Gale’s CLiC (Classroom in Context) provides students with authoritative, up-to-date information that supports Common Core and national and state standards within a vetted, safe environment. CLiC Admin allows educators and administrators to manage this digital content so that it supports the school’s curriculum.

Classrooms in Context (CLiC)

Grade Level Gr 9 Up Cost Pricing varies but starts at $3,000. Subscription is offered at an additional yearly cost. Ease of Use and Visual Appeal CLiC Admin’s simple point-and-click interface allows educators to access material with ease. Clear language and a clean, streamlined layout put the focus on the content, resulting in a spare but visually appealing resource. A drop-down menu allows users to choose a different subject. Subsequent clicks of the mouse open additional tabs, such as Class Name, Units, Topics, and Subtopics, which quickly change to subject-specific labels when the next hot link is selected. This visually organized approach allows instructors to view a course from its most broad to the most broad to the most specific level and can be changed quickly if the end result is not what the teacher wants. The same layout is used throughout for all subjects, creating consistency and a fluidity in design that is easy on the eye. Content With access to products from Gale’s In Context line, educators can customize content to meet the specific needs of their individual classrooms. Six courses—National Biology 2014, National Chemistry 2014, National Earth and Space Science 2014, National Government and Economics 2014, National US History 2014, and National World History 2014—provide the basis for class creation, and each can then be subdivided into smaller units several times over, enabling teachers to integrate complex ideas with supporting examples and articles. Each course also includes at-a-glance headings for URLs, Units, Articles, Links, and Widgets that allow teachers to quickly access, update, and delete information as needed. To search for content to include, educators select a course, such as National Chemistry 2014, for instance. Upon clicking the hot link, the screen reflects 10 specific chemistry units, such as Introduction to Chemistry, Solutions and Mixtures, and Chemical Equations and Chemical Reactions. From there, a teacher who selects Chemistry of Life, for example, will see four topics, including Polymers, which is then broken down further into three subtopics (Elimination, Addition, Condensation). The subtopics consist of authoritative print articles, with citations, that can be viewed or listened to as well as videos from reputable organizations, such as Khan Academy, that will appeal to students with various learning styles. Content is continually being updated, enabling educators to keep course content fresh and timely with an eye toward student engagement. According to Gale, “Millions of full-text articles are drawn from hundreds of national and global newspapers, magazines, and journals,” providing instructors with a wealth of information from which they can tailor their classes. Student and Teacher Resources In addition to receiving access to a variety of source material from which to create customized curricula, educators have the ability to add additional classes, content, and links, customize thumbnails, and delete material that does not fit their needs. A 32-page User’s Guide is available on the home page to provide support and assist teachers with the technical aspects of the portal; a similar video tutorial is also available to lead educators through the steps of adding and deleting content. Verdict With an emphasis on 21st-century learning at the forefront of education reform, teachers and administrators need relevant and reliable resources to help students develop these valuable skills. This portal enables them to provide students with timely, engaging curriculum-aligned content that fosters a lifelong interest in learning while allowing educators to easily manage, access, and share digital content.

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Audrey Sumser, Kent State University at Tuscarawas, New Philadelphia, OH