Archive for the ‘Education’ Category

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Colleges Try ‘Crowdsourcing’ Help Desks to Save Money

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

Colleges Try ‘Crowdsourcing’ Help Desks to Save Money

At Indiana University at Bloomington, good help is not hard to find, but it’s pricey. Questions to the 24-hour tech-support help desk cost the institution about $11.41 per phone call and $9.39 per e-mail message—and last year the help desk handled more than 150,000 inquiries.

All that advice adds up, and at peak times some in need of it are left waiting. So, in a few weeks, the university will try something different: letting computer users answer one another’s questions.

Information-technology people call this “crowdsourcing,” a buzzword that puts a positive spin on leaving the job of writing and editing to volunteers rather than hired experts. The idea is to open a Web site where students and professors can post their IT woes and share their solutions. College officials tell me they hope it will grow into a self-service support center for colleges nationwide—a kind of Wikipedia for campus computer problems.

Source: Chronicle of Higher Education

Posted in Education, Search News, Social Media, Technology and Internet, Web 2.0 | No Comments »

National Assessment of Educational Progress Questions Tool

Thursday, October 29th, 2009

National Assessment of Educational Progress Questions Tool
From e-mail:

The NAEP Questions Tool, one of the most popular features of the National Assessment of Educational Progress website, now makes it easier than ever for teachers, parents, students, researchers, media and the general public to locate released NAEP assessment questions.

The updated NAEP Questions Tool still provides a quick selection of questions from past NAEP assessments, but now features many new capabilities. A tutorial and a detailed Help menu are available to help users of all levels navigate the new features. Also, be sure to check out the special localized help files, and information tags (i-tags) within the tool.

In the updated NAEP Questions Tool, users can:

  • select questions by choosing among different criteria, such as difficulty level, content classification, and type of question;
  • see actual student responses for constructed response questions, and learn why the answers were scored as they were;
  • explore detailed data for each question; and
  • bookmark results or individual questions so they can return to exactly the same place later.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics

Posted in Education, New Websites and Resources, Resources for Educators, Source File | No Comments »

SEC Launches Investor.gov — Agency’s First-Ever Web Site Devoted Exclusively to Investor Education

Tuesday, October 27th, 2009

SEC Launches Investor.gov — Agency’s First-Ever Web Site Devoted Exclusively to Investor Education

The Securities and Exchange Commission today launched its first-ever Web site devoted exclusively to investor education, providing investors with in-depth information and “top tips” on how to invest wisely, plan for the future, and avoid being scammed.

By visiting www.investor.gov, investors can access information in a user-friendly format that is specifically tailored to their needs. The site includes sections specifically for those just getting started investing, for those saving for a child’s education, and for those planning for retirement. It also has a detailed “Seniors Care Package” section for senior citizens and caretakers.

Source: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

Posted in Business and Economics, Consumer Issues, Government Documents and Political Information, New Websites and Resources, Online Education, Source File | No Comments »

Free Digital Edition — A Visual History of the Federal Reserve System 1914-2009

Tuesday, October 27th, 2009

A Visual History of the Federal Reserve System 1914-2009 (PDF; 1.1 MB)

The Visual History of the Federal Reserve System portrays in 24 x 36 inches the Fed’s balance sheet from 1914 to present, as well as interest rates, reserve requirements, recessions, chairmen, US presidents, major events, and more. This is the first time this data has ever been compiled and portrayed in a single graphical display.

Dead.tree version available for purchase.

Source: Financial Graph & Art

Posted in Business and Economics, History, Resources for Educators, Source File | No Comments »

Medical Library Association — Grants and Scholarships

Friday, October 23rd, 2009

Grants and Scholarships

MLA offers a variety of scholarships and grants to assist qualified students in graduate library science programs and to enable practicing health sciences librarians to take advantage of opportunities for continuing professional development.

Deadline for applications is December 1, except as noted.

