Challenge Week 3: SIRS Discoverer and SIRS Issues Researcher

SIRS Discoverer

ew....week three....easy to get behind! What a great wealth of resources. These databases are great tools. I looked up the armadillos and was surprised by the number and range of articles. I think it is very helpful to have a clear identifier that lets you know the article contains a graphic, as sometimes that is the thing people are really looking for. Discovered some interesting things about the armadillo in my brief tour.

The sidebar Database Features provided another set of handy tools. I took a look at France for my country and got a quick overview of the history timeline, a map, picture of the flag, population, etc. All the basics were covered, with many links to provide more information.

Under the Maps section, I chose United States and noticed there were territories and some other subsets listed, rather than just the states. I chose American Somoa first, since I was curious as to where that was actually located in the big scheme of islands....but the map of Somoa didn't provide a large enough context, so I still only know that it is located in the Pacific Ocean, but would have a hard time finding it on a larger map.

I moved on to the United States Historical maps and pulled up a map of Chaco Canyon....there are a lot of maps to discover here that really enhance and provide visual context for learning history. The map entitled European Exploration and Colonization c.1000 to 1643, for example, might just be a better way to get an overview than by reading any text. Great tool!

I took a look at the Science Fair Explorer and opened the Junk Drawer.....and delved into the Case of the Water Walker exploring water striders and surface tension. I sure wish these resources had been available when I was a kid.....science becomes a fascinating topic and relevant to each kids life, as they explore science through their own environment!

SIRS Issues Researcher

I was amazed at the long list of issues that are presented on the left. Because of recent events and the relevancy of the topic these days, I chose gun control. A good overview is presented, along with a quick look at pros and cons and an interactive component at the top. A broad spectrum of resources are listed below, with the ability to limit and filter them....another fantastic tool. I used to catalog a series of print resources for our academic library that aimed to tackle these issue based topics, but never came close to provided the rich resources that this site does.

The curriculum pathfinders provided another great avenue for research. Because I am an artist, I chose the Fine Arts and found lots of places to travel through the eye-catching subject headings and research ideas that caught my eye. There were also plenty of articles, some with images, some without, as well as interactive insets. Another useful feature was the list on the left that you know the types of sources, so you could filter the search and hone in on the topic.

Week three was another great discovery!