DK Find Out! - free online encyclopedia

DK Find Out! is a new, free, online encyclopedia that I just learned about from Larry Ferlazzo (a great blog to follow, especially for ELL teachers).

There is some excellent content on here that is easy to understand. They are also continuing to add more content and promise to include more resources for educators, including links to curriculum and lesson plan ideas.

You can do a search or click on different subject areas, such as Animals and Nature, Dinosaurs, Earth, History, Science and more.

It also has quizzes, videos, and more and a "My Stuff" section being developed to bookmark your favorite resources.

The content is not in-depth and seems suited for early grades, but is well done.

Each entry has a description, image and other links. One feature I like is the related content links and the menu at the bottom showing where the current article fits. The labels on images also have pop-up windows with more information.

Take a look and sign up for more info as they release it.


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Encyclopedia Britannica vs. Wikipedia Infographic - very interesting

 

Encyclopedia Britannica announced that it was cancelling future publication of it's print edition due to falling sales. I'm not sure too many people were surprised considering the internet has become a free, on-demand resource for most people. The Encyclopedia Britannica was 32 volumes, $1,395, and outdated before you got it in your house.

Wikipedia is one of the reasons print, and even online subscription based, encyclopedias are failing. There are also millions of web sites that have information and resources that are interactive and free.

I remember my parents getting us an encyclopedia and being so happy I didn't have to bike to the library as much any more. Now, I can get more information than that in my smartphone. Online resources are constantly updated, link to other resources, and can be interactive with video, audio, and activities. It seems like textbooks are, or should be, going the way of the Dodo along with the encyclopedia.

The infographic below is a comparison of some data about Wikipedia and Encyclopedia Britannica.

Infographic courtesy of Statista.


Related:

What I use with Physics classes instead of textbook

Resources to Replace Textbooks

Android Smartphone and Apps I use as an educator