Every once and a while the keyboards on our iPads seems to switch to a different language. Veronica, the Spanish teacher, has created a video tutorial on how to intentionally switch between keyboards, but here is a video explaining how to undo any keyboard issues.
Britannica Online is an interactive, digitized version of the world famous Britannica Encyclopedia! It also includes the Compton’s Encyclopedia and is designed for elementary and middle school student users. This database is an ideal resource for accessing up to date and concise information for a wide range of topics.
This resource is brought to you, FREE of charge, through both the King County Library system and the Seattle Public Library system!
How can I access Britannica Online for Kids?
Britannica Online is one of the many databases to which the Seattle Public Library (SPL) and King County Public Library (KCLS) subscribes. You can access Britannica Online with a valid SPL or KCLS library card and PIN number. Here’s how:
Seattle Public Library:
v Simply follow this link
v Scroll down to locate Britannica Online
v Click on the Britannica Online heading
v Log in with your SPL library card number and PIN number
v Start exploring!
King County Public Library:
v Simply follow this link
v Scroll down to locate Britannica Online
v Click on the Britannica Online heading
v Log in with your KCLS library card number and PIN number
v Start exploring!
How do I use Britannica Online for Kids?
Britannica Online is simple to use. Once you log into Britannica Online, you can search for a topic in the search box, browse by topic, or explore the numerous features on the homepage such as Animal of the Day, Headlines, and Discover America. Once you reach a desired topic, Britannica Online will provide a host of resources on that topic from encyclopedia entries and articles in journals and magazines, to websites and media clips.
From the Home page, students can also take advantage of the Student Center, which is a compilation of “How to” tips such as How to Write a Book Review and How to Prepare an Oral Presentation. It also provides links to other useful resources like Timelines, Biographies, World Atlas, and more!
What can I do with Britannica Online for Kids?
I have crafted this Newsletter in an effort to spread the word about the extremely handy AND free databases available through our local public libraries. I believe that the databases featured in this Newsletter are fantastic tools that can be used in the classroom, in the library, at home, and beyond!
….stay tuned for more issues of D’BOM, otherwise known as Database of the Month, brought to you by your School Media Specialist!
What is CultureGrams?
CultureGrams is a dynamic database, designed to deliver up-to-date, concise facts and figures about all the countries, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. The world is at your fingertips as you browse the immense collection of country reports that include maps, exclusive interviews, history, photos, and more! Take advantage of all four CultureGrams editions—the World, the States, the Provinces, and the Kids editions!
This resource is brought to you, FREE of charge, through both the King County Library system and the Seattle Public Library system!
How can I access CultureGrams?
CultureGrams is one of the many databases to which the Seattle Public Library (SPL) and King County Public Library (KCLS) subscribes. You can access CultureGrams with a valid SPL or KCLS library card and PIN number. Here’s how:
Seattle Public Library:
v Simply follow this link
v Scroll down to locate CultureGrams
v Click on the CultureGrams heading
v Log in with your SPL library card number and PIN number
v Start exploring!
King County Public Library
v Simply follow this link
v Scroll down to locate CultureGrams
v Click on the CultureGrams heading
v Log in with your KCLS library card number and PIN number
v Start exploring!
How do I use CultureGrams?
CultureGrams is simple to navigate. Once you log into CultureGrams, select the edition you would like to access. Regardless of which one you chose, you can access information either by clicking on a country, state, or province on the interactive map on the home page OR by directly accessing your desired country, state, or province in the Accessible Index on the left side panel of the screen.
Once you have reached the desired country, state, or province, find out all you ever wanted to know about that area!
What can I do with CultureGrams?
Read about the People & Places, History, Lifestyle, Society, and Culture Facts & Contacts of countries around the world
I have crafted this Newsletter in an effort to spread the word about the extremely handy AND free databases available through our local public libraries. I believe that the databases featured in this Newsletter are fantastic tools that can be used in the classroom, in the library, at home, and beyond!
….stay tuned for more issues of D’BOM, otherwise known as Database of the Month, brought to you by your School Media Specialist!
This resource is available through both the King County Library system and the Seattle Public Library system!
How can I access BookFlix?
BookFlix is one of the many databases to which the Seattle Public Library (SPL) and King County Public Library (KCLS) subscribes. You can access BookFlix with a valid SPL or KCLS library card and PIN number. Here’s how:
Seattle Public Library:
King County Public Library
How do I use BookFlix?
BookFlix is very easy to use. From the BookFlix homepage, you will have several general topics from which to choose, such as Animals and Nature, Earth and Sky, ABCs and 1,2,3’s, and more!
Once a topic has been chosen and ‘clicked’, you will have a wide array of fiction books to watch that are paired with nonfiction books to read along! Coupled with the books are games, internet links, and more! BookFlix is a fun and entertaining way to read, learn, and discover!
What can I do with BookFlix?
