SERSD LIBRARY BLOG

New nonfiction books in the library

annemeade — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 13:39:12 +0000

Check out our list of new nonfiction books available in the SET library http://www.librarything.com/catalog/sersd&collection=-1&deepsearch=june+2011%2C+nonfiction

Kathy Schrock

annemeade — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 16:16:33 +0000

I’m going through old emails and found a bunch of useful “websites of the day” from Kathy Schrock which I am going to post here. If you don’t mind an email a day you can sign up for it yourself. Below please find a link to her website: “Kathy Schrock’s Guide for Educators” features useful websites to assist you with enhancing your curriculum and your professional growth. http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/sos.html

Some websites I found interesting include:

Ted Talks – free video presentations in the area of technology, entertainment and design. I viewed 2 interesting short talks. One on the future of mathematics (statistics!) and the other by artist Willard who designs sculptures that fit on the head of a pin!.

Multicolor search engine which allows you to choose colors and create images from Flickr files with those colors.

Flickr-Quotes about learning and change including posters and pictures.

Brockton Enterprise Online

annemeade — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 12:55:45 +0000

Students and staff at SERSD can access the full PDF version of the Brockton Enterprise online. Go to www.sersd.org, click on student tab and student links. Library Media Center Links has a hot link to the current issue of the Brockton Enterprise

Copyright links

annemeade — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 15:28:56 +0000

Document about copyright information: http://inventors.about.com/od/copyrights/a/expiration.htm

US copyright office:

http://cocatalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?Search_Arg=el+ingles+a+toda+prisa+sin+maestro&Search_Code=TALL&PID=XGIm2ajCwBagro06pkBVfQ5Un&SEQ=20100330100650&CNT=25&HIST=1

Intelligent Investing. Young learners need librarians, not just google.

annemeade — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 16:02:03 +0000

From Forbes.com Intelligent Investing Young Learners Need Librarians, Not Just Google Mark Moran, 03.22.10, 03:00 PM EDT

The ubiquity and ease of Google searches could make kids’ minds go soft without the ability to critique or contextualize the answers.

http://www.forbes.com/2010/03/22/moran-librarian-skills-intelligent-investing-google.html?boxes=Homepagetoprated

Library updates

annemeade — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 15:53:27 +0000

LIBRARY UPDATES, March 29, 2010 Interlibrary loan is here! Southeastern is now part of the SAILS library system and membership allows us to borrow from approximately 80 libraries in Southeastern Massachusetts. Students and staff now have SAILS library card numbers to access the SAILS system – please call or see Anne Meade for your login information. The SAILS system can be accessed by logging into www.sailsinc.org. Please spread the word to your students so they can take advantage of this resource. Suggestions for taking advantage of this service: • Assign independent reading to your class. Students can take advantage of the expansion of our library to thousands more available books • Order a DVD to supplement your lesson • Order a book for yourself- professional development or pleasure reading • Order several books on a particular topic to supplement your lesson – we can order classroom copies of books that you can keep in your classroom or the library for a current project. If you need a quick personal demonstration or you would like to schedule a class to learn how to access this service, please stop by to see Anne, drop her an email or call x219. ONLINE RESEARCH DATABASES Our online research databases can be found by going to our home page at www.sersd.org, clicking on students and then student links. Library Media Center links can be found in the center box and include several online resources such as Elibrary, Encyclopedia Britannica, Science Reference Center (for a full list go to Library Media Center Links). Databases vs. websites An online research database (like Elibrary, SIRS, Infotrac) is a subscription paid for by our school or provided to us by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. Students often limit their research to websites that they can access through google. There isn’t anything inherently wrong with searching for websites, but students should understand that not all webistes are created equal. When using a website for research information, students must take the time to evaluate the website for validity and reliability. Websites can be created by anyone and there is no guarantee that the information contained in these sites are accurate. Databases, on the other hand, often contain newspaper, magazine and journal articles that cannot easily be found on the web. These articles are good sources to include in your research because they are from authoritative sources that are reviewed by professionals. Colleges expect students to use databases and it’s a good idea to get students used to conducting research that includes these resources. Suggestions to encourage the use of databases • Schedule time with the librarian to learn how to use these resources for yourself or your class • Require students to include one or more resources from a database in their project • Encourage students to come to the library for individual instruction on using databases. FYI: We currently have a free 30 day trial to Vocational & Career Collection™ database which provides full-text coverage for more than 340 trade and industry related periodicals including American Machinist, Modern Machine Shop, Pediatric Nursing, Wireless Week, Drug Store News, Video Business, Reeves Journal, Hotel & Motel Management, Restaurant Business, Advertising Age, and many more. This might be a good resource for junior project or a specific project your students are doing in shop. To access this resource – go to the SERSD home page, click on Students tab and then Student Links. Scroll down the list to click on Vocational and Career Collection. Login information: Userid: sersd; Password: trial. This trial will expire mid April. Library information including the above articles can be found on the Library blog, accessed through the Library Media Center Links or at http://sersdlibrary.wordpress.com

