The steps for this should be recorded so we may help others (teachers).  Students currently do not have email accounts through the district and I feel it will be a long time before they do.  We then made sure the school email account was linked to their calendar.  The instructor had sent the directions to the meeting through the calendar in OutLook.  The next step was to help them create iTunes accounts without credit cards on their iPads.  For the class, they used their work emails as their Apple IDS.  As we look to add free apps we will need to create Apple IDs for school library use only so not to inadvertently use our personal accounts.  Once this was done, they could then download the app GoToMeeting which is free.  The meeting time was then visible in the app and we could select it to join the meeting at 5:00.  It appeared that everyone was able to join the meeting.  A feature we noted was that you could mute the iPad during the meeting, this is a plus as many of us need to multitask.  The presenter could either allow us to view him or see his desktop.  It seems this as a great way to teach various apps.  There was possible mention that the presenter could record themselves for archival purposes.  Participants could also interject their own video feed if need be.  My favorite feature was the ability to message either the group as a whole, or individual participants.  An echo was present through most of the meeting which it ended up being from the presenter side as the microphone was picking up the speaker.  Though I see the potential use of this app, I am concerned with the yearly subscription for the presenter.  With tight library budgets which must be spent on books, we would need to try to seek alternative funding sources.  I heard of another meeting tool  appear.in for PCs however the school browser does not support that tool.  I did experiment with FaceTime with another librarian Peggy.  She walked around the library and we explored ways to hold small group to small group.  At this time, the best option for us would be FaceTime as it is free.

Education Technology Models with Rubin video - SAMR model

The video “Rubin on the SAMR Model” talked of the theory of technology use for educational purposes.  The SAMR model will be helpful in deciding if the lesson is at the substitution, augmentation, modification or redefinition when integrating technology.  I see all areas of this model as necessary building blocks.  I believe that a certain level of substitution and augmentation is needed before modification and redefinition are utilized whether it is the student or the teacher who doing the learning.  A level of “comfort of use” needs to be attained in order for the technology to be utilized effectively.

The next model was used to demonstrate the need to make pedagogy, content and technology integral parts to a lesson/unit.  They should not be thought of as separate components that can be looked at, at different times.  Each part is considered vital, I consider this a way to guarantee the use of technology in education, but not for technology’s sake but for the educational outcome.

Rubin then talked about social, mobility, visualizing, storytelling and gaming aspects of technology.  I think as we move into deeper use of technology in education we will be pushing boundaries within our schools.  Certain restrictions with school internet and devices will need to be eventually worn down.  Greater training with teachers and students using using devices appropriately will be to take place.  This will be a long process, and not an overnight happening.  There will be stumbling blocks and hurdles to face.

Lastly the video showed a web mapping of 21^st Century Learning.  The three areas, foundational knowledge, Meta knowledge and humanistic knowledge should all be considered when integrating technology.  I am very interested in this as this as each area has strong components that will work nicely with the civil discourse we hope to achieve at the middle school level.

All this theory of technology in education is important to think about when selecting and utilizing the apps and devices.  I would however, like to see more directed discussion and dissection of various apps and how they could fit into the models discussed in the video.

Getting Books and Fines Turned in Before the School Year Ends

It is always a challenge to get students to return all library materials by the end of the year.  This year I tried a couple of new ideas.  Okayed by my principal, these "events" had results better than I had expected.

 

Last month I held a 50% off day in the library.  I picked a date which happened to coincide with a school dance (students would be bringing money to school).  It was for one day only.  Students could pay 50% of a lost book and current library fines (books had to be turned in).  For those long overdue books that were more than two month old you could offer only a 1.00 fine.  This brought back books students were embarrassed to bring back because of fines.

