For our advanced challenge I am helping a patron interested in literary criticism of Victor Hugo's novel Les Miserables. They are NOT interested in musical theatre or movie versions. I clicked "full-text" and typed novel title in the search box. I used the "document type" and subject" limiters on the right sidebar, as suggested. After selecting "document type" I clicked on both "reviews" and "commentary" I also selected "subject" on the right and used "literary criticism" to narrow the search. Then a second time I continued to select "literary criticism". I looked at citations/abstracts. There were 99 literary criticisms broken down as follows: 35 writers, 31 novel, 24 non-fiction. You would definitely want to focus on the "novel" reviews, since the patron wanted to deal with only results about then novel. Those listed under non-fiction may also be helpful. I glanced at a few under "trade journals" there were 7 and under "magazines" there were 5. There were 87 under scholarly journals, but I did not think these would be as pertinent.
Our second assignment found us looking for information about ways libraries aided their communities during and after Hurricane Sandy. What is the date and content of the most recent information on the topic? I started my research by clicking on full text and typing "Libraries and Hurricane Sandy" in the search box. At "Relevance" I selected "Published date most recent first". On the right side I clicked "subject" and found libraries under that. Then I used "location" to narrow the search. I looked around and found "New England States" under location. The publication dates listed articles from Jan. 2013 to Nov. 2014. The most recent article was Technology: Tablet Training written by Matt Enis in Library Journal, a quick look let me know the article was about Queen's Library, NY, receiving 5000 Nexus, as they were still recovering from Hurricane Sandy. The second most recent article was also found in Library Journal, and was published 9/15/14 by Rebecca Miller entitled "It's What We Do". I thought that was an appropriate title to mention at the end of this post, since in so many situations, and to help people in so many ways. . ."It's What We Do" !!!
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Lesson 4: SIRS Discoverer & SIRS Researcher Advanced Challenge
2. SIRS Discoverer
In the first search we wanted to assist a 3rd grader (with below grade level reading skills) with a search to find appropriate materials for her school project on the solar system. I was glad for the hint to use the Advanced Search. I would show the student to select "advanced search" and type in solar system. We found 847 articles, including- 340 magazines- 143 reference- and 51 graphics. I would point out the explanations listed in the yellow task bar that show her green book = easy and the camera tells her which ones have images or photos. Point out which ones are magazines, references, web sites, etc. She can also use the arrows by "lexile" to find articles that are appropriate for her reading level. I would guide her to watch for lexile levels of 270 to 600 where possible. Articles that are lexile up to 700-900 will challenge her, but it's a good time to challenge her if it's a topic that she loves. You can also encourage her in Advanced search to type "solar system" in the top search box and in the second box "planets" leaving drop boxes on all items. This will give her 1000 articles. Once again she should watch the lexile number, and types of articles she wants. Some that caught my eye were: In the Sky: The Planets-- A parade of Planets. Magazine articles The Planets in the World Almanac for Kids and Be a Space Tourist a magazine article from National Geographic Young Explorer and a WebFind site to check out, NASA Kids Club.
Our second assignment asks us for find two ways to use SIRS Discoverer to find maps/images of volcanoes. How many results did we find? One way is to use the Browse Subject Tree> environment>volcanoes. This search method brought up 429 graphics and 26 WebFinds. The second way is to mark search headings> type maps of volcanoes in the search box. This method revealed 239 articles (watch for the camera to prompt us of images) and 16 graphics. I looked as the maps and images in each category.
SIRS Researchers
1. A committee of teachers need good web sites about suicide prevention for teens. How do we help them using SIRS Issues Researcher? Is this better than using search engines like Google? In SIRS Researcher, we find Issues Researcher near the top. I typed "teen suicide" in the search box. On the left center you will find research tools like time line, statistics, and more. Lower left you will find Pro/Con area. There are magazines, references, graphics, and WebSelect Sites. This is much better than using a search engine like Google, since you can easily find the WebSelect Sites, and every article and item is cited, so information can be trusted. Also in the yellow center bar, you will see related searches, so there may be useful information here too.