Source: Medical Library Association

Posted in Education, Libraries and Librarianship, Search News | No Comments »

E-government Librarianship Scholarship Program

Thursday, October 22nd, 2009

E-government Librarianship Scholarship Program

The Center for Library & Information Innovation in the iSchool at the University of Maryland College Park, in partnership with the Government Information Online initiative and the University of Illinois Chicago, received a Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services for 20 master’s of library science (MLS) e-government and digital government degree scholarships. This unique program is for students interested in careers in librarianship and other information sciences as specialists in digital government information and e-government services. The program will prepare graduates to take advantage of the evolving range of e-government and digital government information services.

The program is online, and will begin in fall 2010. Applications are currently being accepted. Full scholarships (20 total) are available to highly qualified applicants to the program. Applications are due by February 1, 2010.

Source: Center for Library & Information Innovation, University of Maryland

Posted in Education, Libraries and Librarianship, Search News | No Comments »

Official Launch: More than 10K Free Educational Videos and Slides from WatchKnow

Tuesday, October 20th, 2009

From an Article:

WatchKnow – which launched Monday…is an Internet search engine that links teachers, students and parents to thousands of free educational videos and slide shows.

The idea of developing an educational video online search engine or “video encyclopedia” started in 2007 with a Lakeland philanthropist, who wishes to remain anonymous, and members of the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi, along with its president, Tom Pittman. Foundation leaders later enlisted the help of Wikipedia co-founder Larry Sanger.

An early version of the site was launched in 2008. This year, with the help of area teachers and librarians, more than 10,000 videos [officially 11,189 videos as we write this post} were posted to the newly redesigned Web site.

[Snip]

The videos, Sanger said, can be an invaluable teaching tool.

“We have videos that can spark the interest of a child when a book cannot,” Sanger said. “Children who would never read about a topic might, at least, watch a video about it.”

[Snip]

Sanger added the goal is to have more than 100,000 posted videos in the next few years. If WatchKnow is successful, Sanger said he may help develop a similar site aimed at college-age students.

Source: Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

Access WatchKnow

See Also: Learn More About WatchKnow.org
This page contains info about:
+ Project History
+ Advisory Committee
+ Media Review Panel
+ Partners
+ Sources

Searching WatchKnow is fairly robust once you get the hang of it. First, select the age range (3-18) using the age filter. Then, enter search term(s). Click search. Next, review results by category. The number of videos in the top-level categories are shown and change depending on the age range selected.

Now, click the + (plus sign in green) which reveals the first level of subcategories (the number of videos listed are also dynamic based on the search) and make your selections. Again, click the + (plus sign) to move down one more level. Keep doing this until you get to the desired sub-category.

Btw, it’s also possible to browse the entire database by selecting an age range (3-18 for everything), by leaving the search box blank and then clicking search.

For example, here are 10 videos about Pearl Harbor.

We found them by working our way through the following categories (we left the search box empty):
+ History
+ World War II
+ World War II Pacific Theatre
+ Pearl Harbor

WatchKnow requires very little “keyword” searching and more browsing through the different facets/categories. Yet another example of the power of faceted searching!

There is also a WatchKnow email discussion list and a change log that shows videos being deleted, title changes, having the description changed/modified, etc. We wish more sites offered this feature. Finally, some of you might want to consider joining the site. It’s free. Three types of accounts are available: simple, confirmed, and contest. More about these accounts here.

See Also: Larry Sanger is also the Founder of Citizendium.The FAQ does a good job how Citizendium and Wikipedia differ. More on the topic here.

Posted in Resources, Resources for Educators, Webcasts and Podcasts | No Comments »

Online Resources: The George Palmer Putnam Collection of Amelia Earhart Papers at Purdue University

Tuesday, October 20th, 2009

This Friday (in the U.S.) a new movie opens about the life of aviator, Amelia Earhart.

At Purdue University, the George Palmer Putnam Collection is the world’s largest collection of Amelia Earhart papers, photos, memorabilia and artifacts. Several resources from the collection are available online.

1) Searchable Digital Library (Images, cards, ephemera, newspaper articles, etc.), over 2200 entries

2) Biographical Sketch

3) Map of Second World Flight Attempt, 1937

4) Medals
Note: Some medals require Quicktime to view them.

