Helpful Webs

So I have learned that procrastination is my own worst enemy and I am not as dim as I thought. Looking through my very intelligent classmates posts, I realize that these were the sites I was contemplating posting but thought maybe they weren't scholarly enough. I use amazon.com quite often from looking up authors and book titles to pricing and reviews, also for age and reading ability ranges. I also use arbookfind.com to find accelerated reader levels and point values for kids boosting their ar scores at  school. At first it was a daunting task having to read everyones blog to find out what hasn't been posted but as I read I discovered what a wealth of information at my fingertips. I have started a mini notebook with these sites and a brief description of how they are helpful. What a treasure!
So one site I use that was not listed is familyfun.com. I use this when I need an activity to go with a story or games to play, printable activities etc. I hope you find it useful and thank you to all for posting such great suggestions. I can't wait to try them out.

LI Wrap up

My biggest discovery is that these resources are underused. There were so many that I could use on a personal basis in helping my kids, all at different ages, with school work, getting ready for college, as a girl scout and boy scout leader; it was phenominal. as I use these resources more I would like to offer workshops to people who I know will also use them. I am currently gearing up for the summer with my kids and want them to retain as much knowledge as possible. For my son, who will be a junior, we will start with Learning Express to get him ready for taking the ACT. I also would like him to use this resource for narrowing down career choices to help him in making a better informed decision in which college would best fit his intended career. I know many families who could benefit from thse services.

My other children, jr high and elementary can use the World Book Encyclopedia for games and project ideas to keep them occupied as well as learn at the same time. I would like to direct my frequent computer users to those sights as well along with some of the non-education games they prefer.

As I get more and more comfortable with the role of head librarian I would love to hold on going education for the members of my community and show them all the wonderful resources at their fingertips.

LI Lesson 5 Ancestry Library South Dakota

There were over 5,000 listing for pictures in south Dakota. As I started looking through the pages I noticed there were many yearbooks listed so pulled up one from the Black Hills University in Spearfish from 1916. There was a little writeup from the yearbook along with what looked like a class picture. There were 63 other pages in this document alone. I sounds like this group went on an outing in a horse drawn cart and ran into some trouble.Quite interesting as well as the language used almost 100 years ago.
Then I refined my search to family photos 1850-2000. Looking through the old photos it looked like any other family from that era. I liked the candid shots more than the posed ones because it shows so much more personality. The farms in the background look similar in every picture as well and is interesting that even when people weren't as "linked" together as we are now they still lead pretty similar lives. Also it's interesting to note that good looks come through no matter what the hairstyle or clothes.

I also looked around the Sears Catalogs. Kind of interesting the products they had for sale and the prices. This would be helpful for someone doing a display of historical items and they needed a description and information. Also if someone was recreating an authentic piece for a prop in a play or movie, this gives a timely information about things that may or may not be around anymore or has adapted so much to our technology its unrecognizable.

LI History and Geneology

1. I looked up myself and it was neat to see information, such as some of the places I have lived and my birth date and location. I couldn't find much else, like my marriage date and baptism date etc. I also looked up my brother who had passed away in 99 and it was nice to see some things about him as well.

2. I looked up my Grandfather HM Paul Palmer because he and my son share the same birthday so it would be easier to know if I was searching the right guy. I found him and started looking up his information. He was enlisted into the Navy in May of 1942, making him barely 18. He enlisted from Oklahoma City, OK, which surprised me because I just assumed he had always lived in Kansas. Even more surprising was his ship, BB-42, was stationed in New York. His first journey started in October of that same year. I want to learn more, which is frustrating that you have to do it from the library or school. I will have to come back to this assignment.

LI Sanborn Maps

Didn't find my town so I looked at Rapid City since that is where I do most of my shopping. I chose the selection November 1915. I thought the map was very hard to navigate. I kept wanting to move it over with the cursor and that just changed the magnification. I was just getting frustrated and ready to quit when I finally recognized some streets and looked for the Elke's Theatre. It was there! As I looked through the maps I saw one for a hotel and it was interesting to see the layout of the building, with certain shops and services. It even listed where there was furniture and posts. Good to know if you are going into a fire and can't see.

