Katie Wright

Tools that Review Websites

ETHEMES

Cost: Free

Publisher: University of Missouri

Reviewers: graduate students in Library Science

Comments: Content is no longer being updated. They include the different learning standards.

They qualify websites by grade level, appropriateness. They also have very accurate and

detailed descriptions of what the websites are about and who is the publishers. The only ads

present are for the university; so there is no fear of any inappropriate ads based on

controversial searches. I searched for topics surrounding the death penalty. eThemes

separated the results into three topics: a debate topic and two literature themes based on the books of In Cold Blood and The Green Mile.

2

NETTREKKER

Cost: per student cost you must contact for a quote

Publisher: Knovation

Reviewers: Students and teachers

Comments: It includes the learning standards for each state as well as Common Core standards.

Search results can be limited to elementary, middle, or high school -aged results. The results are

divided by subjects. There are no ads as it is a subscription service. They include different

ratings and list if the source is recommended by a student or a teacher. They even list how

many grade levels are appropriate for each site. I love their famous people search where you can look for historical figures based on a time period or an accomplishment.

3

EDSHELF

Cost: free

Publisher: Mike Lee

Reviewers: Educators

Comments: This site doesn’t just review websites but also apps, programs, and electronics as

well. It lists all tools by categories, subjects, age, and platforms. There are no ads as the site

receives its funding from the apps and programs that it reviews. However, I don’t feel that their

reviews are skewed by this as they share how many schools actually use the site and how many

of its users actually pin the app on their “shelves.” This information is indicative of how many

educators are actually using the product. I found that the search function was less helpful than

actually browsing through based on the age range or the subject. My search term of the death

penalty actually brought up no results. However, browsing through social studies apps actually

allowed me to look at how different apps help with different things like emotional skills. Unlike the other sites the site does not include the various learning standards.

4

SWEETSEARCH

Cost: free

Publisher: Dulcinea Media Group

Reviewers: All of their writers have at least a Bachelor’s level education and specialize in

different areas.

Comments: The results can be ordered by relevance or date, but there is no indication of grade -

level appropriateness or any review information available. There is only a brief description of

what the site or news article is. There are a number of ads at the top of the search results page.

My search term of the death penalty brought up a particularly concerning ad. It is a link to

Amazon to purchase an unrated movie starring Kevin Bacon titled “Death Sentence” that has a review citing the movie as a particularly violent and bloody film.

5

FINDINGDULCINEA

Cost: free

Publisher: Dulcinea Media Inc.

Reviewers: This is the same team as the ones behind SweetSearch. It consists mostly of

educators and book editors.

Comments: This is not just a search site like SweetSearch. It also contains a number of “Web

Guides” linked that include articles and sites based on various subjects such as Politics and

Religion. There are some of the same problems as SweetSearch here as well. The results

provide no real review that searchers can review. There is only brief descriptions of the site.

The same troublesome ad from SweetSearch is also present because when you click on the

Selected Sites of the search it simply brings up the same results and page from the previous site.

6

KIDTOPIA

Cost: free

Publisher: Infotopia World

Reviewers: School librarians and teachers

Comments: This site is geared toward elementary school students. It is very simple to use.

There is only the search bar and even the links in the header are pop up boxes instead of

directing you to another part of the website. There are a number of categories that searchers

can browse through. It is a Google based search site that edits and filters inappropriate sites

from a simple Google search. The results can be divided based on category that the searcher is

looking for, sorted by relevance or date, and include websites as well as images. However, the

same ad for the same movie as mentioned above is also present. What I am realizing is that a

number of these sites have their ads simply generated by Google and that is why the same

movie and link is included in a number of sites. The images are not too controversial. However,

there is an image of a noose hanging that may be a bit provocative for a site geared towards

elementary students.