Click on these links to view web resources
for third grade History, information on search engines, and a site
evaluation tool.
Resources
General
Search Engines
Multi-Threaded Search Engines
Categorical Search Engines
Site Evaluation Tool
Web Resources
Games and Crafts
Target Audience: 3rd grade
Content Area: History
Type: All students
Topic: Ancient Greece
Description: This site was
geared for teachers to when planning activities for students. The
site provided a wealth of information on topics such as crafts
related to Ancient Greece that students can make, Greek myths
rewritten for kids, games kids can play that were played by children
in Ancient Greece, online games, puzzles, and even an interactive
game related to Greek life. Another great aspect of this site was
that it contained a website directory with listings of sites for
further information. The key words used for this search were,
“Ancient Greece.” The search engine used was Dmox. This site was
also listed on other search engines.
Major Topics
Target Audience: 3rd grade
Content Area: History
Type: All students
Topic: Ancient Greece
Description: This site was an
excellent one because it was written for kids. Exploring this site
was easy and can be done by 3rd grade students without
additional help. All major topics about Ancient Greece were covered
with explanations that kids would understand. The subject matter
did not get too detailed or complicated for elementary students.
This site was wonderful for kids who are researching Ancient
Greece. The key words used for this search were, “Ancient Greece
for kids.” The search engine used was Dogpile. This site was
listed when other search engines were used but came up number one
when used with these key words on Dogpile.
Major Topics (Detailed)
Target Audience: 3rd grade
Content Area: History
Type: All students
Topic: Ancient Greece
Description: This website had
two pages and gave more detailed information than the one listed
above. Third graders may need some assistance with understanding
content. This site was very good for looking at maps of Ancient
Greece. There was also a lot of good information to assist students
with comparing and contrasting information. Links to different
sites were provided. The key words used for this search were,
“Ancient Greece for elementary school.” I also used Dogpile to
search for this information.
Greek Mythology
Target Audience: 3rd grade
Content Area: History
Type: All students
Topic: Ancient Greece
Description: This site provided
a lot of information but was not easy to navigate. Some of the
links did not work. The best feature was the illustrated
encyclopedia of Greek mythology. Useful information on the
mythology of constellations was found here which was not seen on the
other sites. The key words used for this search were, “Ancient
Greece for students.” I used Search.com as the search engine. This
site was also listed by other search engines.
Philosophers
and More
Target Audience: 3rd grade
Content Area: History
Type: All students
Topic: Ancient Greece
Description: This site offered
several tabs including art, geography, time periods, mythology,
Olympics, people, wars, and culture/society. A very good glossary
of terms from Ancient Greece was available on this site. Good
information on philosophers such as Aristotle and Plato was
available at this site. The interesting discoveries and inventions
of Archimedes were explained. Students in 3rd grade may
need some assistance with some of the information because it could
be difficult for them to understand. This site was a good resource
for research. The search engine used was Hotbot. The site was
listed on other search engines. The key words used for this search
were, “Ancient Greece for young people.”
Overall, the best search engine,
in my opinion, was Dogpile followed by Dmox and Hotbot. I also like
Search.com. I am happy to have more options for searching in the
future.
Back to Top
Web Search Strategies
General Search Engines
Over the years, I
have used a couple of different search engines such as Google, Yahoo
and Altavista. I did not realize that so many others existed. The
process of exploring many different search engines helped me to
become aware of different places to find information. For my own
purposes, I made a reference list for each search engine with a few
notes outlining how they could be useful to me or my students. For
the first section of this assignment, I will highlight three general
search engines that I found interesting.
The keywords that I
used throughout my searches were “Ancient Greece”. Ancient Greece
is a subject studied by my target audience (3rd grade) as
required by the standards in Virginia and many other states. I
liked the Dmoz search engine mainly because it offered a “Kids and
Teens” category as one of 16 category choices. This category stood
out because the title was written in brightly colored text. The
home page was well organized, and not busy or distracting. A
general search gave me information on how many sites could be found
in the various categories and also a list of open directory sites.
I received about 200 total sites to search. When I searched in the
“Kids and Teens” category, I received about 20 choices. Many search
engines found a huge number of sites (even after narrowing the
search) which may overwhelm 3rd graders. I liked this
one because it offered 20 choices that would be appropriate for the
students to explore. When I tried a Boolean search, I was directed
to try 11 other search engine choices; however, an advanced search
was also offered. When I typed in “Ancient Greece or Olympics” in
the advanced search, I was given 654 results. They all listed one
of the words or both. When I typed “Ancient Greece and Olympics” I
received four results. The four results contained either “Ancient
Greece” or “Olympics” by themselves, not both together. When I
typed in “Ancient Greece not Olympics” I received zero choices but
still received the suggestion to search the 11 other search
engines. I would have my students use this search engine because of
the “Kids and Teens” category. They can find “kid friendly”
information without having to sift through other information.
