I clicked on the animal icon so I could pick something other than an armadillo even though I did live in Arizona for a time. There were 383 articles for animals so I chose "Pets" from the Topic/subtopics list on the right. There were fewer articles, 108, but I was still searching for something more specific. I chose "Dogs," again from the list. The number of articles went back up to 290 so I started scrolling down. The article which caught my eye was about a dog who saved a woman's life by licking her head. You can sort these articles 4 different ways. There was such a wide variety of them beginning with the most current according to the date. My particular article did not have any pictures, but did have 3 "Descriptors" and when clicked on, new searches were provided. So many new avenues to discover.
Part 2(a) -- The country I selected was one I had never heard of, Suriname. In very short order you can read all the important facts of the country which appear to be very up-to-date. The history timeline is very complete. At the end of the article there is contact and website information and of course, the sources with exact citation info. This is a quick but in depth search. There also is available from the Graphic Organizer, downloadable, one-page PDF forms with fill-in-the-blank info for your report or speech in easy, moderate, or challenging. You can print out a colored map to accompany your article.
(b) Maps of the world. There are 3 different ways to search. I chose Somalia as we had a patron come in last week interested in this country. 6 graphics came up, 5 were maps and 1 was a picture. Once you click on these listings there is usually an article connected to it. Most were just factual info of the country and one was a personal story of a family who left Mogadishu. Any Geography class would certainly benefit from this site, if you are just a curiosity seeker, or teachers looking for handouts of map outlines for testing purposes, as well as researchers or for those writing reports.
(c) I chose "Skills Discoverer"- "Computers" - "Safety Land"- Interactive games. Teaches younger folks about using computers safely thru questions with multiple choice answers. I also tried "Language Arts"- Seussville and found it to be a bit confusing and a very "busy" place as I suppose it would be in Seussville but, it kind of turned me off. I also clicked into "Ask a scientist" which definitely is for teens or adults. It was based out of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. I just couldn't decide what groups would want to use some of these sites and exactly what you would see or shouldn't see even though these are listed for grades 6-9.
I clicked on "Fiction" where you can download stories in PDF. There is a short summary, the date and the Lexile score. There are several topics/subtopics on the right to choose from and a most interesting one - "Stories written by kids. It is so hard to fathom all the information given on these sites, most are very concise. Again, just a wealth of information can be found. Maybe I was just tired when trying some of the topics in the Skills Discover because they didn't seem to be laid out as plainly.
We have already shown a couple of patrons some of the databases. Now we just need to get them to practice using a computer as the info presented in the SIRS database is more current than what we can offer in a book. Until next time.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Learning Xpress Lib (wk 2)
The first thing I experienced was "test anxiety" even as old as I am. I surely don't understand why people want to become professional students.
The way the GED testing is set up one can almost truly do it alone. All the questions have explanations as to why one answer is correct and the others are not. Once finished, you have a score analysis chart available to help you understand what areas you need to improve upon and based on how well you do there are suggestions for more courses and or tests. It also informs you how GED tests are scored, the lowest score you can have and the average score you need to pass. All the important issues you need to know before taking the actual test are available.
Honestly, anyone, especially those hoping to continue their education, really have no excuse not to do well if they are willing to put in the time and use the practice tests. You can do them at your own speed, stop to seek help if needed then continue on, or even retake the tests. If you wish to look at changing or enhancing your career choice, the information is there. You don't even need to leave the computer.
I chose "Vocabulary and Spelling" as my exercise in "Workplace Skills." I not only explored but completed the first part. You are taught the 3 types of vocabulary and 3 ways to learn it. You are tested in all three. By the third time you should be able to identify, pronounce and give the definition of the words listed. If not you can write them down on a card and review them when you have some downtime. It also suggests using a "study buddy" as speaking with and hearing someone else say the words makes them more recognizable to you. This exercise was very thorough and I learned the words precis and ennui.
