I've been looking back through my blogs and I think the biggest discovery for me was SIRS Discoverer. I am looking forward to getting more time to work it into classroom activities. I found it a helpful resource for lecture notes.
I have put together a 3-ring binder with all of the handouts that were offered. We do enrichment for students on Monday mornings and have inservice most Monday afternoons. I am hoping that one of these Mondays, I will be able to present this information to some of my coworkers. I have been talking it up quite a bit and shooting e-mails here and there to teachers that come to mind as I find certain pieces of information.
I have learned a lot. It's almost mind boggling, but I know that the only way that I will retain most of it will be to use it as frequently as possible. Thanks for a really useful study.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Lesson 9 - My Personal Favorite
Ok - let me start by saying that I LOVE genealogy study. I really got into it about 8 years ago and spent quite a bit of time collecting information. I have met people from all over the country that are either related or just big dorks like me who don't mind helping out on my search. Genealogists are generally very generous with their resources and search techniques!
I did a search of my maiden name and found my birth record. I didn't see my marriage license, but I'm not sure if SD publishes any records on living citizens. I also found myself in some of the telephone listings as was mentioned in the blog directions. (I have a subscription to Ancestry so I know that I am on there more than can be viewed publicly.)
I searched for my husband's grandparents and had great luck! Fern Mae Hill shows up on several censuses. I happened to have a student near my desk and we did a quick search for his great grandmother and found results. It was really neat to be able share that with him.
When I did my photo search using South Dakota as my keyword, I found some interesting pictures of former professional baseball players. I also found an image that tied directly to the 8th grade social studies class that I subbed for today. It was an old advertisement for cheap or free land in South Dakota as of 1890.
For me, HeritageQuest is less user-friendly than Ancestry. I was still able to find a few resources that might be useful, but one of the features I love about commercial Ancestry is the family trees that are submitted by family researchers. I find that to be an incredibly valuable tool - though they should be used with a critical eye.
I used Sanborn Maps to look at Sioux Falls. The oldest map was from December of 1883. The Queen Bee Mill is on the 1883 map and though it's no longer in use, the footprint is still there by the Falls. It's pretty interesting to see how the city changes over just a few years' time.
I did a search of my maiden name and found my birth record. I didn't see my marriage license, but I'm not sure if SD publishes any records on living citizens. I also found myself in some of the telephone listings as was mentioned in the blog directions. (I have a subscription to Ancestry so I know that I am on there more than can be viewed publicly.)
I searched for my husband's grandparents and had great luck! Fern Mae Hill shows up on several censuses. I happened to have a student near my desk and we did a quick search for his great grandmother and found results. It was really neat to be able share that with him.
When I did my photo search using South Dakota as my keyword, I found some interesting pictures of former professional baseball players. I also found an image that tied directly to the 8th grade social studies class that I subbed for today. It was an old advertisement for cheap or free land in South Dakota as of 1890.
For me, HeritageQuest is less user-friendly than Ancestry. I was still able to find a few resources that might be useful, but one of the features I love about commercial Ancestry is the family trees that are submitted by family researchers. I find that to be an incredibly valuable tool - though they should be used with a critical eye.
I used Sanborn Maps to look at Sioux Falls. The oldest map was from December of 1883. The Queen Bee Mill is on the 1883 map and though it's no longer in use, the footprint is still there by the Falls. It's pretty interesting to see how the city changes over just a few years' time.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Lesson 8- ArchiveGrid and CAMIO
I did the suggested "Sitting Bull autograph card" and learned some interesting things about Sitting Bull. I had no idea that he was a shaman. I always mentally associate Sitting Bull with Little Big Horn, but didn't really know how everything came to an end. I didn't realize that he traveled with Buffalo Bill after being captured. It was surprising to me that the government allowed Sitting Bull to travel. I would have thought they might consider him a huge threat to national security.
I tried a number of searches using the ArchiveGrid. I may not have had the patience that was warranted to find the best results or I just may have been looking for obscure items. I love doing genealogy research (yea lesson 9!) and thought I'd try looking for some resources that I know exist, but am not sure are in any formal collection. I have received copies and translations from other genealogy buffs, but have never directly requested information from a library. I was looking from some German reference materials called orsippenbuch, but didn't find much of anything.
CAMIO
I knew Paul Revere was a silversmith, but it's really an amazing thing to be able to look at images of his work. His craftsmanship is something else. I also found it interesting that there was a Paul Revere, Jr. who excelled in art, but in a different way than his father.
