Steps to Research What can you do to draw students and teachers
into using valuable 21st technologies? How can you help your teachers integrate
literacy and technology into their research units? How can you organize the overwhelming
number of digital resources available from your school and from provincially funded resources?
http://betterresearchprojects.wikispaces.com
Agenda
Short History of the Virtual Library The design of our virtual library Designing your Own virtual space Marketing and implementation
Instructional Responsibilities
Curriculum Development Responsibilities Consultative
Role
Selection of Learning Resources Management
Function
Program Advocacy
Short History of the Virtual Library The central virtual library started 10 years
ago by Linda Langdon The vision was to have a central place that
was organized in a logical research method. In February of 2005 the model for elementary
schools was changed and along with that came the elementary virtual library.
In September of 2005 Jan Reynolds was hired as the Board Librarian for Elementary Schools.
In February of 2008 Kate Shields started as Board Librarian for Secondary School.
Near North District School Board
Seven Step Modelhttp://www-lib.nearnorth.edu.on.ca/vle1.htm
1. Encyclopedias2. Books3. Current Resources4. Internet Links5. Government6. Maps7. Search Engines
Before the students begin… How to read a screen – backward F How to skim, scan and highlight Edit find feature How are they to save their work What is a search box What are the keywords + boolean New terminology (active x) Match your instructions to what they see
What are the seven steps?
Step 1 – Encyclopedias
Step 2 – Books
Step 3 – Current Resources
Step 4 – General Resources
Step 1 - Encyclopedias
FREE
Grolier (OSAPAC) Canadian
SUBSCRIPTION World Book Découverte Early World
What are the seven steps?
Step 1 – Encyclopedias
Step 2 – Books
Step 3 – Current Resources
Step 4 – General Resources
Step 2 - BooksNear North Board is fully
automatedYou can search from any
computer on the internetAutomating book rooms
Step 2 – Books (continued)
ReadPlease (text to speech)
VozMe (Text to MP3) Forest of reading Battle of the Books
SUBSCRIPTIONFREE Literary Referenc
e Centre-EBSCO Literature Study
Centre-Proquest Book Flixs Tumble Books
What are the seven steps?
Step 1 – Encyclopedias
Step 2 – Books
Step 3 – Current Resources
Step 4 – General Resources
Step 3 – Current ResourcesFree
OERB OSAPAC (Learn
360) Knowledge Ontario
(Galenet/EBSCO)
Subscription Proquest
Literature Study Center SIRS
EBSCO Student Research Centre Academic Complete
Galenet Global Issues in Context
http://eresources.knowledgeontario.ca/
What are the seven steps?
Step 1 – Encyclopedias
Step 2 – Books
Step 3 – Current Resources
Step 4 – General Resources
Step 4 – General ResourcesFREE
OERB Learn 360 (OSAPA
C) Homework helpers
SUBSCRIPTION Student Link TFO
Step 5 – Government
Step 6 – Maps
Step 7 – Search Engines
STEPS - 5, 6 & 7Step 5
Government
Free Canada Ontario North Bay Stats
Canada E-Stat Law
Step 6Maps
Free Canadian atlas Canada from
Space CIA World
Factbook NASA maps Google Maps
Step 7Search Engines
Free Yahooligans Ask Jeeves Kids KidsClick! Kidadoweb
(French)
How do they do that?•Passwords – same password –simple think grade 1 or 3•Stats – Library Bookings and Subscriptions
Subscription Stats
Techie Behind the Scenes Stuff• We are currently using Front Page and moving into Sharepoint• Board Librarians are the only two people who have access to make changes.•Budget for all the subscriptions are shared to an extent between elementary and secondary.•The library clerks in the high schools maintain their own pages with Kate’s guidance.
