K-12 Search Tools
by
Gina OttoDIRECTORIES AND SEARCH ENGINES
NO ONE HAS DONE IT BETTER IN RECENT YEARS THAN WALTER MCKENZIECheck out the newest site
about search tools that are unusual or have
specific uses at http://surfaquarium.com/newsletter/search.htm
Graphic from INNOVATIVE TEACHINGSearch Tools
May 6, 2000
From the engine to the directory and now the portal, tools that mine the Web for specific information are a lucrative and dubious proposition. Every search tool finds different hits on a topic and presents them in a different format. It can be an exercise in futility if the tool you're using doesn't match your needs. And who's to know based on word of mouth? People vary in their allegiance to search tools and they are fiercely loyal. But how many times have you found that your own experience with a given tool doesn't match what you were told?
With this edition you can begin to set aside the hype and learn for yourself which tool is best for you. It's not that there's one definitive search tool. The trick is finding the search site which most closely matches your own approach to syntax, semantics and deductive reasoning. When you find that match, searching will become so much easier. Let the journey begin!
ALTA VISTA - http://www.altavista.com/
Perhaps the premier index online; includes a language
translator, photo finder, and a family filter to block out
objectionable
material, as well as one of the best advanced searches anywhere - and
Alta
Vista Discovery makes searching for information more coordinated than
ever.
ASK JEEVES - http://www.askjeeves.com/
All directories are conceptual, AJ handles semantics
and syntax by accepting queries as complete questions taking conceptual
searches to a whole new level; if you are more verbal than logical, AJ
may be what you're looking for
BEAUCOUP - http://www.beaucoup.com/
Lists available search engines by categories - very
helpful
if you're looking for something new and different aside from the
mainstream
searches we are all accustomed to
BIGFOOT - http://www.bigfoot.com/
Searches for websites and Yellow Pages listings, but
this site is most noted for its people searches - you have an email
address,
they can help
you find them; check out their Neoplanet service as a
way to integrate all your web needs into one location
BRITANNICA - http://www.britannica.com/
The editors of the renowned encyclopedia harness the
riches of the Internet, categorize them for your use, rates and reviews
them, and offer them through a searchable database here; can include
Alta
Vista searches
COLOSSUS - http://www.searchenginecolossus.com/
An index of all search engines from around the world
- great for studying culturally-based or language-based information;
also
includes unique categories such as webmaster, christian, academic, city
and XML.
DOGPILE - http://www.dogpile.com/
The meta-search engine with the offbeat image, Dogpile
takes your query and processes it through Yahoo!, Thunderstone, Lycos'
A2Z, GoTo.com, Mining Co., Excite Guide, PlanetSearch, What U Seek,
Magellan,
Lycos, WebCrawler, InfoSeek, Excite and AltaVista all at once,
adjusting
to the peculiarities of each for you - you can also look for
newsgroups,
stock quotes, yellow pages, FTP sites, weather and maps
EDUCATOR'S NET - http://www.educationsearch.com/
Touting itself as "The World's #1 Education Search
Engine",
this site offers 10,000+ education resources actually reviewing each of
them - a must see!
EUROSEEK - http://www.euroseek.net/page?ifl=uk
A search tool designed specifically for finding
information
and resources throughout Europe; this URL is the English link, but you
can search in any major European language
EXCITE - http://www.excite.com/
A personalized directory engine that uses Intelligent
Concept Extraction to increase conceptually appropriate hits for your
searches;
also offers
news, chat, bulletin boards, domains and a variety of
services from airline tickets to movies and personals - the kind
of site which tries to be a home base as much as a pit stop
FINDING DATA ON THE INTERNET - http://nilesonline.com/data/
Robert Niles' site offering ideas on how to
successfully
find what you're looking for on the largest single information source
known
to mankind - the Web
FINDING INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET - http://lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/FindInfo.html
A tutorial from UC Berkeley which provides strategies
and information to help you focus your searches on the WWW, in
newsgroups
and listservs
FINDSPOT - http://www.findspot.com/
Tips on using the most popular indexes and directories
so that you can have the most success with the time you put into it -
great
summaries
4ANYTHING - http://4education.4anything.com/
A unique directory that offers intuitive categories or
allows you to search more than 5,000 listings - visually stimulating
too.
GO.COM - http://www.go.com
Can be your home page.
