State Library of Victoria's Gusto! A Culinary History of Victoria

The State Library of Victoria is currently presenting a free exhibition Gusto: a culinary history of Victoria!

The exhibition explores Victoria’s historic and contemporary culinary landscape, featuring gastronomic treasures from the Library’s collections – from the first Australian cookbook, published in 1864, to an actual World War I army biscuit. To support the exhibition, the State Library of Victoria has produced a Gusto! education resource for Years 3-6 of the Australian Curriculum (VELS Levels 3 & 4). 

If you want to know more please visit the website:  http://slav.global2.vic.edu.au/2012/10/09/learning-with-gusto/

 

Instagrok

Welcome back to term 4 everybody. We hope that you had a very relaxing break. Tina has come across a fantastic educational search engine that she would like to share with you all -

Instagrok is an educational search engine which claims to:

• Empower differentiated learning
• Provide in-built tracking and assessment
• Develop 21st century research, curation and synthesis skills
• Finds age-appropriate educational content on any topic presented with interactive multimedia interfaces
• Generates quiz questions based on student's research activity and skill level
• Supports creation of research journals and concept maps for learning assessment

Instagrok is user friendly and easy to navigate. Moreover, the content appears to be topic specific, unlike the sometimes random results obtained through standard search engines.
The url for Instagrok is http://www.instagrok.com

-Tina-

Anti-Bullying

The Catholic Education Office in Wollongong recently launched an Anti-Bullying Policy in response to the growing concern in schools relating to bullying involving the use of communication and information technology.
They have also created this fantastic video, as well as an information package, to complement the Student Anti-Bullying Policy, for use in primary and secondary schools.

The video is described on their website as follows: Inspired and performed by students at three Catholic primary and secondary schools in the Diocese of Wollongong, this innovative video production uses their voice and experience to focus on the impact of bullying and provides practical strategies for youth to deal with this important issue. It is an engaging visual stimulus which challenges students to think positively, respond compassionately and act with courage when they are confronted with future incidents of bullying.

I think it's a great video that should be seen by all of our students at Salesian College. I have also enquired about ordering the package that goes with the video, if anyone is interested in sharing it with their classes or homegroups.

Story Scrapbook

Tristan Bancks has created a free multimedia brainstorming app, Story Scrapbook, which allows you to bring images, videos, texts and web grabs on virtual pages to create an interactive story.  You would probably find this a useful inspirational tool for those students who find are reluctant to write stories.  As a contemporary tool it has the potential to engage and stimulate students who may otherwise lack interest in written expression.

 

You can find further information at  http://www.tristanbancks.com/p/story-scrapbook.html

 

-Tina-

vLibrary updated URL

Our Library catalogue - vLibrary - now has it's own URL which will hopefully be a lot easier for you all to remember than the old one. This is a great tool which you should all take adavantage of as it not only allows you to search for the great resources the Library has to offer, but allows you to search through databases like EbscoHost and fairfax news, but also online on websites such as Google, Wikipedia and much more!

The new URL is v-library.scr.vic.edu.au/vlibrary. I would recommend everyone adding vLibrary as an icon on your iPad's home screen. To do so all you have to do is open Safari and type in the URL above. Once the page is open select the following button and then select Add to Home Screen. Rename the button to vLibrary and select Add. And voila! a shortcut will be added to your iPad!

you are not special

I don't know if anyone's seen this video floating around the internet on different blogs but I think it's worth a watch. It's a very good, and quite funny, commencement speech for the graduates of Wellesley High school, but I think it could apply to all areas of life and for any of us. Very thought provoking and definitely worth the 12 or so minutes it takes to watch it.

Creating your own tests and quizzes online

[Image Source: My Lot]

 

For those of you who may be considering devising your own online tests or quizzes for your students, there is an online tool, ClassMarker, you can use gratis to do so.  Classmarker is an award-winning website which allows educators to create online tests and quizzes which are marked instantly.  Although it is a commercial website, educators are able to use an abbreviated free component for up to 100 tests per month and it is supported by any browser.  Features: multiple choice quiz, free text quiz or punctuation quiz.  The url is:  http://www.classmarker.com/

 

Other online build your own test websites you may like to consider include:

 

www.easytestmaker.com

 

http://quizstar.4teachers.org/

 

- Tina -

The future of publishing...

This is a clever little video I found about the future of publishing - you'll find that more people than you think agree with the message in it. It's definitely worth a watch!

