Dear Diary,I noticed that my manager has a nice cover sheet attached to his graded assignments. He has a typed label with their name on it on a colored sheet of paper. Well since I am still trying to find supplies, I dare not use the limited stock I see in my library so instead, I decided to create a unique cover sheet that served multiple purposes. Bonus: my printer ran out of toner and I was forced to go upstairs and use the Color Printer.
But I digress. Since my manager and I agree that the 30 - 40 minute in-class worksheets are a preferable approach to database instruction, good old fashioned hands-on, we have foregone using all the active learning exercises I toiled over for the better part of the beginning of this year.
So as a way to still use my labors of love, I decided I'd put the students' names on them and use those "fun" activities as my Cover Sheets when returning assignments. The students won't have to do them, unless they want to. But at least they will have received them. I plan to ask for feedback on them at the end of the semester, all the same.
For example, today's cover sheet is a Bare Bones Tips Sheet for Web of Science, including Truncation, Synonyms, and Booleans search tips. Lots of white space but lots of information also. On the back, is a greatly reduced Word Find. Only 2 names to locate in the paper grid, and I listed 4 different names & possible Variations underneath. I listed the number of results the different variations retrieved in Web of Science. This activity originally required them to type in the variations I provided and record the different number of results returned.
So this way, they can clearly see how different spellings of the same name will retrieve very different results in Web of Science. They have the tip sheet that should assist with tonight's assignment and I have not wasted weeks creating these activities that no one would ever see.
It is a Win-Win situation. Gosh, I sure am glad I thought of it.
******************** On a different note******************
Today is another day to wear our "Gay? Fine By Me" T-Shirts.
It was a little scary wearing it the first time, but it was fine. Now that I am an instructor, it is yet again causing a bit of trepidation. But I suppose it is fitting seeing that Coretta Scott King's funeral was this week and as Dr. Martin Luthar King said:
"A threat to freedom Anywhere
is a threat to freedom Everywhere."