I then followed this with another “special”.  Our students are organized by an advisory teacher/class (all students are reached and no one is counted twice).  This was the Library Fine/Donut reward.  Any advisory class that had no fines or over dues by May 2 would earn donuts for that class.  It was an all or none deal.  One person with a .10 fine could prevent the class from earning donuts.  I gave them a two week window to work on taking care of business.  As it worked out, this was a good example of peer pressure as students reminded each other to take care of their responsibilities.  The teachers and I took the back seat.

I thought I would only have to buy for 3-5 classes.  We had 10 classes with clean records!!  Thank goodness the principal stepped in to help and bought the donuts.  I purchased 22 dozen donuts for some very excited patrons.

I will end the year by holding the yearbooks of students with library books and fines not taken care of after the ceiling date has been reached.  We strive to hold students accountable.  If they can pay for a yearbook then they should be able to take care of a .50 fine.

Getting up to Speed

Much time has been spent on preparing the iPads for use.  Because of the late arrival of our new devices, we unfortunately do not have time to get them into the hands of the students.  So I will finish "processing" the iPads in time for summer vacation.  One of the many questions I been thinking about is how do I convince the teachers to incorporate the iPads into their classrooms.  Thanks to a wonderful SD State Librarian, Julie, this question has a possible solution.  After checking with and getting approval from my amazing principal, I will be allowed to check out the devices to building teachers over the summer.  The idea is to let the teachers explore and use ipads thus becoming comfortable enough to develop lessons using this technology.  It also helps that our state TIE (Teachers In Education) has an iPad class beginning June 2.  Perfect timing!

 How to Install iPad Screen Protectors

First step, putting the screen protectors on all the iPads.  With the first one, I just dove in and did an okay job but had some bubbles.  Darn lint!  I knew there had to be a better method so I stopped.  Then because I have the privilege of working with a great team of middle school librarians, Tracy emailed all of us a link to a YouTube video on how to apply the screen protector.  Great link Tracy, Thanks!
I watched the video which really stress cleaning the screen extremely well.  Suggestions to have “canned” air(air duster) and tape were very helpful.  I then thought about the best way to clean the screen, so I searched that and learned that Windex and rubbing alcohol are big no-nos.  Water only with a special cloth for electronics should be all a person needs. It pays to be OCD with this process!

How to Clean Your iPad Screen
 
This video is from a channel named iPad Academy.  I will have to check out the 20 videoes they have.  After 20 ipads I am very comfortable applying screen protectors.  However I am not ready to work at Best Buy but will be able to change my old screen protector on my phone.

The next step was to prepare for the virtual meeting with my fellow iPad users.  Since my personal iPad is all set up I knew I won’t have any problems.  I realized though that I needed to set up the school iPads with iTunes account in case I needed to download a free app.  I met with my fellow librarians and we prepared the iPads for the virtual meeting.  We needed to set up email accounts and iTune accounts for two librarians on their school iPads.  This was great for me to help them as it solidified what I thought I knew and didn’t know. 
Once we set up the email accounts, we made sure the calendar was synced which allowed everyone to view the meeting invite sent by our instructor.  We then moved on to downloading the app, GoToMeeting.  I had sent the following link on how to set up an iTune account without a credit card (I will need to pass this on to my teachers this summer). I have created a gmail account just for my library that will be used for the sole purpose downloading only free apps.   This way I will not have to worry about tying my personal iTunes account to the school iPads.


iTunes Account Without a Credit Card

We then double checked the SnapGuide directions to make sure we were ready for the class.  All middle school librarians were at the meeting!  We are on our way.  Can’t wait to see what else we will learn in the coming weeks.  Or month/years!

Starting my school on iPads

How fortunate our libraries are to have been able to add iPads as a resource!!  With that comes a lot of planning and exploration.  As I sit in the iPads for Education class, I realize that there is quite a range of experience.  There is also a difference in educational approach when looking at elementary, middle and high school.  The middle school acquired iPads through the Vucurevich Foundation Grant with the intent of teaching civil discourse.  Though this will be our focus, it will not be the only use for the iPads.  With that being stated, I see middle schools with a very different approach to our iPads when compared to the elementary level.  I think the best focus for my time would to be able to work closely with the other middle school personnel so we may explore the apps and ideas that will be most effective to our students.

