Reference Materials
The Deep Web
We started off this section of the
course by looking at digital resources, the web, and grey literature. Learning
more about the Deep Web was eye opening for me. I'd heard the term "The
Dark Web" in movies and tv shows but had never learned more about it
beyond what I learned from the film industry. I'd never heard of the Deep Web though. I didn't realize how much
information isn't accessible by a simple search on Google. It really changed my
thinking about the internet, and I think it's a good topic to discuss with
older students.
Online Databases
I really enjoyed looking through Gale and EBSCO.
There are a lot of really great databases out there that I didn't realize
existed. I'd used databases like National
Geographic Kids and Tumblebooks previously,
but while I'd heard of Flipster and NoveList,
I'd never looked at them that closely. They seem like excellent databases to
use with my students in the future. Currently I don't have regular access to
computers or Chromebooks, only iPads, but that could easily change if I switch
grade levels or schools.
I also really liked looking
through the Vancouver
Island Regional Library website. They have so many databases and
resources to offer. I'd really like to become more connected with the local
library. I've taken a class to the library previously, as a field trip, but I'd
like to do that more often in the future. This year it isn't really feasible,
but it would be good to show my students the website, and some of the programs
the library offers. I'm curious if they're offering any virtual programs at the
moment, like the local museum is.
UBC Library Catalogue
While reading the posts by my
classmates, I learned about some features, that the UBC
Library Catalogue has, that I didn't know about before. I've used the catalogue
multiple times in the past to research, but didn't realize you could save your
resources and also easily get the citation for them. I will definitely be using
both of these features in the future, in my remaining teacher-librarian
courses.
I liked looking at the catalogue
from a different angle. Usually I just use it to find resources. I've never
assessed it before. It's important to consider whether the index, catalogue,
databases, etc. that you're using is actually the best one you could be using.
It's important to look at ease of use, organization, and the content. I'll be
considering those things in the future. When I'm teaching as a
Teacher-Librarian, I'll make sure my students are considering those things as
well. Currently, since I'm teaching grade two and three, we are just beginning
to learn about how to research and aren't at the stage where they are assessing
the resources they're using. I'm most likely going to be doing that for
them.
Wikipedia and Britannica
It's interesting seeing everyone's
views on Wikipedia and other crowd-sourced sites. I've been using Wikipedia for
years, but never liked the idea of it as a research tool. While there's lots of
useful information on there, there is no guarantee that it is accurate
information. When I was teaching grade four, I directed my students towards sites
like National
Geographic Kids and Worldbook,
rather than Wikipedia. I can see why people like using Wikipedia though.
Going forward, instead of
directing my students away from Wikipedia, I'm going to teach them about it,
why we can't solely rely on it, and how to also use other sources when researching.
I've really enjoyed this section
of the course so far, and I'm looking forward to reading about dictionaries, thesauruses,
almanacs, yearbooks and handbooks, and maps, atlases, and other geographic
sources. The readings and discussions have really opened my eyes up to things I
hadn't thought of before.
Ms. Armstrong
References
Flipster | EBSCO Information Services, I. (n.d.). Flipster. Retrieved November 22, 2020, from https://flipster.ebsco.com/
Home Page: EBSCO. (n.d.). Retrieved November 22, 2020, from https://www.ebsco.com/
National Geographic Kids. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/
NoveList: EBSCO. (2020, November 20). Retrieved from https://www.ebsco.com/novelist
Scholarly Resources for Learning and Research | Gale. (n.d.). Retrieved November 22, 2020, from https://www.gale.com
Tumblebooks Library. (n.d.). Retrieved November 22, 2020, from https://www.tumblebooklibrary.com/Default.aspx?ReturnUrl=/
UBC Library. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.library.ubc.ca/
ULC, B. (n.d.). Your own personal emoji. Retrieved from https://www.bitmoji.com/
Vancouver Island Regional Library. (2020, November 20). Retrieved from https://virl.bc.ca/
World Book Online Reference Center: Online Reference Book: Online Encyclopedia. (n.d.). Retrieved November 22, 2020, from https://worldbookonline.com/wb/Login?ed=wb
A good overview and reflection on your key new learning, growing awareness and understanding, as well as some potential goal setting for the future when you might have your own library program to support. Your review of some of the key resources and references that resonated with you was appreciated, as well as the connections to our course texts and references. You did a good job reflecting on your own learning and developing knowledge and it is going to serve you well going forward.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you in regards to Wikipedia. Personally, I use it all of the time, but I've always discouraged my students from using it because I want them to get used to using "good, reliable sites." But, perhaps you are right in that I should be teaching them how they can use it "smartly," without relying on it too much for their inquiry, but rather as a jumping off point.
ReplyDeleteThe local library is definitely a great field trip! I like databases you highlighted. I have used many of those as well, but I'd never really classified them as databases in my head until this course! I haven't tried Flipster yet, but I'd like to try it out!
ReplyDelete