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Global Issues In Context Product Update

February 26, 2018July 7, 2016

Updated May 24, 2016

Original Posting March 31, 2016

Global Issues In Context has been updated to reflect the standard user interface found in all the other Gale In Context products. Customers will be migrated to the new version of the product August 5, 2016.

During the continued soft launch – running through the month of July – here’s what you’ll find:

Spotlight stories will track current events.
New and updated portals will be called-out (flagged) so they are easy to find.
Google integration tools like Google sign-in, download to Google Drive, and Classroom Share capabilities.
A mobile optimized interface for ease of use on any device.
Additional features familiar to users such as, Highlights and Notes and additional language translation options.

Testing and Education Reference Center Updates

September 16, 2016June 29, 2016

Posted June 29th, 2016.

Gale is pleased to announce upcoming enhancements to Testing & Education Reference Center (TERC) in the coming months. This invaluable education and career database will receive interface updates to the online courses (summer), practice tests (fall), and have a responsive design by year end.

Users will experience:

Intuitive navigation
Standardized terminology
Popular web iconography
Improved readability
Uniform design across the platform

Brexit and Beyond

August 11, 2016June 28, 2016

By Catherine DiMercurio

On Thursday, June 23, 2016, the people of Great Britain held a referendum on whether to leave the European Union. In the months leading up to the historic vote, the prospect of the British exit from the EU came to be known as “Brexit.” The world was shocked to learn the outcome of the vote: The British people voted to leave the EU. I was shocked as well. My fourteen-year-old son is fairly politically engaged and had a lot of questions, as did I. What our research revealed is that there is a tangled web of cause and effect. Here are a few of the issues at the heart of that web.

What lead the Brits to hold the referendum in the first place?

Those who argued for leaving pointed to the diminished influence Britain has had within the massive bureaucracy of the EU. There were also concerns about the steady increase in immigration to Great Britain. The arguments for staying focused heavily on the importance of economic relationships with the European community and beyond. These arguments are detailed in a number of articles and audio files presented in Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context.

Stars, Stripes, and History

August 11, 2016June 27, 2016

Posted on June 27, 2016

By Candy Jones-Guerin

Our Nation’s largest birthday celebration is just around the corner and we’re excited to get the party started!

On July 4, 1776, the thirteen colonies claimed their independence from England, an event which eventually led to the formation of the United States. Each year on July 4th, we don our red, white, and blue to pay homage and celebrate with food, friends, and fireworks.

There are also a lot of lesser known facts about this important day. Take note of these and surprise whomever you celebrate with.

Did you know…

Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence on a “laptop,” which was a writing desk that could fit on one’s lap.
Including John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, a total of three US presidents have died on July 4th. James Monroe is the third president to share this fate.
According to author Kenneth C. Davis, July 2nd is the real day of Independence, but it’s celebrated on the fourth because that’s when congress accepted Jefferson’s declaration.
Due to concerns about cracking the iconic instrument, the Liberty Bell has not been rung since 1846. Instead, every year, to mark the Fourth of July, the 2,000-pound bell is tapped 13 times to signal for bells across the country to start ringing.

American Eras: “A Valued Resource for the Classroom and Library Alike”

September 2, 2016June 24, 2016

Searching for “a valued resource” to provide users with topics in early American History? Look no further, Gale’s American Eras: Primary Sources feature a fascinating, student-friendly reference to provide a unique understanding of songs, speeches, advertisements, letters, laws, legal decisions, newspaper articles, cartoons, and much more! With over 900 primary-source documents that provide vivid first-hand account of key events, trends, and people, Gale’s American Eras will be your go-to source.

