From the website: Eurekster allows you to build a custom search portal, or "swicki," around any topic of your choice. Rather than returning millions of results like a generic search engine, swickis learn from the search behavior of a community of enthusiasts and experts, making it easy for you to quickly find what you're looking for within a particular topic. In addition, you can easily share a swicki with others and add a swicki buzzcloud to your site or profile ("grab" a swicki), which will dynamically display the hottest searches and give you quick access to that swicki and its community.
Students will use their Internet searching skills to find information about South Africa and Zimbabwe.
Student will understand the differences between different search engines.
Students will narrow their searches to find more specific information.
Students will use search engines to find given information.
Students will practice basic Internet browser navigation to find information.
This tool allows you to create your own search engine on any topic. Users select the Web sites that are to be used for a search and then keep the search box (the place users will go to in order to type in keywords for the search)
provides overviews of popular engines, tips on searching, evaluations of the strengths of particular engines, and an analysis of the industry. Its purpose is to help site owners improve their ability to be found in search engines, however, it also provides great information, articles, and resources for those interested in learning about how to effectively use search engines.
Trying to prepare students for their future and teach them
about Internet safety without Web 2.0 in schools ~
is like trying to teach a child to swim without a swimming pool!
This article, written by Kathy Schrock, describes questioning, searching, evaluation, and citation processes of Web research as important skills in developing student information-literary skills.
Eurekster Swickis are "search engines tailored to you and your community. They learn from your users and show what's hot with your people." You, as the creator of the Swicki, have complete and utter control of the search results since YOU are the one who figures out what searches are most relevant to your site, what sites these searches should be pulled from, and how the search engine looks.
The Teaching with Primary Sources Program works with colleges and other educational organizations to deliver professional development programs that help teachers use the Library of Congress's rich reservoir of digitized primary source materials to design challenging, high-quality instruction.
"NewLits.org is a wiki space created to collaboratively develop a rich range of specialist resources for middle school language arts/literacy educators (typically Grades 5 to 8). These resources focus variously and broadly on new literacies and digital technologies.
EDITOR'S NOTE: For an updated look at search engines for children, see "Savvy Little Searchers: Kids' Search Engines"
The services below are designed primarily to serve the needs of children, either in focus, or by filtering out sites that some parents and teachers might find inappropriate for kids.
Eduscape's Information Age Inquiry Web site contains various strategy models that can be used to develop skills in the searching and use of information.
This resource page, on a Web site designed to support International school communities in South East Asia, provides a list of Web sites and resources for developing student research skills.