Online Reference Centre: A Digital Collection for K12

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Online Reference CentreA Digital Collection for
K-12
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The Beginning

• Teacher-librarians teachers proposed this
  initiative to Alberta Learning in 2002
• Shared concern related to equal access to current
  reference resources for all K-12 students
• Criteria for selecting resources
• - relevance to Alberta Curriculum
• - Canadian content
• - variety of reading levels
• - absence of advertising

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Implementation

• TAL receives Grant-in-Aid from Alberta Learning
  to license resources provide project management
• ORC officially launched on Nov 19, 2002
• with 3 licensed resources
• Passwords to Learnalberta.ca/ORC site distributed
  through school principals

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Growing Pains

• Authentication process tech support
• Access to high-speed Internet and up to date
  hardware/networks proved problematic for schools
• Links to Canadian Encyclopedia/Early Canadiana
  Online added to site to enhance Canadian content
• Professional Development

5
Progress

• Access granted to pre-service teachers 2003
• French Resources added 2004
• Addition of Worldbook Online to English resources
  2004
• Launch of ORC Listserv for users 2005
• http//www.mailman.srv.ualberta.ca/mailman/listi
  nfo/onlineref
• High-speed Internet across province 2006
• In-service/PD moved to district/school level 2006
• Usage levels indicate steady increase year over
  year

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Online Reference Centre Today

• Easy to use
• Safe and secure search environment
• Supports Alberta K-12 curriculum
• Freely accessible to teachers, students, parents
  from school at home
• www.learnalberta.ca

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Teaching Learning

• Supports Focus on Inquiry- Retrieval section
• Incorporates ICT Outcomes
• Offers online teacher support materials/training
  www.proquestk12.com
• Allows for matching content to student reading
  levels

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• Provides option for e-mailing/saving search
  results
• Assists with unit and lesson planning
• http//www.proquestk12.com/productinfo/elibrary_b
  ookcarts.shtml
• Reinforces students accountability in citing
  sources
• Helps students develop critical thinking
  research skills
• Provides transition to post-secondary electronic
  research environments

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Highlights

• Assists enriches teaching in an electronic
  environment
• Content rich resources vs. Google, Yahoo, etc.
• http//www.proquestk12.com/lsm/pqelib/pdfs/elibgo
  oglecompare.pdf
• Ability to create store digital lesson plans
• Search interfaces designed to save search time

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English Resources

• Science Resource Center
• Elibrary Elementary
• Elibrary CE (Canada Edition)-
• also includes Proquest Learning Literature
  History Study Centre

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• SIRS (Social Issues Resources)
• Worldbook Online
• Grolier Online - Kids/Passport
• The Canadian Encyclopedia
• Early Canadiana Online

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French Resources

• LEncyclopedie canadienne
• Notre memoire en ligne
• Repére
• Biblio Brancheé
• Encyclopedie Hachette

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New for 2006-07!

• Science Resource Center
• reference database for Gr 6-12, includes
  articles, multimedia, experiments, web links
• Elibrary CE
• new search interface, Bookcarts/Quizzcarts
• SIRS -
• new links to Pathfinders Educators Tools
  in Database Features section
• Canadian Encyclopedia http//198.53.218.3089/tce
  x/index.cfm?PgNmHomePageParamsF1
• new search interface, links to teacher support,
  eg. Heritage Minutes from any page in resource

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• Worldbook
• look for links to Alberta Curriculum Standards
  in Educators Tools section
• Grolier
• now includes online tutorial linked from main
  search
• page
• Early Canadiana Online
• check Resources Section for complete units on
• Canada in the Making http//www.canadiana.org/c
  itm/ Exploration The Fur Trade HBC
  http//www.canadiana.org/hbc/

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Future Steps

• Addressing authentication issues to recognize
  school level access
• Intellectual property questions
• Database trials in real time
• Launch of new promotional campaign directed at
  high school teachers/students