by Hileyn | Jul 1, 2022
First of all, it is important to understand the meaning of a database, for this, it is worth highlighting the definition provided by the University of Extremadura, which defines a database as a collection of “publications of scientific content, such as journal articles, books, theses, conferences and others, which aim to bring together all possible bibliographic production on different areas of knowledge” (1). So, once the concept of databases is understood, EBSCO can be defined as a database in which full-text publications related to the area of sciences and humanities can be accessed.
Now, what is EBSCO for? In a school context such as that of Futuro Verde, it is essential to provide students with tools that allow them to access reliable sources of information to strengthen their research skills through academic work. For Futuro Verde, EBSCO represents access to the scientific community.
In this regard, throughout this school year, different workshops have been designed for an effective use of this database. In this sense, teachers and parents have had the opportunity to receive training on the tools offered by EBSCO, and in this way, learn how to perform basic information searches, and advanced searches through the use of Boolean operators and information filters, for example: year, country, type of publication and lexile range or reading level.
Now, EBSCO is a compilation of different databases, therefore, one of the advantages offered by the workshops to parents is the creation of an account that provides access to platforms such as:
- Teacher profile: it is a database that provides articles related to different elements of the educational process. Examples include: evaluation, best practices, continuing education, current pedagogical research and curriculum development.
- Premier Academic Source: is a robust database of full-text academic journals. In this regard, it “covers all major subject areas, including agriculture, economics, history, law, literature, psychology, and sociology” (Ebsco 1).
- Advanced Source Placement: is a database designed for high school students enrolled in various Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses. In addition, it is a tool that offers thousands of journals and full-text documents. It also provides items such as photos, maps and flags.
- Explora: includes full-text articles from magazines, journals and newspapers, along with images, videos and primary sources of information. Explora is now divided by levels, with the intention of compiling a greater number of sources. So, for elementary schools we recommend using “Explora Primary Schools – Grades K-5”. For sixth through eighth grade, it is recommended to use “Explora Grades 6-8 Schools” and for the rest of the levels, it is best to use “Secondary Schools – Grades 9-12”.
- In short, EBSCO offers access to a collection of full-text e-books to support the educational process.
Finally, EBSCO is a tool that improves the educational task, offers teachers the possibility of enriching the learning process, provides students with tools for research and allows parents to support the educational process of their sons and daughters.
by Hileyn | Jul 1, 2022
En primer lugar, es importante entender el significado de una base de datos, para esto, conviene resaltar la definición brindada por la Universidad de Extremadura, en la cual se define una base de datos como una recopilación de “publicaciones de contenido científico, como artículos de revistas, libros, tesis, congresos y otras, que tienen como objetivo reunir toda la producción bibliográfica posible sobre diferentes áreas de conocimiento” (1).
Entonces, una vez entendido el concepto de bases de datos, se puede definir EBSCO como una base de datos en la que se puede acceder a publicaciones de texto completo relacionadas con el área de las ciencias y las humanidades.
Ahora, ¿para qué sirve EBSCO? En un contexto escolar como el de Futuro Verde, resulta fundamental dotar a los estudiantes de herramientas que les permitan acceder a fuentes confiables de información para reforzar sus habilidades de investigación por medio de los trabajos académicos. De ahí que EBSCO representa para Futuro Verde el acceso a la comunidad científica.
A propósito de lo anterior, a lo largo de esté ciclo lectivo, se han diseñado diferentes talleres para un uso efectivo de esta base de datos. En este sentido, docentes y padres de familia han tenido la oportunidad de recibir capacitaciones sobre las herramientas que ofrece EBSCO, y de esta manera, aprender a realizar búsquedas de información básicas, y búsquedas avanzadas mediante el uso de operadores booleanos y filtros de información, por ejemplo: año, país, tipo de publicación y rango lexile o nivel de lectura.
