RefWorks

Introduction to RefWorks: Using a Personal Citation Database

The Campus Library is holding workshops on RefWorks, the personal citation database that allows users to import, store and share research citations. RefWorks also can format bibliographies in any number of citation styles. All students, faculty and staff are welcome to the RefWorks workshops. No registration required, but a UW NetID is needed.

The workshop will cover the most popular database interfaces including EBSCO and OVID.

Workshops will be held in LB1-220 on the following dates:

Thursday, October 23: 11:00 AM – Noon

Wednesday, October 29: 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM

Wednesday, October 29: 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Thursday, October 30: 10:00 – 11:00

Collaborating with your School Librarian

During last Friday’s state in-service I was at the joint Oregon Association of School Librarians/Washington Library Media Association conference in Portland. I can tell you that your school librarians are working hard to help students achieve academic success. They are also eager and enthusiastic to collaborate with teachers in many different ways. For example, there were several presentations on how librarians can work with teachers to create strategies to successfully navigate the required elements of the Social Studies CBAs. Another session focused on reviewing and providing feedback on Washington State’s New Educational Technology Standards. One presenter discussed how she collaborated with Title I teachers to provide books for struggling readers to achieve independent level.

The Campus Library has several books that explore the benefits of teachers collaborating with their librarians in creating assignments, discussing resources and determining outcomes. Here are the titles of a few:

Inquiry Learning Through Librarian-Teacher Partnerships

More Reading Connections: Bringing Parents, Teachers, and Librarians Together

Collaborating to Meet Standards: Teacher/Librarian Partnerships for K-6

I strongly recommend that all in- and pre-service teachers meet with school librarians to find out how they can help students. I think many of you would be surprised at how much teacher-librarians want to collaborate with you to make sure your students succeed. I urge you to visit your school librarian and ask him or her, “Would you like to collaborate with me on this unit?”

Graphic Novels

In my last entry I noted the book, Teaching Visual Literacy: Using Comic Books, Graphic Novels, Anime, Cartoon, and More to Develop Comprehension and Thinking Skills. Graphic novels are huge in the children’s and young adult publishing world. I belong to Puget Sound Council, a children’s literature review group composed of school and public librarians who read and review children’s literature. The librarians are actively adding graphic novels to school library collections. When you are at work or at your placement school, stop by and ask the school librarian to introduce you to some good graphic novels.

To become familiar with the genre, read Gene Yang’s article, “Graphic Novels in the Classroom,” in the January 2008 (vol. 86 no.3) issue of Language Arts.* The article is written in graphic novel format! He discusses their popularity, provides definitions and offers creative ways to use these books in the classroom. He also offers a short bibliography of graphic novels. The Campus Library’s Children’s Literature Collection carries the novels he recommends as well as others. See me or another librarian for more information on how to find them in the collection. (Yang has more ideas on his web site www.geneyang.com/comicsedu). This article is a wonderful introduction to graphic novels especially if you are someone like me who says, “I don’t like graphic novels…”

I’m not going to quibble about the genre of Brian Selznick’s Caldecott Award winning book, The Invention of Hugo Cabret: A Novel in Words and Pictures. When you see it, you’ll think, “Wow. That’s a big book.” But the integration of the story and the illustrations not only make for quick reading, it’s also amazingly powerful. Selznick proves he’s a genius with this book. When the clock keeper doesn’t return to the train station, Hugo is afraid that he will be taken away so he continues to maintain the clocks inside the walls of the train station in Paris. It’s 1931 and Hugo has no family or friends until he meets a girl and her godfather. Although Hugo’s secret could be jeopardized, Hugo finds understanding and friendship in the relationships.

I’ll probably write this a lot, but this is one book you have to read!!!

*If you are reading this post at home, be sure to click on the red off-campus access button before accessing the article from Language Arts.

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog on issues in education and resources available to students studying education at UW Bothell. I hope this blog provides you an opportunity to discuss topics you are studying in classes, experiencing in schools or thinking about professionally. If all goes well, it should also inspire you to explore some of the materials available to you as students at UW Bothell. Since there are two certification programs and an MEd program, I’ll try to keep it relevant to all. However, there will be times when it is more appropriate to students in one of the programs. Still – I hope everyone can participate!

As you get to know me, you’ll realize that one of my passions is children’s literature. I’m sure many of you have fond memories of reading as a child. I was one of those kids who had no problem finding good books to read. Either I was drawn to them or they were drawn to me.

I doubt this is every child’s experience. After reading a novel for a composition class, a first year college student told me that it was the first book he had ever read. Am I surprised? Not really. Should I be shocked? Yes. Someone did not put the right book in this student’s hands during the first 18 years of his life.

As pre- and in-service teachers, you understand the importance of reading, but why not read up on it a little more? The UW Libraries has many books that will provide more insight into this fascinating topic. (Why do some kids read book after book and other kids hate the idea?) In the UW Libraries Catalog, perform a keyword search using the phrase “ children and reading and books.” You can also limit it to the Bothell/CCC Library if you want something right away. Several interesting titles pop up including

• Growing Up with Literature
• Tools for Matching Readers to Text: Research Based Practices
• Teaching Visual Literacy: Using Comic Books, Graphic Novels, Anime, Cartoon, and More to Develop Comprehension and Thinking Skills

I know you are all busy with school work, family and the personal, so remember – you do NOT have to read the entire book. Look through the table of contents and find an interesting chapter or section. Create professional development time where you will dedicate 30 minutes a day to read something in the education field not assigned by an instructor. You choose your professional path and keep walking it. The exercise will be good for you! Really!!