Welcome to Study Hall! The Internet can be a great resource as long as you know how to use it. Here you will find tips for effective web research to help you get the most out of the Internet.
Maya
Cyber Defender & Databank Supervisor
Because of her unquenchable thirst for knowledge, Maya started out as a librarian. While she loved her job, she wanted to do more to help protect people.
Since Cyber Villains such as Ms. Information and Elvirus can corrupt websites and the information on them, Maya teaches people to protect themselves by using caution when visiting websites and avoiding sites that are not trustworthy.
Give me a fish and I eat for a day. Teach me to fish and I eat for a lifetime
- Chinese Proverb
Anything chocolate
Interests:Browsing bookstores, baking
February 29 2008
Poor Alan
Poor Alan, out there all alone. We've been warning the cadets for years that meeting strangers from the Internet in person often leads to nasty surprises. I guess Alan had to learn that on his own.
All of the instructors are doing their best to find him. I've been coordinating with Betty and Officer Ward to organize a search party to locate him. Once we set our minds to something we will never give up. Alan, you'll be coming home soon.
posted by Maya
topic: Miscellaneous
February 21 2008
Building Confidence
I know the school has suffered from some grievous events recently. I want the cadets to know that if they need to talk to someone about what they are feeling my door is open. The recent Cyber Villain attacks have shaken much of our school's confidence. Everyone needs to talk at some point. Don't keep your worries inside. All of us instructors will do our utmost to protect our cadets.
posted by Maya
topic: Miscellaneous
February 19 2008
Finding Reliable Sites: Ask your Librarian
If you're at a complete loss as to where to start when researching a topic, it never hurts to ask someone else for help. Ask your librarian, your teacher, your parents, even an older sibling, anyone who might know more about your topic than you do. Find out what they know or if they have any resources or Web sites they would recommend.
You may find out something interesting about your topic that you'd like to pursue, and you may even discover a shortcut to finding some reliable resources.
posted by Maya
topic: Finding Reliable Sites
February 11 2008
Online Rehab with Carlo
I've been working with Carlo to get him back to his old Cyberspace fighting form. I've been using a trick though. Carlo believes he is helping me file various references in my database. This is mostly true. However, I've been manipulating the data he's been filing for me, so that he's continually challenged.
He may be frustrated by his apparent lack of progress. He still has to quit early. But in a few weeks he'll be in even better shape than he was before the accident.
posted by Maya
topic: Miscellaneous
February 7 2008
Research Challenge: Sources for Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day is a late comer holiday. It wasn't even associated with love and romance until Geoffrey Chaucer's time in the Middle Ages. February, however, has long been a month associated with fertility.
In ancient Rome a Lupercalia festival was traditionally held in the middle of the month. People cleaned their houses from winter grim. The priests would sacrifice animals in a cave that they believed was once the home for the founders of Rome. Young men would then run through the town, slapping women with strips of hide in the belief that it would make them more fertile. Other cultures have similar customs centered around increasing the fertility of the land and the people who live on it.
What other traditions are associated with Valentine's Day? Try using the Internet to research more of the history of this most romantic holiday.
posted by Maya
topic: Using the Web, Research Challenge
February 5 2008
Research Tip: Bookmark reliable sites
When you find a site that you think is reliable, add it to your Web browser favorites or bookmarks, so you can find it again easily. You never know when you'll need it again, and oftentimes sites that you have used in the past and know to be reliable are a great place to start when researching a new topic.
You can ask a trusted adult to help you set up bookmarks or favorites on your computer, and you can use bookmarks as shortcuts to some of your favorite Web sites to visit, as well as keeping track of reliable research sites. It also helps to organize your bookmarks into well-labeled folders to keep them from getting confusing.