educational resource reviews

1. ‘
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eThemes is no longer being updated, eThemes is an invaluable resource to educators.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.

2. 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.

3. Subscription Cost: No
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

4. 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.
Subscription Cost: No
Published by:
Dulcinea Media
Authors/Selectors:
Internet Research Experts

5. 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.

6. Subscription Cost: No
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

7. Key Features
 Vibrant appearance
 Easily searchable
catagories
 Links to other kid-
friendly searches
Subscription Cost: No
Published by:
Infotopia
Authors/Selectors:
School Librarians,Teachers,
and Educational Consortia

8. 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.