Lesson 9 Genealogy

1. Contrary to popular belief, you don't have to be dead to be listed in AncestryLibrary and can frequently find useful information in the U.S. Phone and Address Directories, 1993-2002. You may even find your marriage license. Search for your own name in AncestryLibrary and report the results.

When I entered my name my marriage license popped up. I  broadened my search and my old address from 15 years ago was listed.

 

 

2.  In AncestryLibrary, search for a grandparent or great-grandparent and see if you can locate them in the census.  Report your findings.
 

I typed in my grandfathers name and found out he was born in 1888 and married in 1920. My mom's only brother also came up in the census of 1945.

3.  In AncestryLibrary, type "South Dakota" in the location box and click Search. On the left side of the next screen is a link for Pictures.  Click Pictures, see what's there, and look at one or more. Report your findings. 

When searching for pictures I found there were over 1136 historical postcards. The first one I looked at was the public school, DeSmet S.Dak. that was very interesting. then I looked at Flandreau High School. That must have been the thing to do, make postcards of your school!

4. In HeritageQuest, there are over 28,000 family and local histories in their online historical books.  Search for a place or browse the publications.  Report back on something that interested you.

I typed in my hometown, only one entry came up and it was for the 1940 census.

5. In Sanborn Maps, select South Dakota. Then select your town or a town with which you are familiar. Choose a date. Look at the first page containing the Index. Then navigate around the pages and see what you discover. Try to find a building on the map that is still in use today. Report your findings.


In Sanborn Maps I selected the small town of Carthage, S.D. The most recent date I could chose was Dec. 1925. My uncle used to own a business right along the railroad tracks in Carthage. There were many businesses in Carthage in 1925. Right now I can only think of less than 10 that are still operating today. There is a notice on the page - NON-COMMERCIAL USE ONLY.

Next I went to my hometown. May 1943 was the latest date listed. Rather than small towns in rural S.D. growing they have all shrunk a lot over the last 100 years!

camio lesson

On camio after typing in Sioux I chose the Scalp Shirt.
The description gave a lot of information. The feature of being able to move the object around and zoom in for a close up was interesting. I think this site would be great for research. Teachers could use all the pictures for visuals. The students could experience many items from the past that they would never have a chance to otherwise see.

Lesson 10 Wrap Up

I am overwhelmed at the amount of information that is available for free! And the fact that anyone can access this information IF they can find a barcode and password. That is the one and only draw back I see from this.

I hope to promote this to the students and teachers for additional resources available to them.

Thank you for the challenge, I learned a lot!!

Lesson 8 World Cat

 1. We recommend using the Advanced Search screen for best search results. Click the “Advanced” tab on the toolbar 2nd to the top. In WorldCat, the right set of search boxes say “Keyword.” Click on the drop down menu to see other ways you can search.

There are many ways to ask for information. I haven't used most of these. However, I do use WorldCat a lot to find call numbers for books I am cataloguing.  

 2. Choose Title Phrase search, and click on the limiter (below the search boxes) “Books.” In the search box, type a book title. Note the number of results. How many libraries worldwide have item #1? Click the link. What is the top library?
Book title - The Fire Cat
Number of results - 38
Item #1 - 1597
Dakota Wesleyan Univ. McGovern Libr

 3. Click into result #1 and look at the full record. What is the call number (class descriptor)? To see what else the author of your chosen book has written, click on the author's name. To see what else is available on that subject, click on a subject. What other information do you see?

LC : PZ10.3.A96    Dewey: E
records found: 146 (English:129)
under subject I found : cats, fiction, juvenile fiction, juvenile works

Other FirstSearch Indexes

WorldCat offers access to other databases, too. These include indexes to books, articles, dissertations, archive material, and more. In WorldCat, these are found by clicking on the drop down menu next to “Search in database.” Most of these are very specialized, scholarly databases that are NOT full text, but they might be the perfect resource to get a piece of information. For information on each database, select each one and click on the “i” icon. This guide gives a chart with brief explanation of each database, its intended audience and its use.

Discovery Exercise part 2

The OAIster (pronounced “oyster”) database is one of the few mostly full text databases in WorldCat. Choose OAIster from the dropdown menu next to “Search in database.” In the “Keyword” search box, type South Dakota. Select one of your results. Click on the link next to “Access.” Add to your Lesson 8 blog posting by writing about your findings and your impressions of this tool.

