I was very excited to discover this resource as part of the new data bundle in our school district. Teachers can use it to generate lesson plans on timely topics and students can use it to explore viewpoints on controversial issues. This reference source is easy to navigate and focuses on broad 21st century issues. A goldmine for secondary social studies.

This easy to navigate database is perfect fo the high school social studies student. It includes video clips, articles, events and is up-to-date. Students can view articles in different language and can even listen to the article being read. It has a comprehensive section on research skills and educator resources that are classroom ready. ( )

This database provides access to 250 issue “portals” and 190 country “portals” which gain their information from full-text journals, newspapers, websites and magazines and provide information on current events and world news. The home page of Global Issues in Context is completely customizable and very visual and interactive, providing a variety of search methods including a basic keyword search as well as other multimedia searches. Of note is the visual nature of the topic browsing feature, which allows you to search visual categories and sub-categories, and the interactive map, which allows you to click on a region or city to see that area’s top news stories or go to that country’s portal page. Also interesting is the databases access to worldwide videos, podcasts and blogs which are searchable as well. The educator toolbox is an appealing feature allowing teachers to check subject linked outcomes (still to be set up for Canada) as well as reading levels and the student tool box and research tools help students create correct citations in a variety of forms. If the cost were not so prohibitive it would be an excellent addition to any school library. ( )