Week 2 - Britannica

This week we dive into the exploration of the MARVEL database with a visit to Encyclopedia Britannica.  This is a resource I've used quite a bit with my elementary students, so I am fairly familiar with it, although my experience with the middle school and high school modules is limited. 

The assignment:
1. Using Britannica Elementary, search for information on a mammal of your choice. Find a picture and information about its habitat.

I always use "ocelot" as my default mammal when I'm teaching research skills because I am fascinated by ocelots and I am always hoping to learn something new about this elusive animal.   So, away we go!

Using the search term "ocelot," I get seven results, the first one being the obvious "best" hit.  I like that in the results list I see a picture of an ocelot right away, without having to click.  I think that immediate gratification is appealing to kids and it also lets them know they are on the right track.   When I click on the first article (titled simply "Ocelot") I am pleased to see a short article with options to either translate it into Spanish or to listen to the article being read aloud.  The read-aloud feature is excellent and enables students of all reading abilities to use this resource.  Additionally, a left-hand sidebar shows a scrolling slideshow of ocelot images, which is excellent.  The embedded Merriam-Webster's Dictionary makes it easy to look up unfamiliar words by simply double-clicking on them.  My students (and I) also very much appreciate that Britannica articles are easy to save, print or email (there are bright, user-friendly icons at the top of the article to direct these actions) and also to cite.  I simply click on "Cite article" and voila, I am able to cut and paste:

"Ocelot." Britannica Elementary Encyclopedia. Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2012. Web. 9 Oct. 2012.

The images that I can link to through this article are clearly identified:

• Ocelot. Art. Encyclopedia Britannica. Web. 9 Oct. 2012.   
• <http://school.eb.com.ursus-proxy-10.ursus.maine.edu/elementary/art-74905>.

 All in all, the Britannica Elementary Encyclopedia provides an excellent (if brief) overview about ocelots that would be a good starting place for students doing animal research.


2. Using Britannica Middle School, search for information on the same mammal you searched in Britannica Elementary and compare the amount of information.

The middle school version of Britannica returned thirteen hits (as opposed to the seven returned by the elementary version).   The types of articles are similar, and the additional breadth would be appropriate for middle school aged researchers.

 3. Using Britannica High School, search for a country. Notice the types of information available on the right side bar of the results screen. What types of information will be most valuable to your patrons?

My search for the country "Romania" returned a surprising 971 hits.  This might be a somewhat overwhelming amount of information for some users.  The variety of types of information available in the high school search is significantly broader than in the middle or elementary search, as information seekers can choose journals and magazines, Britannica Concise Encyclopedia articles, the Web's Best Sites and Primary Sources and E-books (primary sources and e-books strike me as very different types of resources, and yet here they are linked).  The value of these different resources depends very much on the information seeker's needs - a student writing a typical "country report" would find the encyclopedia articles of great interest, whereas someone traveling to the country might be more interested in the journal and magazine articles.  All in all, the variety of resources ensures that there is information for a wide range of uses.

4. Using either the Middle or School level, click on Help (top right).  In the index which is on the left side, click on “Working with Articles” and then on “Workspace”.  How useful will this feature be for your students and teachers?

The "Workspace" feature of Encyclopedia Britannica has the potential to be very useful for both teachers and students.  For teachers, it is a great way to gather, curate and then share resources on a particular topic.  For students, the workspace allows them to save and share their resources from any device.  So, a student could start a project at school with their MLTI laptop, poke around in their saved articles on their mom's iPad while waiting in the car at the grocery store, and then revisit (or expand) their resource list at home on the family desktop.   The workspace could also be a great tool for collaboration amongst students (and teachers).