Saturday, September 11, 2010
State Library Electronic Resources
My biggest discovery through the South Dakota Library Challenge was discovering the vast amount of resources that are readily available to those who register for the free library card. I've begun promoting the sources through conversations with friends, family and colleagues. I also posted a link to the South Dakota Library on my classroom ICT site.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Ancestory Library
The Ancestory Library offers great resource for those interested in finding information about their ancestors. Many legal documents are available such as census, military enlistments, death certificates, and more. I was able to find one of my grandparents and great grandparents listed in a census. It was neat to see their names and occupation listed.
Under Photos and Maps, I searched "South Dakota" and found many links including Sioux Falls College yearbook dating 1933 and a historical atlas which tells about when South Dakota became a state. Looking up Photos and Maps could greatly enhance a lesson or presentation.
Under Photos and Maps, I searched "South Dakota" and found many links including Sioux Falls College yearbook dating 1933 and a historical atlas which tells about when South Dakota became a state. Looking up Photos and Maps could greatly enhance a lesson or presentation.
ArchiveGrid
To explore ArchiveGrid, I searched "Sitting Bull Autograph Card" and found a synopsis of his life and major events. For example, I read that he was a leader of the Hunapapa Sioux. He led and fought in many battles with Little Bighorn being one of the most famous ones. He was killed for taking a stand to continue Native American traditions such as the Ghost Dance that had been outlawed.
When searching Abraham Lincoln, I found the location of many museums that have artifacts or manuscripts relating to Abraham Lincoln. When clicking the links, it told me where the museum is and what their hours and cost of admission is.
When searching Abraham Lincoln, I found the location of many museums that have artifacts or manuscripts relating to Abraham Lincoln. When clicking the links, it told me where the museum is and what their hours and cost of admission is.
CAMIO
Note: This resource is only available at schools in libraries, not from home.
This resource allows the user to search museums for images. To explore it, I entered Paul Revere in the search and found many images of paintings and artifacts. Some examples include items Paul Revere created such as a teaspoon or a salver. Others were works of art created by artists that were of Paul Revere. By clicking on the images, I was able to view them closer and learn about them.
When looking up "Sioux" I found many artifacts and artwork that can be found in museums. For example, there were pipes, dolls, and story illustrations on hide. When searching "Picasso" over 1000 results came up. 184 results were provided when searching "World War". Once you find some images that you would like to use, you can add to favorites section so that a screen appears with some good options. You may view slideshow, create webpage, and other oprions which would be helpful in researching or sharing your research results. This could be helpful in classes.
This resource allows the user to search museums for images. To explore it, I entered Paul Revere in the search and found many images of paintings and artifacts. Some examples include items Paul Revere created such as a teaspoon or a salver. Others were works of art created by artists that were of Paul Revere. By clicking on the images, I was able to view them closer and learn about them.
When looking up "Sioux" I found many artifacts and artwork that can be found in museums. For example, there were pipes, dolls, and story illustrations on hide. When searching "Picasso" over 1000 results came up. 184 results were provided when searching "World War". Once you find some images that you would like to use, you can add to favorites section so that a screen appears with some good options. You may view slideshow, create webpage, and other oprions which would be helpful in researching or sharing your research results. This could be helpful in classes.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Sanborn Maps
This resource allows the user to see South Dakota maps of cities as they were on certain dates. For example, I was able to view Sioux Falls city maps on July 1902, 1924 and many other dates. On the 1902 map, I was able to locate several familiar places such as Lowell Elementary Public School. This is an interesting site if one wants to see how a town grew or find where a city began an addition (like your grandmother's home).
Heritage Quest
The Heritage Quest is a great resource for researching one's heritage. To explore this site, I searched my last name and a place that my husband's ancestors lived. I found what looks like will be a great lead for future finds. It was fun to enter in various names of people in our family tree to see what could be found. This is definitely a site I will want to return to when I have more time.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Learning Express Library
On the Learning Express Library site, one can take various diagnostic tests at all levels of school (Elementary, Middle, High, or College) There are also resources for GED, job search and adult skill building. Exploring the testing section in middles school, I began a math test on Grade 6 Number Sense and Operations. The questions seemed to be valid and similiar to other standaridized tests that students take. After answering a few questions, I ended the test and received report on how I did. The report shows areas covered and how many I received right, how many I answered, and how many I left blank. The view answers option included explainations as to why an answer is correct. It also indicates what you might have done incorrectly based on the incorrect choice you chose. I had the option to add this test again to retake it. Math, Reading, Writing, and High School Entrance prep are the areas covered in Middle School.