I selected National park service audio recording - wind cave national park - field sparrow
the download took a long time for about one second of audio.




Take a look at other participant's blogs and see how their experiences compared with yours.

Lauren P. seemed to really like it.

Lesson 7 Ebooks on EBSCO

 1. Do a search for a topic that interests you. Note the default search is "Find all my search terms." You may want to change the search to one of the other options. Review your findings and observations.

I typed in craft books and came up with 103 results.
I then refined my search to learning how to knit, 1 book was available.

 2. Constitution Day is looming and several students need more material. Search EBooks on EbscoHost and recommend some appropriate titles.

I did a search on constitution day and 37 ebooks popped up, not all of them pertained to the U.S. constitution.

Some titles that would be appropriate for students would be:

Title:

Colonies and Revolution

The Bill of Rights

 3. A class is doing projects on Western history. They have exhausted the library's print collection. In EBooks on EbscoHost, click "Advanced Search." In the "Select a Field" box, choose "PB Publisher." In the search box, type "Nebraska" or "Oklahoma." Report your findings.

I typed in Oklahoma and chose PB Publisher.  82 results came up

There were books about Native America, deserts, early fur trade and Oklahoma place names just to name a few.

So many diverse subjects. It also gives you the option of selecting the publication date you would like.

Lesson 6 Gale Virtual Reference Library

 1. Getting to know the titles in GVRL is similar to getting to know the titles of your library's reference collection. Click "Title List" on the upper right to view all the titles available in the collection. Click a book title of interest to you and access an article via the table of contents. Notice with the multi-volume titles, you can select which volume you look at. Discuss the title you selected and how you may use it.

Endangered Species, 2^nd ed., 3v, 2004 (9780787692995)
I chose the American Bison. The article told me the bison are in a lower risk category and are conservation dependent. The information given seemed similar to what you would find if you looked it up in an encyclopedia.

If a student came into the library asking about endangered animals this it site I would direct them too.

 2. At the top of the home page, type a search term in the search box. Search for answers to the two questions posed at the beginning of the post: zinc or The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn if you can't think of something else. Review the results, selecting an article to see what kind of information you can find. Test the "Listen" feature. Discuss your results.

I picked the bald eagle. Many of our classrooms are following the bald eagle webcams from around the United States right now. Again I felt like it was just the same as looking it up in an encyclopedia.
The lexile level was very high so I don't think this site would be beneficial to a younger student.
I used the listen feature and found it very helpful with pronunciations of words.


 3. Look at 2 or 3 other participants' blogs to see what they discovered. Comment if you like.

I found many different topics, many of them medical.
What a great reference resource GVRL is.

Lesson 5 Proquest

 1. Do a basic search on something of interest to you. Report your findings and observations.

For this assignment I chose to research classroom management for new teachers.
I found that I had to keep narrowing down my search to make it manageable.
I really like the feature of choosing a specific date range. This allowed me to select the most
current ideas and information. There were 8401 results on this topic in the last two years.

The create alert feature would be very helpful if you were researching a medical condition.
I plan to use the Proquest site in the future just for this purpose. I found the amount of information somewhat overwhelming, I think you would have to keep redefining your search.


 1.a. See what your Challenge cohort is discovering. Choose at least one other Challenge blog, read that person's post (about this or a pious lesson), and comment on it. You may like to check each other's blogs throughout the Challenge as you learn together.

I looked at several other posts. I found many have not started the challenge or were not to this lesson yet. I did find some that have finished already though and they each have provided great information.

 2. Click the Publications tab at the top of the page. You will see an alphabetical list of the periodicals indexed in Proquest and the years included. Notice that this list is "Full text only." Do a search for a journal in your profession by typing a title or keyword in the search box. Report your findings and observations.

I typed in a search for librarian, two publications showed up.
Next I searched Library and 29 publications came up.
The options to save to research, email, print and export would be so helpful for teachers and students alike.

Lesson 4

SIRS Discoverer
1. Look up armadillos (or your favorite animals) and discuss the results. Note if you find pictures and the various reading levels of the articles. (Remember, articles in SIRS Discoverer are selected, so you may not find something from yesterday's news.)