Latest DVD additions to our collection

The following is a chart of the most recent additions to our DVD collection we have made. These are available for borrowing straight away, so please feel free to request any you would like to borrow. If you're after more information about any of the DVDs just click on the title.

Title	Rating	Call Number
The Descendants	M	DVD DES
Dolphin Tale	PG	DVD DOL
Happy Feet Two	G	DVD HAP
We Bought a Zoo	PG	DVD WEB
A Streetcar Named Desire	PG	DVD STR
Minuscule - Volume 1	G	DVD MIN
Anonymous	M	DVD ANO
The Adventures of Tintin	PG	DVD ADV
The Illusionist	PG	DVD ILL
War Horse	M	DVD WAR
Evolution	E	DVD 576.8 EVO
New York: a documentary film	M	DVD 917.471 NEW
Writing a Personal Imaginative Essay		DVD 808.042 WRI
Quick as Light		DVD 535 QUI
Daily Life in Ancient Rome		DVD 937 DAI
Science Bank		DVD 500 SCI
Fat – the best friend of mankind		DVD 612.397
Girl Wrestler		DVD 796.082 GIR
Cracked Not Broken		DVD 616.86 CRA
Body Parts		DVD 570 SCI
Peas in a Pod		DVD 572.86 CRA
The Seeds of a New Era		DVD 572.86 CRA
Understanding the Book of Life		DVD 572.86 CRA
Reading the Book of Life		DVD 572.86 CRA

Google Research Tool

Google has just made multitasking that little bit easier, using Google docs and their new Google Research tool which you can use side by side. Simply named 'Research' the new tool allows you to conduct searches for terms related to your document or search for images, maps and websites from a panel that appears next to your document.
Here's how to search for things using Research:
Maps: searching for a location will automatically bring up a Google map. You can insert this into your document as is or edit it by zooming in or out.
Photos: These can be inserted directly into your document after conducting a search. The great thing is that photos can be filtered to include those that are licensed for free use - a way to avoid copyright issues.
Webpages: for webpage results, hovering over the link will allow you to see a preview of the page. If you like what you see click 'insert link' to add it to your text.

What I like about this tool is that it allows you to insert a citation, automatically formatted, into your document. All you have to do (after you've inserted a link) click 'cite'. Google will add a footnote number to the link in your text and generate a properly constructed footnote at the bottom of the page.

If Research doesn't automatically appear next to your document all you have to do is select Research from the Tools menu, or alternatively press Ctrl + Alt + R on your keyboard.

Here's a great video from Bright Ideas that shows how to use Research and shares their first impressions of Google's new tool.

NEW! Senior Fiction collection

Thanks to a great idea from Helen O'Keefe we have now started a Senior Fiction collection in the Library. And before you ask, no it's not just for senior citizens - it's intended for anyone from Senior students, staff and even parents. Our collection is still pretty small since we've only just started adding to it but we're hoping that it will grow over time. Please feel free to let us know if you want to borrow any of these books - or recommend any titles you would like us to get.

The following is a slideshow of the titles we have so far (you'll be able to see that not all of the books are fiction - but we've decided to still keep them all under the Senior Fiction heading). If you want to find out more about any of the books you see just click on it.

Library Guides from the State Library

Librarians from the State Library of Victoria have put together some Library guides on a range of different subject areas in order to help people with their research. These are pretty much to guide you through the research process in order to shorten the time you spend searching for information. The guides will help you find books, pictures, maps, documents, newspapers and online tools and resources to help you with your research.

The following is just a small selection of the types of guides that have been created:
1. Aboriginal people and the law
2. Bushfires
3. Court cases in Australia
4. How to find items in Newspapers
5. Magic and magicians
6. Victorian immigration and emigration
7. Water
8. Protest, advocacy and dissent in Victoria
9. Adoption and forgotten Australians
10. Finding poetry

There are also 28 other guides on a range of topics. You can see the entire list here.

Pinterest

You might have already heard of Pinterest, a social media platform which is becoming more and more popular. Pinterest is a virtual pinboard, where you can share images that you like. These can be from websites you like, or from your own collection, and link back to the website where they came from. You can create boards on any subject or theme you choose, or search through other people's boards which could be on subjects relevant and interesting to you. You can also re-pin other people's favourites to your own boards.

One of the most attractive things about Pinterest is that it's purely visual - you can't save text-only content, only material with images attached. The picture you 'pin' then acts as a link back to the main page that it came from. This means it's perfect for gathering items together like a scrapbook.