2. Recent drought is causing your town to consider restrictions on water use. Citizens disagree about the need for restrictions. What subjects would you search in SIRS Issues Researcher to provide information for civic discussions? In the Issues Researcher area you can select "subject heading" and type droughts. As I typed droughts Central America appeared to I selected this. Other keywords I used were SD droughts, and drought/water restrictions. On the left there is a box with descriptives you can select: drought, rain, rainfall, climate change, weather, storms, etc. OR I also tried Advanced Search and typed South Dakota in the top search box, drought in the second search box, and water restrictions in the third. This gave 32 sources, 21 of which are graphic/ multi-media articles. The left descriptor in this instance are: drought, aquifers, water conservation, water supply and conservation. Either of these searches would provide may articles to be explored.
In the first search we wanted to assist a 3rd grader (with below grade level reading skills) with a search to find appropriate materials for her school project on the solar system. I was glad for the hint to use the Advanced Search. I would show the student to select "advanced search" and type in solar system. We found 847 articles, including- 340 magazines- 143 reference- and 51 graphics. I would point out the explanations listed in the yellow task bar that show her green book = easy and the camera tells her which ones have images or photos. Point out which ones are magazines, references, web sites, etc. She can also use the arrows by "lexile" to find articles that are appropriate for her reading level. I would guide her to watch for lexile levels of 270 to 600 where possible. Articles that are lexile up to 700-900 will challenge her, but it's a good time to challenge her if it's a topic that she loves. You can also encourage her in Advanced search to type "solar system" in the top search box and in the second box "planets" leaving drop boxes on all items. This will give her 1000 articles. Once again she should watch the lexile number, and types of articles she wants. Some that caught my eye were: In the Sky: The Planets-- A parade of Planets. Magazine articles The Planets in the World Almanac for Kids and Be a Space Tourist a magazine article from National Geographic Young Explorer and a WebFind site to check out, NASA Kids Club.
Our second assignment asks us for find two ways to use SIRS Discoverer to find maps/images of volcanoes. How many results did we find? One way is to use the Browse Subject Tree> environment>volcanoes. This search method brought up 429 graphics and 26 WebFinds. The second way is to mark search headings> type maps of volcanoes in the search box. This method revealed 239 articles (watch for the camera to prompt us of images) and 16 graphics. I looked as the maps and images in each category.
SIRS Researchers
1. A committee of teachers need good web sites about suicide prevention for teens. How do we help them using SIRS Issues Researcher? Is this better than using search engines like Google? In SIRS Researcher, we find Issues Researcher near the top. I typed "teen suicide" in the search box. On the left center you will find research tools like time line, statistics, and more. Lower left you will find Pro/Con area. There are magazines, references, graphics, and WebSelect Sites. This is much better than using a search engine like Google, since you can easily find the WebSelect Sites, and every article and item is cited, so information can be trusted. Also in the yellow center bar, you will see related searches, so there may be useful information here too.
2. Recent drought is causing your town to consider restrictions on water use. Citizens disagree about the need for restrictions. What subjects would you search in SIRS Issues Researcher to provide information for civic discussions? In the Issues Researcher area you can select "subject heading" and type droughts. As I typed droughts Central America appeared to I selected this. Other keywords I used were SD droughts, and drought/water restrictions. On the left there is a box with descriptives you can select: drought, rain, rainfall, climate change, weather, storms, etc. OR I also tried Advanced Search and typed South Dakota in the top search box, drought in the second search box, and water restrictions in the third. This gave 32 sources, 21 of which are graphic/ multi-media articles. The left descriptor in this instance are: drought, aquifers, water conservation, water supply and conservation. Either of these searches would provide may articles to be explored.
Monday, February 16, 2015
Learning Express--Lesson #3 in Resource Challenge
Although, I have looked at Learning Express before, their format is updated and I feel it's easier to use. I took time to view the tutorials, since that is always a great refresher course. It reminded me to tell my patrons to log-in, especially if they want to access any of the tests, and they can see what they got "right" or "wrong" right away, as well as find a study plan. Remind them that they can Save and Finish later, and there are tutorials. The site also has the opportunity to download and use e-books.