The e-book I chose was "Becoming a Paralegal" from the "Job & Careers" tab. It took only a few seconds to download. This was a very current (2010) edition. It was easy to read because the print was quite large.There are many options available from the toolbar. I noticed you can have the text read out loud, offering you an opportunity to read with your eyes closed.
In conclusion I would say you can be as informed as you want to be in the area of education, train for a job you are wanting to have, or sharpen the skills you already possess if you have access to this valuable database. We will need to give our patrons a little nudge to apply for the e card if they would like to explore all these wonders in the comfort of their homes.
Who needs to purchase brain games and software when you have "The Learning Express Library" at your fingertips!
The way the GED testing is set up one can almost truly do it alone. All the questions have explanations as to why one answer is correct and the others are not. Once finished, you have a score analysis chart available to help you understand what areas you need to improve upon and based on how well you do there are suggestions for more courses and or tests. It also informs you how GED tests are scored, the lowest score you can have and the average score you need to pass. All the important issues you need to know before taking the actual test are available.
Honestly, anyone, especially those hoping to continue their education, really have no excuse not to do well if they are willing to put in the time and use the practice tests. You can do them at your own speed, stop to seek help if needed then continue on, or even retake the tests. If you wish to look at changing or enhancing your career choice, the information is there. You don't even need to leave the computer.
I chose "Vocabulary and Spelling" as my exercise in "Workplace Skills." I not only explored but completed the first part. You are taught the 3 types of vocabulary and 3 ways to learn it. You are tested in all three. By the third time you should be able to identify, pronounce and give the definition of the words listed. If not you can write them down on a card and review them when you have some downtime. It also suggests using a "study buddy" as speaking with and hearing someone else say the words makes them more recognizable to you. This exercise was very thorough and I learned the words precis and ennui.
The e-book I chose was "Becoming a Paralegal" from the "Job & Careers" tab. It took only a few seconds to download. This was a very current (2010) edition. It was easy to read because the print was quite large.There are many options available from the toolbar. I noticed you can have the text read out loud, offering you an opportunity to read with your eyes closed.
In conclusion I would say you can be as informed as you want to be in the area of education, train for a job you are wanting to have, or sharpen the skills you already possess if you have access to this valuable database. We will need to give our patrons a little nudge to apply for the e card if they would like to explore all these wonders in the comfort of their homes.
Who needs to purchase brain games and software when you have "The Learning Express Library" at your fingertips!
Monday, January 16, 2012
Lesson 1-b The Public Library Edition
Part 1
Living somewhat near to Wind Cave National Park I had a curiosity about the black-footed ferret. They were brought into the park with the hope of reducing the prairie dog population. I thought it would be interesting to know more about them.
Ferrets are animals with long, thin bodies and short legs. The black-footed ferret is native to Western North America and is somewhat smaller than the domestic ferret. Their hair is slightly yellow with black feet, black tipped ears and tail with black fur around the eyes.
When I first typed the name in the search area there were no results as I neglected to hyphenate the first two words. There were no suggestions available if you had forgotten this but there was if the word, ferret, was misspelled which I thought very helpful for younger students. Up popped one picture and one sentence describing the animal. There are a couple of options you can choose to find out more, either click on the photo or the article listed on the left. At least 4 paragraphs were then listed as well as the option to print, save, hear the text read aloud (which I did and would be great if you struggle to read) and email. You can also translate the text into 31 different languages, again pretty neat.
Part 2
Changing to Info Finder you can instantly tell it is for older students as the font is smaller, the wording is more concise but more of them. The number of tools has also increased. Did you know you can double click on any word and it defines it for you? Try it. Wow!
In the upper right you can choose "Related Information" such as ; World Book's Educators' Center which provides a range of resources, including correlations from World Book content to state and provincial curriculum correlations, links to lesson plans and activities, and professional education links and magazine articles (25 were listed.) You can also bring both screens up to compare by clicking Info Finder + KIDS.