I enjoyed the following links as "food for thought" while I sort through ideas and apps best suited for this age level and the staff that will be guiding the students.

This fits nicely with the civil discourse and would provide a great discussion topic to have with the students.
Look Up by Gary Turk

The following link is an article that I think as educators we should weigh heavily as we begin to write lessons and assist other teachers in using iPads in their classrooms.

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/apr14/vol71/num07/Technology-and-the-Illusion-of-Creativity.aspx

Wrap Up

I found several items interesting this year.  I have students interested in languages yet they are not taught in middle school.  Mango gives them the opportunity to explore several languages and decide which one they might prefer in high school.  I also liked the Chilton library for auto repair.  I often have 8^th grade boys who are fixing up an old car to get ready for driving in high school.  This would be a great resource for them.  Using Proquest was good practice for me and will need to incorporate this database with my 7^th & 8^th grade Edmodo lessons.  With ebooks becoming even more popular in my library, I look forward to sharing those findings as well. I always enjoy sharpening my advanced searching skills and which is the reason I take the challenge.

The electronic challenge is fuel for my library lessons.  I like to collaborate/visit with different teachers so I may link the students current subject matter to the library.  By showing them the connections between their current lessons and databases, it is my hope to help them Google less and use databases more frequently.  I am always on the lookout for new resources I think the teachers might find supportive.

Ancestry Library, Heritage Quest and Sanborn Maps

The first question had me stumped for a little while.  I did not know the name of the sister ship of the Titanic.  So I began my search under the collections tab.  I used the phrase given, “Ship Pictures and Descriptions” and this took me to the Immigration and Travel section.  On the right, I used the filter to find titanic but could not find the sister ship name.  I even searched Titanic sister ship with no results.  Hate to admit it, but I used Google to find the name of the sister ship which is Olympic.  After that I did the original search phrase and then selected Photos & Maps which gave me another search field.  I typed in Olympic and on the new page selected Passenger Ships and Images.  Out of the 3 images in this limiter, the Olympic was shown.  As I looked at the images, all three of them were built by White Star.  Possibly the third ship was another sister ship named, Brittanic.

 

I struggled a bit more with the second question which was to find information on the Hindenburg under Newspapers and Publications.   I started with the collections tab and then selected newspapers and publications.  This is where I became lost.  I dialed a friend and together we worked through my problem (thanks Peggy).  I had to then select, Search entire “Newspapers & Publications” category.  The next page also had me stumped a little.  The keyword box was near the bottom.  I think placing it closer to the first and last names may make it easier to find.  I typed in Hindenburg and searched.  With this I had 436 results.  Looking more closely, I noticed a tab for records and categories.  The records seemed to be photocopied typed subject card index which I think is just an organizational record.  When I selected the categories tab, the results were arranged by newspapers and publications.   I could open an image and view a scanned newspaper.  Within the article the search word was highlighted.  Most of the articles dealt with the person Hindenburg or the Hindenburg line. I needed to figure out how to find the airship. I went back to the search and included the year 1937, the year of the disaster.  I had a lot of results including the obituaries of those who died in that disaster.  My favorite results to look through were the scanned or photographed newspapers.

I began the last search in HeritageQuest by selecting Search PERSI Archive which can “Find information about people and places from this index of over 2.3 million genealogy and local history articles (1800-2009).”  I then chose Places, “Search for information about towns, cities or regions in periodical articles.”  I included the information, South Dakota and McPherson Country and included all types of records.  This netted me 61 results.  I searched the various records types and got 3 biography, 12 history and 1 census.  Not all records had results.  One item in biography, I was interested in, was about Long Lake where grandma lived for many years up until last year.  The other two were promising as well; County homesteaders and Pioneer days, 1884-.  In the history records were several results that are about Russian Germans which is my husbands entire family.  Many useful results.