For our advanced challenge, our first assignment involved helping a 4th grade student who needs help with reading comprehension. Three ways to show him on Learning Express are: 1.) use the drop-box in lower center area of the home screen and find "school center", he can then type in grade 4 reading OR on the left locate elementary, then chose English Language & Art Skills. 2.) From Elementary> English Language Improvement > he can look at Informational Reading Practice tests 1 & 2/ Literature Reading Practice 1 & 2/ Practice Writing and Language Practice 1 & 2/ Practice Essays Elementary 1 & 2. These can be selected for grade 4 in the drop box. One of them that I looked at was the Emperor's New clothes. After the story, they can answer quiz questions. I like the way they wrote it separated by paragraphs of only a few sentencces, to allow students to focus on just a few sentences at a time. This would be helpful for students with comprehension problems. 3.)watch for the "school center" from the rotating "centers" you can access. On the left encourage him to chose >elementary. Using the search box he could type in "reading" or "reading comprehension". Reading comprehension offers an e-book 501 that his parents could even scan to encourage him and give him ideas to increase his comprehension.
Our second assignment focused on a recent high school graduate who wants an office manager job, but realizes she needs to improve her skills before she applies. I would recommend she goes to the "career center" to learn more about this career, so she can focus on what she needs in the workplace. Access "Build your workplace skills". Items here that could give specific areas needed are "business writing clear and simple/ Proofreading, revising and editing skills success in 20 minutes a day/ Researching and writing skills in 20 minutes a day/ Writing skills for the workplace tutorials. Also, there are articles that will continue to help her, even after she's started her new job. On the left she will see Job Search and Workplace skills> improve your job searches, interviews, & network skills. Here she will access important social networking skills. Maybe spend time looking at the e-book "Social Networking for Business Success, or the e-book Social networking for Career Success.
Next we have a high school student who needs help for his report on careers. He's interested in nursing or pharmacy. Let's have him start with the "career center". Here you can prepare for a career exam, explore occupations, and improve your workplace skills. There are workKey assessments, and options to help prepare for an occupational exam> allied health > nursing or for his last step here, choose pharmacy. Even my taking some of the practice exams for nursing aides or pharmacy techs, he can learn where he thinks his interest lies. He should also do some research in the college center to review skills and preparations for placement tests and graduate school entrance exams, to get an idea of what is expected in each of these fields. Here he would have an opportunity to take a pharmacy tech exam, or a nursing assistant entrance exam and look at courses. This type of research would be helpful for him in making such an important decision.
For our advanced challenge, our first assignment involved helping a 4th grade student who needs help with reading comprehension. Three ways to show him on Learning Express are: 1.) use the drop-box in lower center area of the home screen and find "school center", he can then type in grade 4 reading OR on the left locate elementary, then chose English Language & Art Skills. 2.) From Elementary> English Language Improvement > he can look at Informational Reading Practice tests 1 & 2/ Literature Reading Practice 1 & 2/ Practice Writing and Language Practice 1 & 2/ Practice Essays Elementary 1 & 2. These can be selected for grade 4 in the drop box. One of them that I looked at was the Emperor's New clothes. After the story, they can answer quiz questions. I like the way they wrote it separated by paragraphs of only a few sentencces, to allow students to focus on just a few sentences at a time. This would be helpful for students with comprehension problems. 3.)watch for the "school center" from the rotating "centers" you can access. On the left encourage him to chose >elementary. Using the search box he could type in "reading" or "reading comprehension". Reading comprehension offers an e-book 501 that his parents could even scan to encourage him and give him ideas to increase his comprehension.
Our second assignment focused on a recent high school graduate who wants an office manager job, but realizes she needs to improve her skills before she applies. I would recommend she goes to the "career center" to learn more about this career, so she can focus on what she needs in the workplace. Access "Build your workplace skills". Items here that could give specific areas needed are "business writing clear and simple/ Proofreading, revising and editing skills success in 20 minutes a day/ Researching and writing skills in 20 minutes a day/ Writing skills for the workplace tutorials. Also, there are articles that will continue to help her, even after she's started her new job. On the left she will see Job Search and Workplace skills> improve your job searches, interviews, & network skills. Here she will access important social networking skills. Maybe spend time looking at the e-book "Social Networking for Business Success, or the e-book Social networking for Career Success.
