I use the Alaskan databases all the time at school. It is one of the items I cover in my freshman library orientation and I also cover it in more detail with my orientation with sophomores as they begin their big research paper for their English classes. The majority of kids are sold on it after seeing how quickly they can find verifiable information compared to Google searches.
I determined to try something I had not done, so I looked into creating journal alerts and search alerts and opened and saved the tedious instructions on each. The second thing I did was watch the Flash movie on the coming Ebscohost 2.0 interface. However, it sounded like it was to have been implemented in 2008. I went on to the Digital Pipeline and discovered that it was indeed the interface used now.
At school I teach the students to go on the the databases through our District web program called FILE' under the resources tab. On there I always taught them to use the Student Research Center because it was supposedly designed for high school curriculums. Last year during the school year it was not using the Ebscohost 2.0 interface. I logged on to the databases in this manner and discovered that Student Research Center still does not use the Ebscohost 2.0 interface, whether I went onto it from FILE' or from the Digital Pipeline link on SLED. From now on I will teach students the Digital Pipeline way because the Ebscohost 2.0 interface is so much more powerful.
My information gleaned on placing journal or search alerts from the Ebsco Support link from the Raven About Web 2.0 page is now obsolete as the alerts are so easy to place from the Ebscohost 2.0 interface--just a click away.
I then went in and started a folder for myself, something I had never done before. It was easy and it is one click to put an article in the folder from Ebscohost 2.0. Can see it as useful when I am doing research that I can't complete in one session. I can add to the folder and sort later for the cream of the crop.
I am a huge fan of Ebscohost and am very grateful to the Legislature for providing it free of charge. I know I would not be able to afford it in my Library and cannot imagine living without it. We have a big automotive department at NPHS so I also point that database out in my freshman orientation.
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I am having a real hard time with this "thing" I can't make any headway. I keep going in circles trying to figure out where I can make a folder. I couldn't even find a tutorial. Where the tutorials were it said under construction and it wouldn't take me anywhere. Am I missing something completely obvious? Any help would be appreciated!
ReplyDeleteI was glad to read your blog post and about all the success you have at school using the Alaska Digital Pipeline. Positive feedback from folks makes us want to pursue. I think many of the "text only" databases would be a better fit for secondary students than for elementary. Like everything, repeated use and being knowledgeable and comfortable with the resource is the key. My plan is to introduce a couple of the pictorial databases to our upper elementary students this school year.
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