Iowa’s Area Education Agencies are pleased to announce some new Iowa AEA Online resources for 2011-2012. We’re excited by the new offerings that will provide even more support to Iowa Core. Sometimes the online databases are referred to as the hidden Internet. Rather than browse the Internet and hope the thousands (or millions) of results are valid, reliable, accurate, etc., try the hidden Internet. Com Cat -- http://comcat-agent.auto-graphics.com

New Online Resources

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Britannica Digital Learning

• Britannica Online School Edition
• 21st Century Explorer
• Student News Net
• World Data Analyst
• Global Reference Center
  

Culture Grams

Gale eResources

• Academic OneFile with InfoTrac Collections
• General OneFile with InfoTrac Collections 
• General Business File ASAP
• Health and Wellness Resource Center 
• Health Reference Center Academic
• InfoTrac Newsstand 
• InfoTrac Junior Edition
• InfoTrac Student Edition
• Educator’s Reference Complete
• Kids InfoBits

Continuing Online Resources

• AccuWeather
• American History in Video
• AP Images
• Atomic Learning
• BookFLIX
• DE Science K-8
  
• EBSCO Educator Collection (professional journals)
• iCLIPART for Schools
• Learn360
• netTrekker
• NoveList Plus
• NoveList Plus K-8
• SIRS Issues Researcher
• Soundzabound
• TeachingBooks.net
• Teen Health & Wellness

What happened to the EBSCO K-12 databases and DEStreaming online databases?

EBSCO is being replaced with the Gale eResources. Discovery Education has changed their pricing model to favor direct purchase by schools. We’re still working with Discovery Education on some different options.

How can I Iearn more?

There will be introductory sessions in April. More training will be offered this summer and again in September and October. See below for a summary of the new resources.

One more thing….

There will be new user IDs and passwords for student use beginning August 1, 2011.

Summaries of the new online resources.

Britannica Digital Learning (new fall 2011)

• Britannica Online School Edition gives teachers and students instant access to four complete encyclopedias and other resources that ensure consistency with classroom topics and age-appropriate language. Developed by teachers and curriculum experts.  (Grades PreK-12)
  

• 21st-Century Explorer provides online reference and learning tools for students who read below grade level, are dealing with specific learning problems, or are at risk of falling behind. This user-friendly collection contains encyclopedias, an atlas, historic timelines, a dictionary, news, and other essential learning tools. It is ideal for reluctant readers, ELL and ESL students, and adult literacy students. (Grades PreK-12) Download.
  

• Global Reference Center is an extensive collection of foreign language content, offering trustworthy information in Spanish, Japanese, Korean, simplified Chinese, and French. Features global content on art, geography, history, politics, science, sports, technology, and more. Each site also contains additional local content--including culture, history, and traditions--specific to each product. Brilliant photos, detailed maps, and other images accompany the text,. (Grades PreK-12+) Download.

• Student News Net engages students with timely, relevant news and current events. Related learning activities and lesson plans teach students how to organize facts, make connections, and use information in problem-solving activities. (Grades 4-8) Download.
  

• World Data Analyst Online contains current and historical statistics on the countries of the world which makes historical and cross-national comparisons easy. Students can create tables, charts, and even export the information to a spreadsheet for data crunching and deeper analysis. It’s ideal for research, to explore new topics for study, or just to learn more about the world. (Grades 6-12 + College) Download.

• Learning Zone is a classroom-tested, interactive learning environment that gives early learners enjoyable, engaging, and developmentally appropriate activities. It includes an interactive atlas, online art activities, interactive games and learning materials, audio and video, and vocabulary builders. These features teach concepts that children are curious about, such as geography, numbers, colors, time, and sounds. (Grades PreK-2) Download.
  

Culture Grams (new fall 2011)

CultureGrams features concise cultural and statistical snapshots of every country recognized by the United Nations. Local experts document the unique, intimate details of each country's customs, traditions and daily life. Download.

Gale eResources (new fall 2011)

• Academic OneFile includes peer-reviewed, full-text articles from journals and reference sources of all academic disciplines. Millions of articles available in both PDF and HTML full-text with no restrictions, including full-text coverage of the New York Times since 1995. Updated daily. Download.
  

• General OneFile is a one-stop source for news and periodical articles on a wide range of topics: business, computers, current events, economics, education, environmental issues, health care, hobbies, humanities, law, literature and art, politics, science, social science, sports, technology, and many general interest topics. Millions of full-text articles, many with images. Updated daily. Download.
  

• InfoTrac Student Edition is designed for high school students, with access to a variety of indexed and full-text magazines, newspapers and reference books for information on current events, the arts, science, popular culture, health, people, government, history, sports and more. Download.
  

• InfoTrac Junior Edition periodical database is designed for students in junior high and middle school, with magazines, newspapers and reference books (most are full-text) for information on current events, the arts, science, popular culture, health, people, government, history, sports and more. Download.
  

