Heather Owings
SLM 521 (MD)
Fall 2003
Index Page
My
Index Page
Web Drop
Ins
Web
dropin #1 - Get out your reference books! This scavenger-hunt activity sends
students searching for short factual answers on the Fact Monster web site. It
requires students to thoroughly scour the web site, indirectly teaching them
how to sort material for relevance (Task 2 of the Big 6). http://wwwfac.mcdaniel.edu/slm/student/owingsh/webdropin1.html
Web
dropin #2 - Welcome Readers! This activity is to help students write book
reviews (not to be confused with book reports!) Book reviews by students are
a necessary addition to any media center web page. It helps students choose
what to read next, and it creates a place where student readers can voice their
opinions. http://wwwfac.mcdaniel.edu/slm/student/owingsh/dropin2.html
Web
dropin #3 - An exploration of the Dewey Decimal Classification system is
underway. Students learn the layout of the print library, like where the biographies
are in relation to the poetry books. I also included a link to a brief biography
on Melville Dewey. http://wwwfac.mcdaniel.edu/slm/student/owingsh/Dewey.htm
Web
dropin #4 - The American Library Association has a whole promotion kit for
Banned Books Week, which is always the last week in September. I am really fascinated
by the banning or challenging of books because I think it blatantly contradicts
one of a librarians main jobs- to encourage reading. So I used the most challenged
book of 2002, Harry Potter, to put together this Banned Book dropin.
http://wwwfac.mcdaniel.edu/slm/student/owingsh/banbooks.htm
Web
dropin #5 - While working on the lesson plans project for this class, I
came across one particular lesson plan that I loved! It combines two of my favorite
subjects: comic book characters and mythology. So I have modified it and created
an opportunity for kids to connect hard-to-grasp ethereal mythology with present
day knowledge.
Search Engine Activity
My
Search Engine Awards received the red carpet
treatment. I focused on search engines in the following categories: general,
meta search, multimedia, news and children-friendly. Upon completion of this
award ceremony, I did have an after-party! http://wwwfac.mcdaniel.edu/slm/student/owingsh/Search%20Engines.htm
And
here are some helpful Search Engine Tips for students
that are having difficulty finding exactly what they need on the web.
Web Quest
Do
you know what you want to be when you grow up? If the answer is no, explore
a career in the webquest I have created for middle
school students. For a list of my favorite webquest sites, click here.
Bibliography
My
Web Link Bibliography is a cluster of web sites
that relate to the current "hot topic" among media specialists, the
Big 6 principles. The Big 6 is the problem-solving method most-widely used to
teach information and technology skills. I wanted to create a list of resources
that I could use in the future as a media specialist. http://wwwfac.mcdaniel.edu/slm/student/owingsh/weblinkbib.htm
Course
Module
Because
Internet research is more and more popular, reference sources are finally showing
up on the web in gigantous numbers. This course module
helps teachers (who are students!) explore what reference sources are available,
and more importantly what specific sources are available for their curriculum.
Copyright,
Privacy, and Ethics
By
exploring copyright laws, I discovered the fence-straddle technique of teachers.
On one side, you want your students to understand and respect copyright laws.
But on the other hand, as a teacher, you may want to stretch copyright laws
in order to provide a more comprehensive lesson. My web
page explores the Fair Use Guidelines for Educational Multimedia and how
it applies to teachers, students, and students that want to be teachers!
Elective Activities
The
School Media Web site activity allowed me to explore
the different components that I felt made up a good school media web site. As
a future Media Specialist, I was amazed at the diversity of media web sites
and was startled by the realization of just how much information they could
contain. http://wwwfac.mcdaniel.edu/slm/student/owingsh/electiveslmsites.html
Evaluating
Web Sites is an important aspect of information literacy. Students have
the erroneous idea that everything on the Internet is true. They must be taught
critical thinking and evaluation skills. This guide was created to help students
better interpret the information they find on the Web. http://wwwfac.mcdaniel.edu/slm/student/owingsh/webeval.htm
The
Hoaxes activity was posted on Blackboard, but I also
wanted to include it in my index because I found it an eye-opening experience.
Never again will I forward emails without checking for veracity first. http://wwwfac.mcdaniel.edu/slm/student/owingsh/hoaxes.htm
I
really enjoyed the Clip Art activity. I never knew
how many sites there were devoted to clip art, graphics, and animation. It was
awe-inspiring. http://wwwfac.mcdaniel.edu/slm/student/owingsh/clipart.htm
The
evils of Plagiarism and how teachers can deter it. Not
one of the more entertaining activities but certainly necessary. Like the Hoaxes
activity, I was naive about the information sources available on the web. One
visit to a paper mill made me realize just how easy it is for students to cheat!
http://wwwfac.mcdaniel.edu/slm/student/owingsh/Plag.htm
Another
Internet evil is Spam. This anti-spam manual gives a
definition of spam, the problems associated with spam, how to avoid and deal
with unwanted junk email, in addition to the legalities involved with spam.
http://wwwfac.mcdaniel.edu/slm/student/owingsh/spam.htm
Child
Safety on the Web is a growing concern for many school systems. Although
legally the parent is ultimately held responsible for a child's use of the Internet,
at school that responsibility falls onto the classroom teacher. I created a
letter and checklist for parents and students to sign and return, in order to
promote an understanding of the school's acceptable use policy.
Even
though media specialist do not usually create lesson
plans, I wanted to explore this area because if I am going to collaborate
with a teacher I need to have my own ideas to bring to the discussion. And also
to have examples of lessons that use the Internet handy would be useful, so
that I might use them as a guide if I need help modifying a lesson to incorporate
computers, technology, or outside research.
Viruses
are a huge threat to computers. And more and more schools, bussinesses, and
homes are dependent on their computer systems. This activity allowed me to explore
viruses (and anti-virus software). It also reenforced what the hoax activity
above taught - that people are fearful of viruses and hoaxes play on that fear.
This form letter should help keep friends informed
of hoaxes and stop those fearful email forwards!