LI Lesson 9 Heritage

I am not sure if I am looking for places or people  that are too recent but I am finding no results. I have tried Bison, SD in PERSI as well as Perkins County. There is some listing of cemeteries but that is it. I also thought it would be interresting to learn the History of the town of Bixby, SD which is now just a road to travel on from Highway 20 to Highway 212 but it was built to sustain the railroad that never went through. I also tried my great grandpa with no luck.

LI WorldCat Lesson 4

It is amazing how much easier technology has made finding things. In the advanced search of World Cat one can not only narrow a search by the traditional author, subject and title, but narrow each of these listings as well. I am not sure what all the possibilities are like Language phrase, access number and accession number but there are still many other ways to look without knowing these.

For the first exercise  I typed in a book by Chris VanAllsburg, The Widow's Broom, one of my favorite illustrators. The result was 2,758 libraries worldwide carry this great book. There were seven libraries in South Dakota that carried it, the closest being Black Hills State University. The call number is PZ7.V266 Wi 1992 175142. By clicking on the name of the author I see there are 13 other  of his books in that collection although I know he has written and illustrated more.
One of the subject choices was brooms and brushes and their was only 1 other book in that collection that included that subject. I also tried magic-fiction that listed 50 books other than The Widow's Broom.

This link also offers the titles of other books in that subject area along with their publish dates, location in the Black Hills State Library and how many copies are available. For instance there is 1 available copy of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which was published in 2003.

Using OAIster I looked at a dissertation titled Dreams and Dust in the Black Hills: Race, Place, and National Identity in America's "Land of Promise" It is an internet resource and is only listed to the state library. When I went to the access link nothing appeared so I am going to try a different item. Oh I was wrong, just didn't give it enough time to load. This dissertation came from a student from the University of New Mexico. I find it interesting to be able to see other works from students other places. A masters or doctorate candidate could use this search tool to find out what has already been covered in dissertation work and maybe find a different angle from what has already been done.

I can see where World Cat is an amazing tool for cities with multiple library branches. Unfortunately in South Dakota it is not a matter of driving 15 minutes to check out a book at another location and with the now limited use of ILLs, it seems that the actual use of items in other libraries is becoming impractical for our region.

Proquest

Lunar Eclipse
What started out as a result of 20 sources, narrowed down to four when I picked Christopher Columbus, then narrowed even further when I selected publication in the last 10 years. Before I used the "limiters" I scrolled over the choices to see what was available. Patrons researching a particular subject can also limit their sources by location, the type of source, by type of document, wether it's a review or an article or a feature, etc. This make the search for information so much easier. It was always this part that took the longest in research back in the day. . .You would gather up many sources only to find the informtion irrelevent or outdated. At the touch of your fingertips you can limit a resource list to exactly what you need wether the list be 20 or 200.

I wanted to try a search on my own so I typed in a headline I saw on yahoo news about facebook. I limited the date to only the current year, then what type of document. I settled on article and ended up with thirty sources. Scrolling down the page I found the information I was looking for by the third source. Not too shabby.

Lottery Winner
I would search first for lottery winners, then I would ask the patron if they wanted to limit the search to a certain year or time period, if they had perticular states in mind and only US states or provinces as well. This will get them narrowed down pretty well. Also if they had seen a news report sparking their interest, maybe the subject matter as well.

LI SiRS Discoverer 2

Using the database feature I clicked on the "country Facts" link, which took me to an incredible alphabatized list of countries. Each one had a camera icon, noting that it had graphics with it. I chose the country Qatar as it was the only country that started with a Q. There were many facts on this country as well as leveled graphic organizers for teachers to use. Some of the helpful tools I noticed was being able to email the article to yourself for use at home writing your report or school. It also had the cite notation available to be copied directly into your report. All this information makes me want to check at the school to know if the teachers realize what is at their fingertips, offered by the state library. If there is another electronic resources challenge next year I will recommend it to the staff, even though I work at the public library. Once I get more familiar with each system I would love to hold workshops for children and their parents to let them know the wonderful resources that are out there.

