Answers.com offers free access to millions of topics from the world's leading publishers.
www.answers.com
what the tool offers and what components are included in them. Include information on how teachers &/or students could benefit from these online applications.
5 reasons to use answers.com- from the site
“1. The Web is a big place, and it's getting bigger.
Sometimes, you simply want a clear, straight-to-the-point, helpful answer. Answers.com's unique, patented technologies will help you find that answer — quicker and easier than traditional search engines. Search engines are terrific at indexing the web and giving you the tools to explore it. If you are trying to find, say, a taxidermist in Kansas City or the name of a Victorian Scottish woolen bonnet*, you'll probably find a page out there that will point you in the right direction.
2. We're more than just a website.
Answers.com provides several different ways to access over 4 million topics; it all depends on who you are and what you need. We've got IE and Firefox users covered with Answers.com access built right into the browser's search box. Mobile junkies can get their answers fix on the go from most wired PDAs. Webmasters have an array of tools to enhance their sites, and Mac fans don't have to feel left out, either.
3. You can count on us.
Answers.com combines traditional and new media to provide you with the most up-to-date, accurate definitions and explanations available. On most topics, you'll see information from well-known, authoritative sources like Houghton-Mifflin, Columbia University Press, MarketWatch, Thomson Gale, Barrons, Investopedia, All Media Guide, Who2 and many more. On some topics you'll also find original articles written by Answers.com's editorial team, community-contributed articles from Wikipedia and/or user-generated questions & answers from Answers.com's industry-leading WikiAnswersTM (http://wiki.answers.com). Our topics range from business to technology, law to poetry, finance to nutrition, and culinary terms to mythology.
4. We're your first stage of research. Think of it as presearch.
People have different needs for research. Whether you're a student starting a research assignment, a journalist working on an article or someone simply pondering a bit of information, Answers.com is your one-stop guide to the initial research process and is often comprehensive enough to tell you all you need to know. For instance, let's say DaVinci was recently mentioned in a magazine. You're sure the reference was not to the artist, but want to know more.
5. It's 10 p.m. Do you know where your kids are surfing?
As the Internet has expanded to include resources on every topic a student needs, so have the inappropriate, incorrect, outdated and offensive sites on these same topics. Don't send your kids searching blindly on the Internet — teach them to look up topics on Answers.com, where they will find all the information they need for homework, test preparation and projects from a wide variety of safe, reliable sources. Best of all, with a "cite" button next to each of our copyrights listed at the bottom of the page, they will be able to prepare a bibliography in a snap.”
Answers.com gets much of its content from Wikipedia, which they then use to generate advertising revenue. It also licenses 'best of breed' content on over 4.5 million topics, drawing from more than 180 different sources, many of which are only available through Answers.com. (from Wikipedia)
They have absolutely fantastic resources for teachers and students alike, including Lesson Plan Tools, good instructions on how to make a classroom website with an interactive learning center, ESL helps, a long list of search operators, tips, and tricks to use when using Answers.com, and rotating special features for teachers. Right now, Answers is targeting Constitution Day, for example.
Answers.com has incorporated citation functionality, to help students cite their work. Clicking on the "Cite" button (which can be found next to each copyright at the bottom of each Answer Page), will direct them to a fully-formatted citation, ready to include in a bibliography. They can even choose from the MLA, Chicago and APA styles.
