Offsite Resources - Search Tools

Search Engines
These use automated spiders or “robots” that crawl through web pages looking for words.

Google - http://www.google.com
This search engine ranks sites based on the number of links to it, and is highly rated for its ability to put the most relevant sites at the top of the list.

Hotbot - http://www.hotbot.com
In addition to information, this search engine allows you to look for files of a specific type.

Searchopolis - http://www.searchopolis.com
A filtered seach site that is appropriate for students in grades 2-8.

Yahooligans - http://www.yahooligans.com
The "junior" version of the popular Yahoo directory that is filtered for young users.

Metasearch Engines
Metasearch engines search multiple search engines at once, and are good to use for a very specific or hard-to-find topic.

AskJeeves - http://www.askjeeves.com
This site is easy to use because it allows for natural language questioning.

AskJeeves for Kids - http://www.ajkids.com
This site is easy to use because it allows for natural language questioning.

Dogpile - http://www.dogpile.com
Nine of the most popular search tools are polled at the same time with this search tool.

Directories
The content of these sites is maintained by “real people” and is generally organized by topics and subtopics.

About - http://www.about.com
This directory "meta" site houses thousands of subject-specific sites whose content is maintained by experts in their respective fields.

BigChalk - http://www.bigchalk.com
Going one step further than most portals, bigchalk.com allows you to search by age groups and browse the site by subject, age group, or both. The site also has research links to some of the most well-known databases online, such as Britannica.com. eLibrary, and ProQuest, and recently absorbed HomeworkCentral.com, which claims to have "the best study and research collections on the Web."

SuperPages – http://www.superpages.com
These sites operate very similarly to the traditional “yellow pages,” organizing info into topics and subtopics for easy reference.

Britannica - http://www.britannica.com
This popular encyclopedia now offers its content online for free.

Webhelp - http://www.webhelp.com
Have a question? A “real” person from this site will find the answer to your question in “real time” while you wait.

Yahoo - http://www.yahoo.com
One of the oldest and still widely accessed sites on the Web.

Subject / Media Specific Search Tools
These search sites are very specialized, and are often a great starting point for a particular topic or if you are looking for a specific type of file.

AnyWho – http://www.anywho.com
Great tool for finding People and Businesses in the U.S. and Canada

Cnet Search.com - http://www.search.com
Provides a listing of subject-specific search engines that enable you to search for sites just on computers, people, or other topics.

Corbis - http://www.corbis.com
This search engine contains archives of “appropriate” graphics and photographs. Great site for locating a picture for a project or document.

Google Groups - http://groups.google.com
Deja.com's Usenet discussion service, the largest discussion group archive on the Net.

Ditto - http://www.ditto.com
This site is a repository of filtered images. You can search the site for a specific image and it returns a page of thumbnails for previewing.

Download.com – http://download.com.com
Download freeware and shareware utilities, tools, games, graphics, etc.

FindLaw - http://www.findlaw.com
This site is a rich online resource for legal professionals, lawyers, and law students. The site offers documents and forms, a legal dictionary, and an abundance of reference matieral, sorted for easy searching.

FindTutorials.com - http://www.findtutorials.com
Acts as both a search engine and index of Web sites that offer assistance on entire subjects. The FindTutorials engine combs the Internet for free, high-quality tutorials and online courses; chosen sites are continually monitored to ensure that they are accurate and up to date.

NetLingo Dictionary of Online Words - http://www.netlingo.com
A glossary of Internet jargon with definitions of terminology and acronyms.

ZDNet Downloads – http://downloads-zdnet.com.com
Large archive of shareware, freeware and evaluation software.

TimePix - http://www.thepicturecollection.com
Time magazine’s collection of over 20 million professional-quality photographs is now available online.

WebPlaces - http://www.webplaces.com
A directory of directories for locating information on specific topics.

Webopedia - http://www.webopedia.com
An online dictionary for computer and internet terms.

Whois.net - http://www.whois.net
Internet Domain name search tool that enables you to see the person behind the site.