Using the maps of the world, I learned they have over 3,000 detailed printable maps. These maps show bodies of water, major roads and cities of states and provinces. It wasn't as interactive as the World Book Encyclopedia, you couldn't zoom in or out but it would be very helpful to students looking at what general route they might use to get to a certain location, which areas have bodies of water and how many. It also shows the railroad lines which would be important in an economy or transportation since of a social studies class.

Question: What is a tree's favorite drink?
Answer: Root beer!--Allison Kwatek, Topsfield, Massachusetts
* * *
Question: There are three ladies under one small umbrella. How come they did not get wet?
Answer: Because it was not raining!--Ray'Lee Purscell, Benbrook, Texas

From CHILD LIFE, copyright (c) 2001, by Children's Better Health Institute, Benjamin Franklin Literary & Medical Society, Inc., Indianapolis, IN. Used by permission.

These fabulous jokes were found in the activities section under the database feature. Then I found a list of things from recipes and plays to jokes, cartoons, quizzes, etc. There is no better way to grasp a student into a subject than to have them do something fun and exciting. Sometimes it doesn't take much to lead them back into a factual discussion than a well placed joke on the topic you are covering. Making food or doing a play brings a new dimension for the kids and

Picture title: Cartoon: Space Junk Caption: (Credit: Cam Cardow/Cagle Cartoons)

they learn by doing. This is a great resource for teachers but also kids and parents. When required to do a project to show what you've learned at the end of a unit, some kids find it difficult to think outside the box but this gives them ideas where to get started. Bravo SIRS Discoverer!

PS: Incase you missed it, the jokes and cartoon are in honor of both Eath Day and Arbor Day :)

LI SiRS Discoverer 1

	Picture title: Armadillo
One of my favorite armadillo books is Armadillo Rodeo by Jan Brett. I make sure to read this story with my best Texan accent and the students really seem to enjoy it. Luckily the armadillo is nearly as cute as her illustrations, unlike my disappointment in the naked mole rat. These little guys are really quite amazing with their bendable shield and jumping ability of 90 cm in the air to scare their victems, giving them a chance to run into the nearest underbrush. In order to find my little friend I chose animals from the "browse subject tree" menu. This took me to current articles on animals. To the right was a list of the different classifications, in which I picked mammals. Again there were 91 articles in all on current mammal subjects but for a specific search I looked at the alphabetical list to the right and chose armadillos. Lucky me, according to the tabs across the top, there were 8 articles to choose from and the key just below let me know the reading level of the article. There were 6 graphics available si decided to look through them. Two were very strange as they were named moose and koala in tree, which thats exactly what they were. I was hoping there was at least an armadillo in the foreground, but no, the titles were appropriately named. I also checked out the giant armadillo, which was not very attractive. How lucky students are these days to have so much information available and teachers as well.

LI Learning Express 2*3

I found the information for nurse easy to find under jobs and careers, there was an ebook on nursing plus a practice test and information on licensing and certification. I think the student would find a lot of useful information. As far as a pharmacist, there was only information on a pharmacy tech, which would give him some idea of the field but not the information he needed fully to become a pharmacist.

LI Learning Express L2*2

I would recommend the Job Search and Workplace Skills Link in Learning Express. I would show her how to access the courses under success on the job from the heading Job search, resumes and interviewing. Here she could learn how to succeed on the job, get ahead and master crucial skills.

LI Learning Express 2*1

First I will say a prayer of Thanksgiving on behalf of this boys parents, under my breath of course. They must be thrilled, especially if he still resides in their basement. Then I would suggest he check out the GED Preperation site on the Learning Express resource. I myself like to know what my strengths and weaknesses are so I would probably take the practice tests in each of the subject areas to see what I was proficient at and what I needed refreshed on. Then I would show him the courses available for the subjects he might be struggling with. If writing was not his strong point the skills improver has excellent prompts to . . .well. . .improve your skills.