CAMIO

I needed to find the way people dressed in Charles Dickens’ England (the Victorian Era, 1837-1901).  I began by selecting Costume & Jewelry on the homepage and went to the advanced search and used Victorian and clothing (&fashion).  Most of my results were to do with jewelry.  I used the advanced search and plugged in England, Victorian Era, dress, fashion, and clothing).  I used multiple combinations with no luck.  I even tried working with the dates with no luck.  I could really use some added hints as this is driving me crazy.  I am finding this database hard to navigate.

WorldCat, CAMIO and More

I searched Martin Luther King in the basic search and had over 27,000 results.  I noticed the tab for books and saw over 13,000 results. I selected the book tab and then used the limiters under the tabs and selected juvenile and nonfiction.  After this I was down to 1,271 results and then noticed the English results for 1,134.  I saw the title Martin’s Big Words which is an excellent picture book.  Some may consider the picture book too young for 4 & 5^th graders, but I strongly believe you are never too old to enjoy picture books.  It does show primary school in the records but could be used for discussion and understanding for what they already know.  For this book to be used in Sunday school it should be short enough to get through the book for the hour once a week, in a couple of weeks.  Another possible book for this activity could be, My Life with Martin Luther King, Jr.  by Coretta Scott King.  This book however has 372 pages and is too long for the time available but excerpts could be read from the book.  The detailed records show the number of pages in the books.  When I selected Martin’s Big Words I was able to select “libraries worldwide that own the book”.  I was able to view the libraries in South Dakota that have this item.  I started to select the different libraries and not all of the links to those libraries worked.  Even when I selected Rapid City Public Library, “he file or directory was not found”.  Because I already have the link to Rapid City Public Library, I could search for the book online and hold or just drive down there to retrieve the book.  When finding a library with a working link that had the book, there was the option to request the book through interlibrary loan.

The second question is relevant to my library at this time.  I am always looking to increase the library’s graphic novel collection but want to choose graphic novels that have chapter book beginnings.  I did the advanced search for graphic novels and classics and had 889 results.  As looked through the results not all the results are what I would consider a classic.  Garfield does not fit this categories in my opinion.  Some of the results are just comics.  I tried to do an advanced search and selected “not” comics but still had comics in the results. I do not think there is enough distinction between comic and graphic novel yet. As I looked at the detailed records I noticed that graphic novels is listed in the subjects but only see classic(s) in other areas of the records.  Not sure if this has any bearing on my results.  When I put in “classic” and designated it as a subject, I only received one result and that was as a classic as a genre.  As I looked at the libraries nearby that house some of these graphic novels, it appeared as if very few are owned by SD libraries that in with WorldCat.  I liked that I could see the cover of these graphic novels.  Many had covers I think my middle schoolers would deem to young, and I think they are looking for edgier graphic covers.  One graphic novel I found that I may add to my library is War of the Worlds which is published by Stone Arch Books.  I would normally record the ISBN as I would use this to search my book vendor.

For the third question, I used the advanced search in WorldCat and typed in “My Fair Lady” and “vocal score”.  I had a 148 total results but noticed a tab for scores which had 133 results.  I redid the advance search after I had been pulled away and noticed the second time on the advanced search that I could select musical scores.  I chose the first result

My fair lady :
vocal selection /

Frederick Loewe;  Alan Jay Lerner

The detailed record has the description as 1 vocal score.  The descriptor under subjects labels it as:  Musicals—Excerpts—Vocal scores with piano.  This appeared to be a great match.  The accession number is  OCLC: 2052359.

EBooks on EbscoHost

I first did a search for young adult and literature and came up with 43 results.  I found several eBooks of interest.