Another search engine
that I explored was HotBot. The home page was very simple offering
little more than a search feature. A choice was given between a
Lygo beta visual search and MSN. I liked Lygo because a thumb shot
image of each result’s home page was given. This information was
helpful for narrowing down which sites to search. For instance,
some home pages were obviously geared to kids so students would know
to go to those. A button was offered for filter settings. I liked
that option; however, the students could easily change the choice.
One thing that I did not see with this search engine when choosing
Lygo was the number of results found. The MSN choice did give the
number but not the thumb shot images. Most other search engines
gave the number of results found. When I did a Boolean search I went
through the advanced search feature. The same information came up
each time that I typed in “Ancient Greece or Olympics”, “Ancient
Greece and Olympics”, and “Ancient Greece not Olympics”. I checked
on both the Lygo and the MSN choices. For instance, on MSN where
the number of records does come up, the number (1.57 million) came
up for each phrase. It appeared that the Boolean search did not
work on this search engine. I tried other examples like “cats not
dogs” and they did not work either. I also typed the phrases using
quotation marks and without using them which made no difference. I
would probably have my students use the Lygo choice because of the
thumb shot images. This choice is good for visual learners.
Another search engine
that I looked at was Alltheweb. This search engine’s home page was
very simplistic like HotBot’s which keeps distractions to a
minimum. This search engine had a search feature, a Livesearch
feature, and five tabs to search in which included web, news,
picture, video, and audio choices. The number of results came up
when I typed my key words in each tab search. Under the web tab, I
got 29 million results which would require a lot of narrowing down
and may overwhelm 3rd grade students. The search engine
offered the on/off choice for offensive content filters but students
could change the choice easily. I would be cautious about letting
students on the video portion because many of them were videos that
people posted (a lot from youtube) and were not reviewed. I found
very good results under the picture section. Overall, I would
probably not use this search engine much, if at all, for 3rd
graders. I think it is geared for older users. When I conducted a
Boolean search, once again, it did not appear to work. I got the
same results for “Ancient Greece or Olympics”, “Ancient Greece and
Olympics”, and “Ancient Greece not Olympics”. Again, I tried other
examples and they did not work.
Back to Top
Multi-threaded Search Engines
I decided to look at
Dogpile because I have heard a lot of positive comments about this
search engine. Others have mentioned that Dogpile is an excellent
choice for educational searches and I agree with that after
exploring. I loved the simple yet clever, and appealing graphics.
The search engine has a cartoon dog on it and the current news
stories are called “Favorite Fetches”—clever! Dogpile puts all the
leading search engines to work, including Google, Yahoo!Search, and
Ask.com. The tabs offer choices of web, images, audio, video, news,
white pages, and yellow pages. A joke of the day is a click away
also. Clicking on Search Spy allows the family friendly filter to
be set but this setting would not easily be found by young
students. One can easily access Maps, Weather, and Horoscopes.
When I entered my key words into the search (Go Fetch in this case)
about 70 records came up. I could tell instantly that some very
useful sites popped up. The video section also had good choices.
Many were from sources such as the History Channel, Fox News, and
Google Video. Once again, the Boolean search did not seem to work.
I used my key words, other examples, quotation marks, and no
quotation marks and it did not work under any of the circumstances.
I loved this search engine and will use it myself as well as for my
3rd graders.
Back to Top
Categorical Search Sites
I explored both
categorical search sites and decided that Search.com would be the
most useful. I could search for hours and not remember what I was
originally looking for when I started! One could find information
on any subject here and about 2000 sites popped up for “Ancient
Greece”. I liked this meta search engine because it gave the top
Web searches for the subject. I’m concerned that students would
become too distracted by all of the choices and the advertisements
that come up. Also, inappropriate material for 3rd
graders came up even though a filter was on. Many videos are from
youtube and other sources that may have inappropriate content (the
baby panda sneezing video was great though!). If my students used
Search.com, they would be given very specific directions. Under the
advanced search, very specific search information was given which
gave similar results to a Boolean search. The advances search asked
for information such as “Related to,” “All these words,” and “Do not
include these words.” I thought the search engine was good. It
would be of useful to me but a bit much for my 3rd
graders.