Options to do your own…
• Joyce Valenza•Page Flakes• Wiki’s • Blogs• Ning’s• Symbaloo
TALCO Ning
Other Web2.0 Tools• Glogster• Voice Thread• Blabberize
Research Methodology
1. Neil Munro’s Analysis of Task-Difficulty
2. Q-Matrix3. Together for Learning
Neil Munro’s analysis of task-difficulty
Difficult task; Easy sources
Easy task; Difficult sources
Difficult task; Difficult sources
Easy task; Easy sources
• We discuss with the teachers how difficult it can be for the students to start them off in the green quadrant without any scaffolding throughout the other stages.
• We need to begin with the students by giving them an easy task and an easy resources to find the answer so they feel successful in their research abilities.
Q-Matrixhttp://www.decs.sa.gov.au/assessment/pages/assessmentstrategies/question/?reFlag=1
More resources on the Wiki: http://betterresearchprojects.wikispaces.com/Q-Matrix
What is? Where/
When is?
Which is?
What did?
Where/
When did?
Which did?
What can?
Where/
When can?
Which can?
Who is? Why is? How is?
Who did?
Why did? How did?
Who can?
Why can? How can?
What would?
Where/
When would?
Who would?
What will?
Where/ When will?
Which will?
What might?
Where/ When might?
Which might?
Which Would?
Why would? How Would?
Who will?
Why will? How will?
Who might?
Why might? How might?
1 2
3 4
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Together for Learning
http://www.togetherforlearning.ca/
Avoiding plagiarismHave students adopt a persona because they
won’t likely find ready to copy information online
– Lawyer arguing euthanasia– Character from a book– Example of elements project: Students in grade
9 have to study an element from the periodic table and one teacher has the students design a dating add based on their element. They weigh a certain amount, look a certain way, interact well with certain elements and don’t interact well with others.
• Do see the pathfinder for the project follow this link• http://gr9elements.wikispaces.com/
• Have students take notes into a framework, graphic organizers or template. If there is no check points along the way the students will leave the assignment to the night before and cut paste.
• Always ask for sources and define what sources. Example 2 magazines, 2 academic journals or that you will only allow 2 open source websites found using search engines…
• Make sure to ask higher order research questions. Never ask “what is” because they can search the answer and copy and paste without any thought.
•Instead ask “Why” – See the Q-Matrix for more examples of higher order thinking questions. Getting the students to read the research and develop their own ideas is the key to good research and not cut and paste assignments.
Evaluating WebsitesThese are the top 3 things I tell students to keep in mind when searching the open web
1. Watch the URL. If it contains ~, /, -, % it means it has attached itself to the original domain. For example it might be a .edu site but if there is a / and a persons name you have to be careful that it isn’t a high school site and a students webpage off of that site. (http://solomon.cps.k12.il.us/gladiatorsindex.html Good examples because it has K12 in the URL, done at an elementary school)
2. Don’t trust that the top hits in Google and other search engines are sorted by relevance. Google is out to make money and the companies that pay the most money to get their website to appear higher on the list is the first initial sort. After that it does follow relevance.
3. Watch for bias. Look at every website as if you are watching an infomercial like the Shamwow guy or the Oxy clean guy. Think critically about the information being presented.
Truncate the URL• This term means to discover who is hosting the website from what server.
www.who.is
• Type in the URL address • When the information is returned scroll down to see what website is hosting the information. If the contact information is filled out. Where the IP address is coming from.• If the server names listed are only free servers where anyone from anywhere can create and host as website they are considered less credible than an organization having their own server to host their own data and website.
Implementing• Train all staff (teachers, principals, EA’s, parents ect.) Part of NTIP• Make sure there is hands on training – More resources then time• Techie Tuesdays, lunch dates ect• Create cheat sheets• Grade 9 orientations• Collaborate with teachers• Virtual library vs Google• Part of the favorites list• Key spot on the schools homepage
Marketing• Home access flyer sent home with report cards• Magnets to teachers and school secretaries• Posters• Monthly email update to all staff • E-Wareness – Halton District School Board• Presentations to trustees• Research method using strips of paper• Imagine the learning and Research Success @ Your library document
Thank You!Questions?
Comments?
Kate ShieldsBoard Librarian –
Secondary [email protected]
Jan ReynoldsLead Teacher Librarian