NOTES FROM THE LIBRARY

NOT= ES FROM THE LIBRARY

Quarterly NEWS E-MAIL from your Libr= ary

January 2010

http://edweb.tusd.k1= 2.az.us/Sahuaro/Library/

LO= OKING FOR A NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION?

Hav= e you ever felt like there’s no time to integrate 21^st century information literacy skills into the curriculum AND deliver the required content by May? Perhaps you are intimidated by what you think will require a whole new skill set on your part to implement? Do you feel consumed with pa= pers to grade, parents to call, and students to assist, and just don’t have time to think about teaching something else? Or, do you believe that everyt= hing is available on the Internet and that our students are already sophisticated users of these resources, so why bother? If any of these thoughts have crossed your mind as you design lessons for your students, consider this= 230;

Active-learning, constructivist, research projects allow students to discover things for themselves, make a personal connection to the new knowledge, and internalize their learning for the long haul. 21^st century information literacy skill instruction fits into active learning like peanut butter goes with jelly! And, your Library Media Specialist will instruct your students in the 21^st century information skills they will need.
According to research statistics, our students are not as knowledgeable as we may think they= are about searching the Internet effectively, evaluating information sourc= es, or knowing when or how to cite sources. Students do not learn these sk= ills by osmosis, but must be taught.
Research has also shown t= hat meaningful, and shorter, more frequent research opportunities in the Library can do more to build skills than the huge, once a year research project. Trying something new can be something small.
Partnering with your Libr= ary Media Specialist to plan and teach your students means “sharing = the load,” ultimately making your load lighter.

So,= if you are looking for a New Year’s resolution, why not resolve to increase = your usage of the support & resources available to you and your students via= the Sahu= aro Library Media Center. Plan and te= am teach active-learning units with your Library Media Specialist, weaving in practical and pertinent 21^st century information literacy skills= to the instruction. Bring your classes in more frequently, for smaller research assignments. Allow time for your students to practice information literacy skills that will help them be informed members of our democratic society, as well as prepare them for further academic work. And, give yourself a break… share the load with your Library Media Specialist. Stop by any time to “book” some time for your classes in the library!

Professional Development Collection Database

Click here for access to the following EBSCO Professional Development database article► “Why We Should Not Cut P.E.”

(Trost, Stewart G., and Hans Van Der Mars. “Why We Should Not Cut P.E.&#= 8221; Educational Leadership 67.4 (2009): 60-65. Pr= ofessional Development Collection. EBSCO. Web. 4 Jan. 2010.)

Search for your o= wn topic of professional interest by accessing the EBSCO Professional Development database available via the library web page.

3DREMINDER... 3D"Citation =

The= Modern Language Association (MLA) citation guidelines have changed with the publication of their 7^th edition. The main changes are:

No more underlining… MLA now recommends italicizing titles. Italics are required both in the text and in= the works cited list for the names of books, plays, poems, pamphlets, periodicals, Web sites, databases, films, etc.
Medium designation= … the vast majority= of resources will fall into either the “Print” or “Web” category and should be labeled that way in the citat= ion. <= /li>
URL optional…MLA no longer r= equires URL’s for Web site entries. At the high school level it seems appropriate to require the URL, so SHS Library guides will continue to call for a URL.
New abbreviations<= /u>… For Web site entries, N.p. i= s used when no publisher is given, and n.d. is us= ed when no publication date is given.

The= se are the major changes. If your students use Noodle Tools or other online citation makers, you will notice some of these format changes.

Go = to http://edw= eb.tusd.k12.az.us/sahuaro/library/citing.htm to find a link to an updated MLA Quick Reference Guide, an updated guide to parenthetical documentation, AND a link to a searchable online version of t= he MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7^th ed. (Handbook requires username/password which are posted near the link.)

IDEAL – online educational videos (NOT blocked!)

If you’ve been frustrated by the recent blocking of video sites and other online resources, think IDEAL! Discovery Education Streaming is avail= able under “Curriculum Resources” at the IDEAL site and provides acc= ess to 4,000 educational videos segmented into content clips. If you do n= ot have an IDEAL username and password, you can contact their Help Desk at 480-965-= 9411 or e-mail support@ideal.azed.gov for assistance. Link to IDEAL from the library web page.

Happy New Year!

Next Library News E-Mail:=

March 2010