The Pros and Cons of Search Engines

By: Brooke Kemmet

It happens to me quite a bit. I’m looking up something with my students and we come across something that may not be appropriate. I then scurry to shut the search down but I always think, ‘Was that quick enough? Did she see that?’

Google Images is a great source for pictures of bugs or Pokemon. I use it quite a bit when looking up something. A student will ask me, “Miss. Brooke, what does a stink beetle look like?” 

or “Miss. Brooke, how many legs does a crab have?”

I may be a teacher but that doesn’t mean I know these things. Even if I do, can I describe what a baby python looks like? Probably not. That’s when I pull out my handy-dandy smart phone and hit up Google for some good old-fashioned learning.

Google can backfire, Yahoo is no better. Even Pinterest is not immune to the occasional “oops” pic like googling the word “sunny”.

This is innocent enough. Unfortunately, words can trigger some not so safe images or websites. This is why it's important to use safe search engines when learning with children. Here are two of my favorite.

It goes without saying that the internet is not the best place for children sometimes. But we can help provide them with the amazing wide world web without subjecting them to the darker internet subjects. However, just remember, KidRex is super cute and trustworthy, but we must also make sure we are supervising at all times. And also, remember to switch back to Google for yourself or you may end up finding out how sad the internet really can be.