)
Question Day 2014
How important is curiosity and questioning in your life? Do you ask questions that don’t have an easy answer?
Friday marks the 135 anniversary of Albert Einstein’s birth. Einstein said, “The important thing is not to stop questioning,” and urged us to “Question everything,” and “Never lose a holy curiosity.”
What does this mean to you? Let us know #mvrhsquestions
Mercedes Giambatista’s Island in the Snow
We’re honored to have Mercedes Giambatista’s photography on display. Mercedes is a junior at MVRHS. Check out more of her photos and writing on her tumblr: thehumbleartist.tumblr.com
Cal Howard’s locally-grown virtual reality
![Ms. Carlomagno gives it a test drive (photo credit: Chris Connors)](https://www.mvrhs.org/library/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/cal-howard-300x225.png)
MVRHS Junior Cal Howard has designed and built a full-immersion virtual reality prototype inspired by the Oculus Rift.
Cal gave a presentation on how he designed it and what he hopes to accomplish next. He had his prototype that he’s built using, among other things, a Kindle Fire, tin-foil, a mining headlamp, and a Pop-tart box.
Want to see? We should have a video of his presentation posted soon. Stay tuned.
Sponsored by: MVRHS Innovation Lab
Become an expert on your topic
Are you interested in something? Maybe you think you know a little about it already? Wouldn’t it be cool to know more? Maybe you can take it a step further and become an expert yourself.
The question is, where do you start? Anyone can Google it, or read some background about it on Wikipedia. What will make you stand out?
Background Info: Finding an area to focus on and a question to answer
The Virtual Reference Library is a great place to start. It gives you articles about topics written by experts themselves. Anytime an expert writes about their topic they will mention the big issues and controversies surrounding it. There is where you’ll find an interesting question to answer and something you can look into investigating yourself.
Dig deeper
Questia School is another virtual library, but the difference is it gives you access to 80,000 full-length, published books that you won’t find otherwise online. So, it gives you more depth on your topic. See Mr. McGrath for help logging in, and using Questia School to your advantage.
Books in the MVRHS Library: Use the blue search bar above (check “books”) to see if we have something you can use.
Keep Going
As a citizen of the state of Massachusetts, you have access to all of the electronic resources in the Boston Public Library. In depth sources including JStor give you access to thousands of published sources. To access them, you’ll need a BPL Library card number. If you don’t have one, you can get it for free, practically instantly, by visiting their ecard sign-up page.
Organize your sources
Login to Easybib using your MVRHS Google Docs account to access their awesome note-taking and expanded citing features. It literally makes it easier.
And Finally….Ask for help. Spread the word!
Ask about your topic. After all, it’s something you’re interested in learning about, right? Tell people what you know, and ask for help. You’ll be surprised what you’ll learn just by asking.
“What prevents you from using the library?” “Other” responses
- Needs color
- No food and drinks allowed
- Not enough space
- There are too many people and its always closed but it could be better by a lot
- Who reads books
- A little crowded
- Annoying wild people
- Books are terrible in the library
- Boring
- But I might if it was more private
- Can fill up quickly during my study hall, don’t always have a lot do there for work, hard to get a library pass
- Depending on the period it is too loud
- Don’t have study every day
- Everything is in my study hall (computers, etc.)
- Except Woody
- Gets too packed
- Getting passes
- I cant always get in when I actually have to do things when people that got in don’t do anything
- I can’t eat in there
- I do not have any study halls so not much time
- I don’t care
- I hate it
- I don’t have a study hall. I’ve been to the library once for English
- I don’t like reading
- I don’t need to go there everyday, but it’s helpful when I go
- I don’t read that much
- I don’t think of it (ie. if I have free time I don’t automatically think to go to the library)
- I have no reason for me
- I need to do make up work
- I never really need to go
- If its full
- it gets filled up and i cant get in
- its to social to work there
- Its too social and doesn’t feel like a working environment
- Library fills up
- Most people just socialize and don’t do work. Loud/distracting. Stricter
- My friends go there after school
- No books I like
- No extra time
- No space sometimes
- No study hall
- No study halls and I’m a bit germaphobic books other people have touched
- No time
- none of my classes use it
- not enough room
- Outdated/ dysfunctional computers (for the most part)
- Slow comps
- Slow computers, distractions
- sometimes there’s not enough space
- Teachers do not utilize it enough i never go in any of my classes
- the color gives me a headache
- the computers
- the computers are usually to slow to work on
- The library doesn’t have room for people who actually need it during the study hall
- there are too many people
- There aren’t enough books and Manga
- There is no food or beverages
- There is too much going on around so I easily get distracted (noise people, etc)
- They never let you in
- unless a study hall
- We can’t eat in there
- When it gets full
- Work in Newspaper Office with more comfortable chairs stupidity of the pass system
- You need a pass
- Cant get a library pass
- Can’t get in cause its always too crowded.
- Full
- G period has to many people i never get let in
- I can’t find academic teachers to sign my pass or it’s too full!
- i do not have a study
- I don’t know
- I don’t like the library
- I go to my teachers
- I hate books
- I have a study hall so I use it then
- I just don’t go
- I only go there when I need a book
- I only go there when my printer is out of ink
- I only go to print papers due in the morning once in a while or when teachers take a cleass in there so I don’t really have reasons to go there often.
- I only go when my class goes.
- I only need it for the printer
- I prefer writing lab or my resource room
- I’m scared of books
- It gets filled up sometime
- It gets full
- It gets full to quickly
- It is always packed and you can’t get in
- Its always to full for me to get in
- Its always to full for me to get in
- Its crowed and don’t like the people who go there
- Its crowed but it doesn’t keep me from coming
- Its full
- Library is always full before I get in
- Lot of people
- no study hall
- none of the above
- none of the above
- none of the above
- none of the above
- none of the above
- Not enough room
- Not enough space
- Not enough space
- Not getting in
- Nothing I go every study
- Nothing prevents me
- Nothing prevents me from going there currently
- Nothing really
- Nothing really – it is a pretty useful place
- NothingI rarely go
- People never really working
- Schedule – no time
- Teachers don’t let me go sometimes
- The library became full
- The library is closed
- The library is full
- The pass system is trash. If you need to use passes just require one from the class you are in, why does it have to be an academic teacher?
- There is not enough room, it fills up and they don’t let me in
- There is nothing especially helpful to me
- There’s no room
- There’s no room for anymore people
- There’s not enough room
- There’s not enough room
- There’s not enough room sometimes
- They say it’s when its obviously hot
- To many rules and no food/drinks
- Too full
- Too many people, not enough space
- Too many people,can’t get in because of study hall
- Too small
- What prevents you from using the library more often?
- You need a pass to go in