GED Prep Classes

Do You Need Your GED?  The LRC Offers GED Prep Classes.

• GED classes from 1:00pm-3:00pm, Monday-Thursday
• Stop by any time to get started 
• You will start by taking pretests 
• After completing the pretests, we will develop a success plan for you
• We do advise you to buy your own GED book, but we do supply materials
• Tutoring is available for the GED
• Interested?  Ask any LRC staff member for information (Laura Hughes is the GED Program Coordinator)

 

Welcome to the LRC!

We hope you enjoy our new computers!  

More improvements are coming soon.

Happy 100th Birthday, Julia!

For your fix on all things Julia Child, click on Culinary Websites to the left.  Read her biography, visit her kitchen, watch a cooking show, look at a timeline of her life or find a recipe--it's all here.

Bon Appétit!

Whenever you do research on the internet, you should evaluate the sources and sites you find.  There are many ways to evaluate websites. 

• One way to do this is to look at the domain name.  Here are some domain names (technically, these are called Generic top-level domain names...gTLD):
• .com-->  unrestricted (but generally for commercial operations)
• .edu-->  US Post-Secondary educational institutions
• .org-->  unrestricted (many may be non-profit organizations, but not all will be)
• .gov--> US Government
• .mil-->  US Military
• For academic work, .edu, .gov and .mil sites might be more appropriate.  Remember that all sources may have some sort of bias (a government or university website will not criticize the parent institution for example).  Always evaluate your sources.
• Use your judgement.  http://www.mayoclinic.com/ is a good website maintained by the Mayo Clinic.  It contains advertisements and is a .com, but is obviously a reliable place for basic health information since it is connected to a world reknown hospital.
• Another way to evaluate a website is to consider who the author is and what the motive of the author is.  Here are some questions to ask:
• What is the bias of the website?
• Is the website a charity and would like you to donate to its cause? 
• Is the website an international organization with statistical information? 
• Is the website trying to get you to buy a product?
• Nearly all websites will have some kind of bias.
• Does the website have advertisements?
• If so, this means that the website is for-profit
• Is the website written by a company?
• If so, remember the company generally will not provide information critical of its practices.
• Is the website written by an individual?
• Check to see if the author lists any credentials (such as being professor at a University).
• If no credentials are listed, it may mean that the author is not an expert (or has no formal education in this field).
• Is the information presented in a scholarly way?  Are there citations for information that is not common knowledge?
• Lack of citations might mean that the information is not scholarly (it depends if you are looking for scholarly information or not).
• Are there spelling mistakes and grammatical errors?
• If so, this is usually a cause for concern.
• Is the material user generated?
• The content on websites like Wikipedia is generated by users.
• Be careful of such sources and confirm the information elsewhere. 
• Such sites should not be used as primary sources.
• Can you confirm the information in multiple sources?
• If not, you may want to move on to another source.
• When was the information written?
• Check to see when the page was last updated.  This could indicate that the information is out of date.
• Careful with this.  The page may say updated 2012, but this could mean that the font was changed in 2012 but the original content was made in 1997. 

Above all, please use your judgement.  If a site does not feel right, it probably is not right.  If you need help evaluating your sources and finding research, you can stop by the LRC and schedule an appointment with the Librarian or Learning Specialist today! 

Fahrenheit 451 Author Ray Bradbury Dies at 91

How College Grads Can Thrive in Phone Interviews

James Beard Foundations Celebrates 25 Years of Award Winning Chefs

Where the Wild Things Are Author Maurice Sendak Dies

Last Week of the Mod!

Has Finals Week got you feeling stressed?  Do you have an IS Project to do?

• Try creating a schedule for yourself. 
• Decide how much time you need to study over the course of the week. 
• Divide that number by the number of days you have to study.  Look at your schedule and fit the hours into your schedule. 
• Remember, you don't have to do your studying in all one session.  For example, if your goal is to study two hours a day (in addition to reviewing Flash Cards and reading your text), you could study fifty minutes in the morning, and fifty minutes at night. 
• Try not to over-study.  If you have studied consistently throughout your mod, and have prepared for your final, you should not have to cram the night before your exam.
• Remember, it is important to relax and take breaks too.
• If you are studying and aren't getting the results you want and/or blank out on tests, stop by the LRC and speak with the Learning Resource Manager.  If you are putting in the time to study and are blanking out that could be a sign of Test Anxiety.
• You can create a schedule to work on your IS Project too. 
• If you can start early, try budgeting a few hours a week to work on your IS Project.
• If you do this, your IS Project will be done by the time you get to week 4 of the Mod.
• If you are crunched for time, try to break the project up and do a few hours a day 
• Try to set aside ten-twenty minutes to review your notes and the materials that were gone over in class when you get home. 
• Individuals who study this way are more likely to retain the information gone over in class.
• Flash Cards are great, but work best if time is on your side.  If you have a week or more to study, make Flash Cards. 
• Remember to write enough information on the Flash Cards so that you understand the term.
• Review your Flash Cards multiple times a day. 
• Don't just look at them, quiz yourself.  Try to recall the information on the cards.
• Limit yourself to five, ten or fifteen minutes with Flash Cards.  Flash Cards work best over time.
• Do not make Flash Cards the night before/morning of the Final Exam.  This is a waste of time.