I enjoyed exploring different search tools and finding new resources for my students to use. Based on what I think would be best for my kids, I used KidRex, PebbleGo, and Choosito for my custom search engine. I like that KidRex has a kid-friendly look and is easy to use. I like that Choosito is designed for the K-2 learner, which serves the kids I work with. I found Choosito to be particularly interesting, as you can select what level reader you are and what specific resources you're looking for. I thought combining these search engines would be best. I left feeling like there is just a LOT of information out there!
Click For Custom Search
Those are good search tools for kids. Though it might be better to just provide direct links to them for your students. When you add those 3 search tools to A google custom search, they don't work quite as well as one might hope. Since they are actually search tools themselves, they don't always pick up your search query and bring back good results. I tested a few searches and it seems to be be picking up some results from pebblego, but not from KidRex or Choosito.
ReplyDeleteThe custom search tool is great if you want to search through a bunch of blogs or subject oriented web sites. Do a search for something edtech related in this custom search engine and you'll get a sense of what I mean. I have 36 different edtech blogs and websites in this custom search - it helps me find new information quickly for the Cool Tools workshop: https://cse.google.com/cse?cx=010570771736489099325:9bnic7brjyu