So ...
I really
thought that Google was my best option when looking for information…I was quite amazed by the
three search engines. I hadn’t known about them before.
Noodletools:
The
search engines in this site are classified according to categories of
information needs: defining subject, the results of qualitative field research,
real-time information, factual information, views and perspectives, and other
media types.
Among
search engines / directories offered: Academic Subject Guides includes a
selection of links to various research areas, Google and Bing and the 'related'
property for finding good results, SweetSearch - search engine for students,
good for background on a specific subject…and more…
For
my own purposes as a future English teacher, I searched for some 'Teacher Resources'.
It was divided into three main subjects: 21st Century Literacies, Curriculum
Collaboration Toolkit and The Ethical Researcher. I had chosen 21st Century
Literacies and I got a very organized division related to language literacy. For
example: Basic Language Literacy, Visual Literacy, Historical Literacy and more…
Well,
that could be very useful.
Google scholar:
Google Scholar is a freely accessible web search engine that indexes the
full text or metadata of scholarly literature. it allows users to search for
digital or physical copies of articles, whether online or in libraries.
For example I chose "teaching reading skills" and I got a few
new books about teaching reading. It seems useful.
Simple
English Wikipedia:
The
Simple English Wikipedia is an English edition of the online encyclopedia
Wikipedia, primarily written in Basic English. The articles on the Simple
English Wikipedia are usually shorter and present only basic information. It's
great for beginners learning English.
For
example: when I searched for the word 'grammar' I got a very short and clear definition:
"Grammar means the rules about how to speak and write in a language"
there
was a bit more information about grammar sources but the first definition was
enough for basic understanding for the word 'grammar'. In comparison, I checked
the word 'grammar' in Wikipedia and this is what I got:
In
linguistics, grammar is the set of structural rules governing the composition
of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language. The term refers
also to the study of such rules, and this field includes morphology, syntax,
and phonology, often complemented by phonetics, semantics, and pragmatics.
For
nonnative speakers it's not easy to understand…
I also found NoodleTools to be a good site for finding background information. I also liked Simple Wiki and didn't think it was missing anything important factually. I think it's a great tool for younger readers and nonnative speakers.
השבמחקAfter looking at all of these research tools, if I had to do detailed research on something, I would use more than one of the tools. Like you, I didn't know all these tools existed, and now I know how to do both more general and more focused research. Google often has too many irrelevant entries that come up in a general search and some of these tools help eliminate that.