User-friendly Databases Online at
http://www.autotrader.ca and http://www.careerclick.com

You might be interested to know that there are numerous sites on the Internet that are actually searchable databases. To list them all would be impossible, but two sites that are easy to use and are at an appropriate level for use in a literacy classroom are www.autotrader.ca and www.careerclick.com. Both of these sites have a lot of information available to the user but unlike larger sites, such as Statistics Canada, don’t take too long to download. Because they are smaller, they are also easier for new computer users to use and because the language level isn’t too high they can be used in countless ways in a literacy classroom.

At www.autotrader.ca, you can search for practically any vehicle anywhere in Canada. First you have a drop down menu of vehicle categories such as cars, SUV’s and heavy equipment. Then you can choose the Region that you want to search in. Your province is the default, but you can choose to search elsewhere in Canada. You can then limit your search by selecting the Make, Model, Year and Price Range. I have found this an excellent site to use with students to review common abbreviations and to make comparisons. Unlike a lot of websites, the language level and content is appropriate for the literacy classroom. Another interesting feature on this site is called the Value Finder. When you click on this button, you receive the high, median and low price for the make, model and year of vehicle you are searching for. This is a nice feature to use when teaching math skills or comparative and superlative adjectives.

The second interesting database website is http://www.careerclick.com. Like the AutoTrader site, Careerclick has a lot to offer the literacy classroom. You can use this site at all levels with great success because, unlike most job search sites, it includes many basic jobs that don’t require years of education or specific certificates. To search for a job, you don’t have to register. The only advantage to registering is the Resume Builder. This section includes the ability to create and edit your resume online with the help of an online spell check feature. Unfortunately, there are no templates or examples to follow so it’s not really appropriate for literacy students. To search for a job, first you select a category of jobs and then you choose a location. Drop down menus are used, which makes it easier for students who have difficulty spelling. In a few moments the computer lists all of the jobs that match your request. This list includes a short blurb explaining the job duties and requirements as well as where and when the job ad was originally posted. The job titles are hyperlinked, which means they appear in a different colour text than the rest of the words and when you click on these words you jump to another webpage. If you are interested in finding out more about a specific job, you click on the title to get more details including the contact information. You can even email your resume online. Other sections that are available on this site include Now Hiring and Career Resources. Both of these sections include a lot of information about the workworld, but may be beyond the level of most of our literacy students. These sections could be used with those students completing their GED.