WHAT YOU CAN COUNT ON FINDING ON THE NET
Web sites.
A delivery system for conventional learning tools: books, both physical (your online catalogs and WorldCat) and digital (see the Online Books Page below), full-text journal articles in electronic databases, reserve readings scanned in in pdf format, maps, reference books, textbook support pages, and documents.
A means of communication: you can use e-mail, chat, usenet, or IRC for online discussion, and maintain your own research interests through memberships in listserves and discussion groups.
A prime source for the following kinds of material:
A. Pictures.
B. FAQ files --frequently asked questions files created by experts in the field
C. Primary sources. See http://library.sau.edu/bestinfo/Majors/History/hisdoc.htm for a guide to some important collections of historical documents, maps, laws, court cases, statistics, public records
D. Government information.
E. Searchable files and databases -- you can do key word searching for poetry, plays, laws, court cases, news files, and more.
F. Interactive files -- virtual patients, "ask an expert" sites, interactive travel mapping, etc.
G. Sound files: music, broadcasts, interviews, speeches, sound effects...
H. Reference sources. The Reference Desk on Librarians' Index to the Internet (http://lii.org/), or X-Refer (http://w1.xrefer.com/) can answer many reference questions
I. Online courses. Faculty and students can see how someone else is teaching the same concept. See World Lecture Hall below.
J. News. One excellent directory to all kinds of news coverage is http://fullcoverage.yahoo.com/ for a directory.
K. the extremely obscure. The net is where people share their private passions
WHAT YOU CAN'T COUNT ON FINDING
My mental map of the total amount of information available, by form |
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RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS AND LIBRARIANS
DIRECTORIES:
About.com http://about.com/ -- uses human guides to over hundreds of subject areas. Currently in financial trouble and laying off guides, however.
AskERIC Lesson Plans http://askeric.org/Virtual/Lessons/
Bartleby Project http://bartleby.com/ -- a digitized collection of classic books
CyberBee http://www.cyberbee.com/ --
Includes k-12 curriculum ideas, research tools, evaluation tools, how-tos, and treasure hunts
ERIC http://askeric.org/Eric/ -- Search for articles in education journals and education reports
ERIC/AE Full Text Internet Library http://ericae.net/ftlib.htm -- a smaller database of education articles available online full-text
Global Schoolhouse http://www.gsn.org/ -- a guide to collaborative educational projects on the web
**Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/ -- separate files for teachers, for students, and for parents.
Scout Report Archive http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/archives/ -- search through reviews of 12,000 high-quality educational sites
SearchIQ http://www.zdnet.com/searchiq/ -- an annotated guide to good
topical portals and search engines
World Lecture Hall http://www.utexas.edu/world/lecture/index.html -- a guide to course syllabi and other course materials on the web
GENERAL SEARCH ENGINES THAT HELP YOU THINK
Ask Jeeves http://www.askjeeves.com/
Excite Precision Search http://www.excite.com/search/ -- Use "zoom in" to
narrow a broad topic into smaller subject folders, restrict search to the
smaller universes it offers, click on related articles.
Google http://google.com/ -- note both links to the clickable subject headings the
topic is filed under and the "similar pages" feature.
MSN Search http://search.msn.com/ -- a broad search topic will yield a list of
narrower "Popular Search Topics;" "Ten Most Popular Sites" (Direct Hit)
Northern Light http://northernlight.com/ -- sorts results into narrower subject folders
and, by searching a collection of magazine articles as well, reminds students that
the web isn't all there is on this topic.
SPECIALIZED SEARCH ENGINES
Ask Jeeves for Kids http://www.ajkids.com/ -- a kid-friendly database of answers
Ditto.com http://Ditto.com/ -- a very good picture search engine
Kids Click http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/KidsClick!/ -- searchable directory of good sites for kids
SciSeek Science Search Engine http://www.sciseek.com/
SearchEdu.com http://www.searchedu.com/ -- restricts itself to searching university web sites, along with links to related topics in the Open Directory
SearchIQ http://www.zdnet.com/searchiq/ -- an annotated guide to good
topical portals and search engines
X-Refer http://w1.xrefer.com/ -- searches through online dictionaries, encyclopedias and quote books
NEW SITE REVIEWS
Classroom Connect's Net Happenings Page http://listserv.classroom.com/archives/net-happenings.html -- daily updates on k-12 sites
Kathy Schrock's New Sites http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/newlist.html
Librarian's Index to the Internet (click on New This Week)
http://lii.org/
Neat New Stuff I Found This Week http://marylaine.com/neatnew.html
Scout Report http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/report/sr/current/index.html
RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS
PATHFINDERS
Pathfinders show students how to research specific topics, and guide them to key resources. They generally include general introductions, reference works, call number areas to explore, key magazine and journal titles, documentary sources, image collections and maps, and, of course, good web sites. Start with the large collection of pathfinders put together by librarians at the Internet Public Library http://www.ipl.org/ref/QUE/PF/.
Also take a look at the guides Multnomah County Library has constructed for perennially hot social issues at its Homework Center http://www.multnomah.lib.or.us/lib/homework/sochc.html -- for each issue, resources neatly divided into "support," "oppose," and "legislation."
