There, I said it. Somehow that's pretty freeing! Wikipedia is NOT a dirty word. It's not Fartopedia or Poopopedia (heh heh, yeah..my middle school is showing!) It's Wikipedia (wiki in Hawaiian means fast...as in fast to edit, change, morph, grow, etc.) I really think we're doing a disservice not teaching you...our kids.... HOW to use it and how to cite it...as in - ummm selectively & with forethought and discernment. Sadly, I don't believe teachers & college professors are ready to wrap their mind around or admit recent studies that show: Wikipedia as accurate as Britannica.
Much like the Internets in general, (or the Googles, or the Facebooks, or the Twitters, or the YouTubes) many educators, librarians, and parents look upon Wikipedia with suspicion, sometimes derision, and occasionally with fear.
But who are we kidding? It ain't goin away folks! the Wikipedias are here to stay...It's an Internet Wonder of the World! And for gosh sakes, it comes up top 3 in just about any Google search you do. What? Ignore a good entry for a query? Really? Can you admit, you use it, too?
Using Wikipedia in 5 Easy Steps.
Use it for background information
Use it for technology terms
Use it for current pop cultural literacy
Use it for the Keywords
Use it for the REFERENCES at the bottom of the page!
Tech Terms Here: I mean, I love me my research databases! I do! Heck, I even made a animation video for them! I love you Gale/Cengage, Sirs, Worldbook, and EBSCO - I do! But if I look up Hashtag or QR code there, all I get are a few articles (one by my buddy librarian Mr. Chris Harris! YAY!) but no explanation. No definiton. No examples of real world use. That's just not good enough for you my dear students & readers!
But when you look up Hashtags or QR code in Wikipedia you get it ALL!
For more examples of how to use Wikipedia & how to teach it with our kids, see the Further Reading links below
Oh and By the way...this blog posting caused me to work. Yeah, like do something I've never done before and it hurt a little.
Learning something new sometimes feels ouchy and uncomfortable. Because of this posting I created a Wikipedia editing profile and pushed myself to create a Wikipedia page for our school Murray Hill Middle School because I wanted to be there when you... my kids (or your parents) look for us on the Howard County Public School wikipage. Another step forward in Web Presence and Advocacy - & yes, Socialnomics: be where your customers are. But, I got stubborn and pushed through the uncomfortable feeling and Voila! It's done...Whew!
"The goal here is not to take Wikipedia as gospel but to use it to focus your research (via links, keywords and references) and get a little context (via background information). Focusing cuts down the time you spend on the project while context will get you a better grade for your effort." - by rebecca from Gear Fire
Photo credits: Flickr Creative Commons: Guy Fawks: by Stian Eikeland Workbench mele By flattop341
Wikipedia Is NOT Wicked! authenticity, Buffy J. Hamilton, fun, gale, howard county schools, Jimbo Wales, murray hill middle school, sirs, socialnomics, wicked, wikipedia
Hey Murray Hillers! Do you have your library card already? you do? GREAT! If so, make sure you've activated your PIN number at any of the HCL branches (esp.OUR branch the SAVAGE Branch library!) Once you get your pin, you can get FREE Homework Help & More!
"Working closely with your school's media center, Howard County Library is a supplemental source of homework and research assistance. Our staff and resources are here to enhance your educational journey.
Online Homework Assistance Students, Kindergarten though twelfth grade, and adults seeking to improve their skills, can connect with free tutors for assistance with math, reading, science, social studies, English/language arts, and writing. Both English and Spanish speaking tutors are available seven days a week from 2:00 pm until 11:55 pm. Special thanks to the Howard County Public School System for contributing toward the cost of this service. More about Online Homework Assistance ...
Databases Howard County Library offers access to thousands of full-text journal, magazine, and newspaper articles through numerous databases. Generate ideas for science fair projects with Access Science, research ideas for History Day projects with History Reference Center, and access critical analysis of famous authors for English papers with Literature Resource Center. You also can search for colleges with Testing & Education Reference Center and take practice exams (e.g., SAT, AP) with Learning Express Library."