• InfoTrac Newsstand is an innovative Web-based full-text newspaper database which allows users to search articles instantly by title, headline, date, newspaper section or other assigned fields. You can search a collection of more than 1,000 newspapers, then select your own screen appearance, search options and results format. Download.
  

• Kids InfoBits meets the research needs of students in K-5. It features a developmentally appropriate, visually graphic interface, a subject-based topic tree search and full-text, age-appropriate, curriculum-related magazine, newspaper and reference content for information on current events, the arts, science, health, people, government, history, sports and more. Download.
  

• Health Reference Center Academic will be used to find articles on: fitness, pregnancy, medicine, nutrition, diseases, public health, occupational health and safety, alcohol and drug abuse, HMOs, prescription drugs, and more. The material contained in this database is intended for informational purposes only. Download.
  

• Health and Wellness Resource Center includes alternative medicine-focused magazines, journals, newspapers, definitions, directories, videos, & reference information on: Medicine, Nutrition, Diseases, Public Health, Pregnancy, Herbal remedies, and more. Included are links to diet, cancer, health assessment sites & government databases. Easily access 700+ videos from Healthology, Inc.'s consumer health video library. Spanish-language videos are available. The material is intended for informational purposes only. Download.
  

• General Business File ASAP analyzes company performance and activity, industry events and trends as well as the latest in management, economics and politics. Access to a combination of broker research reports, trade publications, newspapers, journals and company directory listings with full text and images available. Download.
  

• Educator's Reference Complete includes more than 450 full-text academic journals, hundreds of full-text reports, and many premier reference sources. Majority of the full-text titles included are also found in the ERIC database. The database is updated daily. Download.
  

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AP Images contains over 7 million primary-source photographs from the 1800’s to a minute ago, over 1.9 million sound bites from the 1920’s to a minute ago, 230,000 graphics (maps, charts and timelines), and 2.5 million text news stories from The Associated Press®. Licensed for educational use.

Atomic Learning’s 21st Century Skills Collection includes professional development resources and curriculum materials to empower educators to infuse 21st century skills into the classroom. The collection includes access to over 50,000 tutorials on 205 applications, student and teacher assessments with prescriptive training paths, classroom tech integration projects, technology workshops, progress reports and more.

Atomic Learning Assistive Technology Collection features video tutorials focused on helping educators use and apply assistive technology. Programs include Boardmaker 6, JAWS 9, Overboard and more. Tutorial offerings include training on special education software, assistive technology devices, and software accessibility features.

BookFlix is an interactive literacy resource that builds a love of reading and learning. It pairs classic fictional video storybooks from Weston Woods with nonfiction eBooks from Scholastic to reinforce reading skills and develop essential real-world knowledge and understanding. (PreK-3)

DE Science K-8 includes multlimedia, video, simulations, and interactives.

iCLIPART For Schools is a collection of more than 7.8 million royalty free photos, clipart, fonts, animations and sounds that teachers and students can use in multimedia presentations, Inspiration diagrams, school websites, worksheets, newsletters, posters, signs and more. iCLIPART will be adding additional content throughout the year including high resolution photos and animations.

Learn360 is an educational streaming media service offering thousands of full-length digital videos, video clips, images, audio files, newsreels, speeches and a comprehensive library of teaching resources. Top educational publishers include A&E/History/Bio, PBS, National Geographic, Sunburst Visual Media, Reading Rainbow, Britannica Concise Encyclopedia and many more. All Learn360 content is standards-based.

netTrekker is a searchable database of reviewed web sites selected for K-12. It has a unique advanced search feature--looking for 20th century, African American female scientists?

NoveList Plus and NoveList Plus K-8 works as a readers' advisory tool for fiction and nonfiction. Students can search by genre, character, plot, theme. It answers the question, "What can I read next that was like ___ I just finished?"

SIRS Issues Researcher helps students make sense of the world by offering relevant, credible resources aligned to learning standards that tell the whole story on the major issues of the day. Sample topics: abortion, capital punishment, immigration, and gun control; and current issues such as the global financial crisis, mass media, privacy rights for teenagers, alternative education, climate change, and same-sex marriage.

Soundzabound Royalty Free Music is licensed audio that can be used without copyright infringement. The online database provides searching with keywords and categories to find audio tracks that may be used in videos, podcasts and other forms of multimedia. The MP3 audio files are cross platform for use in any Mac or PC software that incorporates audio.

TeachingBooks.net  includes one-of-kind interviews with writers, artists, and illustrators in the home or studio. It includes study guides, audio books, and more.

Teen Health & Wellness: Real Life, Real Answers, the award-winning database provides curricular support and self-help on topics such as diseases and conditions (including a new section on obesity), drugs and alcohol, fitness and nutrition, green/environmentally-friendly living, mental & emotional health, Internet safety, bullying and school violence, and more. Articles are correlated to Iowa state standards in health and physical education; science; and language arts, as well as to the national standards. X

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Updated March 1, 2011. For more information, contact Susan Schrader.

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