While studying and taking the GED this person should have a goal in mind of what they want their next goal to be. Therefore I would direct him to the Jobs and careers link. This may ignite some passion. Once he chooses a field, or looks into several, he will be given the opportunity to have career guidance and know what he has to do inorder to have that career wether it's traditional college, a trade school or internships. Some fields are even broken down by specialty. If there are tests that need to be taken for the career they can start practicing those as well.

Thirdly, but not last, I would direct him to job search and workplace skills. It is never a waste of time to pick up new skills to land a better job. There might be an entry level job in the field he hopes to make a career of. This site will help him polish his professional image as well as create a resume worth reading.

I actually intend to practice with my son, not 27 :) but a sophomore in high school. He is ready to start looking into colleges and wants to pick one that will best prepare him for the career of his choice. We are fine tuning what his ideal job would be and looking onto what he needs to follow that path.

LI 1B*3

Using the World Book Online Reference Center I looked up both e-books suggested. I just can't beleive how available classic literature is today. How convenient for teachers to assign books for discussion when they are right at the fingertips of the students. I read the first few paragraphs of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and also had the text read to me. It was hard because the dialect was lost on the computer voice, it definately was not the quality of a book on tape but it would be helpful to hear words spoken that you may have never read before. I was amazed at the amount of books available and I only searched through the juvenile section. Not only could students download these stories from home to their electronic devices but come into the library and download them. Technolgy seems limitless and I am glad the state library is keeping up as well as it is.

LI 1B*2

Was anyone else disappointed with the Interactive Earth? The name suggests that you should be able to see volcanoes erupt from the core and plates shifts causing tidal waves and earthquakes. . .ok maybe I was thinking a more of the geological earth and not the geographical one. When I clicked on the interactive maps I was given a pop up of South Dakota, which was neat, with a choice to look at more information on my home state. I moved the curser around and realized I could get information on any place that had a pink tear drop over it. I moved over to AZ, the state I grew up in and clicked into it's link. It brought me to a page where I can access endless information from the state bird and flag to it's government, people, economy, climate etc. I again moved over to SD and found that if I zoomed in a little more, I could even see my tiny town of 350 people, nice.

What a great way for a student to find information for a report if they don't have a location picked out. Some of us have a hard time thinking of places to research off the tops of our heads and this is a great visual tool. In a matter of minutes you could check out several locations and make a decision based on which one provides information that interests you. Very exciting.

LI 1B*1

Oh what fun, I love playing games. I chose to do story problems in math. Unfortunately there is not a choice for grade level or age, so some games might be too easy or too hard for certain students. I also felt like the pop up that came on the screen when a correct answer was produced contained too much information. Not only did it give positive reinforcement that the answer was right but gave reasons why the other answers were wrong. Valuable information but maybe should have been in a different box or different colored text might have helped sort through information for a quick understanding.

I also tried the animal sort. Again there was no designation for level and it was pretty easy. Although you need to know how to read the animals name to play. It would be nice to have a way to read it for younger kids who are not readers yet. Just to see what would happen if you got an answer wrong, I tried to put the mosquito in the bird treasure chest and it bounced back in place saying "uh oh" which is a nice way to let the child know they are wrong but gives them the opportunity to try again.

Not sure I should admit this, but I also tried the Australian crossword since I taught a thematic unit on it in the late 90's to third graders. The bad part is I pretty much failed it. Hopefully if I was a student learning this I would know the answers. In all fairness some of those questions are not things I would have had in a third grade unit :). These games would not only be a great way to sharpen skills youngsters are having trouble with, especially over long breaks like summer, but what a great way to study for tests.