Back to Top
Site Evaluation Tool (SET)
Name of Designer:
Lin and Don Donn
Location (URL if applicable):
http://www.mrdonn.org
Topic(s):
Lesson plans,
activities, information on Social Studies and Lang. Arts. Date:
3/15/08
Evaluation:
1
Poor
2 Below Average
3
Average
4
Good
5
Excellent
NA Not Applicable
I. General –site includes
1. A home/index page with designer/teacher
info. 1 2 3 4
5
NA
·
contact information
1 2 3 4
5
NA
·
background of designer/teacher 1
2 3 4
5
NA
·
link to course(s)/unit(s)
1 2 3
4
5 NA
·
picture
1 2 3
4
5 NA
·
audio welcome/intro
1 2 3 4 5
NA
·
video welcome/intro
1 2 3 4 5
NA
·
technical support info
1 2 3 4 5
NA
·
date of last update
1
2
3 4 5 NA
2. An overview (home) page for the course or
unit. 1 2 3 4
5 NA
·
includes summary of each lesson 1
2
3 4 5 NA
·
time frame
1 2 3
4
5 NA
·
overall goals
1
2
3 4 5 NA
·
materials needed
1 2 3 4 5
NA
·
preparations/prerequisites 1
2 3
4
5 NA
·
hardcopies of lesson plans/handouts 1
2
3 4 5 NA
(for teachers)
3. Lesson plans/modules & related site pages are complete
1 2 3 4
5
NA
(site does not contain “under construction” pages)
4. Instructional unit includes supporting
components 1 2 3
4
5 NA
(resources, FAQs, technical support, instructional help,
recommended links and/or reading, dictionary, etc.)
5. Out of site links are
current 1
2 3 4
5
NA
6. Out of site links pop up in a new browser
window 1 2 3 4
5
NA
when “clicked”
7. Permissions, copyright info, and requested
links 1 2 3 4
5
NA
from contributors are present
II. Design
1. Clear instructions are provided (beyond bulleted
list) 1 2
3 4
5 NA
(Reason for doing the lesson, etc.)
2. Page loads
quickly
1 2 3 4
5
NA
3. Multimedia elements are
included 1
2
3 4 5 NA
4. Media, such as graphics, are
compressed
1
2 3 4 5
NA
5. Navigation is user
friendly 1
2 3 4
5
NA
Evaluation:
1
Poor
2 Below Average
3
Average
4
Good
5
Excellent
NA Not Applicable
6. Information is no more than 3 clicks
away 1 2 3
4
5 NA
7. Consistent design throughout
site 1 2 3
4
5
NA
8. Color contrast
(foreground/background) 1 2
3
4 5
NA
9. Font is easy to
read
1 2 3 4
5
NA
10. Media is consistent with subject & complements the site
1 2
3
4 5 NA
11. Design elements are
balanced 1 2
3
4
5 NA
(text, white space, audio, graphics, etc.)
12. Accessibility issues are
addressed
1
2
3 4 5 NA
(alternate text for graphics, etc.)
13. Site utilizes fixed
elements 1
2
3 4
5 NA
14. Visual anchors assist
users 1
2
3 4
5 NA
III. Pedagogy
1. Syllabus is posted
1
2
3 4 5
NA
2. Content is appropriate for
audience 1 2 3
4
5
NA
3. Content is consistent with overall
goals 1
2
3 4 5 NA
4. Each lesson includes goals for that
lesson 1
2
3 4 5 NA
5. Each goal has an
objective 1
2
3 4 5 NA
6. Each objective includes performance
criteria 1
2
3 4 5 NA
(Durability of objective, quality, quantity, etc.)
7. Each objective has at least one
activity 1 2 3 4
5
NA
8. Objective uses action verb & is measurable
1
2
3 4 5 NA
9. Each activity includes specific step-by-step instructions
1 2 3
4
5 NA
10. Each objective includes assessment/evaluation information
1 2 3
4
5 NA
11. Teaching methods are appropriate for
audience 1 2 3
4
5 NA
12. Teaching methods are appropriate to subject matter
1 2 3
4
5 NA
13. Teaching methods are appropriate to method of delivery
1 2 3
4
5 NA
14. Site utilizes web-based instructional resources to
1
2
3 4 5 NA
enhance the learning environment (chat, discussion, email)
15. Site provides inquiry-based interactive & active
learning 1 2 3
4 5
NA
16. Site/instruction provide alternative forms of teaching
1 2 3
4
5 NA
beyond text (auditory, visual, etc.)
17. Site/instruction promotes progressive critical
thinking 1 2 3
4
5 NA
Section points: General
72
(21 items; perfect score = 105) Your average 69%
Design 52
(14 items; perfect score = 70) Your average 74%
Pedagogy
55 (17 items;
perfect score = 85) Your average 65%
Total Points: 179 (52 items;
perfect score = 260) Your average 69%
Add your comments (may use additional
sheet):
This site was
very good for information. I am not sure when it was last updated
because all I could find was the number of hits since January of
2006. Many lessons and activities were provided. Goals were not
listed on any of the lessons that I looked at but on some of the
lessons the objectives seemed to be the goals. The materials list
was always provided and the instructions were very good. Some
provided assessment information also. The lesson plans varied in
how they were presented but all that I looked at were easy to
follow. One thing that I noticed was that there was not much in the
way of integrated technology in the lesson plans. Links were given
to interactive games but not much more in that area. Overall, the
site was good for information and lesson ideas but I would
incorporate integrated technology into the provided lessons.
Back to Top
