Lesson 10

My biggest discovery was the immediate access to so much information without ever having to go to a library. Our school is rural, and we cannot afford a library or librarian, and with me being a new teacher with a new classroom, I had no supplies and little money to purchase anything with. Access to the state library should really help my 5th-8th grade students access articles and books for Reading and Writing class, and it should help my 7-8th grade students with history research.

Furthermore, being able to access Worldbook Encyclopedia; SIRS for the magazine articles, especially with readability levels; and SIRS Discovery for research and maps are all places that the students can access information, as can other teachers. Although I struggle with technology and anticipate a struggle in that area, I think the students will often be able to find information and help each other, as will teachers.

My husband and I are interested in the ancestry search, and I have already found out more than previous searches have illuminated.

One thing I will have to do is sort out all of this information. Sometimes I could access way more than I needed, and other times, I couldn't find enough, as in CAMIO and ArchiveGrid. If I plan to use these sources in the classroom, I need to practice with it all more and be sure of where I will send the students. I look forward to receiving the e-newsletter, using the Guide handouts more, and receiving more training.

Lesson 7 ArchiveGrid/CAMIO

I was finally able to access ArchiveGrid from our public library, but I was not ecstatic about the results. I found out that Sitting Bull lived from 1834?-1890 and that I could order a copy of the card with an envelope. Also, there were personal papers of Elmo Scott Watson, who I assume was a journalist. It showed 3 of 17 sources.

Next I tried researching women who took part in the American Revolution; the site said that there were other sources (700+), but I didn't know how to access them. What I saw listed under the 4 sources were letters, gravestones, photos, clippings, and scrapbooks. The sources/institutions were not listed. I filled out ordering information, but so far, I'm not sure what to do next.

With CAMIO, I had even worse results. I was able to see what they had for sources, but I was unable to find a place to type in my search because it wanted a user name and password, and neither the library one or the one on my state library card worked.