Review websites

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Subscription Cost: No

Published by:

University of Missouri

Authors/Selectors:

LIS graduate students

Key Features

Search by grade

level or topic

Links are all kid-

friendly and

content rich

No advertisements

to sort through

State Standards

accessible

Overall Comments:

eThemes describes itself as easy access to “content-rich, kid-friendly” resources. Although

eThemes is no longer being updated, eThemes is an invaluable resource to educators. Over

30,000 resource links are provided for grades 1-12. Most of the resources I found were not that

different from those that could be accessed via a simple Google search. The benefit is eThemes

presents these links without the hassle of scrolling past advertisements that are not only

distracting but also potentially inappropriate. Searching solely by topic is a little tricky because

you have to pay attention to the intended grade levels for each source. However, if you search

first by grade then find a topic from the alphabetized list, you can be sure the resources will fit

your age group.

This site also features information regarding state standards for 9 states. Rather than simply

providing links to state education websites, eThemes provides word for word standards within the

website. I appreciated this a great deal, as it would save a lot of time that could be better spent

actually finding resources and planning lessons.

Subscription Cost: Yes

Published by:

Knovation, Inc.

Authors/Selectors:

Education experts and

Lifelong learners

Key Features

Colorful interface

Advanced search

features, such as

age filter

Ability to search

specifically for web

resources, images,

or people

Overall Comments:

netTrekker describes itself as providing “only the best content on the web” to “address different

learning styles and academic needs in all K-12 grade levels and subject areas.” The website seems

truly committed to this goal, adding special features to address readability of resources and

ensure that there are a variety of resources and activities available for any given topic.

The interface is fancier, which is typical of subscription resources. I appreciated the ability to

easily click between elementary, middle, and high school levels while searching. There wasn’t a

difference in the content partners advertised for each level—BrainPOP seemed to dominate the

screen for each. The recommended search terms that popped up for each level did differ slightly,

but that is to be expected, as 1st graders wouldn’t necessarily study poetry in the same manner as

a high school senior.

I wasn’t as impressed with this site when I actually started searching. A slight change in

terminology produced entirely different resources. Finding what I intended was much more

difficult than I would want. I expect that with a little practice and refining my search skills

specifically to this site, the benefits paying for a subscription might become clear.


Published by:

EdShelf

Authors/Selectors:

Members (typically

educators)

Key Features

Colorful interface

Advanced search

filters

Ratings of tools

based on ease of

use, effectiveness,

and engagement

Overall Comments:

EdShelf is a “socially-curated” discovery engine for digital tools to support teaching and learning.

This means that fellow educators can create digital shelves to store tools, and the more times a

tool gets shelved, the more “popular” it becomes. Finding and sharing tools through professional

contacts (fellow teachers in the trenches) is one of the most beneficial ways to find new

resources.

With so many ways to search and filter for specific resources, users are certain to find new tools

all the time. Each tool is accompanied by a description, reviews from fellow educators (who have

actually used the tool in their classrooms), and ratings teachers would actually care about (like

how engaging it is to students and how easy—or difficult—the program is to learn).

If you want to start your own shelf, you must create an account. Simply searching through the

site for tools and reviews does not require an account, however. This website would be a

necessity for any educator, especially those in schools transitioning to (or in the midst of) a 1:1

digital program. Don’t waste any more time searching for tools—EdShelf provides exposure to

some of the best tools to support content and lessons, and more tools are added every day.


Published by:

Dulcinea Media

Authors/Selectors:

Internet Research Experts

Key Features

Simple, easy to use

Widget available for

website

Resembles Google

search, so students

will be familiar with

interface

Overall Comments:

Sweet Search 4 Me (the elementary version of Sweet Search) was down when I tried to use it.

However, it is very similar to Sweet Search (the high school version).

This site only searches websites cleared by what Sweet Search has deemed “internet research

experts.” Translated, we are talking about librarians, teachers, and ________. The results are

prefaced by advertisements from GoogleAds, which are annoying but not inappropriate (at least,

for the search I conducted). The results were disappointing, however. Many of the websites that

came back for my search would have been more appropriate for elementary students. I cannot,

for example, imagine my 17 year old students enjoying visiting Fern’s Poetry Club (from PBS) to

publish their poetry.

This would not be my first choice to use in a research project with students.


Published by:

Dulcinea Media

Authors/Selectors:

Professional writers and

web developers

Overall Comments:

This website claims to bring users “the best information on the Web for any

topic, employing human insight and methodical review.” Though the

homepage is a bit busy, this site is much more what I would expect from a

search engine tool. It seems more appropriate for upper levels (rather than

elementary). I tried many search terms and continued getting results that

would not be suitable for an elementary lesson. However, I can see this site

being a tremendous asset to high school students, college students, and

professionals.

Key Features

News stories

featured on

homepage

“On This Day”

column

Ability to expand or

reduce search pool

Web Guides assist

teachers in

navigating the web

effectively and

efficiently

Key Features

Vibrant appearance

Easily searchable

catagories

Links to other kid-

friendly searches


Published by:

Infotopia

Authors/Selectors:

School Librarians, Teachers,

and Educational Consortia

Overall Comments:

This website is created by school librarians and intended to be used by elementary educators. At

first glance, I was really impressed by this website. It was colorful, engaging, and easy to

maneuver. There were many great resources included and each category offered a variety of

tools to reach different learning needs and goals.

However, I wasn’t impressed with searching using the search bar. Google custom searches still

present advertisements at the top of the results, meaning more junk to scroll through.

Unfortunately, most free sites do not offer a way around this. If you are not searching for a

specific term, but want to explore a general topic, this site is wonderful.