100 More Popular Young Adult Authors : Biographical Sketches and Bibliographies

Coretta Scott King Award Books : Using Great Literature with Children and Young Adults

Center Stage : Library Programs That Inspire Middle School Patrons

On Reading Books to Children : Parents and Teacher

As I looked closer at the results their publication dates seemed to range from 1999 to 2004.  So I decided to narrow the search to more recent publication dates as young adult literature has evolved a lot in the last ten years.  I could only narrow the range from 2002 to 2005 and had 14 results after.  The above books remained in the results.  I had hoped for more recent publications.   I returned to the advanced search and tried different search terms.  As I typed in young adult, many options to choose from popped up for selection.  Starting another search I selected the range 2005 to 2014, English and download available with no search term and had 631 results.  When I added fiction as a search term with the previous limiter, I had only 6 results.  None which would interest my middle school students. 

I did search South Dakota and got 123 results.  There were some very interesting titles, a couple of which I already own.  There were several books I think teachers could use as supplement resources but may not be of interest to students.

Tyrannosaurus Sue : The Extraordinary Saga of the Largest, Most Fought Over T. Rex Ever Found

The Rapid City Indian School, 1898-1933

America's National Historic Trails

Bachelor Bess : The Homesteading Letters of Elizabeth Corey, 1909-1919

When looking at any of the results I had the ability to search similar sources through the subjects category.  Farther down the page for each book was a section that highlighted most relevant pages from the book in connection with my search term(s).  I think this database might be a bit much for my students to use.  It takes quite a bit of searching to locate exactly what you are looking for and students do not usually have the patience for this level of researching.

 

For the second question, I typed in fairy tales and had 66 results.  I found some titles with a color listed in each title.  Looking closer I realized that the books were by the same author, Andrew Lang.  The covers of these eBooks did not always show the color that was in the title but described the fairy.    To sort quicker, I used the advanced search for fairy tales and Andrew Lang which netted me 6 results.  Looking at the results, the last book listed was by Andrew Lang but not a fairy tale but a book of poems.  The Blue Fairy book was listed twice.  These two books are the same as I looked at the most relevant pages section, they are just listed with different publication information.

The Violet Fairy Book

The Blue Fairy Book       In public domain. Champaign, Ill. [P.O. Box 2782, Champaign 61825] : Project Gutenberg.

Blue Fairy Book              In public domain. Charlottesville, Va : University of Virginia Library. 1996

The Yellow Fairy Book

The Red Fairy Book

I went back to the original fairy tale search to explore more of the other titles.  I have an 8^th grade teacher who teaches a mythology class that includes fairy tales and thought she might find some the titles helpful.  One item I noticed is that most of the ebooks are at least 10 years old, though because of the topic may not be of great importance.  Many of the 66 results did not focus on what I wanted so I went back to advanced search and searched fairy tales as a subject which yielded 19 results.  This was a cleaner search and I will pass on these results to that teacher.

Gale Virtual Reference Library

Using Gale Virtual Reference Library, I chose Multicultural Studies from the left under subjects.  This seemed the most logical, with the organization seeking holidays around the world.  Once under multicultural studies, I then searched festivals and got 312 results.  I then searched spring festivals and got 20 results.  These seemed to be mostly Asian results and decided I needed to cast a wider net.  I did a search of spring festivals in the entire database and got 157 results but many of these were college blue books.  I decided to back out to the homepage and look through the different categories to see the covers and titles of the books.  I found two possible books under Nation and World, Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of Foods and Recipes of the World, 2012 and Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of World Holidays, 2000.  The index of the World Holidays contains a calendar that allows you to see the spring season holidays.  I looked at different countries in the Foods and Recipes of the World and found sections on foods for religious and holiday celebrations.  I also found Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of World Holidays for several different countries.  When I looked at the different volumes in this encyclopedia there was a section for spring (though one included Halloween with spring).  All these could be very helpful.  Most holidays I found were of religious origin.