Under the Job Search and Workplace Skills, there are courses on Business Writing, Job Searches, Writing Resumes, and Interviewing. I explored the Writing Resume course. There is good information on what a resume is, formatting choices, and good tips. After asking a few key questions, the site recommends a format for your resume.
Another section included Ebooks. I browsed one titled Teacher Career Starter. It had some great information within the 255 pages. Unfortunately, much of the data included was outdated such as 1999 chart on supply and demand for teachers. Another ebook I explored was titled Resumes that Get You Hired. This 255 pages ebook included some helpful sections such as 35 Resumes Mistakes to Avoid and an appendix section with Action Verbs and Power Phrases.
Under the Job Search and Workplace Skills, there are courses on Business Writing, Job Searches, Writing Resumes, and Interviewing. I explored the Writing Resume course. There is good information on what a resume is, formatting choices, and good tips. After asking a few key questions, the site recommends a format for your resume.
Another section included Ebooks. I browsed one titled Teacher Career Starter. It had some great information within the 255 pages. Unfortunately, much of the data included was outdated such as 1999 chart on supply and demand for teachers. Another ebook I explored was titled Resumes that Get You Hired. This 255 pages ebook included some helpful sections such as 35 Resumes Mistakes to Avoid and an appendix section with Action Verbs and Power Phrases.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
World Cat and More FirstSearch Indexes
The World Cat is where librarians catalog books. Here you can find where a book that you are looking for is located. I did a "Title Phrase" search for "3 Cups of Tea" as this is a book that is required reading at SDSU. 12 records were found. When I clicked the #1 item, I learned that this title is at 2144 different libraries worldwide. The top listed library is Augustana College. The call number listed is LC2330 or Dewey 371.822/09549 When clicking on the author, you can find other books or recordings of books written by the author. You can click on related subjects to find additional books that may be of interest to the reader. You may also read abstract of book, learn the language it is written, publication information and description including numbers of pages and illustration as well as size of book.
Other databases are available such as Ebooks, ERIC, MEDLINE, WorldAlmanac, and OAIster to name a few. The latter is a full text database that I browsed to see what I could find when searching "South Dakota" with the subject phrase option. 145 records were found. Thinking back to teaching South Dakota unit to fourth graders I went back to search option and added keyword "history". This narrowed the records found to 4 which included Dorthie Hall, History of Greater Sage-grouse in the Dakotas, Dakota Territory, and United States Historical Election Returns; South Dakota Elections 1889-1968. These included maps and manuscripts. Unfortunately as I followed the links, only 1 worked. On the other hand the World Almanac produced many good resources. There was a great article on American Indian Languages. On other databases I found additional resources.
Other databases are available such as Ebooks, ERIC, MEDLINE, WorldAlmanac, and OAIster to name a few. The latter is a full text database that I browsed to see what I could find when searching "South Dakota" with the subject phrase option. 145 records were found. Thinking back to teaching South Dakota unit to fourth graders I went back to search option and added keyword "history". This narrowed the records found to 4 which included Dorthie Hall, History of Greater Sage-grouse in the Dakotas, Dakota Territory, and United States Historical Election Returns; South Dakota Elections 1889-1968. These included maps and manuscripts. Unfortunately as I followed the links, only 1 worked. On the other hand the World Almanac produced many good resources. There was a great article on American Indian Languages. On other databases I found additional resources.
Net Library
The Net Library provides a wealth of non-fiction books with the latest ones copyrighted in 2006. These ebooks are full text books that one can read online. To explore the site, I typed in "keyboarding". 188 ebooks were identified. The cover of the books are pictured as well as information on how the books relate to what you searched and the copyright date. The ebooks found covered many aspects of keyboarding such as ergonomics, mutliple intelligences, disabilities, secretaries, and dictionary for tech shorthand/acronyms. By adding one additional word and searching "keyboarding class" the search was narrowed to 46 ebooks that are closely related to the specific field I will be teaching. As I browsed through the results I found what appears to be some great resources.
Next I searched "Constitutional Day" which resulted in 1004 ebooks. If you search "Constitution" over 5000 ebooks surface. The Federalist (Cliff Notes), Constitution of the Confederate States, A Companion to the United States Constitution and It's Admendments are a few titles that could e used to expand student resources. One could also find to consitutions of other countries to compare and contrastwith that if the US. There are many resources on the US Constitution, Declaration ofIndependence and the Bill of Rights.
The final search I conducted was on "Nebraska" to see what I could find for a "Western history unit". Over 3000 ebooks were found using the "full text" option. When searching "keyword" option, the search was narrowed to 90 books. To narrow search further using the keyword option, I searched "Nebraska and Wounded Knee" to see what I could find related to Wounded Knee at Nebraska" and found 4 resources available. So the more specific the words you use, you can find ebooks geared for exactly what you are looking.