Some of the most popular collections are in themes like historical fashion and home design. There's also lots and lots of recipes on there too!

But if you spend a little more time (once you tear yourself away from the yummy looking food) and dig a little deeper you'll soon find some great teaching materials and activities (search in the Education category or look up your particular topic). You'll be able to find everything from historic photos of Victorian London or World War 1, to images of historical shoes or fashions, or wildlife and botanical drawings. You'll also find that Pinterest is a great image repository, link sharing community and an easy-to-use site for students or classes to quickly gather and assemble project materials on a huge range of topics.

National Geographic: Stock your palette

National Geographic Stock is a great way to find photos or pictures which are available for you, or your students to use. The photos on NG Stock are royalty free, which means that you won't have to worry about copyright - these are all copyright free!

One way to search for photos on NG Stock is to use the cute colour wheel which is located on the home page - this gives you a sample of photos in the colour range of your choice. All you have to do is click on the colour you like and a range of photos will come up. If you have something more specific in mind that you want to search for though, you can always use the search bar on the right hand side of the screen. All you have to do here is type in what you would like to search for and click Explore.

Love and Devotion: from Persia and beyond exhibition

The State Library of Victoria has a free exhibition Love and devotion: from Persia and beyond  from 9 March until 1 July 2012,  celebrating the beauty of Persian manuscripts and the stories of human and divine love told through their pages from the early 11th century on.

Romantic tales were copied and sometimes reinterpreted over time, and reached far beyond the borders of Iran. The universal themes of Persian narrative and mystical poetry appealed especially to audiences in Mughal India and Ottoman Turkey, and eventually to audiences in the West. Transcending time and place, these stories continue to resonate today and to be retold through contemporary literature and popular culture.
The idea of Persia has long fascinated Western minds. From the Middle Ages on, knowledge of Persia gradually expanded as a result of increased contact through trade, travel and diplomacy. Writers in Europe, such as Chaucer, Dante and Shakespeare, reflected this understanding in the parallels with Persian literature and shared symbolism evident in their plays, poetry and prose.

Love and devotion showcases a rich selection of manuscripts from the world-renowned collection of the Bodleian Libraries of the University of Oxford, along with rare works from the State Library of Victoria and other Australian collections.

If interested, the link is http://exhibitions.slv.vic.gov.au/love-and-devotion  The site also includes audio excerpts of poetry you can listen to (read by Helen Morse).

-Tina-

Kony 2012

I wanted to share a video with you that Jenny sent an email out about yesterday. While it's quite long - 29 minutes - it's definitely worth watching and sharing with your friends and family.

The video was created by an organisation called Invisible Children, and it's about a many called Joseph Kony and the many horrific things that have happened in Uganda because of him. He is responsible for the kidnapping of over 30,000 children who have been turned into child soldiers (who are training to kill or mutilate other people - including their own parents) or sex slaves.

Invisible Children is trying to stop Kony, by having him arrested (he is number one on the ICC's list of most wanted people). To make sure this happens the people of the world need to spread the word and make Kony famous - not to celebrate what he has done but in order for the leaders of the world to take note and do something about this. Through social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter, the people now have a stronger voice and can make a difference. So please watch this video and get inspired and involved.

• To sign the pledge click here
• To donate click here
• To visit the store click here

Salesian Movie Night - The Fall

A last minute reminder to everyone that our social club is holding a movie night tomorrow night (Thursday 9th March) in the OLC. The movie that will be playing (as you can see above) is called 'The Fall' and is highly recommended by Peter Krausz, our school's own movie critic! Doors open at 7.30pm and entry is $5. It will be BYO snacks, however you may purchase soft drink ($2.50), beer and wine ($4.00) if you wish. Don't forget to put your name on the list, which is located on the general information board near Ward One in the staffroom. We hope to see you there!

Description taken from IMDB.com

In a hospital on the outskirts of 1920s Los Angeles, an injured stuntman begins to tell a fellow patient, a little girl with a broken arm, a fantastical story about 5 mythical heroes. Thanks to his fractured state of mind and her vivid imagination, the line between fiction and reality starts to blur as the tale advances.

Searching the Library Catalogue

I know many of you have been wondering how to find out what resources we have in the Library (or the new Teacher Reference section in the Staff Room). About a year ago we switched our Library software over to a program called vLibrary. One of the great things about vLibrary is that it's accessible via the internet which means you can access it from your laptop or from your iPad! One easy way to access it is from the nifty link I've placed in the toolbar of this blog which you should be able to see on the right hand side of your screen.

