Abstract: For decades, schools have purchased subscriptions for academic and reference materials, both in print and on CD-ROM. As more and more of these materials become available on the Internet, however, many educators are questioning the notion of subscriptions in the Information Age. With so many free Web sites available, is there still value in purchasing a subscription to a curriculum or reference Web site? To answer that question, it helps to first consider the differences between free and fee-based Web sites, and how they match up against both the resources you have and the resources you seek. As always, the school or district budget plays a primary role in deciding what curriculum products and services to purchase and what not to purchase. A key benefit of the Internet is that it offers cash-strapped schools instant access to millions of free Web sites on millions of topics. The downside? There are literally millions of sites on millions of topics. When evaluating the cost of Web sites, consider both the actual costs and the hidden costs, such as time. Content With the abundance of information available on nearly every topic known to humankind, locating appropriate content on the Internet can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. You may find what you need right away, or you may search for days and still never find content to match your curriculum goals and objectives. Before paddling out to surf the Web, consider how much time you or your students should devote to the search and, most importantly, what you want to accomplish. Web surfing is a great way to window shop to find out what is available in your area of interest, and to help you narrow down the types of information and materials you want. If you want to drill down into particular subject areas or topics beyond what is available for free, a subscription-based Web site could provide the deep content you need. This fall, ABC-CLIO is launching five new subscription-based sites on American Government, U.S. History, World History, State Geography, and World Geography. The American Government Web site, for example, contains a comprehensive reference database with more than 15,000 entries, including books, journals, biographies, encyclopedias, documents and photos. In addition, it features separate channels for students and educators with instructional tools and resources tailored for each, and a Currents section with daily news and events. The role of the publisher is to anticipate all the information a teacher, librarian or student might require on a specific topic, and then locate, screen, organize, index and update the information. The goal is to help you quickly and easily find the information you need, so you can focus on teaching and your students can focus on learning. Knowledge While both subscription sites and free sites offer unprecedented access to information, information is not knowledge. As you explore, consider what you and your students should gain from the information you find. Subscription sites should provide more than just information; they should help build a bridge from information to knowledge. They should create a context for the content through resources like lesson plans to help you integrate the information with your curriculum, databases to help you correlate online lessons and activities with textbooks and national standards, and tools to help students analyze the information they have gathered. ABC-CLIO's American Government Web site, for example, offers educators lesson plans, discussion questions, projects, handouts, lecture notes, and quizzes to support instruction and create additional opportunities for learning and critical thinking. In addition, the site provides students with topic explorations, skill explorations, and tools for creating surveys and online discussions to further promote inquiry and analysis. Navigation Navigating the Web is part of the journey from information to knowledge. …
Publication Year: 2001
Publication Date: 2001-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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Cited By Count: 1
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