5) Timeline

6) Learn About the Collection

7) Collection of Web Resources about Amelia Earhart

8) Select Bibliography

9) Bibliography for Children

10) Amelia Earhart at Purdue (Digitized Materials, Over 400 entries)

Source: Purdue University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections

Posted in Archives and Special Collections, Bibliographies, Webliographies, Chronologies and Timelines, Databases, Directories, and Guides, Geographic, History, Resources, Resources for Educators | No Comments »

Two New Primary Source Sets for Educators from the Veteran’s History Project

Friday, October 16th, 2009

From an E-Mail Announcement:

Two new primary source sets from the Library of Congress can bring your students face to face with American war veterans. Veterans’ Stories: The Veterans History Project and Veterans’ Stories: Struggles for Participation let veterans tell their stories firsthand through interviews, diaries, photographs, and drawings. All these items were collected by the Veterans History Project, and they’re accompanied by teacher guides and analysis tools that make them easy to use in the classroom.

+ Veterans’ Stories: The Veterans History Project

+ Veterans’ Stories: Struggles for Participation

+ Teachers Guide: Analyzing Oral Histories (1 page; PDF)

Source: Veteran’s History Project, Library of Congress

Posted in History, Resources, Resources for Educators | No Comments »

30 Resources to Find the Data You Need

Thursday, October 15th, 2009

30 Resources to Find the Data You Need

Let’s say you have this idea for a visualization or application, or you’re just curious about some trend. But you have a problem. You can’t find the data, and without the data, you can’t even start. This is a guide and a list of sources for where you can find that data you’re looking for. There’s a lot out there.

Source: FlowingData

Posted in Bibliographies, Webliographies, Resources for Educators, Source File | No Comments »

ERIC News: CSC Wins $29 Million Contract From Department of Education to Operate Education Resources Information Center

Thursday, October 15th, 2009

From the Article:

CSC will operate an online digital library for the Education Department under a new five-year contract worth up to $29 million, the company announced today.

CSC will support the department’s Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) under the contract. The new agreement has one base year and four one-year options.

Source: Washington Technology

From the News Release (via CSC)

“We recognize the importance of providing our country’s educators and others with easy access to educational resources that will improve learning, teaching, decision-making and research,” said Tom Anderson, president of CSC’s North American Public Sector Civil and Government Health Services Group. “CSC is honored to support this crucial system and continue our 36-year working relationship with the Department of Education.”

See Also: Access the ERIC Database and Thesaurus

Posted in Databases, Directories, and Guides, Education, Reference Tools, Resources for Educators | No Comments »

Online Video Archive from The Institute of Politics at Harvard University

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009

Back in 2006, ResourceShelf posted an item about Harvard University and the John F. Kennedy School of Government making available to the public a video archive of lectures and presentations from the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum.

Some three years later, the archive is still online and now home to over 1300 events, exclusive Q&A sessions, and student produced pieces on politics, policy, culture, and academic life. However, it has a new URL. You can now find the archive here. It’s keyword searchable and you can limit your search to a specific year (1978-Present). Also, if you want to see all of the video available from a certain year, leave the search box empty, select a year and then then enter (or the “go” button next to the search box).

For example, here’s a speech by Rev. Desmond Tutu (1986) and an address by Representative John Lewis (D-GA) from 2008.

They also do a nice job of keeping the database up to date. Here’s anaddress by Newt Gingrich from last week (October 8th).

Source: Harvard University Institute of Politics

Posted in Archives and Special Collections, Government Documents and Political Information, History, Multimedia Search, Resources, Resources for Educators | No Comments »

NSF Releases Online Multimedia Package on Marine “Dead Zones”

Sunday, October 11th, 2009

NSF Releases Online Multimedia Package on Marine “Dead Zones”

The Earth currently has more than 400 so-called “dead zones”–expanses of oxygen-starved ocean covering hundreds, or even thousands, of square miles that become virtually devoid of animal life during the summer; the worldwide count of dead zones is doubling every decade.

Most dead zones, such as the Gulf of Mexico’s notorious dead zone, are caused by pollution that is dumped into oceans by rivers. But every summer since 2002, the Pacific Northwest’s coastal waters–one of the U.S.’s most important fisheries–has been invaded by massive dead zones that are believed to be caused by an entirely different and surprising phenomena: changes in oceanic and atmospheric circulation that may, in turn, be caused by climate change.

