Monday, September 15, 2014

Project #15: Search Engines

Follow the underlined links to access the search engine! :)

I. Wolfram/Alpha
Wolfram/Alpha is a great tool for anything academic related. From measurement conversion, to statistics, to history facts, to medicinal research, this site has it all! Out of curiosity from my recent tip, I typed in "Galapagos Islands," and it gave me a full list of every island and the population and island size. It also includes a map with coordinates and links to related islands. If I were doing a project on something like the group of islands known as the Galapagos, this site would be a huge help!

II. Duck Duck Go
It's something new to me to find out about all these different search engine sites. This one, "Duck Duck Go," is your typical we browser tool except it promises the user real privacy. Along with speedy results in any subject needed, the user feels the satisfaction knowing their searches aren't being tracked or monitored. Our nation has privacy laws for a reason, and some users might feel more comfortable using a search engine such as this one.

III. Bing!
I have used Bing a time or two before and I believe that what makes it popular is that it portrays attractiveness to the eye. It has given me similar results to Google, but it is more interesting and exciting to look at. Bing also has a bigger focus on pop-news as it shows a reel of topics along the bottom of the page. This may be distracting if a student were hoping to use it to research an academic topic.

IV. Dog Pile
The Dog Pile search engine is very simple to use. It seems to be a good starter for children learning to navigate the world wide web because it includes a play on words such as, "Go Fetch" and "Sniff out info" to help children learn better. I searched the shopping option for a jewelry maker known as "Alex & Ani" and it took me directly to a page full of products and their prices. No unrelated annoying ads were included on the side of the page to distract the user from their intended purpose. I thought this site was very useful.

Drawig of an arrow.

V. You Tube
Everybody and their grandparents are on and/or using You Tube by this year. Whether they are the star of the video or they are searching for a video their selves, most that have learned how to use it cannot put it down. You Tube is a great tool to search because some people need some hands-on learning. It is sometimes difficult to just read information or instruction off of a computer/phone screen; sometimes it makes a difference to watch and listen the information the user needs. This is a great source for moments in news and history that were once recorded and can now be recalled; the user also has access to digital recordings such as interviews with important people or organizations.

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