AskUsNow!"The Library offers an online interactive service which uses librarians to provide research guidance, help navigating the Internet, and answers to questions. Chat with a librarian 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Online 24/7 service is now offered in Spanish!
¡Recepción a nuestro nuevo servicio! Pregunte por favor ayuda si usted la necesita."
Whether you are Team Jacob (YAY!) or Team Edward (Boo!) --OK, ok - i'll stay out of it...But Vote on the PollDaddy Poll below! Twihard fans must have read ALL the books by now....or you should have! And with New Moon to open tomorrow you may be hungry for more bloodthristy reads...and that's where i come in! Muuwaaa! The following suggestions are available in our Library Media Center.... unless your GF or BF has checked them out! Not sure? Double check using our online PAC System!
Blood & Chocolate ~ Annette Curtis Klause Ms. Jones says: Maryland author and visitor to MHMS a few years ago...... writes a dark story that is exciting and a sure page turner! Not for 6th graders or little brothers or sisters, this scary story has all the angst of high school with places mentioned that you'll recognize as a Marylander!
from Amazon: "Blood and Chocolate chronicles the longings and passions of one Vivian Gandillon, teenage werewolf. Her pack family, recently burned out of their West Virginia home by suspicious neighbors, has resettled in a sleepy Maryland suburb. At her new school, Viv quickly falls for sensitive heartthrob Aiden, a human--or "meat-boy," as her pack calls him. Soon she is trying to tame her undomesticated desires to match his more civilized sensibilities. "He was gentle. She hadn't expected that. Kisses to her were a tight clutch, teeth, and tongue... His eyes were shy beneath his dark lashes, and his lips curved with delight and desire--desire he wouldn't force on her... he was different." But Vivian's animal ardor cannot be stilled, and she must decide if she should keep Aiden in the dark about her true nature or invite him to take a walk on her wild side."
Blue Bloods by ~ Melissa De La Cruz Ms. Jones says: I so Heart this series! I've read both and can't wait for the third AND fourth! If you like NYC, private schools, snotty rich people (getting put in their place!) and fashion mixed with vampire horror and history...this series is for you!
"De la Cruz has revamped traditional vampire lore in this story featuring a group of attractive, privileged Manhattan teens who attend a prestigious private school. Schuyler Van Alen, 15, the last of the line in a distinguished family, is being raised by her distant and forbidding grandmother. Schuyler, her friend Oliver, and their new friend Dylan are treated like outsiders by the clique of popular, athletic, and beautiful teens made up of Mimi Force, her twin brother, and her best friend. What they have in common is the fact that they are all Blue Bloods, or vampires. They don't realize that they aren't normal until they reach age 15. Then the symptoms manifest themselves and they begin to crave raw meat, have nightmares about events in history, and get prominent blue veins in their arms. Their immortality and way of life are threatened after Blue Blood teens start getting murdered by a splinter group called the Silver Bloods. This novel constantly name-drops and is full of product placements, drinking, drugs, nonexplicit sex, and superficial characterizations, but the intriguing plot will keep teens reading. De la Cruz's explanation for the disappearance of the Colony of Roanoke is unique and the idea that models don't gain weight because they are Blue Bloods rather than anorexic is unusual."–Sharon Rawlins, SLJ
Ms. Jones says: haven't read this one myself but i heard it's really good...read it and tell me what you think!