How could climate change cause dead zones? What do dead zones look like and what are their ecological impacts? And how, on Earth, are scientists sleuthing out the causes of perplexing marine processes that cover such huge swaths of the sea? Find out in the National Science Foundation’s new online, multimedia package on dead zones.

Entitled Dead Zones: Mysteries of Ocean Die-Offs Revealed, the multimedia package is posted at http://nsf.gov/news/special_reports/deadzones. It features:

  • a webcast with Jack Barth, an expert on Oregon’s dead zones from Oregon State University;
  • a dynamic, narrated slide show;
  • compelling videos;
  • eye-catching photos;
  • enlightening illustrations
  • informative, easy-to-understand texts; and
  • downloadable documents.

Dead Zones: Mysteries of Ocean Die-Offs Revealed is ideal for reporters, general readers, fishermen, water-enthusiasts, teachers, students, researchers and conservation organizations.

Source: National Science Foundation

Posted in Education, New Websites and Resources, Resources for Educators, Science, Source File | No Comments »

New Online: Library of Academic and Other Lectures from NPR and PBS

Thursday, October 8th, 2009

According to a post from Wired Campus, NPR and PBS have started a new site with lectures from a variety of sources.

Access the Forum Network Online Library

From the Web Site:

The Forum Network online library features thousands of lectures by some of the world’s foremost scholars, authors, artists, scientists, policy makers and community leaders, available to citizens of the world for free.

The Forum Network collaborates with hundreds of community partners in cities across the US, including libraries, museums, academic institutes, public lecture forums, public policy think tanks, cultural councils, and various other community organizations.

[Snip]

We offer weekly podcasts, which users can subscribe to through iTunes or the NPR Podcast Directory. We also offer a subset of downloadable videos through our iTunesU and YouTube channels. Search on “Forum Network” in any of these publishing sites.

The database can be searched by keyword*. Users can also browse by topic (click the lectures link), series (then narrow by topic or and/or collection), speakers (an alphabetical list), and Forum Network Online partners.
* Note, Users are searching lecture descriptions not a transcript of the actual presentation.

Finally, users can keep current with what’s going on with the Forum Network with Twitter and/or Facebook, Two feature we would like to see is a simple list of new lectures and presentations (maybe an RSS feed?) as they enter the database and the option to limit a keyword search by year.

Access the Forum Network Online Library

See Also: ResearchChannel
Another large (over 3500) and constantly growing compilation of academic lectures/presentations from numerous organizations.

See Also: iTunesU

See Also: YouTube EDU

See Also: YouTube EDU Goes International
(ResourceShelf, 10/5/2009)

Posted in Education, Webcasts and Podcasts | No Comments »

State Initiatives Regarding Electronic or Open-Source Textbooks

Wednesday, October 7th, 2009

State Initiatives Regarding Electronic or Open-Source Textbooks (PDF; 560 KB)

A growing number of states are using legislation as a means of enabling the use of electronic or open-source textbooks. This ECS StateNote examines the differences between e-textbooks and open-source textbooks and takes a look at related action in several states.

See also: Exemplary State Online Resources for Students, Career Explorers and Adult Learners (PDF; 60 KB)

Source: Education Commission of the States

Posted in Access to Information, E-books, Education, Information Policy, Search News | No Comments »

New EIA (Energy Information Administration) Web Portal: Energy Explained

Wednesday, October 7th, 2009

Energy Explained
From e-mail:

Energy Explained , a new web portal launched today by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), celebrates Energy Awareness Month with the most comprehensive energy education resource available from the U.S. Government.

The site explains where gasoline comes from, what determines the price of electricity, how much renewable energy the United States uses, and hundreds of other energy topics.

“Energy touches us in many ways every day, from the electricity that lights our homes to the fuel we use in our cars,” said EIA Administrator Richard Newell. “Energy Explained uses plain language and clear graphics to help explain a sometimes complex, but vital subject.”

