I remember going to the Learning Center when I was in elementary, middle, and high school. I remember the librarians teaching us how to use the card catalog and how to use the index in the back of a book. I remember a sixth grade social studies project, when I had to research Australia and put together a flipbook about the continent, complete with pictures and my original writing. You probably have similar memories from your school days.
Today is different. I’m reading this book right now for a librarian class called Reference and Instructional Services for Information Literacy Skills in School Libraries. Chapter One quotes Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google, as saying, “[these days] we create as much information every two days as was created from the beginning of human history to 2003.” That’s a lot of stuff, and our students need to receive instruction on how to effectively navigate through it all in school and in life.
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Barb Mason and I are attempting the seemingly impossible this summer: We’re going to find a way to make research instruction easier for teachers and more fun for students.
Together with lead teachers of freshman core classes—English I, Global Studies, Physics, and Health—we plan to develop an information literacy curriculum that will be integrated into these classes. Have you ever had students say they forgot their assignment at home or they didn’t know how to access our school resources? Do you have any upcoming projects that utilize a variety of print, database or online resources?
If you can answer yes to either of these questions, you’re going to love what a LibGuidecan do for you and your students! As Antioch enters its centennial year, we have cause to reflect on how things were done in the past, present and future. Over the years, we have been able to build up our collection to over 20,000 items. While impressive for a school our size, the real question is whether or not the collection meets our current curricular needs.
A couple of years ago, I received an email from Jim McKay to locate some education articles for an upcoming meeting he was having—in two hours!! Of course, I promptly stopped what I was doing to locate his articles. I thought to myself, how hard could it be?? I knew that our student databases wouldn’t provide the articles he needed. Yet, I also knew I had the ERIC database up my sleeve. As I started to search, I discovered I could not have been more wrong….
Do you remember where you were when Elvis died? (Yes, I believe I am dating myself.) I was returning to the family farm from an evening out roller skating with friends. When the news came over the radio, everyone in the car was silent. We didn’t know what to say…
Fast forward to 2014, in which the names may be different, but certainly there are notable personalities that have had an impact on us. As we work on our curriculum, biographies are one way we can easily incorporate non-fiction, informational text. More than 600,000 words, over a thousand years
Ahh, so many words, so little time. Have you ever wondered what the word robot means in South Africa? Or, when the noun text message was first recorded in English? As teachers, we understand that vocabulary acquisition and use are at the core of the work that we do. To help teachers with vocabulary instruction (and yes, to meet Common Core standards:), your Information and Learning Center has purchased a subscription to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). A webinar recently reminded me about how handy the online resource Opposing Viewpoints in Context is for students researching many sides of a contemporary controversial issue—offshore drilling, organic food, the federal budget deficit, etc. It’s a one-stop-shop for a wealth of credible sources.
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AuthorsBarbara Mason AboutThe ILC blog keeps Antioch students and staff up to date with news and events related to reading, research, technology, and more.
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Ideas?Contact me at [email protected] with topic suggestions or to contribute your own post to the ILC blog.
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