Blekko is a search engine that launched last fall with the purpose of trying to change the way the people search the web. Blekko uses a system of what they call “slash tags” to refine and sort search results. For example in if I type the search “German Shepherd” in Blekko, I’ll get all results mentioning German Shepherds. But, if I type “German Shepherd / training / date” I’ll  get the most current results about German Shepherd training. Watch the video below to learn more about Blekko and the use of slash tags.

blekko: how to slash the web from blekko on Vimeo.

Applications for Education
I don’t know if Blekko is going to replace Google anytime soon as the “go to” search engine for students, but it certainly is an alternative worth introducing to your students. Blekko’s use of slash tags does put search refinement right in front of students as opposed to Google’s placement of its search refinement tools that are sometimes buried in the margins or and the end of a menu.