Week 2 - ED566E.1

For this week's class, we discussed different online databases. I am generally successful when searching through ERIC for articles, and I always choose full text to narrow the search to what I can find online. However, I do not want to limit my students to what I like to use, but rather, through this class, I'm learning what is out there and what is available. In my last class, "Administration of the School Library Media Center, we had a database project through which we evaluated a variety of different databases. One of my favorites for kids and teachers is "Facts for Learning." The "Facts for Learning" database offers teacher tools for instructional purposes, and students tools for independent searching. There is also a calendar with links to who was born on that day and what happened on that day in history. This could be incorporated into the classroom as a daily activity for a class. Articles are available from W0rld Almanac for Kids (also in Spanish) and Weekly Reader. Teacher created materials to integrate into topical teaching is also available through a tab near the top of the page.

In class this week, we also utilized a chat tool and Wimba Live Classroom. I think this hands on practice was especially beneficial as we were able to understand the tools that may be available for our students and how to utilize them best with students. Like others mentioned in class, I think there are some students who would be more willing to offer information by typing than they might by raising their hand.