Gooru: Comprehensive Math and Science Searches

Gooru -search results are shown in thumbnails and grade levels are indicated.  
You can:

• Search for resources, collections or quizzes
• Study individual resources or entire collections
• Practice with an adaptive assessment system
• Interact with your peers and teachers
• Save -- and customize -- your favourite learning materials

"Gooru is a search engine for learning that allows you to explore and study over 2,600 standards-aligned and personalized study guides. Study guides cover 5th-12th grade math and science topics, and resources include digital textbooks, animations, instructor videos and more. All resources are vetted and organized by teachers or Gooru’s content experts, so you don’t have to sort through the mess of subpar educational resources available online yourself. 

Gooru also makes it easy for you to connect with your worldwide peers to make learning a social experience. Post questions to an active community of students, teachers and experts, or find friends and peers to study with. 

Best of all, Gooru adapts to you. Based on the topics you study and your performance on self-assessments, Gooru suggests resources and study guides that will help you master the concepts. You can track your study habits and monitor your performance on any of the topics you study."

This comprehensive search engine can only be used with Safari, Firefox, and Google Chrome.  Some of our schools have Firefox.  If not, you can use the portable version of Google Chrome on your computer.  Contact  your tech coach if you need help getting this.  Portable Chrome   You can install the program on your desktop or onto a USB drive of your school computer.  At home, install the program as you normally would.

Oolone: Visual Search Engine

Oolone

Do you have students who have a difficult time reading through the lists of search results?  You could introduce them to a more visual search engine called Oolone.  This could be great alternative for EAL students.

To make this work better for you, try more specific search terms.  For example, if you are researching dolphins, try "dolphin behaviour" or "dolphin biology" instead of just the term "dolphin". That way the search results will not include the Miami Dolphins and websites on dolphin stuffed animals!


You can see visual copies of websites in Google as well, but you have to mouse over each site.  Oolone displays a number at a time.

Google Squared Labs - Instant Table Builder

Google Squared Labs

"Google Squared is an experimental tool that takes a category (like Canadian provinces, roller coasters, or digital cameras, etc.) and attempts to create a starter "square" of information, automatically fetching and organizing facts from across the web. You can modify your square by removing rows and columns you don't like--or by adding new rows and columns and having Google Squared attempt to fetch the relevant facts. Verify and correct the facts in your square by exploring the original sources and investigating other possible values. If you're happy with your square you can save it and come back to it later. Google Squared does the grunt work for you, making research fast and easy."

Maximizing Web Browsing Experience Using Google Chrome

If you're frustrated by being blocked updating Flash while using Internet Explorer and some websites will not view properly there is a simple solution..... Use Google Chrome.

Google Chrome Download Homepage

Please note that Google Chrome will be part of our new image when it's deployed in the 2011-12 school year, but some staff may want to take advantage of this browser now or at home. As this program installs to your personal "Documents and Settings" folder (which we have permission to), any staff or student has the capability to download and install this program at school.

Is Chrome Right For You?

Advantages of Using Google Chrome
Chrome Webstore Explained
Web Apps Explained
Installing Apps and Extensions in Google Chrome    (note: Create Google account to allow installation)

Some Neat Google Chrome Apps To Consider
3D Tin - 3D Modeller
Solve a Cipher - American Cryptogram Association
The Raven - Edgar Allan Poe (great for Hallow e'en)
Sort Sort Revolution - Comparing objects by different categories
Brightstorm - Thousands of free Math and Science videos
Psykopaint - convert any photo into a piece of art

Better Searches, Better Results

For help in improving your internet search techniques and therefore results, you may want to try out some of the helpful ways to search for information courtesy of Google.


These tips will aid in searching for an exact phrase, excluded words, similar words, multiple words and numerical ranges.  For example, you can start a search but exclude certain words in that search.  bass -fishing  This way you will get results about a bass instrument, rather than a fish.
Using the Google search suggestions can also be used to more easily find definitions, site specific information, math answers and conversions right within the search engine.  For example, you can type a simple math equation into the Google search bar and the answer will be given directly below - no need to go to a website or calculator.


Google Search posters


Google Search help -see this for more features you can use to narrow the focus of your searches