In advanced searching I selected “after” and chose the year 2011.  I received 30,616 results which is considerable for recently added information.  I really enjoy viewing the limiters in any database and immediately looked in the left sidebar.  There were many categories under the headings of document type and subjects.  I was pleased with the number of subjects on Native Americans which included: history, culture, religion, reservations, education and cooking.  What I found unusual was that the subjects were not listed in alphabetical order but by the number of results that subject contained.  I selected Native American reservations and received 99 results.  Native American tribes are very diverse.  As I looked through the sources each had the region(s) for the tribe under the title.  Within these 99 results the subject limiters to the left expanded greatly.  I found I could search within these results and used Great Basin trying to narrow results to tribes in our area.  I found it an effective way to narrow searches by regions.  

Proquest

Searching Les Miserables, the basic search in full text gave me 6244 results which is a lot to sort through.  When looking at the limiters on the right, I can narrow my results through a variety of combinations under document type and subject.  Just looking at documents after the first basic full text search there were:  articles 2717, feature 2105, general information 934, review 698 and news 640.  When I selected more options, I then found how to exclude reviews but include the other limiters.  I was then able to exclude document types that would contain reviews.  There were many document types , such as: article, feature, general information, review, news, undefined, commentary, interview, transcript, report, fiction, front page/cover story, blog, obituary, correspondence, editorial, biography, case study, poem, statistics/data report, speech/lecture, conference, correction/retraction, directory, instructional material/guideline and market research.  By expanding the subject limiter, the results showed: theater 344, literary criticism 316, nonfiction 305, history 301, and musical theater 281.  By selecting the more options the list was expanded to include many more subject limiters, too numerous to list here.   This option also allowed me to include and exclude subjects to the researcher’s parameters.  Using the limiters, I selected literary criticism, novels, studies, books, and literature under subject.  I selected article, feature, general information and biography under the limiter, document type.  I still had 454 results.  I then used only literary criticism under subject and excluded anything that had an entertainment aspect and came down to 211 results.  Looking at the results I started over and put Les Miserables in quotations marks and then chose the limiters again and was able to narrow my results to 23.  This would be a great topic for older students and adults but the articles were probably too difficult for my middle school students on average.

 

For the next question, I used the advanced search for Hurricane Sandy and libraries.  This first search resulted in 1001 results. When I looked to the document type limiter, I noticed that there were 88 results under reports and selected this.  This number of results was still a lot to go through, so I then looked under subjects and found disasters and damage.  Under damage there were 5 results and started looking through those.  I did like that throughout the articles I looked at, my search terms were highlighted.  Hurricane Sandy was easy to find and I found that libraries were not highlighted as often.  So far the results are thin.  When libraries were mentioned it was often in conjunction with hospitals, museums, and college campuses and trying to provide funding to rebuild them.  I did find one article where the library was a collection point for donations in the community.  I did notice there was an indexing details at the bottom of the article with other subjects descriptors that I could explore.

I then tried a different document type, articles rather than reports and kept the subject of disasters.  I did find an interesting article that wrote of the libraries roles in disasters, but it contained an older publication date.

Featherstone, R. M., M.L.S., Lyon, B. J., M.L.S., & Ruffin, A. B. (2008). Library roles in disaster response: An oral history project by the national library of Medicine*dagger]. Journal of the Medical Library Association, 96(4), 343-50. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/203478503?accountid=45583

I then tried Libraries and Hurricance Sandy and used the limiters articles and libraries.  This seemed to have had the best results when focusing on impact.  Though damage was mentioned many spoke to the importance of an operational library to a community.  I became a bit frustrated in my search and will be checking other blogs to see what they found.  Most articles I found focused on the aspect of the hurricane (and some mention Katrina) and others focused on libraries with little mention to the hurricane.  I found articles published in 2013 but were not focused on the impact of the subjects searched.

 

SIRS

I use SIRS often with my students.  The lexile sort for the articles is helpful with students and teachers.  I began my search like a student and used the science tile (764 articles) and then astronomy and space (197 articles) from the right side bar.  After that I sorted by the lexile.  This was still a lot of articles to look through.