There are so many ways to search. If you don't know where to begin there is even a link on how to do research designed not just for students but for educators too.
What a wonderful source for homeschoolers.
Part 3 : To infinity and beyond
Having some Finnish blood running through my veins I chose Finland as my country.
I kept "keyword" as I clicked on my search word. To the left are the "Search Results" showing you how many and what kind of articles there are, to maps, pictures, web sites, etc. The right bar lists the primary sources. Once you click on your country's link the left side bar changes to the main sections of the articles contents and the right side bar now lists "Related Information" which was on the left side as "Search Results." At any time you can switch which "World Book" you want by going to the very bottom of any page and clicking on your choice.
What I find great is any patron from travellers, to students, to adults with a curiosity about any country or those wanting to know more about where their relatives came from can pick and choose the type of information they are seeking. If you want it all or just something specific, the World Book Online Reference Center is your one stop shopping. Isn't it wonderful you can not only read but listen to the text in the language or music from that particular area. This could be a useful tool to get some older folks interested in using a computer especially if they are the least bit uncomfortable around one.
What is being offered through our libraries with World Book is more than amazing, don't you think! You always want to leave them wanting more. I even found out why my grandfather who emigrated from Finland hated the color red.
Living somewhat near to Wind Cave National Park I had a curiosity about the black-footed ferret. They were brought into the park with the hope of reducing the prairie dog population. I thought it would be interesting to know more about them.
Ferrets are animals with long, thin bodies and short legs. The black-footed ferret is native to Western North America and is somewhat smaller than the domestic ferret. Their hair is slightly yellow with black feet, black tipped ears and tail with black fur around the eyes.
When I first typed the name in the search area there were no results as I neglected to hyphenate the first two words. There were no suggestions available if you had forgotten this but there was if the word, ferret, was misspelled which I thought very helpful for younger students. Up popped one picture and one sentence describing the animal. There are a couple of options you can choose to find out more, either click on the photo or the article listed on the left. At least 4 paragraphs were then listed as well as the option to print, save, hear the text read aloud (which I did and would be great if you struggle to read) and email. You can also translate the text into 31 different languages, again pretty neat.
Part 2
Changing to Info Finder you can instantly tell it is for older students as the font is smaller, the wording is more concise but more of them. The number of tools has also increased. Did you know you can double click on any word and it defines it for you? Try it. Wow!
In the upper right you can choose "Related Information" such as ; World Book's Educators' Center which provides a range of resources, including correlations from World Book content to state and provincial curriculum correlations, links to lesson plans and activities, and professional education links and magazine articles (25 were listed.) You can also bring both screens up to compare by clicking Info Finder + KIDS.
There are so many ways to search. If you don't know where to begin there is even a link on how to do research designed not just for students but for educators too.
What a wonderful source for homeschoolers.
Part 3 : To infinity and beyondHaving some Finnish blood running through my veins I chose Finland as my country.
I kept "keyword" as I clicked on my search word. To the left are the "Search Results" showing you how many and what kind of articles there are, to maps, pictures, web sites, etc. The right bar lists the primary sources. Once you click on your country's link the left side bar changes to the main sections of the articles contents and the right side bar now lists "Related Information" which was on the left side as "Search Results." At any time you can switch which "World Book" you want by going to the very bottom of any page and clicking on your choice.
What I find great is any patron from travellers, to students, to adults with a curiosity about any country or those wanting to know more about where their relatives came from can pick and choose the type of information they are seeking. If you want it all or just something specific, the World Book Online Reference Center is your one stop shopping. Isn't it wonderful you can not only read but listen to the text in the language or music from that particular area. This could be a useful tool to get some older folks interested in using a computer especially if they are the least bit uncomfortable around one.
What is being offered through our libraries with World Book is more than amazing, don't you think! You always want to leave them wanting more. I even found out why my grandfather who emigrated from Finland hated the color red.
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