Read three reviews on this title:

Sitting on the Floor of the House

August 11, 2016June 23, 2016

Posted on June 23, 2016 By Debra Kirby The afternoon of June 21st a form of protest popular in the 1960s was employed by advocates for gun control legislation on the floor – literally — of the U.S. House of Representatives, when civil rights icon and Georgia representative John Lewis led his colleagues in a … Read more

Microsoft Integration Added to Gale Products

June 22, 2016

Posted on June 22, 2016

Many of Gale’s products now offer Microsoft Office 365 integration, further enabling users to access Gale content anytime, anywhere, and from any device.

MSFT sample sign in page — After authentication, login using Microsoft credentials. Click to enlarge.anywhere, and from any device.

These easy-to-use collaborative tools allow users to:

After authentication into your Gale products, login to Microsoft Office 365 with your Microsoft credentials
Store, sync, and share files by downloading Gale content to your OneDrive account in the cloud
Easily transfer downloaded OneDrive content for use in other Microsoft tools like OneNote and Classroom

Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie, and U.S. History for July 4th

August 11, 2016June 22, 2016

Posted on June 22, 2016

By Debra Kirby

How will you celebrate U.S. Independence Day on July 4? Many mark the occasion with picnics, parades, and fireworks. For some though, July 4 provides another reason to celebrate: It’s the day they officially became U.S. citizens. Every year immigrants who have spent years waiting (and sometimes thousands of dollars on legal fees) choose this special date to raise their hands and pledge allegiance to the United States of America. One of the requirements for citizenship is that they successfully pass a civics quiz.

We’ve provided six of the 100 potential questions used by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services here. How many can you answer correctly? (See answers at the end of this article.)

Who was President during World War I?
The House of Representatives has how many voting members?
Who is Chief Justice of the United States now?
How many amendments does the Constitution have?
When was the Constitution written?
The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers.

What My Seventh Grader Taught Me About Google Classroom

June 22, 2016June 15, 2016

Posted on June 15, 2016

By Traci Cothran

“Kids these days don’t know how good they have it.” It’s an old adage, but I swear these days it really is true. Long gone are the days of Wite-Out, word processors, having to visit the library to see if a book for class is available, and walking five miles through snow (barefoot!) to get to school.

The Google Classroom integration with Gale products only provides more fodder for this truism – as it makes life much more manageable for students. Middle-grade students on up use Google Classroom to seamlessly to connect from home – or any other location via cellphone or tablet – to view classroom assignments, post their homework documents (in Word, Prezi or other software), and much more. Kids can also access e-learning texts this way, along with reference databases from their library’s collection, and our Gale databases can easily be highlighted, cut and pasted, and cited, then uploaded to the student’s Google Drive account. Easy-peasy! Sure, my daughter still has print text books, but they are no longer the primary guide to classroom activities – teachers can (and do) easily use multiple sources for lessons. It’s a Brave New World out there in education.

Animal Farm Preface Reveals Truths about George Orwell

July 11, 2016June 13, 2016

Posted on June 13, 2016

By Kelly Torpey

In my school-days, plenty of readings were required, but in all honesty, I didn’t care for most of them. However, George Orwell’s Animal Farm captured my attention. It was unique, I didn’t need a dictionary on stand-by, and I knew it had been banned from some classrooms.

Orwell may be one of the most read, well-known novelists of all time. With books like Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm, his work is a constant reminder that we must continually critique the actions of leaders and the acceptance of common thought.

Recently (as in a couple days ago) I discovered details about Orwell’s roots, upbringing, and perspectives in an interview clip from Public Radio International. This clip is available on Literature Resource Center. I quickly learned that I probably wouldn’t have been exposed to these details if a young Ukrainian scholar hadn’t sent a message to George Orwell in 1947. In his note, the scholar asked for permission to translate Animal Farm into Ukrainian. Orwell not only granted permission, but also refused any royalties and penned a detailed preface that we are all incredibly lucky to read. Orwell wrote:

I have been asked to write a preface to the Ukrainian translation of Animal Farm. I am aware that I write for readers about whom I know nothing, but also that they too have probably never had the slightest opportunity to know anything about me.