SIRS Discoverer
Since I knew I wouldn’t be using SIRS Discoverer, I didn’t spend much time exploring its features, but does appear to be easy to find information. I did however check out the new feature under database features called Science Fair Explorer. What a fun tool. It had many ideas for science projects using things around the home.
SIRS Issues Researcher
When looking through the Leading Issues section I found many subjects that interested me. I ended up choosing several subjects to investigate more. The Overview Tool section was an excellent starting point and was very easy to navigate, from the pro/con section, which I personally find very interesting, to terms to be familiar with and additional resources. I also liked the Timeline tool which seems to give a good, quick history of each issue I choose. The tool that I thought could be very helpful in organizing ones thoughts when putting a paper or argument together was the Note Organizer Tool. The “Find Similar” button on the right side of the Topic Overview area also directed me to what seemed like endless information. Wow, what a valuable resource SIRS is.
For my search on Curriculum Pathfinders, I decided to pick “Health” as my course subject, and from there choose Environmental Health. There was a large variety of information to choose from. Instructors and students alike could benefit from this site. I also liked the Graphic/Media button in the Narrow Your Search Area. It brought up numerous pictures pertaining to the subject I was looking at, and could be an easy way to find pictures when creating power points.
This is an excellent review of SIRS Issues Researcher, Libaide! We've gotten good teacher feedback on the "My Analysis" tool, as it walks students through the research process step-by-step, and I agree that the "Notes Organizer" could be valuable in getting information down in an organized way. Thanks for your comments.
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