Whenever my husband has the crew raising the sails on the American Eagle, he directs the boys on the throat and the peak when to haul away. The passengers who are willing lend a hand which can be a little bit exhausting and involves pulling hand over hand...and NOT backing up. John thinks it is hilarious to yell "Halfway there!" to the perspiring volunteers when they are actually very close to done. 'Nuff said.
Exploring some of the offerings of MARVEL gave me a chance to dabble a bit in areas in which I was not necessarily comfortable. I think my most positive experience was using Ancestry.com at the public library. That was totally fun and made me much more interested in all the time my dear husband spends online researching his ancestors. (Up until my Ancestry experience, I would just say, "Looking up more dead people, dear? Pretty sure they're still dead.") Seeing the actual documents connected to my father-in-law and my own grandfather was pretty exciting, and I hope I'll be able to get my husband to Rockport Public Library to do some more exploring on his own. (Way back when we were expecting children, he suggested that if we had a girl we name her "Bovina," an old family name. Not on my watch!)
I am pretty psyched to continue using MARVEL's 3 M's as I call them: Middle Search Plus, MasterFile Premier, and MAS Ultra. These are our main access to magazine articles at this point. With budget cuts, our little school library doesn't get a single print subscription. In addition, the Consumer Health database is a goldmine for health classes. We use ERIC on a regular basis to investigate education research, best practices, etc. And I will continue to encourage my munchkins at the middle school to use the Britannica Online School Edition K12 because the entries are on 3 reading levels and the Works Cited is at the bottom of every entry...not to mention the wealth of connected media files.
So, many many thanks to the good folks of our wonderful state library for putting on the Marvelous Maine Invitational and encouraging us to make better use of this incredible resource. Strength in numbers!
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Monday, December 3, 2012
Yay! Bless Rockport Public Library and their helpful staff.
Week 9 LearningExpress
Posted November 25, 2012 by marvelousmaineSunday November 25, 2012 - Learning Express
1. and 2. I set up an account in Learning Express and sampled the Reading Comprehension test in the GED Prep section. I only answered a few questions, but the test seemed very straightforward, and the scoring was very specific iwith Analysis, Application, Comprehension, and Synthesis all scored. I used to be the Adult. Ed. librarian, and having this tool would have saved many of our students countless hours...although there is no substitute for having a person right there when you are taking practice tests.
3. Job searching and resume writing are among the self-paced courses in LearningExpress. Click on the “Job Search and Workplace Skills” learning center and add one of the courses to your center. Take a few minutes to explore the course and note your observations.
Today a parent of a former student stopped by. She was rather upset that her son who had just graduated in June from a good college with a degree in molecular biology could not find a job in his field. Perhaps the Job Search center will offer him some tips!
I signed up for the course and explored Maine's Job Bank Career Plus. When I searched molecular biology, I came up with several possibilities, many of them at Jackson Lab in Bar Harbor. I'm calling his mom tonight!
4. I naturally search librarian and then library, but there weren't many hits! Next I tried Information Technology, and there were tons of hits. I downloaded an eBook called Write Your Way Into College SAT Essay. Great! 163 page book downloaded and opened in a flash. Nice! Lots of good information. Will be a useful tool for my students.
Week 8 Genealogy Resources—Ancestry Library
Posted November 18, 2012 by marvelousmaine
Great connection here at Rockport Public Library!
Discovery Exercise:
1.I found myself in the Ancestry Library. It lists my correct birthdate and my mailing addresses from past years from the U.S. Public Records Index. The latest address is from 1993. (This shows how often the Post Office and town of Rockport change our street address! We've had 4 addresses in 22 years and have never moved!
2. I searched for my maternal grandmother and found here in the 1940 U.S. Federal Census. My grandfather was listed as well as my uncle and my mom who was 10 at the time! Cool!
I looked up my paternal grandfather and found him with his name misspelled as well as my grandmother, aunt, their border, and my dad...all with the name Peace instead of Pease. Guess the census worker wasn't very sharp.
3. In Ancestry Library, perform a search under the “Photos and Maps” tab for “Maine” as the keyword. Report your findings.
There are lots of images of professional baseball players from Maine! Who'da thunk it!
Yearbook images, too. I found my grandfather was the Vice-President of his Univ. of Maine Law School class when he was 20! I was able to send the image from the yearbook to my dad, too. Very easy to use. Amazing.
My husband is a dedicated follower of dead people in our families, and he is going to want to move right into the public library. Watch out Rockport Public!
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Week 10 - Check! Weeks 8 and 9 - Must visit my public library! Stay tuned for results.
Week 10 EbscoHost Family of Databases and Ebsco eBooks
Sunday, December 2, 2012Discovery Exercise
Create a blog post discussing the following questions and other observations you have about EbscoHost . All resources can be accessed via thisalphabetical list.
To find the answer to what foods contain zinc, I used Health Source - Consumer Edition.