MCAS Beat It video

annemeade — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 14:45:33 +0000

Here is a clever video from Bellamy Middle School

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ceBoRydYBs

http://www.vimeo.com/10125978

Free Trial to Vocational & Career Collection™ database

annemeade — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 13:34:28 +0000

FYI: We currently have a free trial to Vocational & Career Collection™ database which provides full-text coverage for more than 340 trade and industry related periodicals including American Machinist, Modern Machine Shop, Pediatric Nursing, Wireless Week, Drug Store News, Video Business, Reeves Journal, Hotel & Motel Management, Restaurant Business, Advertising Age, and many more. This might be a good resource for junior project or a specific project your students are doing in shop.

To access this resource – go to the SERSD home page.

Click on Students tab and then Student Links

Library Media Center Links include the subscription databases we have access to.

Userid: sersd

Password: trial

Interlibrary loan now available!

annemeade — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:21:46 +0000

After months of hard work, most of our collection is now entered into the SAILS Library System and we are now ready to implement the interlibrary loan program. By joining SAILS we now have the opportunity to easily borrow books from libraries in Massachusetts. Each student and staff now have SAILS Library card numbers that they can use to access the books in the SAILS system. Patrons can login to the SAILS system by going to www.sailsinc.org. Students library card number begins with the letter “S” followed by their 5 digit student id number. Staff numbers begin with the first two letters of your last name followed by a five digit employee number. The password for both types of accounts is “9999″ . It is unlikely that staff know their employee id numbers – see Anne in the library to get your number. You can also sign up for an alternate id that may be easier to remember.

After you log in you can begin to search for material in the SAILS system. The system first searches within our own library for items in our collection. If you want to order books from other libraries use the drop down menu to search “ALL” libraries in the system. Our school is now on the delivery schedule to receive items from other libraries on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If you are ordering material for your class (ie: DVD’s, resource books, etc), please be aware that you need to place these items on hold in advance and they may not all be available immediately. If you need help with learning the system, please come see me for a quick tutorial. If you would like to bring your classes in for a demonstration please give me a call to set up a time.

Happy SAILing.

New ways to use Twitter – Twhistory

annemeade — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 01:25:39 +0000

Just discovered this and thought it sounded interesting.

Twhistory – using twitter to reenact history.

www.twhistory.org

From their about us page:

About

The TwHistory project began in early 2009 with the first Twitter reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg over a period of several weeks. TwHistory is based on the idea that historical reenactments can take place online and have positive effects for all involved. In school settings these virtual reenactments can increase engagement while providing opportunities for students to research personal journals and other primary source documents. In order to organize, study, and preserve these online reenactments we have created TwHistory.org. View past and current projects on our reenactments page. You can also follow us on Twitter at @TwHistory.

How it works

Twitter provides all the necessary elements for a recreating a historical event: actors, communication, relationships, and a timeline. Followers of Twitter reenactments get updates in real-time as the characters of a particular historical event communicate, or “tweet” about what is happening. In a TwHistory reenactment, people are assigned to historical figures in a particular event. They prepare and schedule a series of messages, or “tweets,” describing the event from the perspective of the historical figure, using primary source documents. The messages from the various characters in the event are triggered chronologically and result in a virtual reenactment that can be shared with others via the Internet.

In any historical reenactment it is often the actors who get the most benefit, and this is no different with Twitter. And just like traditional reenactments, TwHistory projects have the potential to draw a large audience. Spectating Twitter followers often retweet favorite messages, drawing additional followers to the reenactment. Interest has grown steadily, attracting historians and hobbyists alike. The TwHistory project has attracted the attention of the UNESCO Chair in E-Learning at the Open University of Catalonia, as well as the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library. TwHistory has also been used to teach the Cuban Missile Crisis as part of a Cold War History class at a high school in Missouri, and there is similar interest from educators in Switzerland and Germany.

More info

Thanks for dropping by. If you would like to help out by tweeting historical characters, or if you are interested in starting your own project, please contact us.