ABC-CLIO (Website)
[ABC-CLIO (805) 968-1911]

            ABC-CLIO's well-designed online digital products have been recipients of previous awards from the ComputED Gazette, and we are pleased to provide this review.
         The company began publishing web-based educational databases around 1976. The collection has since grown to become a suite of digital curriculum resources that includes US History and Government, World History, Geography, and a range of multicultural subjects, designed for grades 6/up.
         In 2000, a new series of social studies and humanities websites was launched, entitled ABC-CLIO Solutions, to provide authoritative reference and teacher curricula. It encompasses 15 subject-specific collections, each uniting reference material, analytical articles, and a multimodal digital textbook to create a unique and comprehensive online venue for librarians, educators, researchers and students. A translate tool converts text to Spanish, French, Mandarin, Cantonese, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Arabic, and Turkish; and a speech-to-text function provides students with the ability to read and listen to selections in ten different languages.
         A valuable new addition to the ABC-CLIO Solutions suite is the Course Essentials video learning modules found in American History, American Government, World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras, and World History: The Modern Era. The multimedia content adds a new dimension, and blends lectures, illustrations, informative slides, and more into short audio-visual learning sessions presented by master teachers. 
         The databases are extensive, and the standardized layout makes them easy to use. The top navigation bar links to Topics, Perspectives, Library, Databases and Quick Search, while the side bar provides interesting ways to understand topics, e.g., Overview, Course Essentials, Key Question, Need to Know, Dilemma, and Investigate.
         Winners in this year's BESSIES, American History (High School - American History Website) and Issues: Understanding Controversy and Society (High School Social Studies Website) provide a wealth of information for all users.

Learn360 (Website)
[Learn360 (800) 322-8755]

              Probably the most important, most useful tool a classroom teacher can have is a multimedia database which has great depth and breadth. That database, now with a new and improved platform, is Learn360.
            With content for grades Pre-K through 12th, Learn360 (winner of 2016’s BESSIE for Multi-Subject: Multimedia Courseware Website) is a priceless treasure trove of everything from live videos to science diagrams, music tracks and audio books. Need a movie version of Vanity Fair? - Yep, got that. An animated version of Hamlet? - That, too. How about live readings of Robert Frost’s poetry? Or a video of the Voyager probe on its way to Pluto? Or videos of chemistry experiments?            
         Clearly, Learn360 provides plenty of multimedia content across the curriculum to engage, enrich, and excel. Integrated with well-known resources such as Reading Rainbow, Cambridge Educational, BBC, A&E and more, Learn360's 150,000+ media resources are very high quality and professionally designed - an asset to libraries as well as classrooms.
         Learn360, through its parent company Infobase, offers a free trial. We are pleased to recommend this product.