LI challenge 1a4

Using the World Book Discover I looked for an interesting article on American Governement. This is not my favorite topic as I can never remember dates and facts very easily. As I narrowed my search from government to American Government and then to people, I scrolled through the pages having little interest in the men of our governments history. Then on page 3 I saw Sandra Day O'Conner. Being from Arizona I remember going to the capital building in Phoenix on  field trip for Student Council in Jr. High and we got to see her office. I remember being very impressed that she was the first lady to sit on the Supreme Court and wondered if I would be the first lady to do something when I grew up. I think we get so used to things that are apart of our lives we forget that it takes one person to be the first, the struggles they needed to overcome and courage to go further even when other people get in their way.

I was impressed how hard she had to work starting out just to be a lawyer, offering her legal services for free. I remember Regan and Carter running for President but I did not realize that part of Regan's campaign was to elect a woman to the Supreme Court. This information was all on the video which was linked to the page that gave information on O'Conner. Using the link to the left I was able to view the article in several different languages although I was disappointed that the video, of O'conner was not available in other languages.

LI challenge 1a3

I apologise in advance if I offend anybody, but the naked mole rat, will call him Doug (DUG- again sorry) has captured my attention and I am sticking with him in this assignment as well. :) When I got to Worldbook Advanced I remembered Doug was from Eastern Africa. Since I am not familiar with all the countries of Africa I went to the atlas link on the right side of the page and then located eastern Africa, and from there the country of Mozambique.

There was plenty of additional information besides the lengthy article the link directed me to. Patrons doing a report on this country could find specific information on the flag, traditional music, history, goverment, the economy, climate and much more without being bogged down with information they didn't need. I especially liked the pictures of the country. Too bad Doug only sees it from the underside.

Patrons are also able to print by the category they need instead of printing the whole article which can save time and paper and alleviate the hastle of having to sort through unwanted information.

LI Challenge Lesson 1a2

What luck that I should be able to search further on my good friend the naked mole rat. Upon typing this in the search bar, I was linked to a page about mole-rats,  which is defined as any variety of small rodents adapted to underground life. Their was however a different picture of my pal-

World Book illustration by John F. Eggert

 which seemed even less flattering than the one I had grown to think of "so ugly, it's cute." At the bottom of the page there was a link to the more specific mole-rat in question. The original profile picture emerged and I read some of the same material I had in World Kids but there was much more information added and included some scientific terms like eusociality, which means their colony resembles that of ants and bees, with one queen female.

So while I don't think I will be bringing one home anytime soon to cuddle with and replace my dogs, I do have a new appreciation for my hairless friend even if he does not resemble the Disney Disillusion.

LI Challenge Lesson 1a1

Before I started my assignment I spent some time getting to know the features in World Book Kids. I played a few games, looked at some of the activities and science experiments. Later I had my daughter play some of the games with me and she seemed very interested. Little does she know that I will be using this over the summer to keep her skills up. Mwahahahaha. I also intend to encourage kids at the library to use this as an alternate to the hours of uneducational games they play at the library.

Back to the assignment. I didn't really have a particular animal in mind so after narrowing my search to animals and then mammals, I clicked on an abritrary page and was lead to the n sewction, where I was acqainted with the naked mole rat. A fond memory came to mind as I recalled watching Kim Possible with my daughter and being enamored by the pink bundle of cuteness named Rufus.

Disney did a good job of smoothing out the rough spots because to my dismay, the real version of a naked mole rat was a far cry from the cute, energetic, coolness of Ron's side kick.

Is it the black beady, squintish eyes? The long, over protruding buck teeth? Or just the pink wrinkled, hairless skin that gave me cause to withdraw from the computer monitor. Anyway, when I got passed the initial shock I found out that naked mole rats live underground feeding on the underground parts of plants. They live in colonies of about 80 and only 1 female and 1-3 males breed for the whole colony.

Although he wouldn't make a good pet, his picture did kind of grow on me. Is that a smile I see behind those teeth?

Credit: © Frans Lanting Studio/Alamy Images