Learning Objective

• Use the navigational tools to search and browse content to find the best content for students and instruction.

Download the Explora for Grades 6-8 and Explora for Grades 9-12 Guided Notes from the exercise files at the bottom of this page to help you with this lesson. Use it while viewing the video tutorial or browsing the PowerPoint presentation.  

Watch an Explora for Middle and High School Users Tutorial 

Watch the video below, New Explora for Middle and High School Users. The video introduces basic features and navigation.

Visit the Explora for Middle and High School Users - Tutorial page, to find the accompanying New Explora Tutorial (PowerPoint). It offers the same information in slide form. You may also find the New Explora - Basic Search article helpful, as well. 

Decoding the Results List

Below are images of results from Explora for Grades 6-8 and Explora for Grades 9-12. While the results screens are similar, note how the content from different databases affects the results. 

1. Explora for Grades 6-8 less content than Explora for Grades 9-12. Notice that Explora for Grades 6-8 has fewer results than Explora for Grades 9-12. 
2. On the results page, the type of content appears above the title. In the example above, the first item in the search results list is an article.
3. The publication title for an eBook, encyclopedia, news, periodical, or other article will appear here. Students and educators will recognize the titles of mainstream publications. 

1. Click All Databases at the top of the search results page to expand or narrow results by adding or removing databases from the list. This option floats at the top of the search results page.
2. Explora for Grades 9-12 contains peer-reviewed studies and research from academic journals. 
3. Explora for Grades 6-8 and Explora for Grades 9-12 content comes in different formats. Click Access options and open the article in online full text or PDF. 

Two Types of Digital Text: Online Full Text

Online full text articles offer a Text-to-Speech feature for students who need additional support accessing the content. See the screenshot below.

• Select the Headphone icon pictured at the top right of the screenshot above. Students can select from the different options to customize their listening experience. 
• Select the text highlighting toggle. The Listen tool will highlight the text as it is being read aloud. 
• Use the text highlighting box to customize the word color and sentence color applied when the text is being read aloud. 

Two Types of Digital Text: PDF

PDF means Portable Document Format. Not all articles in Explora will be available in PDF. When one is available, users will see the electronic image of the text and graphics that would appear on the printed document. 

Students can enable Text-to-Speech functions on PDF articles in Explora for Grades 9-12 and Explora for Grades 6-8. 

• Select the Headphone icon pictured above to open the Listen panel. 
• Select Play.

For online full text and PDFs, students can use the menu options to adjust the playback speed and volume. The audio version of the article can be downloaded for offline use. Visit Using the Text-to-Speech feature in the New EBSCO Interfaces to learn more about how to use the Text-to-Speech tools. 

Saving and Sharing Articles with Students

PDFs and online full text have the same save and share options. Users can download a copy of the article to the device or copy the URL from the browser. 

Download the Article 

Downloading a copy of the article to the user's device allows the user to open the article without an internet connection. Use the images below to learn how to download a copy of an article 

From the results screen, click Access now to open the article.

Selected articles are available as online full text or PDF. Click Access options. Open the article in online full text or as a PDF.

Click the Download button at the top of the article.

From the menu, click Download.

Find your browser's download folder.  Click the three dots in the top right corner to open the browser menu. Open the download folder. Within the download folder, you will find a PDF copy of the article. 

Copy the article URL from the browser

Check to make sure the article page is opened. From the article page, copy the URL from the browser. Use the screenshot below to learn how to copy the URL to an article. 

Paste the URL into a document or share the link with students using Google Classroom or your learning management system. Use this method to return directly to the article. Use this method for articles in online full text and PDF. 

Note: INFOhio understands that the Create Link option generates a broken link. INFOhio has notified EBSCO and is awaiting a resolution. Please do not use the Create Link option. Educators and students should use the methods outlined above. 

Using Google Drive and OneDrive with EBSCO Interfaces

The user must grant EBSCO access to their Google Drive or OneDrive to save articles. Check with your technology department to ensure your Google Administrator or OneDrive Administrator granted permission to EBSCO to ensure this method will work. Before using this option, disable any pop-up blockers. Please read the articles below to learn more about using Google Drive and OneDrive with the new EBSCO interfaces

• How to Use Google Drive with the new EBSCO Interfaces
• How to Use OneDrive with EBSCO Interfaces 

Using Google Classroom with EBSCO Interfaces

Watch the video to learn more about using Google Drive and Google Classroom with EBSCO Interfaces.