Blogpost #2 Search Engines

As always, this week’s assignment on search engines was a major eye opener for me. Before doing this research I was a devoted Google user. I had tried other search engines that invaded my computer, always to with the same results, disappointment and frustration. I now feel like I am armed with a multitude of new friends to help me find exactly what I may be looking for and to direct my future students in the most effective and safe manner as they conduct their own searches.

 Icurio is a search engine designed specifically for teachers and students. This site allows teachers to access standard based lessons and activities organized by grade level to help them provide stimulating daily lesson plans. Icurio also is a safe and well organized way for students to search the web because all the material that is allowed for viewing has been filtered for age appropriate media. This site also provides a way for students and teachers to easily organize the material that that search in order to come back to it easily. The only downfall I found for icurio is the fact that one must have an access key to use it. This key would most often be provided by a school for use by their students and teachers.

 DMOZ is a search engine that breaks content down into easy to search categories. The researcher can start with the selection, “Kids and Teens”, then move to a specific subject area. Each subject is broken down into even more specific components such as; Biology, Chemistry or Physics. Within each subject unit one can access content material, experiment, homework help and much more. This site is easy to use and no subscription is necessary. I feel like this would be a very useful for my students to use in the classroom and at home to enhance in class lectures. No subscription is required to access this tool. 

Ixquick is based in the Netherlands since 1999 and claims to have the highest privacy level and does not charge you for its service. It will not store your IP address, use cookies, or record your searches. It also claims to block NSA surveillance. It utilizes multiple search engines while at the same time being encrypted to protect your privacy. I have never done any work on the internet that I would want to hide but if I ever do I will definitely use this one. 

Carrot2 organizes search results into topics. This seach engine is very well organized and I was able to easily access lesson plans, worksheets, activities, and test questions. The topics are clearly presents and allows a teacher to quickly find what he or she is looking for and there is no required subscription. 

SweetSearch has many useful features. This tool will only search sites that have been reviewed by research experts and education professionals to insure that all content is appropriate for students. There are topic specific search engines contained within the main link and they organize material by subject matter and grade level. It also includes a site that provides a daily feed of interesting , valuable and fun information with students in mind. It includes: today in history, web guides, comics, words of the day, poem of the day, and much more. 

 Wolfram Alpha is a search engine best used for numbers and computations. It provides valuable help for subjects such as Algebra, Trig and Calculus. It provides a scientific calculator that has advanced functions such as plotting and graphing. This site would be great for math teachers and for students struggling with homework problems.

Google Scholar is wonderful for research papers. Dr Strange said not to include Google but this is not just your basic Google search. This search engines limits material to peer reviewed articles form scholarly journals. From this search, a student can be assured that the information contained is reliable.