I then went back to the homepage to conduct the advanced search.  I used the search term solar system and selected easy for the reading level.  The result was 45 articles. However there was a huge range in lexile (510 to 1290). The then searched solar system and put in a range of 400 to 700, which resulted in 4 articles.  I am not sure what the parameters are for considering if an article is easy, moderate or challenging.  I guess I would need to be aware if the student would be able to handle material above their grade level.

 

In searching volcanoes, I did a basic search and found 141 results in the graphics tab.  However many of these results were pictures, charts and diagrams of volcanoes.  I had to go farther into the pages of the results to find maps with volcanoes.  The diagrams will be of particular to my 8^th grade science teachers.  As I went through the pages of results I did find a couple of maps.  One was of the active volcanoes in Hawaii.  There was a map of Indonesia but when I took a closer look I did not see any volcanoes marked on the map.  Deciding if there was a better way I searched volcanoes: maps and 224 results with 14 of those in the graphics tab.  As I looked at the articles, I found many with the camera icon.  The few I checked did not appear under the graphics tab.

I have used SIRS Issue Researcher with both my 7^th and 8^th graders and from their responses this is their favorite database so far.  I think they enjoyed looking at currents issues and liked that I asked their opinion on the issues I had them look at for the lesson.  I would definitely prefer SIRS Issue over Google for the topic of suicide.  SIRS seeks out these articles on the issues, where as Google still has too much of a mix of information, good and bad.  The other plus for SIRS is that it is very easy to sort the articles by newspaper, magazines, viewpoints, reference, and graphics. There was also a link to matching subjects which help fill out the results.  I understand you can search Google more effectively but I have found very few adults know how to do this focused search.

When searching the last topic, I used the quick topic list on the left and went down to water.  The essential question for this issue was, “Should mandatory restrictions be implemented to conserve water?”  As I looked at the numerous articles (116 source types) listed below, I found the articles also listed related subjects links below the summary of each article.  Some of the related subject terms are: conservation of natural resources, environmentalism, water conservation, water-supply, sustainable development, global impact, ground water, hydrogeology, and runoff.  It is obvious that this issue is not unique to any one area and having multiple examples could be very useful in a civic discussion.

LearningExpress Library

The LearningExpress Library has a very different set up from last year.  I did have to create a new account with the updated version.  There was also the option to create an account without using an email which would be very handy for the elementary and middle school students without an email.  I do not remember to user guides from last year but thought there were many useful guides including how to search LearningExpress Library.

I was able to easily find the school center and select elementary, from there I then selected Reading Comprehension Skills Practice. There are reading practice for informational, narrative, persuasive, poetry and general reading.  Informational had the most reading practice section at 9.  The sections are set up to allow you to test by seeing the answers at the end or viewing the answers as you go through the practice as a study guide.  I only see reading practice for grade 4 at the elementary level.  I am curious as to why only 4^th grade was chosen for these practice areas.

Looking for Office Manger provided much more difficult.  I searched with the general search box and looked throughout the Career Center section.  I used various search terms including office manager, managerial, and office without success.  I did find under the Job Search and Workplace Skills, how to improve the job search and networking skills and building your workplace skills which would be useful to many serious in finding a job.   Through my searches I discovered a lot of help for the health care field.  I back tracked to the school center and looked under high school.  Possible sections that could help with the job training could include logic and reasoning, math, statistics, vocabulary and spelling and writing and grammar skills.  By not finding the specific office I manager search I did “stumble”  across a lot of other areas that could help a wide variety of possible careers.

I went straight to the Career Center for the student with the nurse and pharmacist report.  Nursing had an ebook that detailed the profession.  Looking at the table of contents each chapter listed a variety of information on nursing. This would be an excellent resource for a report with the option of emailing the PDF to your personal email. When I first selected Learn More about a Career, there was an eBook on Becoming a Healthcare Professional.  When looking through this resource there was mention of becoming a nursing assistant technology and no mention of pharmacy.  I know I had seen an exam for a pharmacist technician but when I went back the next day I could not find it again.  It happened to be under the Allied health section.  What I found was pharmacy exams but little information about the actual career.  I had hoped for more information.  Looking at the types of resources given under health care, I could only wonder if there was more focus on these particular professions because of a perceived shortage or need in these areas.

