1. I checked out some features of World Book Online for Kids such as "Science Projects," "Games," "Activities," and "Maps & More." I played a few of the games which you can choose from a rotating menu or scroll down and choose from a list. There are puzzles, mazes, color by number, and matching games among others. These games are very easy since the target age for this version of World Book is K-5. At least with the puzzles, I could choose if I wanted easy, medium, or hard. I actually kind of enjoyed the puzzle. I really couldn't find where to "Compare Places," though I did find in the "World of Animals" that I could compare two different animals as to characteristics such as weight, length, number of newbown, and life span.
2. I visited World Book Online InfoFinder and got a little carried away playing with "Interactive Earth." At first, I was just moving around and looking at the the different sections of town, but once I discovered I could click on the little man and move him to any part of the map highlighted in blue and see actual panoramic pictures, I was hooked. I zoomed in on our library and traveled down the street a little ways. Then, I went to Custer State Park with my little man and traveled down highway 16A. I would just highlight a circle ahead of me on the road and I would be zoomed to that spot. Then, I could look around 360 degrees from any location on the road that I choose. This feature is really cool!
I also looked at a couple of videos about the Titanic on "World Book Explores Virtual Tours." I tried to look at "National Parks" under "Historical Sites" which gave me access to all of the National Park webpages, but I didn't notice the video content like the Titanic virtual tour offered. The Virtual Tours section is pretty nifty, but didn't keep my attention as long as the Interactive Map feature. This feature can also be accessed from the World Book Online for Kids (where I originally discovered it). I just chose to write about it in this section since we were asked to visit this feature specifically in InfoFinder.
3. I used the World Book Online Reference Center to go to the E-Book Center and look up Andersen's Fairy Tales since I am a fan of Hans Christian Andersen and have my own collection at home. The special tools are pretty cool, you can have the text read aloud and you can have it translated into many different languages. You can print, e-mail, or save a section, you can download the e-book, and you can save information to My Research if you have created a My Research account. I like the fact that you are also provided Related Encyclopedia Content, such as an article on Hans Christian Andersen or an article on Fairies. Just for kicks, I clicked on "Download Ebook" to see what would happen. After choosing open, the book downloaded in a matter of seconds and appeared on my Adobe Digital Editions program which I had previously downloaded on my PC in order to use Overdrive. Pretty cool, huh?
Very cool! Thanks, Clueless! I see that I was Careless in constructing the assignment for #1, as WB Kids Public Library edition does not have "Compare Places." (The school edition does.) Thanks for the heads-up; I have made the appropriate change for the rest of the group. I hope your young patrons will enjoy the WB games and learn some facts while playing. Your enthusiasm for the Interactive Maps shows great ways to use this for all ages. I can imagine you showing the area to curious tourists via this resource. As for the Virtual Tours, the ones on the left are created by WB editors and are superior to those linked on the right hand side, which are "outside" resources. But it is still handy to have the links there, especially to tour places outside the US! I'm going to look you up when I get to your library and ask to see your Andersen collection. I don't have a collection, but am a big fan. Thanks for your comments, Clueless. You will have to change your name soon, as you keep learning!
ReplyDeleteWell,actually the collection I was mentioning was at home, not here in the Library. It's not very impressive now. My husband makes me downsize every time we move. So, now I'm down to one huge book of Andersen's Fairy Tales that is over 500 pages (it has all of the tales I enjoyed in one book) and a few miscellaneous Grimms Brothers' books that I would be embarassed to show anyone. One of my Grimms Brothers' books was illustrated, and I decided to accent the illustrations by placing gluing pressed flowers on the illustrations. I thought it looked good when I was younger, but now, not so much.
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