Encyclopedia for suitable for Primary - any decent ones?

[eean]

We currently use RM Living Library - but the renewal this year is £560, if we want the multimedia. It's OK, but not fantastic.

Just wondering you know of any other ones? (for KS2)

 

Quite like idea of investing in a site licence, so we're not left in the lerch when elcs dry up. Encarta, for example, is about £600 for us. Not bad. Is it any good for younger ones? How about installing? Is it a pain?

 

Thanks.

[Norphy]

Installing Encarta is easy enough. You run ADMSETUP.exe on disk 1, it copies all the files and a client MSI to a network share. You deploy the client installer via group policy, job done.

 

I don't know how suitable it is for KS2 kids but when I was in middle school (Years 5-8) we used to have it in our library

[contink]

Just to resurrect this topic..

 

Has anyone got any new recommendations for Encyclopedia type software for primary age children? or is it still very much Encarta?

[Geoff]

What about FactMonster?

 

http://www.factmonster.com/

 

I know some primary schools round here use it.

[contink]

What about FactMonster?

 

http://www.factmonster.com/

 

I know some primary schools round here use it.

Hmm... Didn't know about that site... I can see the teachers having a problem with all the advertising though.. Shame there's not a way to subscribe and remove it really...

[Geoff]

I can see the teachers having a problem with all the advertising though.. Shame there's not a way to subscribe and remove it really...

 

No adverts here :S

[eean]

Lots of adverts on mine (on the top and google ones down the side) (perhaps they are blocked by your LEA?) also a bit american.

Not that child friendly either. Type in London and you get:

London, Declaration of, international code of maritime law, especially as related to war, proposed in 1909. The declaration grew largely out of the attempt at the second of the Hague Conferences to set up an international prize court with compulsory jurisdiction.

Not actually any general information about london on the front page!

 

I haven't seen Encarta myself, but some other people in our area said it was a bit hard for primary, although there is 'Encarta Kids'. For KS1 I would definately recommend heinemann young explorer. It is differentiated and reads to the children. You can subscribe for a few hundred quid per year or just buy it for about £350 from REM.

 

Perhaps try http://simple.wikipedia.org

 

There seems to be a gap in the market somewhere.

[Geoff]

Lots of adverts on mine (on the top and google ones down the side) (perhaps they are blocked by your LEA?)

 

No. We have Dansguardian here. I think one of the blacklists are ad related. However I'm also running Firefox + Adblockplus + Filterset.G. Which is probably what killed them.

[contink]

For KS1 I would definately recommend heinemann young explorer. It is differentiated and reads to the children. You can subscribe for a few hundred quid per year or just buy it for about £350 from REM.

Well I'm instantly put off by the frankly cr*p linking here:

http://www.heinemannexplore.com/default.aspx

 

try any of the other links like FAQ and you quickly realise they're borked... Someone needs to smack their web designer.

 

EDIT: *sigh*... Ok turns out they're relying on Javascript which of course we have turned off on the machine I've been accessing from so I didn't spot that..

 

Guess I'll look into it some more

[plexer]

No ads here either. But that's probably the corporate guardian box doing its stuff.

 

Ben

[john]

Schools Electronic Britanica could be worth looking at, don't know the costs, but I've used that before.

[projector1]

What about FactMonster?

 

http://www.factmonster.com/

 

I know some primary schools round here use it.

 

i got a lot of praise from a teacher for this site (they have no money to buy Encyclopedia software) so thanks to you Geoff

[contink]

Schools Electronic Britanica could be worth looking at, don't know the costs, but I've used that before.

Seems there's an online version of that coming "soon" but no info on cost.

 

BTW... apologies for my somewhat acerbic comments earlier on in the thread... Bad day combined with the usual NY net mess got vented in the wrong direction. :oops:

[john]

It exists already, I have used it. Give them a ring and see what they say.

[contink]

It exists already, I have used it. Give them a ring and see what they say.

Really? .. ok.. I'll do that and see what I get back..