Next I searched "Constitutional Day" which resulted in 1004 ebooks. If you search "Constitution" over 5000 ebooks surface. The Federalist (Cliff Notes), Constitution of the Confederate States, A Companion to the United States Constitution and It's Admendments are a few titles that could e used to expand student resources. One could also find to consitutions of other countries to compare and contrastwith that if the US. There are many resources on the US Constitution, Declaration ofIndependence and the Bill of Rights.
The final search I conducted was on "Nebraska" to see what I could find for a "Western history unit". Over 3000 ebooks were found using the "full text" option. When searching "keyword" option, the search was narrowed to 90 books. To narrow search further using the keyword option, I searched "Nebraska and Wounded Knee" to see what I could find related to Wounded Knee at Nebraska" and found 4 resources available. So the more specific the words you use, you can find ebooks geared for exactly what you are looking.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Gale Virtual Reference
On the front page of the Gale Virtual Reference site, I selected "show all" to see what resources were available. This led to categories that one could research. Under "religion" I chose the resource,"World Religions Reference Library" which includes 6 volumes. From here, I chose to go directly to the "Index" where I could either type in a specific topic or word to search or click a letter of the alphabet to narrow the search.
This reference source allows the researcher to find answers to both 'common' and 'obscure' questions. I was able to find what foods are good sources of zinc as well as 9 resources with information about a rare genetic disorder, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Having a wealth of information available though the South Dakota State Library is a great tool for students, teachers, and schools. I was able to email a pdf of an article to someone else to read.
Another valuable feature is the "Read Speak" listen option. One can either listen online or download as MP3. This is a good option for those who learn best auditorily or has difficulty comprehending written text.
The Gale Virtual Reference is another great reference source and tool for students and teachers!
This reference source allows the researcher to find answers to both 'common' and 'obscure' questions. I was able to find what foods are good sources of zinc as well as 9 resources with information about a rare genetic disorder, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Having a wealth of information available though the South Dakota State Library is a great tool for students, teachers, and schools. I was able to email a pdf of an article to someone else to read.
Another valuable feature is the "Read Speak" listen option. One can either listen online or download as MP3. This is a good option for those who learn best auditorily or has difficulty comprehending written text.
The Gale Virtual Reference is another great reference source and tool for students and teachers!
ProQuest
When searching "Teaching Technology Middle School", I chose to limit the results to "peer-reviewed scholarly journals". This led to 130 documents on this topic. The articles related to general middle school curricula and a variety of specific core subjects that one could enhance by incorporating technology. The articles were from respectable and well known scholary journals with most copyrighted in 2009. It is great to have so many professional resources available to me any time. No longer do I need to be concerned that it is already checked out or that the library is closed.
When you click the "Publications" tab at the top of the page, you can choose your favorite journals to locate articles of interest. From home ideas to medical journals, I am amazed at the myriad of types of publications that are available. It is nice to have the choice to choose to limit to only full article texts or to include abstracts.
When you click the "Publications" tab at the top of the page, you can choose your favorite journals to locate articles of interest. From home ideas to medical journals, I am amazed at the myriad of types of publications that are available. It is nice to have the choice to choose to limit to only full article texts or to include abstracts.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
SIRS Issue Researcher
To explore the SIRS Issue Researcher I searched "Bullying" to see what I would find. There was a pro/con chart with links to articles about how schools are doing. There were 89 sources including newspapers, magazines, viewpoints, graphics, media, and web. These were solid research articles from sources like Education Week and Phi Delta Kappan. There is a fantastic research tool section that includes links to timelines, statistics, and a note organizer where the researcher can use template graphic organizer to keep notes. Wow! This would have been a great tool when I working on my Research Application Project for my masters.
One of the links that I found helpful was "Curriculum Pathfinders". I searched "Technology" under the "Science" subject. I was pleased to find the Computer History Musuem which has some great videos posted on their You Tube channel. I bookmarked this as I can tell that there are many great resources on the SIRS Issue Researcher that I may forget where I first found it.
I strongly recommend this South Dakota State library resource to educators!
One of the links that I found helpful was "Curriculum Pathfinders". I searched "Technology" under the "Science" subject. I was pleased to find the Computer History Musuem which has some great videos posted on their You Tube channel. I bookmarked this as I can tell that there are many great resources on the SIRS Issue Researcher that I may forget where I first found it.
I strongly recommend this South Dakota State library resource to educators!
