Search Engines For Kids

In elementary schools, teachers begin to incorporate technology into the classroom and using internet resources. One of the first ways this is done is by assigning research projects, book reports, or a famous person biography. It is important for teachers to provide sites to students where they will not stumble upon inappropriate material. This is why I did my own research and compiled a list of "student approved and appropriate" search engines. Each are slightly different, but all are valuable in the classroom. Some of the search engines are more geared towards "asking a question and getting an answer" while others are created to be more fun and have a less formal structure.

Ask for Kids: Allows kids to ask a question, confirms the question with them, and supplies a link to a site where they will be able to find an answer to their question.

CyberSleuth Kids: Grades K-12 homework help resource, in addition to to offering free coloring pages, games, and clip art.

KidsClick: A web search engine for kids created by librarians.

Dib Dab Doo and Dilly Too: A child safe search engine that filters results for age appropriate results.

TekMom: Internet resource for K-8 students and teachers. TekMom includes a compilation of search engines separated by subjects, maps, and dictionaries.

KidsTube: This site is actually a video search resource and sharing website designed for kids. It is designed similarly to YouTube, SchoolTube, and TeacherTube.

HowStuffWorks: This site provides a search feature for students and teachers to learn "how stuff works." Besides providing descriptions, videos and audio files are provided for better understanding.

E-Educational Resources

As I prepare for my student teaching, it has come to my attention that teachers are creating lists of online resources that can be used in their classrooms and at home. My goal for this post is to give you a detailed list of the most popular "free" online resources that students enjoy.

FunBrain.com is part of the Family Education Network. This site gives students the opportunity to develop their reading skills, play math games for further enrichment, and sign up for Poptropica. Poptropica is an educational multi-player virtual world where students can compete with one another in games and get rewards/points for each "island mission" they complete.

FactMonster.com is a homework help website for kids. In addition to providing an almanac, encyclopedia, and dictionary, FactMonster also has games and quizzes for when students want to take a break from studying.

TumbleBooks.com is an online book database for schools and public libraries. These ebooks for kids range from elementary to high school level and are an interactive way for students to check their understanding.

Starfall.com is a fun reading program primarily for kids in pre-k to second grade. The site is an "inexpensive way to make the classroom more fun and inspire a love of reading and writing."

StudyIsland.com is an educational tool for students in grades 3-5. It is a web-based state standard practice tool to prepare students for the PSSA's.

BrainPop.com is an animated education site for kids. It provides videos and simulations based on the different subjects taught in school.

Most of the sites I listed above are ones that I have used in the classroom many times. StudyIsland is an extremely popular site due to the fact that it is important that students do well on their state exams and schools make AYP. Starfall and Tumblebooks I have only seen used in the lower grades pre-k to second, but depending on reading level, students in middle and high school may also benefit. Finally, BrainPop is similar to YouTube, except that it has less variety and is directly linked to the subjects taught in schools.

*photo from South Suburban Humane Society

Glogster EDU: Poster your Classroom

Something I have been wondering about for a while is the pedagogical value of interactive bulletin boards that teachers can put up on a SmartBoard or project on a screen and have the students touch/click the screen to learn more about the topic. GlogsterEDU is a digital learning tool for the classroom that was created based on the feedback of Glogster customers. A 'glog' is an interactive online poster that people can customize and add photos, graphics, videos, and audio to express themselves.

GlogsterEDU is a web 2.0 platform tool that "fosters advancement of skills as students progress through grade levels" (Glogster.com/edu). Using the program, teachers are able to create a classroom master account and acquire log-ins and passwords for up to 200 private student accounts. In school, teachers often assign poster projects. The problem with this is that classroom space is limited and eventually these posters will need to be thrown out. This is why ‘glogs’ are so popular. They give students and teachers the opportunity to hold onto their work in an electronic version, which they will later be able to include in a school-work portfolio. Teachers may also choose to upload the ‘glogs’ to their computer screensaver and have them cycle so that every student has the chance to share their work with the class.

Glogster is a 21st century alternative to the traditional poster. Glogster can be used for all school subjects, and teachers like it because students are more engaged when using technology. The only negative that I have heard towards the program is that the .edu site links back to the .com site in which there are some inappropriate photographs that some people include in their personal blogs. However, the creators of Glogster are working to fix that issue.