Waffle Bytes

My very first blog post ever was about 10 years ago (May 20, 2010).  It was titled  Textbooks: the Curriculum Security Blanket . I've been thinking about this post the last 24 hours as I prepare to help educators in local districts across 3 counties in my state rethink how they teach. This is such a high-anxiety time - our routines have been disrupted, our health (or our loved one's health) is at risk, daily life is DIFFERENT. We don't know how long this "disruption" is going to last, and we don't know how we will come out changed on the other side. On top of all that,  educators are now having to contemplate how to be "teachers" with our students at home.  And we are falling back to our "security blankets" for in the classroom.  We are trying to bring the comfortable into this new situation, and it concerns me for our success. Why?  I'm talking to educators that want to know what tool to use, and what content to get - they are fo...

From Christine Schneider, K12 Education Specialist at Michigan E-Library: Completing projects around the house can be so much easier when you use the right tools.  The same goes for research! This week’s MeL Minute will identify a few (sometimes hidden) tools in MeL that will make research a cinch for library staff, patrons, and students. And stay tuned in July for a MeL Minute on Hidden Searching Tricks in MeLCat! Gale Database Tools Topic Finder  - this is an amazing tool that allows you to visually see related topics, and can help narrow down to a more specific research topic.  This tool can be found in all InfoTrac databases, as well as  Opposing Viewpoints in Context . For more information about Topic Finder, you can watch the short  video  or read over the  Gale Periodical Collections Resource Guide  and the  Opposing Viewpoints Resource Guide .   Highlights and Notes  - In any of the Gale databases, researchers...