The search term "Sioux" brought up some great Native American artifacts. I could see this being used in social studies, art, humanities, etc. Again, the craftsmanship is something to behold. I find one of the most interesting details is that the materials are included. I looked a pouch that listed mallard duck scalp as one of the materials. Really ingenious!
I don't really have a favorite artist, but I did a search for quilts. I LOVE quilts, but I am not patient or talented enough to produce one. The first result was a beautiful friendship quilt from about 1840. The woman who started the quilt thought that in this nation so focused on business, it would be a great way for extended families and friends to spend time together. Funny what hasn't changed!
I would personally use CAMIO as a way to tie fine arts into other content areas - especially social studies and literature. I could see using an image as a writing prompt and then learning more about the actual inspiration behind it.
I really like the idea of being able to personalize the CAMIO search. I could definitely see its use if one were studying art and wanted to compare an artist's works through different time periods or compare/contrast different artists. It could also be used in the social studies realm if one looked at art from different cultures that dealt with a single event. I could also see a use in composition if one was looking at the concepts of comparison versus contrast and using different images to reinforce the concepts.
I tried a number of searches using the ArchiveGrid. I may not have had the patience that was warranted to find the best results or I just may have been looking for obscure items. I love doing genealogy research (yea lesson 9!) and thought I'd try looking for some resources that I know exist, but am not sure are in any formal collection. I have received copies and translations from other genealogy buffs, but have never directly requested information from a library. I was looking from some German reference materials called orsippenbuch, but didn't find much of anything.
CAMIO
I knew Paul Revere was a silversmith, but it's really an amazing thing to be able to look at images of his work. His craftsmanship is something else. I also found it interesting that there was a Paul Revere, Jr. who excelled in art, but in a different way than his father.
The search term "Sioux" brought up some great Native American artifacts. I could see this being used in social studies, art, humanities, etc. Again, the craftsmanship is something to behold. I find one of the most interesting details is that the materials are included. I looked a pouch that listed mallard duck scalp as one of the materials. Really ingenious!
I don't really have a favorite artist, but I did a search for quilts. I LOVE quilts, but I am not patient or talented enough to produce one. The first result was a beautiful friendship quilt from about 1840. The woman who started the quilt thought that in this nation so focused on business, it would be a great way for extended families and friends to spend time together. Funny what hasn't changed!
I would personally use CAMIO as a way to tie fine arts into other content areas - especially social studies and literature. I could see using an image as a writing prompt and then learning more about the actual inspiration behind it.
I really like the idea of being able to personalize the CAMIO search. I could definitely see its use if one were studying art and wanted to compare an artist's works through different time periods or compare/contrast different artists. It could also be used in the social studies realm if one looked at art from different cultures that dealt with a single event. I could also see a use in composition if one was looking at the concepts of comparison versus contrast and using different images to reinforce the concepts.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Lesson 7 - Finally!
Finally getting back into the swing of things after a few ridiculously busy weeks! New granddaughter, Nora, has finally made her appearance so all is well with the world.
I chose to look for the phrase "mockingbird", but came up with way too many options. I then added "kill a mockingbird" and came up with 4 search results. The first result said that there To Kill A Mockingbird was found in 21 libraries. Hmmm, I'm not sure what that means. The first library that pops up is the Highland County Public Library System. Call number is 813. When I click on Harper Lee, I come up with 1201 resources of many types. I didn't see a subject option on this resource.
Using the OAIster database, I looked at a letter written by Norman Noble to the Bryant College Service Club. I like the idea of being able to pull up a digital copy of the original letter as well as a typed copy of the letter.
I looked at Hopeless' blog. I agree that there is A LOT of information available. I could see myself using WorldCat now and then. We just had our book fair. There are a few ISBN's that are not recognized by Surpass Copycat and WorldCat would be helpful for getting the MARC record set up correctly.
I chose to look for the phrase "mockingbird", but came up with way too many options. I then added "kill a mockingbird" and came up with 4 search results. The first result said that there To Kill A Mockingbird was found in 21 libraries. Hmmm, I'm not sure what that means. The first library that pops up is the Highland County Public Library System. Call number is 813. When I click on Harper Lee, I come up with 1201 resources of many types. I didn't see a subject option on this resource.
