Team+2,+ref+log+3b

//Lonely planet//. (2010). Retrieved from [] //.// I have heard of the Lonely Plant television show, but had never heard of this website. It is wonderful! If you are a person who likes to travel, this is the place for you. At first glance, the home page is a bit busy. There are ads, photographs and lots of information about the website itself. Some of the ads feature movies, so the page can be a bit disconcerting. I clicked on the destinations tab and was taken to a page with a world map. One can click on any of the countries shown and an information box appears with a small tidbit of information about that country. One can then choose to zoom to the country, which gives many more flags, and much more information. Truly, this is an interesting way for students to learn about each country. I spent at least a half an hour here reading about countries and learning new things. Provided they are good readers, students can do the same thing. At the bottom of this page are links to countries, tabs for each region, and links underneath the tabs. When one clicks on the country links there, there is an abundance of information about the country. Down the left side of the page are “fast facts” which include population, the current Head of State, currency and other trivial bits of information which are quite fun. While I do not think that this site can be considered purely educational, it is a fun way to learn and create that wanderlust that consumes many of us. It is a great site. //.//
 * Team 2, Reference log 3b: Geographical sources ||  ||<   ||
 * Reviewed by Sarah ||

Grades: Middle school up Subject(s): Social Studies, Human Geography, International Studies, Foreign Language Rating: //9// Thanks for this site Sarah! As I read your review and started exploring the site, I immediately saw many uses. In my World Literature class, I have students create travel brochures for countries across the world. This assignment works on their research and writing skills, and this site would be perfect. Even if they can't find all of the necessary information here, it is a wonderful starting point. As I looked at the home page, I also came up with the idea of using this in a Home Ec. class or even a language class where they can get into the culture of the country such as food, etc. Great site!
 * ||< //Sabrina's// comment :

//Lisa's// comment : I started to review this website two days ago. However, I got so caught up in looking at photo galleries from various countries that I ended up doing that for over an hour instead of writing this review. Very cool website. My son had just read __Elephant Run__, a book about elephant villages in Burma during WWII, so of course I had to show him photos of the country. Anyway, fantastic up-to-date information about countries all over the world. I agree with Sarah: this may not be a very educational website used by teachers and students, but nonetheless, it is a great tool for quickly referencing the fast facts for countries, like currency, languages, and heads-of-state, even by region and territory as I saw in India, for example. Maybe useful for basic information for Geography research projects. ||
 * Reviewed by //Sabrina// || Rand McNally. (2010). Retrieved March 9, 2010, from [|www.randmcnally.com] 

The Rand McNally website is a reference source geared towards travelers. Similar to Google Maps or Map quest users have the ability to enter a destination and receive driving directions for that location. Search options include shortest time/shortest distance, miles/kilometers, direction display (overview map, text only, Step-by-step maps with overview map, or an option to show total accumulated distance with each stop). The difference between this site and those others are the other features included with Rand McNally. Along the left side of the home page there are several features to choose from. Online maps create maps for a specified location and the user has the ability to zoom in and out at different degrees. The Road explorers feature requires a subscription and allows users to plan trips and save date. The City guides section gives information on specific cities: population, time zone, latitude and longitude, forecast, attractions, maps, hotels, etc. A section on national parks gives information on the address, hours of operation, overview, and activities/services. The Thing to Do Section allows user to search by city, type of activity, distance to travel, or attraction. In comparison with the other online atlas, Rand McNally is a better choice because of the wide range of information it offers. It is an easy to navigate source and one that could help students learn about different cities, gain map reading skills, and learn how to get from one place to another. Grade Level: 6-12 Subject Area: Geography Quality Ranking: 8 ||< //Sarah's// comment : How interesting it is that I have always used Rand McNally atlases, but have not thought to look their maps up online. This is a good site, and I, like Sabrina, like the additional features available. While perhaps not something our students would use all the time, it is a good reference to keep in mind for use if one is in need of a map.

//Lisa's// comment : I enjoyed this site very much, but more so as a potential tourist. I can see using it for personal travel reasons more than for school. However, with features like National Parks in Explore America, I can visualize students using it for research into natural surface features (5th grade standard) for science courses, for instance. I also did not think to look for Rand McNally maps online, although I have been using the printed map books for years. Thanks for the tool. || //Astronomical applications department of the U.S. naval observatory//. (2009). Retrieved March 7, 2010, from []
 * Reviewed by //Lisa// ||

I chose to review an online map that may not be of particular value to many students or teachers outside of one or two science course in upper grades, but I thought it might be generally interesting for children who love science. This website has geographical information as it relates to time, calendars, and the moon and sun. For most of the information regarding time zones and moon/sun data, the user must choose a day, state in the United States, and city or town name for results. I always selected Atlanta, Georgia and the current day. One can view the complete sun and moon data sheet which includes rising, transition, and setting times for each celestial body. One can see maps of the exact phases of the moon as well as a depiction of what the moon looks like today. A curious student can also calculate the date on the Julian calendar!

In addition to data findings, users can also read articles from the Information Center about U.S. and World Time Zones and the “Dark Days of Winter,” for example. All of these options can be chosen from dropdown menus on the left side of the home page. Additionally, users can obtain information on publications by the U.S. Naval Oceanography department, software applications available through this website, data on ongoing projects (although this page had not been updates for 3 years), and information about the Astronomical Applications Department.

There is not a wealth of information available here, but for students interested in the topics covered on the site, it can be a fun tool to calculate carious time zones and moon phases for historical dates. The site is easy to navigate, but pretty dull to view. Students and teachers will probably find it entertaining for courses in high school Astronomy. If anything, it is an easy way for these students to have fun with earth’s astronomical data.

Grades: //6-12// Subject(s): Astronomy Rating: // 8 //
 * ||< //Sarah's// comment : Visually appealing this may not be, but the information here is good. At some point in their elementary career, students need to draw the cycle of the moon for an entire month. This is a good site to do that since it tells you whether you have waxing or waning crescent and the percentage showing. I personally know of several students who would look around here for quite a while and enjoy every minute of it. For the visual learner this may not be the first stop, but with some reading and thinking information can be gleaned.

//Sabrina's// comment : I do agree that this site is very subject specific, but that is okay because at some point, students will need this type of information. I think some of the younger students might be turend off at the home page because the language seems very technical, but if they get into the actual information they will find it very useful. It is also text heavy, but once again, useful. ||