Currently, more than 7,000 items are included in GEM with hundreds of new resources being added and new consortium members joining each month. It is a solution that was developed by a consortium of organizations that got together and said, 'Let's find a way to make it easier for teachers to find lesson ideas across all our web sites with one simple search'. While teaching and learning resources are the aim of both GEM and FREE, FREE focuses only on those created with federal support. GEM includes mostly materials not created with federal support. Also, the search tools differ.
GEM works like the card catalog system in a library.
GEM looks through the card catalog, or what are technically called 'metadata records,' for resources that match what the teacher requests. The teacher can then read the card catalog descriptions of those resources, or go directly to the resources, which reside on the server of the organizations that created or own them. A GEM search retrieves fewer resources than most search tools, and with more precision. Also, in the future, teachers will be able to search and find resources by state academic standards. Both GEM and FREE respond to the president's technology goal of improving content and online learning resources.