Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Week 11
     What did I learn and how will I use it?
I liked "Learning Express" so much!  What an exciting database to have access to in a public high school!  The practice tests for just about everything can be helpful to all.  A few weeks ago, we had a student, who plans to go into the military,  come in looking for practice tests for the ASVAB.  We were unable to help him with our collection here but our other high school library had a hard copy and sent it down for him.  My point being, if I had known about this great database, I could have helped him here--next time....  I, crazy as it may seem, enjoy taking tests so for those others who like to see what they know, this is the place for them.  In this day and age, all Maine high school students are required to take the SATs so to prepare for this tedious exam, they could practice with tests in this database.  What a wonderful, and free, tool!

Of course, I will continue to use Novelist Plus as a guide when looking for books for my students.  I  especially like the area where one can find read-alike books.  Often, students ask for "other books like the one I just read" so now I can direct them to this area of MARVEL.  I also use this for reviewing books before ordering them.

This was a great class for teachers and librarians who are always hunting for new things to offer their students.  MARVEL is free to all in Maine so we need to spread the word to those who can benefit from it.  Thanks so much!!!

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Lesson # 10     EBSCOHOST

I first went to Academic Search Complete where I clicked on publications and searched for "Woman's Day" magazine.  I got nothing in that search.  I then tried a couple more of my favorites:  "Taste of Home" and "Country Woman" to no avail.

In "Basic Search," I typed in "Can nerves be repaired?"  I got 5 results on this topic all from "Academic Journals."  I chose the article titled "Photochemical Tissue Bonding:  A Promising Technique for Peripheral Nerve Repairs."  This article is dated Dec. 2007 and the subjects included are:  Peripheral nerves, Photosensitizing compounds, Collagen, and Histology.  This process includes using lights and dyes to repair nerve damage

In the eBook collection, I searched "Disney" and received 26 results.  These ranged from 1998-2000 but only one actually dealt with the Disney company.

For "Constitution Day," I could not find any titles that would be helpful on this topic.

I typed "Oklahoma"  in the box and got 70 results.  Quite a few books on other cultures in America came up but I am not sure why...  Also books on historic trails, electronics careers, custody solutions, and state constitutions were some other strange results from this topic.  What do these have to do with Oklahoma?

Now, I have used  EBSCOHOST for my college work in the past and had good results but, for some reason, I had no luck on this day.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Lesson #9     Learning Express

It was easy to set up an account in Learning Express.  For my exam, I chose high school grammar.  I really enjoyed taking this test and, not to brag, but I did quite well.  I love challenging myself so this was fun for me.

I chose "Goof Proof Interviews" for my course.  One thing that I noticed was that the course was published in 2003 which seems kind of old to me.  I like the way that the lesson gives "no-no's" then shows how to correct them.  This lesson seemed very thorough to me.  It answers any questions that I would have if I were interviewing.  It has been a long time since I have had to go through and interview so I would definately use this as preparation.

I chose to look at an eBook because every topic that I tried to look at was blocked at my school (I do not have a computer at home).

I picked "Pass the U.S. Citizenship Exam, 4th Edition" because this is something that my son-in-law will be able to do soon.  First, I always have wondered what this endeavor entailed so this was my chance to see.  I was surprised at the fee for this test which is $595 plus an $80 fee for fingerprinting.  I was also impressed by the length of time that the process would take which is 6-9 months.  Scrolling down, I saw lots of information and step-by-step instructions on how to prepare for the exam.  Engaging in an exercise program was one of the suggestions as well as laying out your clothes the night before so that you would not have to think about that the day of your test.  It also offered ideas on how to get a good night's sleep and to be sure that you know where you are going to be taking the test.  There is so much that one has to learn and memorize for this exam.  To me, the exam did not seem so hard but to one who has not lived here I am sure that it is a daunting task.  It seems that becoming an American citizen is a difficult adventure but one that is honorable and, very much wanted, by those who pursue the trip.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Lesson #8:  Geneology

I am not going to be able to get to a library for this lesson so I watched the three tutorials on the Maine State Library website.

Introduction:  This search engine seems easy enough to use but it is only available in a public library which is a shame for those who would like to use it.  It has over 4000 databases of information in the U.S. as well as in a few other countries.

Ancestry Documents:  There are several ways to search for someone and I would think that the limiters would make the searches easier.

Searching Ancestry:  If there were someone that I wanted to find, I would definately use this source.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Lesson #7:  Health Resources

WOW!!!  There are so many resources!  It is quick and easy to find information through the alphabetical listing but I do like the other ways to search also.

