Monday, February 22, 2016

Meet Penelope!

Meet Penelope!

Meet the newest, cutest addition to the high school media center!

Her name is Penelope, and she is amazing. 

Late in 2015, I started thinking about getting a pet in the HS media center. Fish were the obvious choice (low maintenance, easy to enjoy) but I don't really like fish, don't want to clean the tank, and am uncomfortable having large amounts of water in a room full of books and tech. 

Some research later revealed the perfect answer was a hedgehog!

Low maintenance!


No dander!
No smell!
Can (sometimes) be litterbox trained!
So cute!

So in early January, I contacted a breeder in Gladstone, IL and bought a super cute 5 month old African hedgehog. 

Welcoming her to school was a whole school activity.

The shop classes built her beautiful living quarters. They took an old dog kennel and built a base, a second floor, a ramp, a house, and a lounge chair! 

We had  naming contest and got 148 name suggestions!
When we narrowed it down to 6 and had a schoolwide vote, 168 people voted, which is more than half the school! In the end, she was named Penelope! 

She runs around the media center in a ball, but, as a nocturnal wee beastie she is often asleep, But, for those who say she does nothing: 

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Using Databases

An important and increasingly more difficult part of research is finding scholarly, reputable, current information. The Internet really is the blessing that curses.  Information is so easy to access but correct information, unbiased information, accessible information is rather difficult to find. 

That level of difficulty only increases when it comes to younger students.   The complexities of searching can be overwhelming and force students (or even adults) to settle for the first page of a Google search or whatever Wikipedia presents. 

So, what is a student to do?  We thankfully have access to a couple of resources that can be valuable tools for young students. 


The first is EBSCO Kids Search. It is subscription based, but as long as a student logs in from school, it should still work. 


This is a search tool designed for 3-8. 
There is a search box at the top, the option of choosing major headings, or isolating searches to a dictionary or encyclopedia. 

The result list that populates shows some really great sources. I did a search for "North Korea." The results are all current (2016, 2015) and include reputable sources like The Washington Post. Also, there is a link to an HTML full text of the article, which students can then read, save, print, or cite.  Notice that the list also includes a citation.  



The second resource is Searchosaurus. It is also powered by EBSCO, so it is subscription based.  Again, it should work for students logged in through the school's internet connection. 

This is a resource designed for K-3.  

The interface is very similar to Kids Search, but with dinosaurs and clearly designed for younger students.  

A search for "North Korea", however, reveals a big difference between the two searches. 
Notice that the Searchosaurus results are mostly encyclopedias and the CIA Fact Book.  This is less of a current events focused list and more existing facts and background, ore suited tot he needs of younger users. 

It also provides full text results for students to use, print, read, cite, and so on. 

These are two very powerful resources for students K-8 to help them navigate the vast amounts of information available online.