Let's talk about fake news. It's a topic that pops up everywhere these days, and while it may not seem like fake news is directly connected to studying or learning, the skills that you use for spotting fake news are the same skills that you use for verifying whether or not an educational resource is legitimate, valid, useful, and worth sharing. Exercising your critical thinking skills to determine the legitimacy of something you read on the internet or see on TV can also help you become a more confident, informed citizen, who isn't easily tricked or scammed. Here's some resources I've found to help you spot fake news for what it is.
I hope this helps you on your quest for truth!
If you know of another great fact-checking resource that I haven't mentioned here, feel free to let me know in the comments below. And as always, if you'd like to see me cover a specific topic or you'd like homework help or a reading recommendation, please fill out the Study Buddy Help Form!
0 Comments
Do you love languages? In the past, I've studied French, German, Spanish, Ancient Greek, Latin, Aramaic, and Ancient Hebrew. You could call me a bit of a language nerd (and you wouldn't be wrong. lol) I love languages. And while I've lost a lot of what I've learned over the years, I've never lost my love for words and how they can come together to tell beautiful, inciteful truths. Maybe you're like me, and you wish you could learn a certain language, but you don't have someone to teach you. This is where libraries shine. Libraries can help independent self-starters, like yourself, learn whatever you want to know. I'm just focusing that knowledge lens on language studies, today. To be honest with you, I haven't tried every one of the resources that I'm suggesting either. But I think part of the adventure of learning is finding out what works for you. And these resources are all free, so you can try out whatever you'd like and see if something fits your unique learning style and preferences. First off, I want to be sure you know about some of the digital resources that are available to you, namely Mango, Pronunciator, and Duolingo.
Last but not least, the Coeur d'Alene Library has a vast collection of items on its shelves that might help, too. Here's a booklist to help you find them and place holds: Language Study (YA+). Hopefully, this helps you find what you need to start learning a new language! If this raises more questions for you about using the library's electronic databases, please let me know in the comments below, and I'll try to address them.
Also, if you'd like more personalized help with any educational topic, please feel free to fill-out the Study Buddy Help Form. Today, I'll be talking about how to find reputable references from peer-reviewed journals for free online. (The term "peer-reviewed" refers to the review process that some academic or scientific articles go through. Basically, when something is "peer-reviewed", it has been read by numerous experts in the field, who look for errors and possible biases.)
While all the databases within the umbrella work similarly, there are two search options (within the EBSCOhost umbrella) that are likely to be the most useful to you as a secondary student. One is called Explora: Secondary Schools. The other is Academic Search Premier. (Both are available to you with or without your library card through LiLI.org.)
SEARCH TACTICS FOR BOTH
Since the research databases are so similar, the same search tactics can be used for either option:
Hopefully, this helps you find what you need for your next big research project! If this raises more questions for you about using the library's electronic databases, please let me know in the comments below, and I'll try to address them. If you'd like more personalized help, please feel free to fill-out the Study Buddy Help Form. Ever get stuck because you don't know how to do something? Maybe you knew how to do it once, but now the memory's faded. Or maybe you were sick or on vacation the week that the concept was taught. With increased remote learning happening, teachers aren't always easily available, and sometimes even when they are, the concept might be a bit trickier to explain over text. I have two online learning tutorial websites to recommend for just this occasion. The first is the LearningExpress Library, which is mostly known for its wide-array of practice tests for nearly all of the big name standardized tests, such as the SAT, ACT, GED, college placement exams, etc. In addition to their practice tests though, they offer a variety of other content, including a good collection of school-related tutorials and study aids in the School Center portion of their database.
The other major collection of tutorials that comes to mind is GCFLearnFree.org. This site is mostly known for its computer tutorials that help people who aren't tech-savvy get up to speed.
For instance, you can find a Grammar tutorial about Commas, which includes funny illustrates and interactive aspects in its presentation that may help you remember the knowledge better in the future. This resource is offered for free by the Goodwill Community Foundation, and also allows you to create a free account where you can track what you've learned or tried. Do you know of another awesome tutorial database? I'd love to hear about it. Please let me know in the comments.
And as always, if you'd like to ask me, the Teen Librarian, for help with a specific research or school-related topic, let me know by filling out the Study Buddy Help Form. |
AuthorAn online blog series for homework help for teens, created by Angela Flock, the Teen Librarian at Coeur d'Alene Library. Archives
February 2021
Categories
All
|