Step by Step with Teacher Zee: Teaching a Library and Reading Skill Using Direct Instruction

Reference Service and Readers' Advisory: World Book Discover and the World Religions Portal

Live Blogging: Teaching with the Web

My workshop on Web Enhanced Teaching is on going. It is sponsored by Phoenix Educational Systems Inc. to further assists subscribing clients in the use of World Book Online. Participants are teachers and librarians from private schools. But, I am pleasantly surprised that seven librarians from the Quezon City Public Library are likewise here!

Right now, teachers and librarians are working on the tasks I gave them. Each group is involved not only in exploring World Book Online but in the discussions in their groups. Earlier, I moved around to see how each group is doing, working and exploring web channels in World Book Online (WBO). Some encountered connection problems; others had difficulty navigating the web channels; a good number of the teachers have gone beyond the given task and explored the contents, activities and interactive feature of WBO.

I am looking forward to the sharing of each group. This is where feedback, insight and an awareness of processes the group underwent are revealed. Completing the task is important, but knowing the steps and evaluating if the steps led to a good product is a practice of information literacy skills.

For this workshop, I designed it in such a way that inquiry and discussion are fused together. The questions came from me for each task assigned and participants discuss it among themselves. In the big group discussion, participants are will be encouraged to express insights and ask more questions.

Information Literacy Skills Instruction at Home - Part 2

When I looked at the text she was reading online, the word radius is mentioned as a part of the bone structure of the hand and the arm. There was no definition of the word. So, logging in World Book Online, I told Zoe to go to World Book Kids. Being in grade five, World Book Student is too advanced for her to use.

The simple design of World Book Kids makes it easy for Zoe to navigate the site. Her familiarity with search boxes prompted her to type the word radius. Results came back with definitions that was not related to her search.

"Try radius, plus sign, arm, plus sign, hand." I said.

Information on the arm and hand came up. No radius.

"Let's think of related words." I said.

"Bones?" She guessed.

"Ok!"

She typed in radius, plus sign, bones. Viola! A radius is one of two bones of the forearm.

Photo source: World Book Online for Kids

Zoe smiled knowingly at me. She said,  "Hay. Salamat at may mama akong librarian na katulad mo!"

Translation: Sigh. Good thing I have a mother who is a librarian!

Library Link Lesson: Citing of Sources (MLA Style)

A simple library activity I whipped up for the Technology class of grade 10 to drum up the importance of citing sources in all research work and school related projects. This was done in coordination with the Tech teacher.

a. Send two articles on plagiarism cases for students to read over the weekend: one on Krip Yuson and the other on Sen. Tito Sotto.

The class will be divided in 2 groups. Group 1 will read the article on Krip Yuson while group 2 will read the recent article about Sen. Sotto.

b. Round table discussion in class the following meeting.

Prompt questions: What moves some people to plagiarize? How can plagiarism be avoided?

d. Online drill on citations using EasyBib, World Book Online Citation Maker and Word Document.

e. Manual citation practice using books, print magazines and journals.

f. Homework: Cite Right! - students will work on citation activities on varied formats of references.

For submission, and in the long run, shall become their Citation Brochure