GOOGLE - http://google.com/
A new contender in the search engine sweepstakes
claiming
to use a sophisticated mathematical formula to help you find the
highest
quality,
most accurate searches possible from "more than a
billion
hyperlinks"; also allows you to view cached versions of web pages so
you're
not out of luck if the actual site is down when you need it
HOTBOT - http://www.hotbot.com/
If this were a popularity contest, this index may well
win hands down; Wired Digital offers a fast, efficient tool which is
not
as conceptually
oriented as I would like, but is certainly exhaustive
in bringing back every possible hit you could be looking for -
definitely
geared for a younger clientele, some of the nomenclature for their
related
services are bordering on being distasteful.....to each his own
KIDS CLICK - http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/KidsClick!/
If you are comfortable with the thought of a librarian
directing you towards the best resources (and who isn't?), this is a
great
site for locating kid's resources; this directory is built by
librarians
and narrows down the content to that which is truly kid-appropriate -
created and maintained by the Ramapo Catskill Library
System If you are comfortable with the thought of a librarian directing
you towards the best resources (and who isn't?), this is a great site
for
narrows down the content to that which is truly kid-appropriate -
created
and maintained by the Ramapo Catskill Library System
LYCOS - http://www.lycos.com/
In a lot of ways Lycos is just as conceptually accurate
as Infoseek (go.com), but it offers some intriguing free software such
as Stock
Alert and Planet Oasis, as well as a customized version of IE Explorer
and other navigation tools; of course there's the all-too-familiar chat
services, shopping links and other frills to lure you into making this
your homepage
MAMMA - http://www.mamma.com/
Access with an attitude - "the mother of all search
engines";
aside from fluff like personals and horoscopes, Mamma can give you
powerful
search results without having to surf from engine to engine -
especially
interesting is "Mamma Remote", a small second window you can take with
you as you surf around the web to search at any time, any place without
having to return to the main Mamma page.....now that's helpful!
ONE SEEK - http://www.oneseek.com/
A meta-search tool which specializes in not only web
sites but web rings and a variety of specialized subjects; the frames
get
really annoying when you want to see the actual page, but you can get
around
that easy enough
OPEN DIRECTORY - http://dmoz.org/
Formerly "New Hoo", this 'self-regulating republic'
asks
netizens to volunteer as editors to recommend the corners of the Web
they
know best, making for a non-commercial, populist directory where
democracy
runs amuck! If you want to see the input of the common man rather than
polished experts, this site will definitely give you a new perspective
PINAKES - http://www.hw.ac.uk/libWWW/irn/pinakes/pinakes.html
Named after the catalogue of the library in ancient
Alexandria,
Egypt, this site links major subjects to help make searching more
productive
and successful; the newsletter for educators may also be of interest
for
Higher Ed people
PLANET CLICK! - http://www.planetclick.com/
Another attempt at populism, this directory offers
sites
based on the ratings of people who visit.....participatory democracy
with
a twist - the hits can be fresh and off the beaten path
PROTEACHER - http://www.proteacher.com/
An index specifically for the cataloging of educational
websites and materials; ProTeacher is an up and coming player looking
to
index the best of what's available, so be sure to submit worthy URLs
while
you are visiting!
PROTEUS - http://www.thrall.org/proteus.html
Incredibly sophisticated site allowing you to make use
of dozens of search engines and tailor them to an interface you are
most
comfortable with; it's a little overwhelming to see all the choices it
offers you, but if you have the time and the patience the rewards are
there
SEARCH ENGINE WATCH - http://searchenginewatch.com/
Search engine guides, status reports, facts, resources
and a mailing list to keep you up to date on what's new, what works and
why
SPIDER'S APPRENTICE - http://www.monash.com/spidap.html
Helps make searching a more efficient, rewarding
process,
with up-to-date news on search engine improvements and a ticker to show
you what are the most popular search queries at any given time
YAHOO - http://www.yahoo.com/
The original fun directory with enough common sense to
keep it useful and enough extras to keep you checking back - I find
myself
coming here when I get frustrated with other searches.....it just makes
sense to me
YAHOOLIGANS - http://www.yahooligans.com/
Of all the kid-centered search tools, this one
consistently
gives me offerings I can use, usually with a few surprises I wasn't
aware
of; I get tired of out of date links here, but the good outweighs the
bad
and I recommend it to you highly
ZAPME! - http://www.zapme.com/net/
A grade 6-12 directory bringing you some 10,000
educational
sites on such areas as the classroom, library research , the teacher's
toolbox, news and current events and the future for students - worth a
look
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-©1999-2001 Walter McKenzie
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