When at home, every time I selected Allied Health under prepare for an occupation exam, I got a pop up on finding a dentist by searching by my zip code.  This was a bit annoying.

Mango Languages

I recently showed this database to my 9 year old daughter who brought home a French language book and asked me to read the words which I could not do.  I have never taken French and would have slaughtered the pronunciations.  I had to set up an account with an email.  I find this a bit of a hindrance as a lot of middle school students do not have an email account yet.  I recall having to go to my email account to verify the set up.  For someone new to our country this may be a hurdle in getting to the database.  When I logging in at work I found a newer version of the dashboard but had the option to utilize the older dashboard.

I used the foreign courses for English speakers to begin with, but quickly realized that this would not help the Vietnamese student practice her English. I then moved to the translate tab.  Wrong place again as there was no recording for the pronunciation.    You can choose the language you are starting with and translate to the language you are learning.  I went back to the courses tab and found the English courses.  There were considerably less languages to pick from than the foreign languages for English speakers.  Though not labeled, when I hovered over each I was able to see what language it was.  This course work is similar in set up as the others for English users.  I love that it is set up conversationally.  At any time you can select a statement and have it read for repeated practice.  Later steps break down the conversation and allow additional listening and a record option.  The record option would be tremendously helpful I comparing their emerging English to the statement in practice.  The visual recording helps in determining which parts of the word(s) are vocalized strongly or softly.  The grammar component is also important to help make sure meaning in conversation is accurate.  Taking a placement test allows the user to begin where they need and not become bored or frustrated by starting from the beginning.  This course would allow a Vietnamese student a place to practice and would use her language as a starting place to learn our language.

ChiltonLibrary

A very handy database!  The process to find the right vehicle was very simple.  When on the right car, the left sidebar has an expandable outline which you can expand or minimize.  The Cherokee had information for repair only.  The outline for the repairs include; body, brakes, chassis electrical, driveline, engine cooling, engine electrical, engine mechanical, engine performance &emission controls, fuel systems, Heating, ventilation, & air conditioning, steering, suspension, transmissions and wiring diagrams.  Under removal and installation of the steering wheels there are animations and tech tips as well as videos.  I noticed the print icon on the right, allowing to guiding pictures to use at the vehicle site after viewing the videos.  I have students that get jobs early so they can purchase their own car which often they have to repair themselves. 

The A131L transaxle is a 3-speed automatic, developed specifically for transversely mounted engines. The wide gear ratios and efficient torque converter combine with the built-in locking clutches to operate quietly and efficiently. http://www.chiltonlibrary.com/ContentDelivery.aspx?ca=Repair   The provided identification for the transmission will allow for the correct part purchase in the repair the car.  Very handy!

World Book Foreign Language Edition

This WB was a little difficult for me as I did not take either French or Spanish.  For this area of the country, I think a German WB would be interesting.  I forged ahead with the French WB.  I found I could search using English search terms.  I searched animals, habitats and houses.  The results where about five to a page with the different source types listed on the left hand side.  What I really found interesting was at the bottom of each article was a link to the same article in WB Kids.  This allowed me to check if using an English search term was helpful in the French WB.  Though I did get some results in the French version, when I searched the same word in WB Kids I received many more results.  I searched for cat in the French version and got 6 results and in the Kids version and got 70 results. I really liked the option to see the English version of the article.  This would be very useful for those students working on their foreign language skills.   I then searched using the pictures on the homepage.  It took a while but was able to find an article specifically on cats which I did not find in the term search.  I think someone new to the language would be able to use the pictures to search more effectively then the terms.  As one learned more of the language, then term searching with French words would be more effective.