Search Engines: Teoma

Teoma is the "new kid on the block" in the search engine world. While its database of indexed webpages is not nearly as large as Google's, it offers features not currently found on Google.

Let's take a look...

Click here to open Teoma in a new browser window.

One of the first things you will notice is that Teoma offers allows you to search for phrases by checking the "Find this phrase" box.

Enter the phrase like insect lesson plans into the search box and check the "Find this phrase" box. Click the search button or press the enter/return key on your keyboard. When the results page appears, you will notice that the results have been divided into three sections.

The Results section displays not only a list of hits but offers links to Related Pages (other webpages with similar topics). This feature can quickly turn up dozens of useful pages.

The Refine section offers additional keywords and phrases related to your topic. Clicking on one of these links will immediately run a new search, adding the keywords or phrases to the search bar without your having to type them. Try clicking on several of the Refine links to narrow your search parameters.

The Resources section offers, in my opinion, the most useful feature found on Teoma. In analyzing the search results, Teoma identifies pages with multiple links. Assuming that these pages have been created by experts and enthusiasts who have spent considerable time in creating a link collection, these pages are separated into the Resources section. Click on several of the links in this section and you will find pages with dozens of links to the topics.

Using your research topic, explore the Results, Refine and Resources features on Teoma. Add other keywords, phrases, etc. to your "Analyze Your Search Topic" page and don't forget to add new bookmarks/favorites to your collection.

Now, click on the Teoma Advanced Search link to check out the advanced search options. You will see that features similar to those found in the Google's Advanced Search. Be sure to check out the "Advanced Search Tips" tutorial which offers additional hints.

You may be thinking that these two excellent search engines will be all that you need to locate additional elementary curriculum resources... but wait, there are other options.

Next: Searching with FAST (alltheweb)