Using the Michigan Electronic Library (MeL.org)
by: Kyle Kipp, LHS Faculty
Welcome to the "Using MeL.org" workshop. This session will cover the numerous resources and services that can be found at the Michigan Electronic Library, an expansive virtual media center hosted by the Library of Michigan that can be found online from any computer with access to the World Wide Web.
First, we will demonstrate some of what the MeL has to offer. Secondly, you will have time to explore the MeL. And finally, you will share some of the discoveries you made to the group.
What is the big deal? Why should teachers and their students use the MeL?
by: Kyle Kipp, LHS Faculty
Welcome to the "Using MeL.org" workshop. This session will cover the numerous resources and services that can be found at the Michigan Electronic Library, an expansive virtual media center hosted by the Library of Michigan that can be found online from any computer with access to the World Wide Web.
First, we will demonstrate some of what the MeL has to offer. Secondly, you will have time to explore the MeL. And finally, you will share some of the discoveries you made to the group.
What is the big deal? Why should teachers and their students use the MeL?
See the video below as State Superintendent Mike Flanagan highlights some of the extraordinary tools available at MeL.org for educators – tools that can help educators increase student performance and reach Performance Funding goals.
Points to ponder when teaching academic research to your students.
Random Results VS. Reliable Results:
Google Ads?
Wiki Experts?
Information Overload?
So, when conducting academic research for the classroom,
how should you go about finding reliable sources?
MeL.org is a great place to go when you need prompt, reliable education resources.
Random Results VS. Reliable Results:
- Did you know that fewer than 10% of search-engine results offer relevant research information? And that the average life of a Web page is only 75 days?
Google Ads?
- Google and other search engines are in business to make money, and that means pushing ad-driven sites to the top of the page.
Wiki Experts?
- Wikipedia and other user-generated sites can be a starting point for research, but even Wikipedia warns it "makes no guarantee of validity."
- Anyone can post or update there -- even outdated or biased information.
- Hear what Michael Scott (The Office) has to say about Wikipedia here.
Information Overload?
- Information overload is a common problem with Web browsing. Too much information is frustrating and misleading -- when results number in the thousands, the best information often gets buried.
So, when conducting academic research for the classroom,
how should you go about finding reliable sources?
MeL.org is a great place to go when you need prompt, reliable education resources.
- The MeL.org is only in the business of helping you reach your goals with free, unlimited access to reliable and frequently updated resources tied to your needs (unlike commercial search engines such as Google, Yahoo, etc.).
- MeL's resources need no warnings -- because they contain only authentic, expert-chosen books, images, newspapers, magazines, audio/video and interactive tools -- it is content you can trust (unlike Wikipedia).
- MeL's resources offer the best, most-targeted content based on your search criteria. They've eliminated the useless links for you, making your search faster and more successful (helping you avoid information overload).
Using the Michigan eLibrary (MEL.org) in the classroom and beyond...
This service is funded by the Federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) via the institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) through the Library of Michigan. MeL databases are accessible to all Michigan residents with a valid driver's license or State ID number when accessing off your school's campus.
MEL's M.O.R.E. - Michigan Online Resources for Educators:
With MeL, you can freely access via the Web:
- The Michigan eLibrary is an educational portal available to any Michigan school, library, or Michigan resident.
- All schools automatically have access to this through their school library and IP address.
- Some of the benefits include a completely online/electronic collection: full-text magazines and newspapers; Mel Cat, which allows you to order materials via inter-library loan from almost any library in Michigan; practice testing for GED, ACT, Careers, SAT, etc.; and much more.
- The MeL.org is just like any public library in that there is something for everyone there, whether it be information for school, work, or pleasure. The collection is vast, so it takes a while to "scratch the surface" and see all that the collection offers.
- MeL.org has about 40 different databases where you can read full-text articles from magazines and newspapers; find current reference sources; use advanced search functions; cite sources. The advantage of this site is that the information is valid and reliable, and limited in comparison to a search performed by a Google or Yahoo search engine.
- Some of the MeL's resources are available through apps, allowing mobile access from your phone and other devices.
- To view the start up video describing MeL and the educational databases, click this link.
This service is funded by the Federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) via the institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) through the Library of Michigan. MeL databases are accessible to all Michigan residents with a valid driver's license or State ID number when accessing off your school's campus.
MEL's M.O.R.E. - Michigan Online Resources for Educators:
- Locate lesson plans and curriculum aids searchable by subject or state standard for free at http://more.mel.org
- Also, try the new Mi Learning on iTunesU - create and/or download FREE media rich learning resources aligned to standards.
- All of the resources from the Thinkfinity website http://www.thinkfinity.org are currently available on MORE. This includes more than 55,000 educational resources, such as standards-based, grade-specific, K-12 lesson plans, student interactive tools and reference materials.
- More info at: www.macul.org/milearning
With MeL, you can freely access via the Web:
- Millions of full-text articles from magazines, newspapers, other other trusted publications and periodicals
- Locate books, CDs, and DVDs using MeLCat - request and borrow materials from scores of participating Michigan libraries.
- Practice Tests - college, service careers, GED, military, and more online exams with instant scoring and analysis
- Homework help for students - MeL databases offer
- Start (or build) a business - resources to launch a new business, monitor market trends, discuss entrepreneurship innovations, etc.
- Stay well and informed (find info on diseases, conditions, treatments, and the latest medical research)
- Chart your family or Michigan's history - excellent genealogical resources as well as MeL Michigana to access digital history collections
- Boost hobbies - find great information for personal interests
- Enhance teaching - MORE classroom resources
More helpful links and how-to's
- Introduction and quick overview to MeL.org video: click here
- For a step by step orietation video on how to use MeL.org for the classroom: click here
- To view a video on familiarizing yourself with the databases: click here
- MEL for students tutorial video: click here
- Get daily tips on MeL by following their Facebook page: click here.