I chose pancreatic cancer because my sister was diagnosed with that almost 5 years ago.  Even though it has a high death rate soon after diagnosis, she had her pancreas, and other organs, removed and is still doing well.  I got 157 results, most from magazines.  The most recent article was from September 2012.    I chose "Fighting Pancreatic Cancer" in Digestive Disorders.  Jan. 2011 to read through.  This article was very readable and easy to understand.

Medline Plus:  Health News  November 13, 2012

"For Cholesterol Tests, Fasting May Not Be Required"
"Scientists Find Gene Differences in Nonsmokers With Lung Cancer"
"Spinal Steroid Shots May Have Little Effect on Sciatica"
      more health news...
"Battling Back Pain"

Some top searches were:  amlodipine, autism, diabetes, gabapentin, Vitamin D, shingles, ADHD, cancer, and MRSA.

Drugs and Supplements

I chose Zithromax  see Azithromycin
I saw a lot of information including:
     How to use
     Dietary instructions
     Side effects
     Emergency instructions

Health Topics:  Pancreatic Cancer
     I clicked on letter P
This link is much easier to use.
It still contains lots of information which is narrowed down so I could find exactly what I was looking for.

Videos and Cool Tools
     I watched a video on "Nerve Connection" which was a great visual of how nerves work in our bodies.  Unfortunately, I could not bring myself to watch a surgery video...



Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Lesson #6:  Value Line

Investment Survey
     Description:  up-to-date; comprehensive and descriptive; covers 1700 equity issues
     For each stock:  looks to year ahead; 3-5 year probable price performance; projections; concise commentaries on present and future prospects

Ratings and Reports:  gives stock reports and industry reviews

Selection and Opinion:  gives Value Line's views on the economy and stock market and on special interest stocks.  Provides model portfolios with objectives and statistics

Summary and Index:  helps locate latest quarterly and supplementary reports and cites most recent data on each stock followed

3.  I chose Walmart but got no results.  My next choice was Disney where I got one result.

Alert:  08/10/2012  the bottom line jumped 29% to $1.01 per share (estimate was $0.87 per share); the revenues were $11088 billion (this was a bit below the predicted $11160 billion)
The largest share was from the Studio Entertainment division.  Disney expects a strong film slate for 2013.  The Consumer Products division was up 35% and the Parks/Resorts division was up 21% because of more guests and higher ticket prices.

PDF shows stocks which I know nothing about.

I did not see the "full research report" anywhere.

Monday, November 5, 2012

Lesson #6:  Business Resources

Business Source Complete:  FM radio
     In red it says "Your initial search query did not yield any results however, using SmartText Searching, results were found based on your keywords."
I got 3952 results using keywords.  Fourteen of them were Market Research Reports, 604 were from Academic Journals, and 2620 were from Trade Publications.  In magazines, there were 586 results and  newspapers yielded 99 results.
   Using the Visual Search Option, I got no results for FM radio.  I found the visual search option to be very confusing.  I suppose if one has the time to play around with this, it may help but it entails way too much "clicking" for me.

Econ Lit:  Resources for Small Business Owners
     I received 7 results when looking for this topic.  Six of them were from Academic Journals with 2010 the most recent article.  There was one book that came up with a publication date of 2011.  I then typed in EPA and small business which brought up only 1 hit which was published in Academic Journal in 2010.  I tried EPA by itself and got 680 results and then small business which brought about 4308 hits.  Typing in Tax Policy and small business gave me 31 results with an article in Academic Journal being the most recent with a date of July, 2012.

Regional Business News:  gives the most recent results in the past 30 days
     I chose Disney as my company and upon clicking search, I got 11156 hits.  In newspapers, there were 8296 results.  In radio and TV news transcripts, there were 299 results and in trade publications, there were only 7 hits.  I then typed in Disney and New England and got 35 results.  Some of these were:  New England Avenue in Winter Park, Florida (2012)
           Aruba wants New England Patriots to celebrate there since the Super Bowl champion quaterback gets to go to Disney. (2012)
           Eli Manning going to DisneyWorld to celebrate the Giants victory. (2012)
           Susan Powers has joined Disney to try to connect Boston/New England area with the company. (2011)

I chose the Maine company of "Tom's of Maine" and got 28 results, all of them being newspapers.
Next, I typed "Tom's of Maine" and "toothpaste" and received 14 results, all of them being from newspapers also.

Wall Street Journal
     Small business and health care gave me 19650 results.  Most of these articles are from newspapers but there are also 3 from magazines, two of which were printed in 2012 and one was from 2011.
     I believe that a small business person would definately be interested in the publication date, subject of the article, and the location.
     If I wanted to open a new business, I would surely want to be able to get the most up-to-date information on health benefits for my employees so the "create alert" option would be a vital tool.

I could not get into Value Line today but will continue to try as the week goes along.