It is advantageous to access by vendor, as sometimes thereby you can search multiple databases simultaneously. These are links to individual journal titles with some issues in electronic form. These are usually journals that the library also subscribes to in paper. Usually the 1-3 years worth of issues is available online. Scholarly journal articles are usually the more appropriate resource for writing papers for classes.
Magazines tend to be geared toward the general public.
Time, Newsweek and Sports Illustrated are good examples of magazines. Magazine articles are useful for getting an introductory background on a topic, current events, and hobby related actitites. Most newspapers are published daily and are terrific sources for current events, and for finding events that happened on specific days in the past. Some prestigious newspapers, such as the New York Times, may have some material that would be appropriated for class papers and assignments, but journals still are your best bet. Electronic versions of the helpsheets available at the reference desk, and much more.