Ahora, EBSCO es una recopilación de diferentes bases de datos, por lo tanto, una de las ventajas que ofrecen los talleres a los padres de familia es la creación de una cuenta que brinda acceso a plataformas como:
- Teacher profile: es una base de datos que proporciona artículos relacionados con diferentes elementos del proceso educativo. A modo de ejemplo: evaluación, mejores prácticas, Educación continua, Investigación pedagógica actual y desarrollo curricular.
- Fuente académica Premier: es una base de datos sólida de revistas académicas de texto completo. En este sentido, “cubre las principales áreas temáticas, incluyendo agricultura, economía, historia, derecho, literatura, psicología y sociología’’ (Ebsco 1).
- Advanced Source Placement: es una base de datos diseñada para estudiantes de secundaria inscritos en varios cursos de Colocación Avanzada (AP) y Bachillerato Internacional (IB). Además, es una herramienta que ofrece miles de revistas y documentos de texto completo. También, brinda elementos como fotos, mapas y banderas.
- Explora: incluye artículos de texto completo de revistas, diarios y periódicos, junto con imágenes, videos y fuentes primarias de información. Ahora, explora está dividida por niveles, esto con la intención de recopilar una mayor cantidad de fuentes. Entonces, para primaria se recomienda utilizar “Explora Primary Schools – Grades K-5”. Por su parte, para los niveles de sexto a octavo año se recomienda utilizar “Explora Grados 6-8 Escuelas” y para el resto de niveles lo más conveniente es hacer uso de “Escuelas Secundarias – Grados 9-12”.
- En suma, EBSCO ofrece acceso a una colección de libros electrónicos de texto completo para apoyar el proceso educativo.
Finalmente, EBSCO es una herramienta que mejora el quehacer educativo, brinda a docentes la posibilidad de enriquecer el proceso de aprendizaje, dota al estudiantado de herramientas para la investigación y permite a los padres y madres de familia apoyar el proceso educativo de sus hijos e hijas.
by Hileyn | May 1, 2022
This year, the International Book and Rights Day was celebrated at Futuro Verde by carrying out different activities for preschool, elementary and middle school. At this point, the celebration took place from April 18 to 25 and was attended by students, teachers and parents.
To begin with, the preschool students had the opportunity to receive a visit from parents during the library class, in which a Storytelling session was held. In this activity, parents were able to share stories and read stories to the student population. Some of the topics that the parents discussed with the students were the value of respect, friendship, good behavior and the importance of caring for the environment. In addition, the dynamic was accompanied by manual activities aimed at the students through which they were able to put into practice the learning acquired through the visit and the stories of the guests.
On the other hand, the primary school students took advantage of the library classes to learn about the creation of books, their parts and binding. In this sense, throughout the week, students from first to third grade had the space to create their own book; therefore, each student invented a story, created the cover of their book, added the pages, bound it and made the illustrations of their story. On the other hand, the fourth grade students divided into groups and researched various topics related to literature. The fifth grade students, in turn, studied the history of the book in the library class and made objects such as papyrus and parchment. Meanwhile, sixth grade students, in pairs, chose books about which there are films or audiovisual resources, each team made a comparison between the two materials and exhibited it in the library class.
For their part, the Information Science classes became a space for high school students to learn how to clean a book in different ways. In other words, the students learned how to do dry cleaning and aqueous cleaning of the paper. In this regard, students were given the opportunity to differentiate when a book can be washed with water and when it is better to clean it with other types of materials, such as an eraser and absorbent cotton. Thus, the students were able to perform both types of cleaning. In addition, the student population learned how to regulate the pH of the paper.
In sum, to culminate the week of celebration of the book and copyright day, a parade of literary characters was held among all the members of Futuro Verde. Therefore, students and teachers dressed up as their favorite literary characters, each grade had the space to parade with their costumes and the activity ended with the awarding of prizes for the best costumes among teachers and students. Thus, that day characters such as Socrates, Alice in Wonderland, Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella and her stepsisters were seen in the corridors of the school.
