Search Engine Directory

The following is a list of search engines that I found to be most helpful for 8^th-grade students and current teachers. The search engines were selected based on the following criteria:

1: Easy to use and navigate. Advertisements (if any) are kept to a minimum and are unobtrusive.

2. Provides relevant information.

3. Information in provided sites is accurate.

General:

The top award goes to:

This search engine provides links to a vast amount of sites on a variety of topics. I found the site very easy to use without a lot of ads and clutter. Test searches provided sites that were accurate and detailed. The search did not find any broken links. http://www.hotbot.com/Default.asp

The second place award goes to:

While this search engine is very popular I feel there might be too many sites available. Available categories range from finding items for sale to serious searches. The site is easy to use and navigate. http://www.google.com/

Kid-Safe:

The top award goes to:

This site provides numerous sites in all the major categories. The sites are age appropriate and content specific. Kids can move throughout the sites without fear of bad sites! In the review the content was correct and I did not find any broken links. www.yahoologans.yahoo.com

The second place award goes to:

This site is also easy to navigate and find information. Kid friendly sites provide information on a variety of topics. The content is clearly categorized and organized. http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/KidsClick!/

News:

The top award goes to:

This site provides links to current and past news articles. Information is provided in a very timely manner and updated regularly. Quick links to major categories are provided to expedite searches. Random topic searches did not find broken links to sites. Advertisements are present but are unobtrusive. http://www.cnn.com/SEARCH/

The second place award goes to:

This site was chosen for its ease of use, variety of topics covered, posting time for current news stories. This site missed the top award because broken links were found. http://www.msnbc.com/find.asp

Pictures/images:

The top award goes to:

This site offers an amazingly large amount of options in image searches. Random topic searches found pages and pages of available images. The site is easy to use with minimal, non-obtrusive advertising links. http://www.altavista.com/image/default

The second place award goes to:

This site offers a very large database of images and pictures. Random searches on various science topics uncovered relevant results. The site is easy to use, navigate, will very minimal advertisements. http://www.picsearch.com/

For teachers:

The top award goes to:

This site provides links to a vast variety of sites for many education fields. Links to current standards are provided as an additional resource. Searches in languages other than English are also provided. Random sample searches did not find any broken links. http://www.awesomelibrary.org/

The second place award goes to:

This site provides up to date information in a variety of curricular areas. Searches can be narrowed down by grade level and subject areas. There are advertisements on the main page, but they do not hinder searches. http://www.educating.net/