| By Lemma Shomali, Senior Director, Product Management & Strategy | Social and emotional learning (SEL) has never been more important. Educators recognize the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students’ emotional health and are taking action to help them find support and build the resilience they need to navigate uncertainty. Emphasizing social development helps … Read more
| Lemma Shomali, Director, K-12 Products | “Work smarter, not harder.” Easier said than done, in most cases. Sometimes, we only realize we could have worked smarter after we’ve already worked pretty hard – leaving us feeling frustrated and thinking: “If I knew then what I know now, I would have…” As a partner to … Read more
| By Gale Staff | Hear how Future Ready Librarians from Jefferson County Public Schools successfully partnered with educators—and Gale—in the “Partner With School Educators ‘Like a Boss’” Booklist webinar on Wednesday, April 10 at 2 p.m. ET. “Don’t ask what you can do for me. Once you know our goals as a school, come to … Read more
Posted on May 11, 2016
Professional development is more important than ever before, especially considering the changing curriculum standards and the explosion of educational technology. Today’s changing environment demands that professional learning is delivered in a way that connects technology with classroom instruction. Teachers need to become digital learners, too, because no amount of technology can improve instruction if a teacher does not possess the strategies to integrate it.
Posted on April 14, 2016
“Equipped with his five senses, man explores the universe around him and calls the adventure ‘science.’” – Edwin Powell Hubble
Famed astronomer Hubble articulated simply what great science teachers have always known: science is based on exploration, interaction, and engagement. When students connect with concepts in a meaningful, tactile way, they learn in a more meaningful way.
That belief is the foundation of Gale Interactive: Science, a new resource with interactive 3-D models and authoritative, curriculum-aligned digital content that helps students experience science, not just study it.
Read moreIntroducing Gale Interactive: Science: Make Science Come “Alive”
Posted on March 1, 2016
By Megan McCarthy
When I was little I used to love reading the Encyclopedia Britannica. We had one full set, and I think it was published in 1968. I would write all my papers using those encyclopedias. It wasn’t until high school that it occurred to me the information might be out-of-date. It was the same with textbooks. There were names of students on my pre-owned textbooks that I knew had graduated college. What’s more, those books were heavy. I remember dragging my loaded book bag to and from school. I thought my arms would break. Now, with CLiC, those days are gone.
CLiC (Classroom in Context) is a digital curriculum that pulls its content from Gale’s award-winning In Context databases. In Context is dynamically updated, so the content is always current. Not only are the six CLiC curriculums designed to meet state, national and Common Core standards, they are also endlessly customizable. Teachers can add in videos, podcasts, articles, and even their own materials. And all of this flexibility is available for students on their tablets and laptops. So out-of-date textbooks and encyclopedias are a thing of the past.
Posted on February 19, 2016
We love our work on the Gale Databases team, as we continuously add informative and engaging new content – this includes keeping up with the latest current events (World History In Context, Global Issues In Context), health news (Science In Context, Health and Wellness Resource Center), business developments (Business Insights), and topics being studied in school (Student Resources In Context, Research In Context, Kids InfoBits), to name just a few.
But we also love finding out how the content is actually used in these databases once we load it – and we look at many metrics, including:
Posted on February 9, 2016
By Megan McCarthy
I love to garden, and over the years I’ve gotten pretty good at it. However, that wasn’t always the case. When I first started, every spring I’d run to Lowes, and pick out all the blooming plants I thought looked pretty. I’d bring them home, and plant them in my yard. Then, every year, I would watch in horror as they would wither and die. What was I doing wrong? Well, as it turned out, almost everything. I finally consulted with a gardening expert, and found that plants had to be grown according to their needs. Some needed shade, some sun. Some needed dry soil, and others needed water. Most liked to be planted when they weren’t in bloom, probably the reason I was killing so many. I learned some important lessons, but the most valuable lesson I learned was, when you are in trouble, ask an expert.
Posted on December 18, 2015
By Megan McCarthy
We’ve all heard the saying, “information is power.” That being said, sometimes too much information makes you feel powerless. Take for example, my experience making lasagna. I needed a good recipe for lasagna one night. So, I googled “great lasagna recipes.” I got 247 great lasagna recipe posts. Completely overwhelmed by the amount of information, I quickly closed my computer and ordered pizza. The lasagna would have to wait for another night.
The same is true in the classroom. Students and teachers can be completely overwhelmed by the amount of information available today. Finding the right balance for success can be tricky. If teachers overload their students, they are likely to shut down. If they pick the wrong subject matter or use the wrong content, students can lose interest. That’s why CLiC (Classroom in Context) is such a valuable tool in the classroom.
Posted on September 9, 2015
Posted by Jan Snyder and Jennifer Maurer
Part II
As we wrote in Part I of this series, we feel privileged to have a very rich collection of Gale databases and eBooks at our fingertips to use with students and staff, at zero cost to us, through the Oregon State Library’s Statewide Database Licensing Program. Statewide access provides consistency for students as they move from elementary to middle school and then high school.
But the real value and power of these resources are unleashed when librarians and educators collaborate and communicate. In the second part of this blog series, we’ll discuss – from our own perspectives – communication.
(If you missed it, be sure to also read Part I — Driving Electronic Content Discovery and Usage: Collaboration.)
Jennifer
Electronic Mailing List:
While presenting about Gale databases to various audiences falls under the heading of training, it is also a form of communication. However, I also have a direct channel of communication about OSLIS and its resources, including the statewide databases. The State Library created an electronic mailing list called OSLIST. As I learn about new school library staff in Oregon, I automatically subscribe them. Through OSLIST, I share ideas for how to use the databases as well as communicate about new Gale products and features.
Read moreDriving Electronic Content Discovery and Usage: Communication – Part 2