Or! Another way to access it is via the programs menu that automatically opens whenever you log into your computer. On the left hand side you can click to open the Library folder and there you should be able to find v-Library.

Once v-Library is open you are free to search for whatever you need. As you can see below you can choose to search in a variety of ways, be it by title, keyword, author, media etc. For example if you're interested in searching for all the DVDs we have on Volcanoes you would type Volcanoes into the Keyword box and then in the Media drop down menu select DVD.

Beneath the main search area you are able to select where you would like to search. If you would just like to search for what we have in the Library you can leave Salesian College Library selected and click search. However you also have the ability to search through Google, Fairfax News, Britannica etc. which opens up a much larger range of search results.

If you have any questions or need for us to take you through using v-Library, you are more than welcome to come to the Library Staff for help. We are happy to answer any questions, or even run through a quick training session with you.

SpiderScribe

SpiderScribe is an online mind mapping and brainstorming tool. It lets you organize your ideas by connecting notes, files, calendar events, etc. in free-form maps. You can collaborate and share those maps online, with other teachers or your students. There is a video on the website which shows you exactly how Spiderscribe works - I've also posted it below for you to look at.

The good thing about Spiderscribe is that it's free to use, or you can choose to pay for an upgraded account.  You can see an example of a map that someone has created about Cognitivism here for you to get some ideas on how to use this great tool.

Apps recommended by a College Student

Carly, from one of my favourite blogs 'College Prep' has written up a list of her favourite iPad apps that she uses for her college classes. Instead of re-listing them here I'll direct you over to the blog entry as she explains them best. I've used one of the apps that she's recommended, Dropbox, which is fantastic - and the others she's recommended look great as well. I love the idea of XanEdu, with teachers being able to make up their own course material for the students to easily access via their iPads - there's so much you can do with it.

The Joy of Books

I'm not sure how many of you have seen this little video that's been all over the internet recently, but I wanted to share it with you anyway. It's a really cute, feel good video of what happens in a book store after it closes.

Herald Sun's Top 5 Apps

I apologise for the delay in posts recently. As you might have noticed, we've had quite a few adventures and things going on in the Library from the start of this year, plus we've been dealing with internet blocks.

 I recently noticed this list of top 5 iPad Apps in the Herald Sun and thought I’d share them with you. I’ve actually used a couple of these myself, and have found them quite good.

1. Wonky Donkey

This best-selling kid’s book now comes in an interactive version for iPad. Kids can run their fingers over the text to hear the story or how any word is said or spelt. They can also colour the pages with the paint palette mode.

Price: $5.49

App Store Rating: 5/5

This is clearly too young for most kids at Salesian, however it may be great for some of the struggling readers. It also shows how far eBooks have come along, and there are other books out there which would be more suited to older readers.

2. Houzz Interior Design Ideas

Need inspiration for a spot of home redecorating? This app has a huge database of design ideas, with more than 200,000 high-res photos. Browse photos by style, room or location and save your favs to your virtual idea book.

Price: Free

App Store Rating: 5/5

This app sounds like it would be great for any students studying art, or design.

3. Pay Assistant

If maths wasn’t your strong suit at school, this app can help stop you short changing yourself at shops and restaurants. It includes calculators to tally up savings at sales, tips and your change.

Price: $1.99

App Store Rating: 5/5

4. Please Touch the Exhibit

Celebrate Melbourne Museum’s 10^th birthday with this app. It takes you behind the glass cases of some of the treasures on display, including Phar Lap, the creatures of the Dinosaur Walk exhibit and the animals of the Wild exhibit.

Price: Free

App Store Rating: 3/5

I haven't had a chance to download this app yet, but I really want to. It sounds like it gives you a chance to see exhibits in the Melbourne Museum without actually going there and seeing all the information in relation to them. Definitely worth a look I think!

5. Melbourne Literary

Discover the literary treasures of Melbourne, the second UNESCO City of Literature. This app is a guide to book shops, literary locations and monuments, ‘hip lit’ cafes, writers and books set in the city.

Price: $2.99

App Store Rating: 5/5

This is one of the apps that I have on my iPhone (as well as the Melbourne Historical App) and I really like it. It allows you to find little gems around Melbourne which you might not have found normally, including shops, momuments, cafes etc.