We love databases!

This week, we’ve chosen to have a look at Education Source. This database can make a claim to be the most authoritative resource for anyone studying in the area of education.  As the world's largest and most complete collection of full-text education journals, it covers  all levels of education from early childhood to higher education and also provides insight into educational specialties,  such as multilingual education and testing.

Coverage dates back as far as 1929  and the impressive content includes:  more than 2,000  full text  journals, indexing and abstracts for 3,500 journals, 550+  full text books and monographs, and 1,200 full text  education-related conference papers.

It has a clear and easy to use interface.  Our subject librarians love it! Why not have a look and see what you can find?  If you’d like a hand or more information, contact alison.evans@uwtsd.ac.uk 

Education on the Web – NFER’s guide to help you search effectively for online information about Education

We hope that all you Education students out there are already aware of the fantastic resources that the library has to offer you. You’re probably pretty familiar with our e-books and our online databases which let you find and access thousands of journal articles on and off campus. What about the rest of the web, though? There’s lots of information out there, but finding relevant and accurate sources can be tricky. Luckily, the NFER (National Foundation for Educational Research)  has produced a document to help!

Education on the Web: a Tool-kit to Help You Search Effectively for Information on Education does exactly what it says on the tin! It’s a free guide which systematically guides you through the process of finding literature through databases, websites and search engines. As well as helping you search for information, the guide also recommends good websites for different purposes, looks at using Web 2.0 tools for research and offers advice for sifting through the results of your literature search. If you’re embarking on a dissertation, research project or assignment, it’s well worth a look!

Remember that there’s plenty on offer in the library too, be it on the shelves or online. If you need any help finding or accessing resources for Education, just get in touch with Philippa Price or Suzanne Taylor at Townhill Library. Check Moodle for Philippa and Suzanne’s contact details, or give them a ring at Townhill Library on 01792 482113. We’re happy to help!

We love… the TES website for current awareness, forums and teaching resources

Have you discovered the TES website yet? It’s well worth a look if you’re a teacher or trainee teacher as you’ll find all sorts to help you out. You’ll find the latest paper edition of TES, as well as recent back copies, in Townhill Library, so you can always keep up to date on the latest Education news on campus, but their website lets you keep abreast of things whilst you’re off campus too. Articles from the current issue and the TES archive are freely available online – just click the TES magazine link from the homepage.

The TES forums are a great way to get connected to teachers across the UK. Whatever the stage, role or subject you’re interested in, there’s sure to be a forum for you. And it’s not just professional chat – there are lots of social forums for teachers to share their views on hobbies, health, and anything else you can think of. TES experts regularly contribute to the forums to offer advice. The forums also offer a network of support from fellow professionals and a chance to air your views. Do check the Welcome page for Terms and Conditions, Code of Conduct and Netiquette before you get going, though!

Finally, the TES website is a great place to find lots of free teaching resources! Simply register on the website to access and download resources on all sorts of topics. Once registered, you’ll also be able to upload your own resources, so if you’ve come up with a classroom game that you’re really proud of, now’s your chance to share it with the world!

If that’s not enough to get you excited, take a look at the video web chat at 11am on Wednesday. Father Christmas himself will be answering questions live on the website!

Introducing your subject librarian...

Welcome to the first in a series of posts in which we will introduce you to the SMU librarians who are here to support your subject areas. First of all, we have Philippa Price who supports Swansea School of Education on the Townhill campus.

Philippa
I have been an Assistant Librarian at SMU for nearly six years now. This is my first librarian position, but not my first job in a library. I spent a brief time as a library assistant at Swindon College, a further education college in, wait for it, Swindon. Before that, I was a library assistant on Five Valleys Mobile Library, based in Stroud. This was an idyllic job that involved being driven round the Cotswolds area and drinking cups of tea provided by our lovely patrons while I helped them choose their books. As wonderful as it was though, overall I prefer working in the higher education sector. Townhill Library is certainly much busier than the mobile library ever was!

To become a librarian, I gained a Masters in Information and Library Studies at Aberystwyth University. Aberystwyth is something of a home from home for me as I also read American Studies there as an undergraduate. It's wet and windy in the winter, but it's a lovely town and I try to go back for visits when I can. Aber gave me a taste for living by the sea, so I'm very pleased to have ended up in Swansea, especially with such a stunning view of Mumbles from work!

Outside of work, I am, of course, an avid reader. (What kind of librarian would I be if I didn't like books?) I've just finished The little stranger by Sarah Waters, which I very much enjoyed. Aside from books, I go swimming a couple of times a week and go to the cinema fairly regularly. In the evenings, when I'm not swimming or at the pictures, I tend to veg out in front of the TV. I'm very excited about the return of Strictly Come Dancing and will be rooting for Jason Donovan to win!

That's me in a nutshell. I've already met some PGCE students at their library inductions and am looking forward to meeting many more Education students over the next month or so. I hope you've enjoyed this little insight into my life. Don't judge me too harshly for being a Jason Donovan fan!

Are you missing Teachers TV?

Teachers TV was a government funded service that supplied free, downloadable videos on professional development and classroom resources. The Department of Education decided to discontinue the service and it closed down last month. However, all is not lost, since TES has just announced that all 3,500 programmes in the Teachers TV archive will soon be available from the Resources section of the TES website. Twenty of the most popular programmes are already available to view and download.

The Teachers TV archive will also be available from SchoolsWorld.TV (http://www.schoolsworld.tv/) and Teachers Media (http://www.teachersmedia.co.uk/).

The Foundation Phase

The Welsh Assembly Government is in the process of rolling out the Foundation Phase for children in Wales aged 3 to 7 years old. From September 2011, school children in Wales from Nursery to Year 2 will be taught according to the Foundation Phase curriculum. What does this mean?

The Foundation Phase curriculum is based on seven Areas of Learning:-
· Personal and Social Development, Wellbeing and Cultural Diversity
· Language, Literacy and Communication
· Mathematical Development
· Welsh Language Development
· Knowledge and Understanding of the World
· Physical Development
· Creative Development

These areas were identified from research into the way children learn and encourage a curriculum which focuses on development of skills and experience. Find out more about early years education at shelf mark 372.21 in Townhill Library and try 155.413 to find out how children learn. There is more information about the Foundation Phase and access to supporting documents on the Welsh Assembly Government website: http://tiny.cc/7snet.

If you’re a student or member of staff at SMU and are looking to support your work with young children, don’t forget to try the Teaching Practice Collection on the first floor of Townhill Library. We have a wide range of picture books, junior fiction and non-fiction books to support all sorts of themes and topics. Come and have a look!

Happy birthday TES!

The Times Educational Supplement is 100 years old this month. Take a look at the very first issue, published 6th September 1910, by following the link on the TES Connect website: http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6057545.

TES will celebrate its centenary over the next 12 months by looking back at education news over the years. There will be a weekly look through the archives and every month TES will focus on a topic that has been constantly debated since its launch.

TES is available to read in Townhill Library, where you’ll find the latest issue on the ground floor and back copies on the first floor landing. If you prefer, you can read articles online via TES Connect (http://www.tes.co.uk/), which also has free classroom resources to download and a number of community forums to contribute to if you so desire. Well worth a look!