SIRS Discoverer
This resource seems like it would be a great tool for K-9 research. To explore the resources available on the SD State Library Discoverer I did a search on "pheasants". According to the tabs on the result page, all together 94 articles, 8 newspapers, 39 magazine, 33 references, 2 pictures, and 0 internet were found from this search. However, there were many more articles (marked by camera icon) that also included pictures. There was a variety of reading level available which were identified by color code and Lexile rating.
On the home page of SIRS Discoverer there is a Database Features section with more resource links. For example, I clicked the "Country Facts" to search "Belize". This led me to a wealth of quick facts about the country. When clicking on the camera icon, I found teacher resources such as graphic organizers. Under "Maps of the World", I was able to find printable maps as well as colored maps. There is also links to historical maps where I searched and found many maps related to the United States Civil War. These would be excellent resources for history or geography teacher (or teachers of historical fiction).
There were several other links in the Database Features section that will be great tools for students and teachers. There is a biography resource which allows you to identify facts about famous people. Other choices include fiction, pathfinders, pictures, photo essays, activities, educator's resources, dictionary, and theasurus.
These are just a few of the resources available on the SIRS Discoverer. Every teacher should learn about SIRS Discoverer!
On the home page of SIRS Discoverer there is a Database Features section with more resource links. For example, I clicked the "Country Facts" to search "Belize". This led me to a wealth of quick facts about the country. When clicking on the camera icon, I found teacher resources such as graphic organizers. Under "Maps of the World", I was able to find printable maps as well as colored maps. There is also links to historical maps where I searched and found many maps related to the United States Civil War. These would be excellent resources for history or geography teacher (or teachers of historical fiction).
There were several other links in the Database Features section that will be great tools for students and teachers. There is a biography resource which allows you to identify facts about famous people. Other choices include fiction, pathfinders, pictures, photo essays, activities, educator's resources, dictionary, and theasurus.
These are just a few of the resources available on the SIRS Discoverer. Every teacher should learn about SIRS Discoverer!
Monday, June 28, 2010
Lesson 1c - World Book Foreign Language
Interesting to know that the World Book is also available in both Spanish and French!
Lesson 1b World Book - Library Edition
World Book Online for Kids (K-5) -great visual resources for kids. It is kid-friendly with research options as well as games, activities, science projects, maps and more, biographies and a dictionary. Outline maps and flags are great resources for teachers!
World Book Online Info Finder (5-9)- research tools, science projects, encyclopedia articles, world and local newspapers, current events, interactive earth with helpful maps and atlas.
World Book Online Reference Center (grades 9 - adult) includes e-books, research tools, links to government resources, computer and web tutorials. I am hoping to use the latter two in technology classes I will be teaching this school year.
World Book Online Info Finder (5-9)- research tools, science projects, encyclopedia articles, world and local newspapers, current events, interactive earth with helpful maps and atlas.
World Book Online Reference Center (grades 9 - adult) includes e-books, research tools, links to government resources, computer and web tutorials. I am hoping to use the latter two in technology classes I will be teaching this school year.
Lesson 1a World Book
The South Dakota State Library offers many great resources online. Today, I explored the World Book as a reference resource.
World Book Kids (K-5)- kid friendly with good amount of pictures and ability to highlight words to be read aloud.
World Book Student Edition (5-9) - same features as Kids version but with more information available, includes pictures and videos as well as how to cite the article. It has the option to search with student and kid version combined which is nice because the kids version may help identify basic facts more quickly.
Advanced (9-12) allows the user to locate many more resources. When searching for the country of Belgium, some helpful features included map, quick facts table, flag, and other listed sections that would assist student in research of the country for class project.
Discover (grades 4 - adult) has option to translate into a different language which would be helpful for students who English is their second language. It includes read aloud option, videos, dictionary click option, timelines, assistance to build citations and more!
All of the above have good 2 page handouts that will assist the teacher and student to know what is available from these internet resources.
World Book Kids (K-5)- kid friendly with good amount of pictures and ability to highlight words to be read aloud.
World Book Student Edition (5-9) - same features as Kids version but with more information available, includes pictures and videos as well as how to cite the article. It has the option to search with student and kid version combined which is nice because the kids version may help identify basic facts more quickly.
Advanced (9-12) allows the user to locate many more resources. When searching for the country of Belgium, some helpful features included map, quick facts table, flag, and other listed sections that would assist student in research of the country for class project.
Discover (grades 4 - adult) has option to translate into a different language which would be helpful for students who English is their second language. It includes read aloud option, videos, dictionary click option, timelines, assistance to build citations and more!
All of the above have good 2 page handouts that will assist the teacher and student to know what is available from these internet resources.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Welcome to My Literature Garden
On this blog, I plan to comment on literature and library resources that I discover.
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