Next we have a high school student who needs help for his report on careers. He's interested in nursing or pharmacy. Let's have him start with the "career center". Here you can prepare for a career exam, explore occupations, and improve your workplace skills. There are workKey assessments, and options to help prepare for an occupational exam> allied health > nursing or for his last step here, choose pharmacy. Even my taking some of the practice exams for nursing aides or pharmacy techs, he can learn where he thinks his interest lies. He should also do some research in the college center to review skills and preparations for placement tests and graduate school entrance exams, to get an idea of what is expected in each of these fields. Here he would have an opportunity to take a pharmacy tech exam, or a nursing assistant entrance exam and look at courses. This type of research would be helpful for him in making such an important decision.
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Tumblebooks Library/ Advanced challenge
My first assignment was to help Alex, a 3rd grader, to find more mysteries, because he has already read most that are available in the Library. I took time to view the Tumblebook tutorial, and found they gave so much information in it, that things weren't very clear. I tried to narrow my search by grade level, and where I was, it came up with "no results" several times. Frustrating!! Then, I don't even know how I happened onto it, since the "trial opportunity" wasn't displayed on the earlier pages I had viewed. But all of the sudden I saw the "trial", so I clicked that and was able to move around and get some titles to explore. I still didn't like the fact I couldn't narrow the search in something so simple as: grade level>boy>mysteries. So I ended up scrolling through the "index" area of the website. These are the titles I offered for Alex: Big Tree Gang (K-3) Beware Pirates (grade 2-5) Ghost Wolf (K-3, A/R 3.2) Ziggy's Clubhouse Mysteries & Danger at the Landings (grade 4-7, A/R 3.8) These last two titles will be more challenging for Alex to read, but he can use the read-along feature, this would increase his vocabulary and reading ability. And if he's been doing that much reading, he might be fine going ahead of his grade level.
Our second assignment finds us preparing for a STEM story time for school age connecting a fiction with activity, also finding some e-books. I selected the following books: Ben the Inventor by Robin Stevenson (e-book) Ben's Robot (A/R 3.0--e-book) Flight Series 1-2-3 (math series) 10 Plants that Shook the World, Bones Never Lie, The Shuttle, Tom Swift; Young Inventor Space Hotel, Tom Swift, Young Inventor Into the Abyss (both grade 4-7), The Fossil Hunter (A/R 2.9). There are many opportunities under the "quiz and activity" link to incorporate with these titles. This assignment took a long time, since I either couldn't find the proper search tools, or they weren't there. So for me, it was scrolling through titles.
Our second assignment finds us preparing for a STEM story time for school age connecting a fiction with activity, also finding some e-books. I selected the following books: Ben the Inventor by Robin Stevenson (e-book) Ben's Robot (A/R 3.0--e-book) Flight Series 1-2-3 (math series) 10 Plants that Shook the World, Bones Never Lie, The Shuttle, Tom Swift; Young Inventor Space Hotel, Tom Swift, Young Inventor Into the Abyss (both grade 4-7), The Fossil Hunter (A/R 2.9). There are many opportunities under the "quiz and activity" link to incorporate with these titles. This assignment took a long time, since I either couldn't find the proper search tools, or they weren't there. So for me, it was scrolling through titles.
Mango Languages/ Advanced Challenge
For our assignment, we are helping a Christian seminary student who is struggling to learn the languages of the Old and New Testament. Once we go to Mano languages, I would encourage him to create an account, since as a Seminary student, he will be visiting this site often. Once he creates his account, he can sign in. Since the language he is searching for is not one of the top languages, he will click "all languages" on the task bar above or go to the left and select all languages there. As he maneuvers his way, the site will check his computer for the needed browsers required to view and listen to the languages he is studying. The Old Testament was written in Hebrew, so he will find that and proceed. Depending on what he studies over time, he may also use Aramaic, since the prophets Ezra, Daniel, and a few verses of Jeremiah were recorded in Aramaic. The New Testament was written in Greek, so he will locate Greek Ancient for his needs. He may also want to look over the selections on the left. For example, Mango labs may be beneficial for some of his studies. He will love this site.
