Parents’ Guide to BCPS Digital Content for Students in Grades K-5 Cooking up student research, reading, and learning with digital content AT HOME! Provide a 2-sided handout (preferably in color) of: Database Remote Access Passwords and Database Menu navigation (in the Parent U Workshops folder @ http://bcpslis.pbworks.com Introduce the cooking/foodie “theme” as a fun way to look at the role of digital content in 21st century learning environments … as an essential ingredient for student research, reading, and learning. Presented by: Kelly Ray, Resource Teacher BCPS Office of Digital Learning kray@bcps.org x4035

Parent University Objective Parents will be empowered to have students use digital content at home by exploring BCPS-licensed databases and their features. Read the PU Workshop Objective. http://www.bloomingtononline.net/directory/category/Restaurants/11

Appetizer What is Digital Content? Online databases, library catalogs, media repositories Fee-based subscriptions User authentication or log on is required AKA the “Invisible Internet” or “Deep Web” Not accessible on the Free Internet Offer an “appetizer” by defining/describing what we mean by “digital content.” http://www.bloomingtononline.net/directory/category/Restaurants/11

Food for Thought Students can use digital content at home for: Research projects or other assigned work Reinforcement or enrichment for topics under study in the classroom Reading, viewing, listening, and exploring ideas and information for pleasure and personal interests Suggest ways and situations where digital content might be useful to students at home. http://www.youngyoungct.com/good_buffet_shot.JPG

DATABASES are GOOD FOR YOU and TASTY TOO! “Today’s students think and process information fundamentally differently from their predecessors.” –- Marc Prensky, Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants -- Play the video “Research Shift” to illustrate how the idea of “research” has changed. Share the quotes and discuss how digital content addresses the learning needs of our digital natives, their over-reliance on Google as a search tool, and the need to help students evaluation the reliability and authority of sources, especially crowd-sourced information. “Can’t I just Google it?” -- Most students “Can you trust that the person putting information up at www.Iamaknowitall.com REALLY knows what he or she is talking about?” -- Librarian, Boulder Public Library Website

Databases support these goals and standards: 15 K-5 Databases Databases support these goals and standards: BCPS Blueprint 2.0 Goal 1 - Academics 21st Century Teaching & Learning: Building student competencies for information, media, & technology literacy Providing efficient digital access to developmentally appropriate, curriculum-relevant content Common Core State Standards - College & Career Readiness - Complex Text/Nonfiction - Close Analytic Reading - Writing to Source Brief & Extended Research - Vocabulary Content Curriculum Standards – Various subjects

Key “Ingredients” in Databases Multiple media formats, interactivity Authoritative publishers . Ad-free Current, frequently updated content (often daily) Student-friendly interfaces & Search/Browse features State Standards-aligned (Content/Common Core) Reading and learning supports: Read-aloud/MP3 download - Closed captioning Reading Levels/Lexiles (labeled and searchable by) Embedded dictionaries - Translation Quizzes, Games, Practice/Enrichment Activities Research tools: Research Guides, Citations, Organization tools

Digital Content MENU (BCPS.org) Accessible 24/7 from School or Home Click on the Menu to reveal the instructions. Ask participants to click on the links shown marked with arrows to open the Digital Content Menu. Instructor should stay on the PowerPoint for now. SAY: This is the easiest path for navigating to our BCPS Digital Content “menu” from the BCPS Home page. Note that passwords are needed for using databases outside the BCPS network. Teachers can download the passwords handout from the Intranet via the provided link from home. Students can get the database passwords for home access on a hard-copy handout from their school Library Media Specialist or teacher. Click to display the next Slide. http://www.kellysgigharbor.com/Images/menuIcon.jpg

Digital Content MENU (BCPS One) Accessible 24/7 from School or Home

Grades K-6 Digital Content Say: Now I’m going to give you a quick overview of each of our digital content resources for elementary school students. Show how students can use Destiny as a search engine to locate age-appropriate, authoritative databases. Note that Discovery Education and Safari Montage are large media repositories (mostly videos) which you will not have time to showcase in this session, but which they can explore with their students (student login is required for both). If parents are on computers and time permits, invite them to explore as you highlight the features of each database. Start with America the Beautiful and show highlights of each database. http://www.zazzle.com/todays_specials_menu_inserts_restaurant_supplies_flyer-244933309189979961

Spice Up Digital Learning at Home with BCPS Digital Content! Bon Appétit! For help with BCPS Digital Content, ask your School Library Media Specialist Kelly Ray, Resource Teacher kray@bcps.org 410-887-4035