Discovery Exercise--Proquest

For my topic of interest, I researched "texting and driving". I found this topic interesting because it is in the news everywhere, and every States are deciding how they will deal with the distracted driver. I read an article from the Journal of Transportation; Atlanta; 7-17-10. 40% want internet in cars, and 50% admit to illegally texting/phoning while driving. BUT 87% believe in-vehicle web access is a safety concern, and 95% want internet banned or restricted in vehicles. We have a dilemma, since people want it both ways. So, I'm not sure how we will solve this. In 2009, National Highway Traffic Safety Adm. found nearly 6000 people died in crashes involving distracted drivers, and more than 500,000 were injured. (P.S. please make your car a no-phone zone.)

In an article by David Runk in Transportation Topics; Alexandria; 7-5-10 the conclusion seems to be we need to educate the public. Michigan's ban on texting while driving is an enforcement challenge. Texting drivers are fined $100--It's the Law. The article points out texting, like drunk driving or lack of seat belt usage is a public safety issue.

It was interesting to read the articles on this topic. They were easy to locate, since it is a topic in the news right now.

As I did the second part of the assignment I used the publication tab to locate Library Quarterly. I researced the topic of rural libraries, since that's "where I am". There were articles from grants and funding opportunities to where libraries are going in the future. I also located where we can find SDLN holdings available to us by Inter-Library Loans on these topics.

I agree with Library Chick that Proquest is handy for research, especially when there is a specific topic, or you know the specific publication you are looking to research. You can really find anything. But I did have some frustrations when I thought, "well I will just use this to find some ideas for a storage cabinet I want to have built". I am not familiar with carpentry publications, and probably wasn't using the right search words, so I kept getting the message about narrowing my search. I think to have success at every topic, you need to know the proper language for searches.

SIRS Discoverer & SIRS Researcher

I enjoyed "playing" on the databases, and I am hoping I can get more educators and librarians to take time to research and keep investigating these sites. I think that is the key to helping our students get more familiar with these databases also.

I used SIRS Discoverer to look up armadillos. I learned a lot (being a SD girl, and never having seen an armadillo). For the first time I learned they can burrow and wedge themselves tightly into a protective position and a protective hiding place. The armadillo can also swim across a river or stream by taking in a large gulp of air, blow up their stomach and intestines like a balloon, and paddle itself across. I also enjoyed seeing the photos. There was a great photo of the armadillo rolled up in a ball. Once again I learned this from my 2 year old grandson. He told me they could roll up in a ball, but it was fun to see the photo showing how tight of a ball they can really get into.

Tanzania is the country I selected, using "country facts" for my research. My son spent 3 months in Tanzania, near Arusha, where he helped build a school. I liked seeing facts about the country, and I especially like the history facts you can find at a glance. In 1992 the Tanzanian government agreed to adopt a multiparty democracy. I was also taken by the fact that in the Tanzanian 2005 election there was a 72.4% voter turnout. WOW, I wish we could get that kind of turnout. Although historical facts were recorded from the 8th century until present times, it is understandable they don't have organized government services, since they have been a democracy for only 18 years.

The other topic I chose from 'database features' is pathfinders. This is changed every 30 days. It told of holidays this month, and famous people with birthdays this month. Amelia Earhart(1897-1937), the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic was born in July.

The SIRS Discoverer is a great place for kids to find facts, articles, and information.

With the SIRS Researcher I selected banned books. There are 17 newspapers articles, 3 magazine articles, 4 viewpoints offered, 1 reference article, and 10 graphic/media items. They offer pro and cons to the question: Should school administrators be allowed to ban books? An article from the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly deliberated over stronger regulations on sexual images in 'manga' comic books, animation, and video games. (published 6/12/10)

An article from the Indianapolis Star was recorded awaiting the decision made as to the use of "Song of Solomon" by Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison-- whether is will continue to be taught at Franklin Central H.S. The book was being read by the advanced placement English class, and has been used for 8 years without any challenge. I enjoyed reading the article, but I was disappointed that it hadn't been updated since 4/30/10. I wonder how that turned out.

Using curriculum pathfinder in SIRS Researcher I read some articles on Bullying in Schools. Both pros and cons were presented in articles. 89 total sources were cited.

The more you look, the more you learn. I hope kids will use these resources. I find I am more interested in history and knowledge now as I am older, than when I was a student. That's the challenge I guess.

World Book Advanced and World Book Discover.

I searched for the country Tanzania, since my son has made two trips there, and the people hold a spot in our hearts. The left side gives search results for maps, tables, sounds, pictures, back in time, special reports, websites and research guides. Click "sounds" and you can even have the opportunity to hear the Tanzanian National anthem. Once you click on an article the right side will give you primary sources. The images present a broad representation of the country showing Dar Salaam and Arusha (cities) and rural life and farming. It also has articles and photos of Kilimanjaro National Park, Mount Kilimanjaro and Lake Victoria. This is the area of Tanzania that brings many tourists to the area. Related articles tell of Jane Goodall, Terrorism, Huti & Tutsi conflicts, which gives some background and history for the researcher.

In World Book Discover I enjoyed researching American Government. There are 198 articles, and numerous features. The World Book Discover helps patrons who are still working on their English skills because is offers the opportunity to translate the text. This feature is easily found on the left side. Also, the feature video right now (The Great Depression) has printed text that you can follow at the same time as hearing the video.

The more we play around, the more familiar things are becoming.

Since my last post, I have changed by opinion a bit. I spent more time playing around with World Book On-line for Kids & World Book Students. While there is a lot of overlap and repeated information, they also continue to build upon each other. For instance, World Book for Kids and World Book On-line for Kids are very similar, but one builds on the other. World Book Student continues to build with more information. You can see on article contents listed on the left, that the number of articles are more. When you click on a photo, you are offered more articles, pictures, and research guides. It also links you to more related websites. Of course, with my topic being camels, the research guide didn't really apply to my topic. I also like the quiz that was offered, since it gives students on opportunity to check what they learned and comprehended.
It really is true that the more time you spend at it, the more information you will find. Keep hunting.

World Book

I used World Book Kids to research the camel. I learned that the dromedary camel has 1 hump and the bacterian camel has 2 humps. These humps are used to store fat, food, and water. Camels can range in size from 550-1500 pounds. The llama is the largest camel in South America, and the vicunas is the smallest camel in South America. I'm sure I learned this in school, but have since forgot that kind of information.

I enjoyed looking around between World Book Kids/ World Book On-line for Kids/ and the Info. Finder. I agree with "Ashley's SD Library Challenge" thoughts that the information offered in each area is the same. Is this for different "types" of learners? Does this make it easier for kids to research no matter their learning style?

I chose the camel since my three-year old grandson and I just rode on a camel at the Great Plains Zoo in Sioux Falls. This gives me a chance to show him pictures and information about camels from my computer.