- There is also MeL for Librarians
Did you know they will send you free promotional materials to give your students and their parents?
- You can print out informational brochures and bookmarks, or you can order these nice things and they'll mail them to your school: click here
"Hands-On" Activity - follow the steps below for a guided tour of MeL.org
- Before beginning this activity, create a new Google Doc to type your responses into. Give it the title "Exploring MeL PD - (your last name)"
1. Evaluate the basic student MeL Educational Databases. From the MeL.org homepage, click the "Databases" menu tab located along the top of the screen.
Select one of the following pairs of databases recommended for student research and select a topic to search (or, feel free to select a couple different ones of your choice).
- If you teach at the elementary level, consider possibly choosing either e-Library Elementary or Kids InfoBits
- If you teach at the Middle/High School level, considering possibly choosing either InfoTrac Junior Edition or InfoTrac Student Edition
- Other Middle/High School level databases: SIRS Discoverer Deluxe and SIRS Renaissance or Academic One File, General One File, or General Reference Center Gold
Locate an article from one of these databases that you think you could use in an upcoming lesson or unit in your classroom. Use the citation tool (located on the side bar) and copy/paste the citation into your Google Doc along with a 30-word written evaluation of the appropriateness, usability, content, and credibility of the pair of databases for use within your classroom. In other words, speculate how you could use the information from the article in your classroom teaching. Next, use the "share" tools to either email a copy of the article to yourself or a colleague, or share it to a social media site.
2. Explore some of the other menu tabs along the top of the MeL.org home page screen:
a. Click on the "Teachers" menu tab, which takes you to the M.O.R.E. section that is full of teacher lesson plans and activities; locate an activity in your subject area that you think would come in handy in your classroom between now and the end of the school year. Note this lesson in your Google Doc: cite the lesson so that you can refer to it again in the near future, then write an evaluation of the activity noting its strengths and weaknesses and how you could adapt it for your purposes in the classroom.
b. Click on the "MeLCat" menu tab, which takes you to the networked catalog of materials located at libraries across the state; locate a book or video that you could use in one of your upcoming lessons that you plan on teaching between now and the end of the school year. Cite this resource in your Google Doc of notes, write an annotation as to how you could use it for a lesson. Going further: actually create an Inter Library Loan and have the materials sent to your local library for you to pick up.
c. Click the "Michigana" menu tab section of resources and, you guessed it, locate some information (either an article, activity, photo, recording, etc.) that you either find interesting or could incorporate into your teaching. Cite this resource in your Google Doc of notes, write an annotation as to how you could use it for a lesson.
3. When you complete the above activities, feel free to "share" the Google Doc Kyle Kipp or one of your colleagues to show off what you discovered.
Finally, try a couple other recommended research resources (outside of MeL.org):
Online Citation Makers:
- RefDesk - this online resource is probably one of the oldest, but most comprehensive sites for information access on the Internet, RefDesk remains a favorite. News, information, calendars, translations, newspapers, resources, search engines, and facts are all one click away with this site. This site is one-stop shopping for facts and information.
- Google Scholar provides a simple way to broadly search for scholarly literature. In contrast to the main Google site, which searches the entire Internet, Google Scholar limits the search sites to academic journals and scholarly research publications. From one place, you can search across many disciplines and sources: peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, abstracts and articles, from academic publishers, professional societies, pre-print repositories, universities and other scholarly organizations. Google Scholar helps you identify the most relevant research across the world of scholarly research. Diverse sources from one convenient place. Find papers, abstracts and citations. Locate the complete paper through your library or on the web. Learn about key papers in any area of research.
Online Citation Makers:
- David Warlick's Citation Machine allows students to select from a variety of media formats (books, journals, online, encyclopedias, etc.) to create citations in multiple formats (APA, MLA, Turabian, or Chicago).
- View a Screencast-o-matic video on Landmark's Citation Machine.
- Visit the TechTools4Writing site here to explore the bib tools and citation makers listed in the picture.
A few last thoughts on Databases vs. Google...
Databases:
Google:
It is still good to give students a choice between databases and Google; they need to learn how to use both.
One strategy is to train kids to go to Google Advanced Search and utilize Boolean search strategies to get them thinking more critically about their searching. "Pre-searching" is also recommended so that they have info before they even set out on searching databases or Google.
If you are interested in taking more of the PD sessions that Kyle Kipp is offering, follow this link.
Don't Forget!
Databases:
- Reliable information from digital reference texts
- Usually has MLA citations already done
- Contains images, videos and sounds that have already been granted permission to use
- All of the above are usually in MLA citation format
- Focuses specifically on research without a student running down a rabbit trail
- You get what you pay for- premium content
- Any of the websites found in the databases have already been vetted by professionals
Google:
- Must research if information is reliable
- Contains hoax sites students may not be aware of
- Copyright issues when using images, video, images
- All of the above citations will usually have to be created by student (and this take valuable time)
- Can be easily distracted by ads, rabbit trails
- Google has great content and it shouldn't be dismissed, but information can sometimes be distorted
- Student must be very aware of URLs and extensions
It is still good to give students a choice between databases and Google; they need to learn how to use both.
One strategy is to train kids to go to Google Advanced Search and utilize Boolean search strategies to get them thinking more critically about their searching. "Pre-searching" is also recommended so that they have info before they even set out on searching databases or Google.
If you are interested in taking more of the PD sessions that Kyle Kipp is offering, follow this link.
Don't Forget!
- You MUST complete the following online feedback forms within two (2) weeks of this workshop in order for you to get your credit!
- Staff Off Calendar Professional Development Feedback Form: click here