World Book Online
www.scoilnet.ie
Online encyclopaedia now available via Scoilnet.

What is the site about?

World Book Online is a digital encyclopaedia covering the entire text of the 22-volume enclyclopaedia plus illustrations, video clips, 3D panoramic views and sound files. It is available through Scoilnet at three levels: World Book Kids, World Book Students and World Book Advanced.

The licensing agreement between Scoilnet and World Book Online permits free access to teachers and students in Ireland using the Schools Broadband network. Home access, therefore, is currently restricted.

This review will give a quick overview of the service. World Book Kids, World Book Students and World Book Advanced will be reviewed in detail in September 2009.

If you have any problems with your free access in schools call the NCTE Broadband Service Desk 1800 33 44 66

Why was it chosen as site of the week?

It was chosen because:

• The encyclopaedia itself has been in existence since 1917 and has set the standard for providing accuracy, objectivity and reliability in research materials for both children and adults
• The online version will complement the offline version by providing multimedia elements
• It is a safe online environment for browsing random topics
  
• Content is user-friendly and aimed at three separate audiences
• World Book Kids (aimed at primary level) covers wide variety of topics including people, places, plants and animals, sports and hobbies, arts, history and government, science and maths and finally, world religions. Articles tend to be short and are set in a child-friendly design that include quizzes, maps, a dictionary, images and printable activities.
  
• World Book Students (aimed at post primary) includes multimedia features, back in time articles, special reports, additional websites and research guides. There are over 40,000 articles with embedded images, sounds and videos which are updated every two to four weeks. It also includes special features like a timeline creation tool and "My Backpack", which allows you to save articles and other multimedia. The online tutorial is excellent.
• World Book Advanced contains all the features of students plus links to primary source material and 4,000 e-books in fiction and non-fiction. E-books such as the complete works of Shakespeare and Dickens are available in several different languages. Other material includes, historical maps, timelines, U.S Supreme Court Cases, U.S Presidential Papers, tables, biographies, seleted media, a citiation builder and special reports. News feeds, provided by Reuters are available every 15 minutes. it also contains an excellent section for teachers called Teaching with Documents.
  

How can it be used as an educational resource?

• Conduct a group or independent study of a topic of your choice.
• Build your own timeline based on a research study you've completed from using the site.
• Compile a multimedia presentation featuring a famous person. Consider Shakespeare.
• Follow news items and related media over the course of a week/month and compare them to another timeframe in the past. Present your findings to the class.

Have Your Say

Let us know what you think

Site of the Week Archive

Check out reviews of other sites.