Challenge #3: SIRS Issues Researcher and Discoverer

SD 1)  I chose to look up groundhogs to find information to prepare for next week's story-time.  I found lots of articles from sources such as Time for Kids, Wild, the Detroit Free Press, and even the Washington Post.  All articles from kid-centered sources contained pictures.  One even provided a really neat pdf file with photos of Puxsatawney Phil, puzzles, groundhog drawings, and fast facts.  I tried numerous times to print it, but was never successful.  I would receive a message saying "sirs.com is not responding."  I even tried mailing it to my e-mail address, but it never showed up.  I'm not sure what I did wrong. 

I did notice all of the articles provided lexile scores.  However, I am not sure how these scores correlate with the actual grade level of a reader.  A number like Accelerated Reader uses  would be more useful to me.  If it said 5.0, I would know the reader would need to be able to comprehend at the level of a student beginning 5th grade.  I'm sure lexile scores mean something to educators, I'm just not familiar with them.

SD 2)  To explore "Database Features" in SIRS Discoverer I clicked on "Country Facts" and looked at information on the Dominican Republic.  A lot of information was provided in text form.  A map and flag of the Dominican Republic was provided.  In my opinion, this section could benefit from more visuals such as graphs and charts. 



Under "Maps of the World," I clicked on "Nations" and searched for a map on Germany.  At first, I made the mistake of clicking on the "G" at the bottom of the page to find Germany faster.  Unfortunately, I was taken to a list that did not just include nations, but also names of individuals.  I had to go back to the original list and page over until I reached Germany.  A pdf map of Germany was provided, which would be useful to print out and provide to patrons or students.  However, if a patron actually wanted to explore a country in more depth, I would direct them to the Interactive Maps found at World Book Online Info Finder, which we looked at during Week 1.  Those maps were a lot more fun.  You could zoom in and out, then click on various cities and read articles about those cities. 

The other feature I chose to check out was "Activities."  From the list of Activities I chose "Editorial Cartoons."  A whole list of articles was brought up.  In order to view each cartoon, I had to click on the camera icon.



SIR 1)  In the SIRS Issues Researcher, I chose to look at "Illegal Immigration" since it was a topic on my mind after last night's Republican debate.  The Topic Overview provides a basic definition and introduction to the issue.  In addition to the Topic Overview, the Research Tools provide a Timeline, Global Impact, Statistics, My Analysis, and a Note Organizer.  The last two are useful tools for determining the purpose of one's paper/speech, etc... and an outline for getting there.  Once the user has decided on the purpose, she can proceed to Statistics if she wants to provide facts to support the logical side of a particular position, or she can search for magazine articles with human interest perspectives to appeal to the emotional side of a position.  I like the section in the center of the page, "Pro/Con Issues and Essential Questions" which presents articles reflecting the basic arguments on each side of the issue.

Various articles are presented and summarized below the search bar.  A quick look at the icon preceding the title helps the user to identify if the article is originally from a websource, a newspaper, or a magazine.  This would be helpful if the researcher needs to provide a certain number of certain types of sources for a research paper. 

SIR 2)   I browsed through the Course Subjects under "Curriculum Pathfinders" and chose to spend a little time on Math.  Under the tools section, I chose "Calculators" and checked out a calculator that  provides the Living Wage for any part of the country.  I found out a family of four living in our area would need to make $21.95/hr. to meet the Living Wage.  There was also a Budget Calculator that was helpful.  I was surprised not to find a calculator to calculate how much home one could afford or how much house payments would be with various principal amounts and interest rates.  Of course, those types of calculators are pretty plentiful on the web just by "googling."  I also checked out some of the courses such as algebra and geometry and found there were some useful websites.   However, if a student were needing help with math skills, I would steer him/her toward the Learning Express Library rather than SIRS.  I think it's more user-friendly for a purpose such as improving one's algebra skills.

Challenge #2: Learning Express Library

1)  I set up an account in the Learning Express Library and looked at the available exams.  Every practice exam I could think of was available.  It took me a little while to find the ASVAB.  It was under "Military" in the "Jobs and Careers" section.  Later, I realized I could have just typed ASVAB in the search engine and found it sooner.