"Raven, 16, doesn't fit in at school or home. This goth-girl is obsessed with vampires and when a new family moves into the old town mansion, she is convinced that the son, Alexander, is a vampire. The story swirls around and through sibling rivalry, peer relationships, friendships, and love. Raven is a feisty protagonist with a quick wit and a real sense of self. She defends herself and her friends, often besting her peers with humor and a quick tongue. As her connection with Alexander deepens, she comes to understand her family better. It is through his shadowy character that readers are kept off balance. Schreiber weaves a tale that is more about acceptance and friendship than about vampire behavior and culture, and sustains a tone that draws readers to the characters rather than to horrific plot developments that would keep them reading. There is far less intensity than in Annette Curtis Klause's Silver Kiss (Laurel-Leaf, 1992) and less moodiness than that found in Amelia Atwater-Rhodes's Midnight Predator (2002) and Shattered Mirror (2001, both Delacorte). While the ending isn't tied up in a neat and pretty bow, it fits the style and tone. All in all, a good read for those who want a vampire love story without the gore." SLJ
Demon in My View (Den of Shadows) ~Amelia Atwater-Rhodes Ms. Jones says: OMword i love ALL her books! and we have nearly every one! she started writing these when she was just in high school but she has really gotten the tone right for a well crafted, engaging story...i say read 'em ALL!
"he teen queen of horror fiction Amelia Atwater-Rhodes is on the prowl again! Continuing in much the same vampire vein that established her reputation, the young writer's sophomore novel also includes a touch of autobiography. Jessica Allodola is a high school senior who pens vampire tales under the pseudonym Ash Night. (Hmmm, sound familiar?) Because of her funereal clothing and cynical demeanor, Jessica is shunned by her sunnier classmates. No matter, she prefers the company of the undead she creates on her laptop, anyway. But Jessica is shaken when a creature from her novel, the suave vampire Aubrey (who fans will remember from In the Forests of the Night) shows up as a new student at her school. Not knowing whether he plans to seduce or harm her, Jessica plays a dangerous game of cat and mouse with Aubrey as she tries to discover the secret of his existence. As she delves deeper into the midnight world of her own novels, she encounters other supernatural beings, like Fala, an evil Egyptian vampire, and Caryn Smoke, a teenaged good witch. When she finally unearths the shocking truth that explains the tangibility of her imaginary world, Jessica must decide if she loves that dark world enough to leave the light forever. Atwater-Rhode's writing, while still showing strong traces of Anne Rice and Stephen King, is maturing nicely as she cleverly constructs this story within a story. Her vampires, while thousands of years old, have adolescent mood swings and tempers, which will sit well with the under-16 crowd. Demon in My View will undoubtedly find its way into many backpacks and Trapper Keepers. (Ages 12 to 15) --Jennifer Hubert"
and for both Guys and Gals might i suggest the Cirque du Freak Series! Ms. Jones says: Amazingly scary from the first couple chapters! I met the author and he was delightful and a bit macabre! ....Try these books but you GOTTA read 'em in order...really!
"A boy sneaks out to an illicit freak show, and his life becomes entangled with a vampire spider-wrangler. "The author mines the exploitative history of early 20th-century sideshows to create an artfully macabre 'Cirque du Freak,' " wrote PW.
Okay okay.....Still want to read Twilight series? But don't have the hard copy on hand?
Poor Clank can't be a Library Media Student Assistant, but you can! We need enthusiastic and hard working students to help out in the Media Center during seminar classes. If chosen, you will check out, shelve & straighten books. You will also work on special Media events, run deliveries of books & materials to teachers, and help kids find books!
If this sounds like a job you can and WANT to do, please pick up your application in the Media Center, fill out both sides - answering ALL the questions and get two signatures (one from a parent/guardian and a recommendation from a teacher) and turn it in by this coming Tuesday.
Stay tuned to MHTV for updates to see who has been chosen! Good luck! ~Miss Jones & Mrs. Black
Gwyneth is a blogger, a Tweeter, a Future Ready International Keynote EdTech & Librarian speaker, a trope and meme archivist, creator of content, a citizen of advocacy, and a resident of social media. Ms. Jones is a Google Certified Innovator & Ambassador, a PBS / MPT American Graduate Champion,of Change, PBS, NTTI, & MPT Teacher of the Year (2001), and the author of the award winning The Daring Librarian blog.
Much like the Internets in general, (or the Googles, or the Facebooks, or the Twitters, or the YouTubes) many educators, librarians, and parents look upon Wikipedia with suspicion, sometimes derision, and occasionally with fear.
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