There were several likely articles to explore, and I chose these two:
- Title:
- Zinc can help you think. Health (Time Inc. Health), 1059938X, Sep2005, Vol. 19, Issue 7
- Database:
- Health Source - Consumer Edition
HTML Full Text
Could a little bit of extra zinc be enough to keep you focused during a boring staff meeting? Probably not. (My comment on this: "Too bad.") But a new study in children suggests the mineral might help heighten brain power.
Kids who drank a juice fortified with 20 milligrams of zinc--twice their daily requirement--saw their scores on attention, memory, and reasoning tests rise by 12 percent, while kids who drank juice with 10 mg or no zinc showed few gains.
That difference could have a real impact on learning, says author James Penland, PhD, of the Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center, a branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
As for you, Penland says studies in adults are few but unanimous: Grown-ups also do better on memory and perception tests after taking zinc, whether or not they get the recommended 10 mg daily (25 percent of adults don't).
The mineral is found in meat, beans, yogurt, peanut butter, and cereal; it appears to be involved in transmitting signals in the brain throughout life, Penland says.
If you try a supplement, choose zinc gluconate because it's the easiest to absorb. But don't exceed 40 mg a day; experts say that can weaken your immunity.
A second article in the result list named other Zinc-rich foods:
MINERALS in human nutrition
IMMUNE system
DNA -- Synthesis
NUCLEIC acids
IMMUNOLOGY
Ebsco eBooks (formerly NetLibrary)
Discovery Exercise:
1. Do a search for a topic that interests you.
As a breast cancer survivor, I was interested to see what books were available through Ebsco eBooks on that topic. I was disappointed to find that most of the titles were over 12 years old. Not very helpful with all the recent research and changes in treatments.
Next I searched for books on cats. Pets are always a popular nonfiction topic
with my middle schoolers. Again, titles are not current with 2003 being the most recently published. However, there are several PowerKids Press books on
cats which kids, especially 5th graders, would like. From the one on Maine Coon Cats I learned that a Maine Coon won Best in Show in 1895 in the cat show at Madison Square Garden. My own Maine Coon cat was very interested in this fact, and he said he wasn't at all surprised. My short-haired 19-year old
tabby said this was insulting to his breed and chased the Maine Coon out of the room. Oh, children.
As a breast cancer survivor, I was interested to see what books were available through Ebsco eBooks on that topic. I was disappointed to find that most of the titles were over 12 years old. Not very helpful with all the recent research and changes in treatments.
Next I searched for books on cats. Pets are always a popular nonfiction topic
with my middle schoolers. Again, titles are not current with 2003 being the most recently published. However, there are several PowerKids Press books on
cats which kids, especially 5th graders, would like. From the one on Maine Coon Cats I learned that a Maine Coon won Best in Show in 1895 in the cat show at Madison Square Garden. My own Maine Coon cat was very interested in this fact, and he said he wasn't at all surprised. My short-haired 19-year old
tabby said this was insulting to his breed and chased the Maine Coon out of the room. Oh, children.
2. Constitution Day is looming and several students need more material. Search NetLibrary and recommend some appropriate titles.
Pretty heavy going here. I searched United States Constitution. I hope these are high school kids! Here are the two titles I uncovered:
Representing Popular Sovereignty : The Constitution in American Political CultureBy: Levin, Daniel Lessard. In: SUNY Series, American Constitutionalism. State University of New York Press. 1999. eBook. 289p.
Pretty heavy going here. I searched United States Constitution. I hope these are high school kids! Here are the two titles I uncovered:
Representing Popular Sovereignty : The Constitution in American Political CultureBy: Levin, Daniel Lessard. In: SUNY Series, American Constitutionalism. State University of New York Press. 1999. eBook. 289p.
- Subjects:
- LAW / Constitutional; LAW / Public; Constitutional law; Political culture; Representative government and representation; United StatesConstitution Bicentennial, 1987-1991
- State Constitutions of the United StatesBy: Maddex, Robert L. Congressional Quarterly. 1998. eBook. 557p.
- Subjects:
- Constitutional law--United States--States; Constitutions--United States--States
- Again, no recent titles. Hmmmm...
- I tried United States AND Constitution AND history and made out a little better, but it is still material for older, more sophisticated readers.
3. A class is doing projects on Western history. They have exhausted the library’s print collection. In NetLibrary, click “Advanced Search.” In the Publisher box, type “Nebraska” or “Oklahoma.” Report your findings.
When searching for a publisher from Nebraska, it was interesting to see that not only did the Univ. of Nebraska publish books on the history of that area but also on other topics far and wide, including desertion by troops from GA during the Civil War, philosophy, and more. The titles relating to the area included:
When searching for a publisher from Nebraska, it was interesting to see that not only did the Univ. of Nebraska publish books on the history of that area but also on other topics far and wide, including desertion by troops from GA during the Civil War, philosophy, and more. The titles relating to the area included:
- Mountains We Have Crossed : Diaries and Letters of the Oregon Mission, 1838By: Smith, Sarah Gilbert White; Smith, Asa Bowen; Drury, Clifford Merrill; Lewis, Bonnie Sue. University of Nebraska Press. 1999. eBook. 312p.
