Lesson 1a/b World Book School Edition

I love giraffes. Really, who couldn't love those long, knobby-kneed legs, velvety spots, and graceful arching neck? So of course I chose this as my mammal to research for the first Electronic Resource Challenge.



I learned a few new things about the majestic mammal I love so well; but more importantly I had a whole lot of fun checking it out. Using World Book Kids was simply a blast. You don't have to be a young child to have fun learning on that interactive site - its fun for everyone!

The information was forthwith and complete, yet quite understandable for an early or pre-reader.



Jumping to the World Book Student module was just as fun; yet offered a more detail-oriented informational site. Although still quite easy to navigate, it does require the user to "search" more for themselves, teaching an important lesson about how to decide what a user is looking for specifically and how to narrow down their search options to get that specific information.



Using World Book Advance, of course has its own advantages, especially when more information is required. For me, it is difficult or even impossible to determine just what information in the left or right side would be most valuable for a patron. This, I believe is a good problem, since the amount of sources available should give any particular patron/student an opportunity to find the necessary information.

World Book Discover can be a useful tool for a student who struggles with the English language. Due to its "read aloud" toolbar feature and language translation sidebar, with a small amount of guidance, an exchange student or low-speaking Enlgish student would still find some useful information geared to their needs.