I am excited about Mango languages, since as "retirement" approaches, I hope to spend time on this site, and settle on a language I can learn through these self-paced language courses.
I am excited about Mango languages, since as "retirement" approaches, I hope to spend time on this site, and settle on a language I can learn through these self-paced language courses.
Chilton Library/Advanced lChallenge
This was my first time using Chilton Library, one of our newest databases. I know nothing about cars, other than my dad taught me how to check the oil on our 1960 Chevy Biscayne, since it used more oil that gas most of the time. I did learn I had more knowledge than some of the guys I dated at the time though. Well, maybe some of them have become mechanics, and now know a lot more than me. But this was a fun assignment, and is a site I am going to point out to my son-in-law who is a Honda Mechanic. Who am I kidding, he's probably already aware of this. To complete the assignment of helping my neighbor find a video, so he could attempt replacing the steering wheel on his 1982 Jeep Cherokee, I went to Chilton and typed in the year, make, and model to get started. Then I selected repair. On the left I chose steering>steering wheel>remove & installation> which gave me choices of animations or videos. I chose the video that led us to the appropriate knowledge he was looking for. Of course, I reminded him to view that video on the airbag information also, so he would be safe!!
The second task we were assigned was to find the name and number of a part needed for a 1989 Geo Prizm with 3-speed automatic transmission. I began by putting in the year, make, and model. Then on the left, I chose transmission>automatic>description> and found the 3-speed automatic transaxle part #A131L that we needed to find.
The site seems exceptionally user-friendly (since I was able to find needed items and articles), and informational. This should be a great help to students, and do-it-yourselfers.
The second task we were assigned was to find the name and number of a part needed for a 1989 Geo Prizm with 3-speed automatic transmission. I began by putting in the year, make, and model. Then on the left, I chose transmission>automatic>description> and found the 3-speed automatic transaxle part #A131L that we needed to find.
The site seems exceptionally user-friendly (since I was able to find needed items and articles), and informational. This should be a great help to students, and do-it-yourselfers.
Thursday, February 12, 2015
World Book--Foreign Language
World Book Foreign Language was difficult for me. I did the challenge in Spanish, even though I have no background in it. I did the initial search by typing "house" in the search box. Various illustrations were displayed. There is information regarding different types of homes whether they are houses or apartments, and some history of home and community. Second we were to go to modules home page and notice the boxes with images. I clicked the images and search by pointing my search toward "homes". This was a bit more difficult. I started with the photo of people, but found that to display photos of families, people, and groups of communities. I then clicked on communities photos. This was more difficult to find "houses". If there was a translation opportunity, I could not find it. I finally found the area where "houses" were addressed. The challenge asked; "when would it be better to use the search box? When would it be better to use browse feature?" I think if you have a specific search that is quite specific without any amount of generality, the search box is the beginning point for you. But if your search word is quite general and encompasses a larger, less specific term, the boxes are great for your search. While not knowing spanish, it is interesting to see the commonality in some languages.