When I looked up armadillos it told me there were 94 articles. It was then broken down by categories:
newspapers, magazines, reference, graphics, webfindsites.
I am able to sort lexile levels from lowest to highest or from highest to lowest.
Information is listed after each title, it lists the reading levels from general to challenging, tells you if the article has a photo or graphic  and some titles have pdf's listed. I think this site would be an excellent resource for the Kindergarten and First grade teachers at my school.


 2. Some of the most useful features in SIRS Discoverer are the "Database Features" located on the right hand side of the window. Explore this section by:

• selecting a country in "Country Facts" and noting the information located there.
• selecting a map in "Maps of the World" and discussing a potential use.
• selecting one other area in "Database Features" and discuss the information located there.

I chose South Asia and then Afghanistan. It listed the basic information for Afghanistan, showed the map and the flag of the country. The listen feature was something that would be beneficial to students and you can select what language you would like to hear it in.

Maps of the world - there are over 3000 detailed, printable maps available. I found the outline map to be an interesting resource for Geography classes. The printable feature would be useful for teachers also.

The next feature I explored was the NEW Animal Facts site. My younger students love to look at animal books and I think they would enjoy exploring this site. The animal list is sorted by name from A-Z. Once you choose an animal it looks like the  Discoverer  page. All the information is listed by lexile level and it tells you if the article has photos or activities to go with it.


SIRS Issues Researcher
1. Select a leading issue and discuss the information located there, noting the topic overview, research tools and articles.

ADHD - Pro/Con Issues
150 source types were listed
topic overview - Mental Health
it gave a timeline, global impact, stats, and a note organizer

 2. Select "Curriculum Pathfinders" on the right hand side of the window and mouse over the course subjects, noting the range of topics covered. Pick your favorite subject and discuss the information located there.

I chose Math Games. There were 14 results. There was a website for Math games that looked very useful for our lower elementary students. Visual sites for grades 9-12 and a website from a teacher for Math lessons.

Lesson 3

 1.  Set-up an account in Learning Express and browse through the available exams. 

2.  Choose one and answer a few questions. Then click "Score my test" in the top toolbar. Ignore the warnings and continue to have your test scored, so that you can see how the diagnostic page looks. Then click "View Answers" at the bottom of the page. What did you think about this test experience?
I chose the civil service test. After I answered the first five questions it would not let me go (on my next test I found the button to go onto the next page) on so I scored my test. I do not feel like this site is very user friendly. Even after watching the tutorial it was difficult to determine where to go to find a practice test. The results page breaks down the questions into categories so you can see where you are stronger and weaker.


 3.  Job searching and resume writing are among the self-paced courses in Learning Express.  Locate the career resources and add one of the courses to your center.  Take a few minutes to explore the course and note your observations.
I took the postal worker exam. It was a timed test but the setup was hard to follow. It asked questions about a particular form and I had to keep scrolling back up to the top of the page to look at the form and then scroll back down to find what question I was on. The questions were quite easy. If it was set up differently so that the scrolling up and down was eliminated it was be more user friendly.

 4. Type a search term in the search box for a skills improvement or career topic in which you are interested. Notice that results are sorted by tests, courses and eBooks (if all of those are available for your chosen topic). Please select an eBook and look through its pages.

I clicked on Reading Skills eBooks and there were 6 choices.  I then chose Visual Communications. There were 236 pages to this ebook.
It was a study of :

Understanding Maps, Charts,

Diagrams, and Schematics   



    

Lesson 2

Chilton Library


1. Look up the maintenance schedule for your vehicle. View the whole chart and list 3 things that should be done at 30,000 miles.
2007 Ford Ranger pickup - replace fuel filter, inspect cooling system and replace auto. trans fluid & filter

2. What was the most recent Technical Service Bulletin or Recall notice on your car about and when was it issued?
noise from clutch slave cylinder when clutch - engaged/disengaged 10/28/08

3. Click to the Repair tab and note some of the information about brakes for your car.

There are videos to view brake service and installation of the brake rotor and pads.
Also, a specifications chart is pictured with information on the caliper and minimum thickness of the front and rear brake.
Several video options are listed that would be very helpful to the backyard mechanic.

Mango Language

1. Try out a lesson. How helpful would this program be to help you learn a language? What did you like? What didn't you like? Why?
I chose Spanish and I found the lesson very interesting. Hearing the spoken language was helpful, the repeat button was something I used a lot !! I did not like that you had to log in or create a profile. Maybe there is a way around that, but I did not find it.

