What is a Database?

What in the world are databases and Web 2.0 applications?

This letter is to inform you about the electronic resources your child can use at home and what resources are only available at school. This letter will focus on Databases and Web 2.0 resources.

Databases

What is a database?

Databases are a collection of information that is organized especially to be used by a computer. The databases we use at Eggert Elementary are password protected and are purchased through highly accredited educational vendors.

What kind of information is in a database?

The information your child will find in a database is valid, accurate and in most cases peer-reviewed information. Your child does not need to ask questions about whether or not the person who created the article is an expert or is the information biased. The only question your child needs to ask is “Is this information appropriate for my research? “.

What databases can my child use at home?

Brain Pop, Brain Pop Jr., World Book, Pebble Go, Grolier, Book Flix, True Flix, and EBSCO are the databases your child can use at home if their teacher or librarian has modeled how to use them in the classroom, computer lab or library. These databases are password protected and the teacher or librarian will provide the passwords.

Why can’t they just Google?

We do not want elementary students Googling a topic for research. Many websites that you find through Google are not acceptable for research. There is NO quality control on the internet. Anyone can create a webpage. Students at the elementary level are not capable of evaluating Google results to determine the highest quality source.

Is Wikipedia a good source for research?

Wikipedia is not a good source for research. ANYONE can add, alter and create content on Wikipedia. We want to teach our students that a successful paper is created through using high quality academic sources. We want our students to use academic databases throughout elementary, middle and high school, so when they reach college they have the confidence and expertise to be successful.

Web 2.0 Resources

What is Web 2.0?

In this digital age, it is important that the faculty and student body incorporate Web 2.0 technologies into instruction and student products. Web 2.0 technology refers to the “second generation of the World Wide Web” and refers to technologies that allow the user to add to the content in some cases. Here are some examples of Web 2.0 technologies:

• Blogs
• Wikis
• Social Networking

What Web 2.0 technologies will my child be using at school?

At Eggert, we are incorporating such Web 2.0 technologies as Glogster, Podcasting, and Prezi; these applications are not to be used at home.

Where do I go to find these resources?

You can go to the Orchard Park School District homepage and select “Eggert”. Then from the Eggert Elementary School homepage select “Library” and then select “Databases and Search Engines”, or go there directly by

or go there directly:

http://www.opschools.org/eggert.cfm?subpage=13078

Enter password: (provided to students at school)

The databases students can use have the username and passwords listed.

Please remember, if there isn’t a password provided for site on the “Databases” page, then that site is not to be accessed from home, even if your child knows the user name and password.

You can also access these Databases by logging into Clever. For directions on accessing Clever, please refer to the Links & Databases page on this site.