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
2015 Library Challenge
I am starting out with World Book searches. As assigned, I looked up a mammal. I chose an alpaca, since I had crocheted my daughter a scarf from alpaca wool, and was very impressed by how soft and warm it is. An interesting fact about alpacas is that they are found in South America, mostly Bolivia. They live where areas consist of a very low levels of oxygen, but the fact that their blood holds high levels of oxygen in it allows them to be adapted to these conditions. In World Book Student, I learned that alpacas descended from vicunas, and are also related to llamas and guanacos. And of course, llama's are well known to our young patrons through books such as Llama, Llama Mad at Mama and many more. In World Book Advanced I researched the country of Nepal, since through his job at Center for New Americans, my son has helped many refugees from Nepal settle in Sioux Falls. We have met many people from Nepal, and heard many stories of their life and culture there. Nepal is also familiar to us because of the well known tourist attraction of Mt. Everest. The site gives a lot of information between links on the left and right (Presidential papers, common topics, location articles). It is hard to select what would be most valuable to our patrons, because this depends on their particular points of interest. Our final project in World Book Discovery asked us to look up American Government. There are a lot of links to encyclopedia articles, videos, and websites. Patrons will like that they can save their research, and return for continuation. My only hope it that by becoming more familiar with these resources, I can do a better job at directing my patrons to them more often, and get our patrons, teachers, and students to use these resources more often.
I am starting out with World Book searches. As assigned, I looked up a mammal. I chose an alpaca, since I had crocheted my daughter a scarf from alpaca wool, and was very impressed by how soft and warm it is. An interesting fact about alpacas is that they are found in South America, mostly Bolivia. They live where areas consist of a very low levels of oxygen, but the fact that their blood holds high levels of oxygen in it allows them to be adapted to these conditions. In World Book Student, I learned that alpacas descended from vicunas, and are also related to llamas and guanacos. And of course, llama's are well known to our young patrons through books such as Llama, Llama Mad at Mama and many more. In World Book Advanced I researched the country of Nepal, since through his job at Center for New Americans, my son has helped many refugees from Nepal settle in Sioux Falls. We have met many people from Nepal, and heard many stories of their life and culture there. Nepal is also familiar to us because of the well known tourist attraction of Mt. Everest. The site gives a lot of information between links on the left and right (Presidential papers, common topics, location articles). It is hard to select what would be most valuable to our patrons, because this depends on their particular points of interest. Our final project in World Book Discovery asked us to look up American Government. There are a lot of links to encyclopedia articles, videos, and websites. Patrons will like that they can save their research, and return for continuation. My only hope it that by becoming more familiar with these resources, I can do a better job at directing my patrons to them more often, and get our patrons, teachers, and students to use these resources more often.
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Starting with WorldBook Kids I made the choice of Maps from choices of World of Animals/ Science/ or Maps. I am a visual learner so Maps was a great selection for me. Ranging from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Israel, Lebanon, Iraq, and Ukraine, I could closely view the borders and cities that we hear about every evening on the news. With the curser and the zoom features you can quickly locate areas you are interested in. Such compact areas on a large map, can be viewed in detail. A friend of ours served in the Peace Corp in Azerbaizan, and I could find see it's close proximity to George, Russia, Armenia, and Iran. It made his stories come alive again for me. This would also be great as you prepared for a trip to anywhere in the world. My second assignment involved using World Book InfoFinder. Between WorldBook Explorer/ Interactive/ or Research tool I selected Interactive. I spent a little time looking at finding about South Dakota just to remind myself of the wonderful places in SD. The information would be great for planning in either business or programs, using demographics and knowledge available. It was fun viewing the variety of land and climates of SD or any state. Then I spent some time looking at Manova-Gounda St. Floris National Park in Central Africa Savanna. World Book explorer also gave me an opportunity to do a little research on Alcatraz Island. We traveled to San Francisco this summer but weren't able to tour Alcatraz. We were there in August, 2014 and the tickets were sold out well into March, 2015. WOW!! A lot of people were interested in Alcatraz. Since I missed the tour I could view artifacts on this site. I also learned besides being a Federal Prison from 1934-1963, it had also had a Military presence, as well as some years as an Indian occupation. You can see how when people get started researching, they can easily go from one topic to another and loose track of time. We just need to get them started! The final piece of my research for today, took me to World Book Online Reference looking for the assigned e-books. I found several ways to search for Emma by Jane Austen, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. I checked the special tools on the left and looked at Related Information. Through this link there were other articles regarding these authors. I read an article written by Mark Twain for Harper's Magazine entitles Body of the Nation about the Mississippi. These sites have so much information and I feel it is in a very friendly, hands-on format. For the most part, pictures are appealing and everything is very up to date.