I have crafted this Newsletter in an effort to spread the word about the extremely handy AND free databases available through our local public libraries. I believe that the databases featured in this Newsletter are fantastic tools that can be used in the classroom, in the library, at home, and beyond!
….stay tuned for more issues of D’BOM, otherwise known as Database of the Month, brought to you by your School Media Specialist!
What is Novelist?
Novelist is a fantastic resource that is all about reading and all about books! It is a HUGE database of fiction books for children, teens, AND adults. In addition to information about specific books, it also offers:
This resource is available through both the King County Library system and the Seattle Public Library system, though SPL’s version deserves a PLUS because it includes non-fiction books as well!
How can I access Novelist?
Novelist is one of the many databases to which the Seattle Public Library (SPL) and King County Public Library (KCLS) subscribes. You can access Novelist with a valid SPL or KCLS library card and PIN number. Here’s how:
Seattle Public Library:
King County Public Library
How do I use Novelist?
Novelist is very easy to use. Simply enter a title, an author, a subject, a book description (yes, you heard me correctly! Novelist will search for books based only on a DESCRIPTION such as ‘mystery in New York’ or ‘adventure with trolls’.), and series title in the search field and Novelist will track down titles for you. You can then limit those results by age group, genre, writing style, location, award-winning titles, fiction or non-fiction (in the case of Novelist Plus via SPL), and more!
What can I do with Novelist?
I have crafted this Newsletter in an effort to spread the word about the extremely handy AND free databases available through our local public libraries. I believe that the databases featured in this Newsletter are fantastic tools that can be used in the classroom, in the library, at home, and beyond!
….stay tuned for more issues of D’BOM, otherwise known as Database of the Month, brought to you by your School Media Specialist!
“A blog (a blend of the term web log) is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video.” (Wikipedia.org, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog)
As a blog reader, an educator can learn of individual classroom experiences and experiments around the world. We can borrow, modify, and build on lessons from around the world.
As a blog writer, an educator can share philosophical insights, classroom successes and failures. By publishing to the world, we invite constructive criticism and spark conversations with other professionals.
Most educators don’t have time to visit 10 different websites a day to see if anything new has happened. Instead, people rely on aggregators – an application or service that automatically checks as many blogs as we want every day and then delivers the new content to a single place for quick scanning/viewing. You already have a subscription to a powerful aggregator with your Westside Google Apps account. The tool is called “Google Reader” and here is a 3 minute introduction to how it works:
If you’d like some blog suggestions to get started, please consider:
And if you’d like to scan a list of 54 top-quality classroom blogs from around the world, take a look at the EduBlogAwards 2011 nominees for “Best Class Blog.”
Senora Veronica teaches students how to change their iPad keyboards & menu items between English and Spanish in this short video:
What is America the Beautiful database?
America the Beautiful is brought to you by the encyclopedia masters from Grolier and the fine folks of Scholastic, Inc. This fantastic online resource is inspired by the Scholastic book series of the same name. America the Beautiful is stock full of facts and figures about our 50 states and U.S. territories, our U.S. presidents, U.S. history, current events, and much, much more! This interactive database is easy to use, enhanced with colorful illustrations, photos, panoramas, and maps, AND provides students’ with an educational and entertaining package, all wrapped into one!
How can I access America the Beautiful?
America the Beautiful is one of the many databases to which the Seattle Public Library (SPL) subscribes. You can access America the Beautiful with a valid SPL library card and pin number. Here’s how:
How do I use America the Beautiful?
As already mentioned, America the Beautiful is very simple to use and easy to navigate from one page or menu to the next. The home page of America the Beautiful is an interactive map of the United States. Simply click on a state to get started OR click on one of the five menu tabs: U.S. Topics, Timelines, Profiles, Games and Almanac.
What can I do with America the Beautiful?
I have crafted this Newsletter in an effort to spread the word about the extremely handy AND free databases available through our local public libraries. I believe that the databases featured in this Newsletter are fantastic tools that can be used in the classroom, in the library, at home, and beyond!
….stay tuned for more issues of D’BOM, otherwise known as Database of the Month, brought to you by your School Media Specialist!
A database is a collection of information that is highly organized and is typically brought to you in a digital format. Entries compiled in a database are regularly updated so that information is fresh and current. Some databases are free to the public and available via the internet, while others are only accessible to registered users. There are a wide range of databases out there from online encyclopedias to bibliographies, from online articles and journals to biographical databases!
You may be asking yourself…why databases, I can just search the web? Continue reading
The definition of Web 2.0 depends on who you ask.
In general, web 2.0 refers to interactive websites. This is in comparison to the websites of 1994-1999, which were mostly just words and pictures that you looked at and read.
Web 2.0 is any of the stuff that creates an experience based on how you interact with it: examples are sites where you can participate in conversations, vote on things, take quizzes, etc.