2. A Vietnamese student would like to improve her English. You do not know Vietnamese. Describe how Mango Languages can help her.

This student could improve her English by listening to the English lessons and hearing the spoken word. The option to listen to it over and over would be very helpful.

 

Tumblebooks Library

 

This I am very familiar with !! It is a wonderful resource for storybooks online. The read aloud option and the highlighted words are great!

The book I chose was: Animals Black and White

the feature of lexile levels would be helpful for teachers and parents who are choosing an appropriate book. After listening to the story  I clicked on the puzzle. I felt like the puzzle was a bit hard for a preschooler or Kindergartener.

I would recommend this site to any parent of a preschooler thru 3rd grader and of course it is a great source for elementary teachers.

Lesson 1c

Lesson 1c -- World Book Foreign Language Edition

1.  Check out the visual dictionary in either language and look for an animal.  Discuss how this could be used in your library.
The visual dictionary could be very helpful for our foreign language students to practice vocabulary and to hear the words spoken correctly. The visual photos were well labeled and this would also help someone who was trying to learn and new language. For the ESL students who speak Spanish, this site would be a tool to help them learn information and then make it easier to express what they have learned in English.

 2.  In the Spanish language encyclopedia, Enciclopedia Estudiantil Hallazgos, look up an article and listen to it being read aloud.  How could this feature be useful for your library?
Again, I think the foreign language students would benefit the most from this site. Having it read aloud and the words being pronounced correctly will help them become familiar with the language and help them to become more fluent.

Lesson 1b
 1. Using World Book Online Kids, search for information on a mammal of your choice. Find a picture and information about its habitat.
Once again I choose the fox . I found that the public library edition was very user friendly with a pictures and options for translating the text and having the text read aloud. This would be very helpful for ESL students and beginning readers.

 2. Using World Book Online Info Finder, search for information on the same mammal you searched in World Book Kids and compare the amount of information.
I found this site to be very informative.  Students who were doing a report could find many resources
on this subject. It included a Facts Table, a save to my research option, double click option to define words, and the lexile level is also displayed in the upper left hand corner.  Very appropriate for 4th thru 8th grade.

 3. Using World Book Online Reference Center, search for a country. Notice the types of information available on the left and right side bars of the first results screen. Click on the link for your desired country, and again notice the types of information on the left and right side bars of the screen. What types of information will be most valuable to your patrons.

I chose Sweden as my country to search. On the first results screen I found the maps and tables the most interesting. There is a wealth of information listed.
After clicking on the link for Sweden the information was broken down into more specific sections.
It included a Facts Table which I thought gave an overview of the most important things to know about Sweden. Again, I really like to the save to my research option, I think that would be a very helpful tool for anyone doing research.

Lesson 1

1. Using World Book Kids, search for information on a mammal of your choice. Find a picture and information about its habitat.

My mammal of choice - fox

Habitat- Foxes may live in forests or deserts. Some can be found living in woods inside cities. 

2. Using World Book Student, search for information on the same mammal you searched in World Book Kids and compare the amount of information.

This article gave more information, and it seems to be at a higher reading level than the Kids version. 

The facts table was very helpful on this site, the Kids version did not have this feature.

3. Using World Book Advanced, search for a country. Notice the types of information available on the left and right side bars of the first results screen. Click on the link for your desired country, and again notice the types of information on the left and right side bars of the screen. What types of information will be most valuable to your patrons or students?
I think the translate option would be very helpful for ESL students. There is a host of information, maps and photos for any research project .

4. Using World Book Discover, use the browse function on the right side of the screen to find an article about American government. Notice the features on the article page. How will World Book Discover help your patrons or students who are not good readers of English?

There are options to translate the article into another language, define individual words, and listen to the article read aloud. Our school has ESL students, and I think the read-aloud feature would be very beneficial. 

S.D. Library Challenge

This blog is being set up so I can participate in the SD Library Electronic Resources Challenge .

This is my first attempt at blogging and I am looking forward to this learning experience. 

Lesson 1 - World Book Online - Encyclopedia and More

Our first assignment is to choose a mammal, find a picture and information about it's habitat.

We will be using World Book Kids.