2)  I chose to answer a few questions on the Math section of the ACT.  I only answered about 10 questions before I scored my test.  I liked being able to look at the diagnostic page which shows what subsection each question belonged to, such as algebra, geometry, probability, etc...  A quick look at this page would reveal what your strengths and weaknesses are.  For example, you may have aced the algebra, but struggled with the geometry.  Then, if you wonder exactly what you did wrong, you can click on "View Answers" which shows each question, your answer, the correct answer, a detailed explanation of how to solve the problem, and what subsection the problem belongs to.  A practice test that provides not just the final answer, but a detailed explanation and diagnostic breakdown would be very valuable for anyone needing to prepare for a test.  I'm glad my kids can use this when they are preparing for the ACT.

3)   Under the "Job Search and Workplace Skills" learning center, I chose to explore "Career Course:  Creating Great Cover Letters" by adding it to "My Center."  I explored the course, read the advice, completed the contact information, salutation, and closing, but just typed miscellaneous letters for the bodies of the paragraphs.  I thought a lot of the advice was very good.  However, I did notice that the sample cover letter correctly showed that you should enter the date between your contact information and the recipient's contact information.  However, in the more detailed instructions, the date is listed and asked for following the recipient's contact information.  One sentence says, "the recipient's contact information follows your contact information."  The date should actually follow your contact information.  I think this might cause a little confusion for users.  Otherwise, I think this course had some great advice.  I am glad I know about this resource.  I plan to recommend it to patrons who come in and ask for help building resumes, etc...  In the past, I have provided them with books, and helped them choose a Microsoft Word template for their resume.  Now, I know how to provide them with more help than they ever realized they needed.

4)  I chose to search for an e-book that would help with "persuasive speaking."  There were 15 results from that search term, with the first being "Public Speaking Success in 20 Minutes a Day."  The other 14 e-books, did not deal specifically with public speaking.  Their primary topics were grammar improvement, writing improvement, and vocabulary improvement.  I added the Public Speaking e-book to "My Center."  Then, I downloaded the book.  The e-book was 196 pages long and judging by the Table of Contents, it seemed to cover everything included in the public speaking course I had in college.  Pages 40-43 dealt specifically with persuasive speaking -- my search term.  I also took a quick look at the list of e-books on the bottom right of the home page.  There are so many e-books on so many topics!  I am amazed with the resources we can provide our patrons from this one website!

Challenge #1: World Book

I chose to research the World Book Public Library edition.  For the Discovery Exercise, I wanted to find information on river otters. 

1.     World Book Online Kids contained a cute picture of an otter, an 18 second video, and two sentences specific to the river otter:

The river otter has a small, flat head and a thick tail. Its webbed feet help it swim. When it swims, the river otter can close its ears and nostrils tightly to keep the water out.

 

 The information provided for habitats included all otters not just river otters.  It stated, "Many otters live along rivers, streams, lakes, and coasts, or in marshes. Otters are found on every
continent except Australia and Antarctica."

Tools available in World Book Online Kids include the option to save, print, e-mail, translate to another language, or hear the text read aloud.

2)     The World Book Online Info Finder provides more text information on otters.  This information is specific to freshwater otters such as the river otter and provides a link to find out more information on sea otters.  One video and one picture are still provided.  Each subsection of information provides an option to print just that subsection.  In addition to the tools found in Online Kids, users may "Highlight Search Terms," "Save information to My Research," and "Double-click a word to define it."  The information is also more technical than Online Kids i.e. scientific names are provided.  Guidance for citing sources is provided at the bottom of the article.  Related information is provided in links to other websites and magazines in the upper right corner of the webpage.

3)    I chose to search for information on New Zealand in the World Book Online Reference Center.  On the first results screen, search results of all types are displayed on the left side bar, and the user must choose the results they would like to examine more closely, such as "Pictures," "Maps," or "E-books."  The right side bar provides actual titles of "Primary Sources" and "E-books."

Clicking on the link for New Zealand found in the center "Encyclopedia" section reveals a wealth of information.  The left side bar provides a listing of the topics in each section/subsection of the Encyclopedia article allowing the user to skip to the information they are most interested in obtaining.  The right side bar provides links to related information and the titles of "Related Primary Source Information."   The right side bar also provides information as to how the content aligns with South Dakota Content Standards.  Having this information handy makes it easier for teachers and home school parents to develop their lesson plans.

I think my patrons will find the listing of the topics in each section/subsection very useful.  If users just want to learn more about a certain topic in a country, they can skip to the particular section without wading through the rest of the information.  However, those planning to travel to certain countries would certainly enjoy checking out the link to the "Interactive Map."