SEARCH ENGINES

Anyone that has had much experience on the Internet is familiar with search engines, but not everyone knows how many different kinds there are or that some tools are not true search engines at all. Simply stated, a search engine is a program that searches the Internet for content based on the key words typed into it by the user. Two of the largest search engines today are Google and Bing. Each of these sites has millions of users each day, searching for content on the millions of web pages found on the Internet. In addition, web directories (also known as link directories) are used for finding content as well, but these are not considered search engines. Typically compiled by people, they contain lists of related websites and links but will not search into the individual site's content itself. Metasearch engines are for searching other search engines(like dogpile), and aggregators are websites that collect related items of content and displays them as links on their pages (see popurls as an example of an aggregator).

Above is the custom search engine I created. Feel free to type some keywords in and see where the search will take you!

A tool like this is necessary in the classroom today. Even with the best firewalls and software to limit student exposure to noneducational content on the Internet, the shear load of content can make it difficult for even the savviest of adults to navigate and disseminate. By creating their own custom search engines, teachers can limit searches made by students to a handful of sites selected specifically by the teacher for that particular lesson. As the students become more proficient at using the proper key words, learn how to choose material relevant to their tasks, and are ready for more advanced content for a greater number of sources the teacher can adjust the search engines accordingly, adding or subtracting sites depending on content and the needs of the learner.

Below are two examples of how a custom search engine can modify or limit the content that the student is exposed to. When I went to google.com and typed "tool" into the search bar, these are the first results I received:

If the students were doing research on the rock band, the results here would be appropriate. However, if the teacher was assigning students to research and learn more about simple machines, a custom search engine would be helpful. Below are the results for the same search for the word too, this time on my own search engine:

Taking a few minutes to learn how to make custom search engines will save teachers much more time trying to focus student searches and helping to find the right content. One can find a great tutorial that will get started using custom Google searches here.  Even better, using Google's search tool is free and can be accessed here to get started.

ISTE Standards for Students

(Click on the link above for descriptions of the following standards this tool can address.)

       Creativity and innovation (c,d)

       Communication and collaboration (a, b)

       Research and information fluency (a, b, c, d)

       Critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making (a, b, c, d)

       Digital citizenship (a, b, c, d)

       Technology operations and concepts (a, c, d)

ISTE Standards for Teachers

(Click on the link above for descriptions of the following standards this tool can address.)

       Facilitate and Inspire student learning and creativity (a, b, c,d)

       Design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments (a, b, c, d)

       Model digital age work and learning (a, b, c, d)

       Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility (a, b, c)

       Engage in professional growth and leadership (c, d)

Sources:

Major Search Engines and Directories. (n.d.). Retrieved July 14, 2015, from http://searchenginewatch.com/sew/how-to/2048976/major-search-engines-directories#

Google Custom Search Engine Tutorial. (n.d.). Retrieved July 13, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oy04EsioLPo

(n.d.). Retrieved July 13, 2015, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Favicon

Standards for Teachers. (n.d.). Retrieved July 12, 2015, from http://www.iste.org/standards/ISTE-standards/standards-for-teachers

ISTE Standards for Students. (n.d.). Retrieved July 12, 2015, from http://www.iste.org/standards/ISTE-standards/standards-for-students