Some pathfinders on specific topics include:
2001-2002 High School Debate Topic Online http://www2.lib.ukans.edu/anschutzlib/govdocs/debate2001.html -- courtesy of University of Kansas Gov Docs Library
General and National History Day Research http://www.nara.gov/education/historyday/history.html -- from NARA
Science Fair Project Resource Guide http://www.ipl.org/youth/projectguide/ -- from the Internet Public Library
HOMEWORK HELP
A+ Research and Writing http://www.ipl.org/teen/aplus/stepfirst.htm -- a step by step guide from the IPL
B.J. Pinchbeck's Homework Help http://school.discovery.com/homeworkhelp/bjpinchbeck/ -- recommended sites from a 14 year old internet guru
High Point High School Library http://users.erols.com/hphslmc/
Homework Help http://marylaine.com/homework.html -- the outline for a presentation I did for River Bend Library System
HomeworkSpot http://homeworkspot.com/ -- in addition to the standard class subjects, provides field trips, research tips, things to do, answers to questions kids asked, exhibits, and more.
InfoZone Research Skills Area http://www.assd.winnipeg.mb.ca/infozone/index.htm -- from Assiniboine South School Division. Note the step by step research approach, with web tools for each stage: wondering, seeking information, choosing it, connecting it, producing it, and judging your final product.
DIRECTORIES
Ben's Guide to U.S. Government for Kids http://bensguide.gpo.gov/
ICONnect: KidsConnect http://www.ala.org/ICONN/kidsconn.html -- an Information and referral service that allows kids to ask questions and get answers. Includes a file of kids' most frequently asked questions, a research toolbox and favorite web sites
Kids Click http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/KidsClick!/ -- searchable directory of
good sites for kids
KidsKonnect http://www.kidskonnect.com/
Multnomah County Library Homework Center http://www.multnomah.lib.or.us/lib/homework/index.html
Uncle Sam for Kids http://www.win.org/library/matls/govdocs/kids.htm
Yahooligans http://www.yahooligans.com/
FREE DATABASES
Database of Award-Winning Children's Literature
http://www2.wcoil.com/~ellerbee/childlit.html -- includes complete winner lists of all
kinds of awards, a keyword search for subject matter, and a forms search to
generate reading lists for specific grade levels, ethnic or gender of protagonists,
genre, historical period, or other parameters
Documents in the News http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/docnews.html
ERIC http://askeric.org/Eric/ -- search abstracts of articles from education journals and education research.
Fact Monster http://www.factmonster.com/ -- FAQ files on a wide variety of subjects;
links to dictionary and encyclopedia entries
FindArticles.com http://www.findarticles.com/PI/index.jhtml
Historical Documents http://library.sau.edu/bestinfo/Majors/History/hisdoc.htm
MedlinePlus http://medlineplus.gov/ -- the best one-stop shopping site for information on medical conditions, drugs, doctors and hospitals.
On-Line Books Page http://digital.library.upenn.edu/books/ --
searchable index to over 14,000 digitized books, old and new
Policy.com http://www.speakout.com/activism/policy/ -- differing viewpoints and policy analysis on social issues
Polling Report http://www.pollingreport.com/ -- gathers poll results on a wide variety of topics in one place
Statistical Resources on the Web http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/stats.html
WhyFiles: the Science Behind the News http://whyfiles.org/
X-Refer http://w1.xrefer.com/ -- searches through online dictionaries, encyclopedias and quote books
HOT TOPICS
Homework Center -- Social Issues http://www.multnomah.lib.or.us/lib/homework/sochc.html -- for each issue, resources neatly divided into "support," "oppose," and "legislation."
Hot Paper Topics http://library.sau.edu/bestinfo/Hot/hotindex.htm -- the page I designed for Best Information on the Net
Policy.com http://www.speakout.com/activism/policy/ -- differing viewpoints and policy analysis on social issues
SOME PRACTICE QUESTIONS
Some of my 7th graders are getting picked on by school bullies. I'd like to point them to some stories about kids who are bullied.
HINT: Try the Database of Award-Winning Children's Literature.
I'd also like to see what other schools are doing in the way of anti-bullying programs.
HINT: Do an ERIC search (or an ERIC full text search, in which you will find fewer documents) with the term "bullying" or "anti-bullying".
My students always write about the same hot topics -- abortion, school prayer, gun control, etc. Can I point them to some good analysis and objective information?
HINT 1: Check out the Multnomah County Library Social Issues page, or St. Ambrose's Hot Topics page.
HINT 2: See what Debbie Abilock recommends for Hot Topics at "Choosing the Best Search for Your Information Needs."
I'd like to get my students to use primary documents in their papers on current events.
HINT: Send them to Documents in the News. (If the current event in question has a science component, try the Why Files as well.)
I'd like to find a lesson plan for using maps for a history class to show students how the world used to look.
HINT: Go to the AskERIC Lesson Plan archive, click on Search archive, and type in history maps. You can refine further by specifying grade level.
I'd like to find out what new k-12 sites are coming out.
HINT 1: Visit Classroom Connect's Net Happenings Page regularly, or sign up for their free newsletter.
HINT 2: Go to Kathy Schrock's site and check out her new sites or sign up for her newsletter.
I have a lot of immigrants' children in my class and I'd like to explain to them about how you can become an American citizen.
HINT: Try Ben's Guide, select your age group, and click on Citizenship
I'd like some good information on holidays -- what they are, how they're celebrated, where the traditions came from, and such -- that my elementary school students can read comfortably.
HINT: Try Kids' Click and check out the holiday sites there.
I'd like to find a search engine that only searches math sites.
HINT 1: Try Search IQ and see what it recommends.
HINT 2: Use Google and type MATH + SEARCH ENGINE
I'd like my students to use magazine articles or books instead of web sites but I can't get them away from the web.
HINT 1: Steer them to FindArticles
HINT 2: Steer them to the Online Books Page
HINT 3: Steer them to X-Refer
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Send comments or questions to: marylaine at netexpress.net