Using the OAIster database, I looked at a letter written by Norman Noble to the Bryant College Service Club. I like the idea of being able to pull up a digital copy of the original letter as well as a typed copy of the letter.
I looked at Hopeless' blog. I agree that there is A LOT of information available. I could see myself using WorldCat now and then. We just had our book fair. There are a few ISBN's that are not recognized by Surpass Copycat and WorldCat would be helpful for getting the MARC record set up correctly.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Lesson 6 continued
Thank you for the quick response to my plea for help!
I was able to complete the assignment successfully. I looked at both NE and OK and found that most of the history sources listed were published by the University of Nebraska and the University of Oklahoma respectively. One title that caught my eye in the Oklahoma search was The Rapid City Indian School. This is a book I would not normally be drawn to for traditional library check out. However, I think that even giving users the chance to browse more titles opens up other possibilities for expanded research or even leisure non-fiction reading.
I was able to complete the assignment successfully. I looked at both NE and OK and found that most of the history sources listed were published by the University of Nebraska and the University of Oklahoma respectively. One title that caught my eye in the Oklahoma search was The Rapid City Indian School. This is a book I would not normally be drawn to for traditional library check out. However, I think that even giving users the chance to browse more titles opens up other possibilities for expanded research or even leisure non-fiction reading.
Lesson 6 - eBooks on EBSCOhost
It's been awhile, but I'm back to the blog.
I chose anatomy as my search term. I came up with a number of resources including many that would likely be texts for college classes. I don't know how often my students would use these resources, but if they needed books for a research paper, this would be a much better avenue than looking at our small nonfiction selection.
For the constitution day question, I'd probably recommend The Complete Idiot's Guide to the American Presidents. It wouldn't be too technical, but it would give my students enough information to get started.
I am having trouble completing #3 on this lesson. I am not sure where to put the PB. I see it under field codes, but there is nowhere to select it. Any ideas what I'm doing incorrectly?
I chose anatomy as my search term. I came up with a number of resources including many that would likely be texts for college classes. I don't know how often my students would use these resources, but if they needed books for a research paper, this would be a much better avenue than looking at our small nonfiction selection.
For the constitution day question, I'd probably recommend The Complete Idiot's Guide to the American Presidents. It wouldn't be too technical, but it would give my students enough information to get started.
I am having trouble completing #3 on this lesson. I am not sure where to put the PB. I see it under field codes, but there is nowhere to select it. Any ideas what I'm doing incorrectly?
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Lesson 5 Gale Virtual Reference Library
I looked at the Gale Encylopedia of Science, Volume 2. We are studying DNA replication in Biology, so I thought I'd take a look. For my particular sophomore class, the reading level may be a bit too high. However, a more advanced student or perhaps a teacher would find the article a useful supplement or clarification.
I did like that the option was there for a user to listen to the article, to download as an MP3 or download to an eReader. I think users today would appreciate the options. Students in our school are not patient enough to sit down in the library to do research unless it is required of them. They want information to go and this fits the bill.
I just had a student come in who is looking for classic literature for his College English class. The caveat is that it cannot be a book that has been referenced in his college course or one that was used during HS English. I searched for great novels and came up with several options. There were a number of titles that grouped literature based on a theme - literature of war, race and prejudice, the American Dream, etc.
I used the plot overview limitation and found quite a list: The Red Badge of Courage, Catch-22, Lonesome Dove, The Last of the Mohicans, etc.
I found another blogger who looked at the College Blue Book. We have a daughter entering college in the fall, and though she knows where she's headed, I agree that The College Blue Book might be a good starting point for others.
I did like that the option was there for a user to listen to the article, to download as an MP3 or download to an eReader. I think users today would appreciate the options. Students in our school are not patient enough to sit down in the library to do research unless it is required of them. They want information to go and this fits the bill.
I just had a student come in who is looking for classic literature for his College English class. The caveat is that it cannot be a book that has been referenced in his college course or one that was used during HS English. I searched for great novels and came up with several options. There were a number of titles that grouped literature based on a theme - literature of war, race and prejudice, the American Dream, etc.
I used the plot overview limitation and found quite a list: The Red Badge of Courage, Catch-22, Lonesome Dove, The Last of the Mohicans, etc.
I found another blogger who looked at the College Blue Book. We have a daughter entering college in the fall, and though she knows where she's headed, I agree that The College Blue Book might be a good starting point for others.
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