- Subjects:
- HISTORY / United States / State & Local / West (AK, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NV, UT, WY); HISTORY / United States / State & Local / Southwest (AZ, NM, OK, TX); Women pioneers--Northwestern States--Diaries; Women missionaries--Northwestern States--Diaries; Pioneers--Northwestern States--Correspondence; Missionaries--Northwestern States--Correspondence; Smith, Sarah Gilbert White--1813-1855--Diaries; Smith, Asa Bowen--1809-1886--Correspondence; Overland journeys to the Pacific; Oregon--History--To 1859; Missions--Oregon--History--19th century; Indians of North America--Missions--Oregon--History--19th century
- Database:
- eBook Collection (EBSCOhost)
- 6.eBookOverland Journey from New York to San Francisco in the Summer of 1859By: Greeley, Horace. University of Nebraska Press. 1999. eBook. 398p.
- Subjects:
- HISTORY / United States / State & Local / West (AK, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NV, UT, WY); HISTORY / United States / State & Local / Southwest (AZ, NM, OK, TX); Greeley, Horace--1811-1872--Journeys--West (U.S.); Overland journeys to the Pacific; West (U.S.)--Description and travel; West (U.S.)--History--1848-1860
Week 9 LearningExpress
Posted November 25, 2012 by marvelousmaineToo be continued...Unable to access LearningExpress. Will visit my public library tomorrow after school!
Sunday November 25, 2012
Are your library’s practice exam materials outdated? Is a certain practice exam always missing? Struggle no more! Learning Express provides access to current practice exams, self-paced courses and e-books for grades four through adult.
LearningExpress gives users from elementary school to adult skills-improvement exercises, practice exams for career preparation, college prep and self-paced courses. This resource can be promoted to high school students who want to prepare for the ASVAB (military test), ACT, CLEP out of college courses or study for an AP exam. This resource can also benefit job seekers by providing a self-paced resume course along with skills improvement in areas like writing. For those entering new careers, LearningExpress includes practice exams for certification tests in Nursing and Allied Health, Commercial Drivers’ License, Cosmetology, Civil Service, Electrician and many more. The U.S. Citizenship test is also included.
To become even more familiar with LearningExpress, take a look at thetutorial. There’s also a short tutorial on the Maine State Library site.
Discovery Exercise:
Create a blog post discussing the following questions and other observations you have about Learning Express Library. All resources can be accessed via this alphabetical list.
1. Set-up an account in LearningExpress and browse through the available exams.
Create a blog post discussing the following questions and other observations you have about Learning Express Library. All resources can be accessed via this alphabetical list.
1. Set-up an account in LearningExpress 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?
3. Job searching and resume writing are among the self-paced courses in LearningExpress. Click on the “Job Search and Workplace Skills” learning center and add one of the courses to your center. Take a few minutes to explore the course and note your observations.
4. Type a search term in the search box in the upper left of the home page 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.
OR
From the home page, bottom right, click the link for eBooks. The list will open in a new window. Browse the titles and take a look at one that interests you.
From the home page, bottom right, click the link for eBooks. The list will open in a new window. Browse the titles and take a look at one that interests you.
Week 8 Genealogy Resources—Ancestry Library
Posted November 18, 2012 by marvelousmaineCategories: Ancestry
Too be continued...Unable to access Ancestry Library. Will visit my public library tomorrow after school!
Sunday November 18, 2012
With nearly 75% of Americans interested in family history, and history required in schools, genealogy and local history information is in demand. The State Library provides Ancestry Library as a link to the past to help students and patrons. This resource offers access to historical books, census records, indexes and more. Be careful—once you start exploring, you might join the family history craze (if you haven’t already!)
Ancestry Library contains over 4000 different searchable databases and indexes. In addition to census information, you can find historical maps, yearbooks and indexes. One of Ancestry Library’s best features is their continuous index updating and additions, so if you don’t find something today, check back in a few weeks. Here are several ways to find out more–three shorttutorials provided by the Maine State Library, a two minute video and sample searches provided by Ancestry Library. Due to contract restrictions, Ancestry Library is available only inside your public library.
Discovery Exercise:
Create a blog posting discussing the following questions and other observations you have about Ancestry Library. This resource can be accessed via this alphabetical list.
1. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to be dead to be listed in Ancestry Library 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 Ancestry Library and report the results.
2. In Ancestry Library, search for a grandparent or great-grandparent and see if you can locate them in the census. Report your findings.
3. In Ancestry Library, perform a search under the “Photos and Maps” tab for “Maine” as the keyword. Report your findings.
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