Energy Explained allows easy navigation between major energy topics:

  • What Is Energy?
  • Use of Energy
  • Energy and the Environment
  • Nonrenewable Energy Sources
  • Renewable Energy Sources
  • Secondary Energy Sources

Source: Energy Information Administration

Posted in Government Documents and Political Information, New Websites and Resources, Portals, Reference Tools, Resources for Educators, Science, Source File | No Comments »

Wolfram|Alpha Officially Announces New Web Site for Educators and Students; Plans for “Homework Day” Webcast Also Released

Monday, October 5th, 2009

Last Friday we posted an item saying to expect an announcement (soon) from Wolfram|Alpha announcing a new web site for students and teachers. We also said that plans were in the works for a webcast aimed at that audience.

Well, that was fast. Today, the news is officially out. Here are some of the details.

First, the permanent new web site for educators (K-12 and Higher Ed) and students is now live online at: homeworkday.wolframalpha.com

On Homeworkday.Wolfrmam teachers will be able to contribute and discuss ideas and share lesson plans, screencasts, and online video. There are also sections for Higher Ed students as well as K-12 students.

Currently, in the educators section, there’s a link to a page where questions can be s†ubmitted and videos uploaded for the Homework Day Webcast?

What webcast?

On Wednesday, October 21, 2009 (the start time is TBA), Wolfram|Alpha founder Steven Wolfram, will lead a multi-hour webcast for students, parents, and teachers. The event will not only feature Wolfram but also scholars, subject experts, and members of the Wolfram Alpha team.

According to the company:

The goal of Homework Day is to broadly share how students and educators are using Wolfram|Alpha in K-12 and college education and to demonstrate the advantages of using this free site not only to solve specific problems, but to inspire students to probe subject matter further and promote deeper understanding of fundamental concepts.

The Homework Day webcast on October 21st will feature:

+ step-by-step lessons that will give everyone the ability to use Wolfram|Alpha to tackle problems in a variety of subjects, including math, science, engineering, health and nutrition,
English, history, economics, and many more.

+ Content and segments tailored to specific age groups

+ Ideas and examples for how to make subjects like math and science more engaging and relevant to students

+ Live interviews and demonstrations by educators who are already using Wolfram|Alpha in their classrooms

+ Conversations with guest participants who will further discuss the role of technology in education

Finally, there is a Homework Day Facebook page. The event will also make use of the W|A Twitter feed.

Cool stuff. Will do our best to keep you posted with updates about Home Work Day that come from Wolfram|Alpha.
(more…)

Posted in Information Industry, New Websites and Resources, Resources for Educators, Technology and Internet, Web Search | No Comments »

YouTube EDU Goes International

Monday, October 5th, 2009

From the Post:

YouTube EDU, the Web site for video channels from universities, has recently added content from institutions in Europe and Israel.

Forty-five colleges and universities from those areas, including the University of Cambridge and distance-learning institutions like the Open University of Catalonia, now have channels on the site.

Access YouTube EDU

Source: Wired Campus

Posted in Education, Online Education, Resources for Educators, Webcasts and Podcasts | No Comments »

Online Databases from the Schoenberg Center for Electronic Text and Image (SCETI)

Monday, October 5th, 2009

From the Web Site Home Page:

Over 12,000 images from various collections of rare books, manuscripts, papyri, photographs and sheet music are available for your viewing. Each collection has its own web site that is unrestricted in the interests of knowledge and learning.

You can learn more about each collection by beginning with this page.

Each “about” page also contains a direct link to that specific collection. 17 collections are listed.

Direct links to to the search interfaces for some of the collections are also available (via a drop down menu on the home page).

Source: SCETI (from the University of Pennsylvania Libraries)

Posted in Archives and Special Collections, Arts and Humanities, Databases, Directories, and Guides, Digital Repositories, Digitization Projects, History, Info Management and Retrieval, Resources, Resources for Educators | No Comments »

A Collection of English-Spanish Glossaries from the U.S. Government

Monday, October 5th, 2009

These glossaries are from the Spanish Language Style Guide from WebContent.gov.

+ English-Spanish Glossary of Federal Agencies, Officials and Laws

+ Frequently Mistranslated English Terms

+ Names of US States and Territories (in English and Spanish)

+ Spanish Health Care Terms in the United States (in English and Spanish)

+ Spanish Information Technology Terms (in English and Spanish)

Posted in Glossaries, Reference Tools, Resources, Resources for Educators | No Comments »

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