Sandy's Delta Journal

July 8, 2003

What do you think a digital library is? What did I learn today?

I think a digital library is an online resource full of digitized information such as first person documents, video and audio files made available to users on the world wide web.
Thus far I learned how this class is going to aid me in teaching and communicating to staff and students the  digital resources available the web and how to access and use them in the school, the workplace and home. I also learned another way of copying and pasting information onto a webpage by using "Control C and Control V". Lastly, I  am in the process of learning the techniques involved in publishing a web page.


July 9, 2003

Today I reacquainted myself with Netscape Composer. When you don't use it you loose it. I learned many of the techniques taught today in a class I took over a year ago at Medill Professional Training Center. My goal is to publish a library homepage for my school this school year. The Library  Web sitewill act as a portal for information and resources available within the school and the community at large.


July 15, 2003

The area most is need would be the 500's, Science in particular. It is getting increasingly harder to find print resources that are relevant in terms of reading level and content. The students that I serve often arrive to high school with weak science backgrounds, therefore digital resources would greatly enhance the collection because within the digital library students and teachers would be exposed to a wider variety of resources, rich with visuals and activities and content that would promote an eagerness to explore science beyond the traditional "print" boundaries.  There might be limitations when it comes to access for all. Currently my library only has 16 computers  connected to the Internet. Some of these computers are not  adequately equipped to handle the jobs that are often demanded of them. Everyday brings on different troubleshooting challenges.

July 16, 2003
Having problems uploading to web!

July 17, 2003

I will use digital libraries as a portal to web rich educational resources. This will be presented to all staff through department orientations to the library media center.
Today I tried unsuccessfully to upload my journal to the web.

July 18, 2003

I'm all pumped up and ready to go! What a motivating plenary!
I'm eager to share some of the ideas I saw today with my staff. I would like to learn more about digital portfolios. I think that would be a start for both me and my staff. I enjoy this class, although its sending me through changes somewhat because I have so many commitments outside of this class. Once I get here, I'm totally focused. Keep up the good work.
The concept of "mapping" allows the librarian and the staff to see at a glance the overall collection of the library, its strengths and weaknesses. Mapping  is an effective tool  to use to make a case for both the library  and the curriculum in terms of curriculum development.

July 21, 2003

My digital library is coming along nicely. Today I was able to insert an image of  an eagle which is Englewood High School's mascot. I can really envision the staff using my homepage as a portal to some really great resources on the web, especially if I have boot all the library computers to my homepage. FTP still poses a bit of a problem. I'm looking forward to the day when I'm able to do it all by myself!

July 22, 2003

The primary focus for my digital library will center around the subjects of the Social Sciences and History. The challenge is selecting sites that are relevant to the curriculum. I've selected sites on subjects that are often requested from my colleagues. It's been a great day!

July 23, 2003

Today I learned the key components that are important to creating an inquiry based unit.  I feel that inquiry based units lend themselves well in the overall research process and should be more employed by teachers when created research projects. I also began my own inquiry based unit on how digital libraries can be used to improve student awarness of community resources.

July 24, 2003

Today I uploaded my Inquiry Page to the Web and linked it to my Homepage. I also did some editing to my Homepage and Directory Page. My  My Inquiry Page is a work in progress. Hope to have it finished tomorrow. I enjoyed Brenda's presentation. Dictionary.com is a great resource!