EdCamp Boston was held on Saturday and even though I couldn’t make it in person, I did follow along with some of the Posterous updates about the day. One of the Posterous updates included the list of resources shared during the apps and tools Smackdown session. In that list was a new-to-me search engine called Searchy Pants.
Searchy Pants uses Google Custom search to provide a safe search environment for students. But Searchy Pants offers more than just a simple search engine. You can customize the page on which students search by choosing from a variety of fun background themes. Once you’ve chosen a theme you can add links to your page that you want students to see. For example, you might link to your school’s website or link to a site like CNN Student News. You can also post a custom message for your students to read before searching.
Applications for Education
If you’re looking for a safe search engine for your students to use without actually creating your Google Custom Search Engine, Searchy Pants could be a good tool for you.