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findingDulcinea
Pros: The easy-to-navigate site helps kids research dozens of topics.
Cons: The site is no longer updated, so resources are old.
Bottom Line: It can help kids quickly find credible websites for study and schoolwork, but those resources will be a bit out-of-date.
Teachers and students can use findingDulcinea to quickly identify sources for research or study and to avoid sifting through dozens of unreliable or irrelevant search engine results. The extensive guides have nearly 20 categories, ranging from automobiles to arts and entertainment. Basically, it's a way to streamline web searches.
Parent and teacher resources include links to sites that can help educators create lesson plans, as well as online teaching communities, educational podcasts, and other materials.
Editor's Note: findingDulcinea is no longer available.
findingDulcinea helps you and your students find credible, quality information online. Teachers should note, however, that the site is no longer updated and the publisher now focuses on SweetSearch. FindingDulcinea has original content as well as links to external sites with accurate information on many topics and from sources like the Mayo Clinic and Oregon State University. A brief description accompanies each suggested site, and major themes are listed near the top of the article for quick reference. Kids can find content by searching for terms. A search for women's history, for example, turns up a brief overview of the U.S. suffrage movement and a list of linked sources used in the story. Search results also list original content. A detailed index on the home page lists site sections, and kids can click on navigation tabs and drop-down menus.
The site's Guide to Web Search ensures that kids learn research practices and how to evaluate sources, although these skills aren't necessary when using findingDulcinea's curated content. Students can read about more than a dozen current events such as global warming and the conflict in Afghanistan, and the original articles are the right length for kids and thoroughly researched, with source lists that reassure them, and you, that the information is accurate.
In some cases, there are two sections on one topic. The career guide, for example, offers business etiquette and other best-practice information, including networking help and job-hunting tips. A second career page in the Beyond the Headlines section features articles.
findingDulcinea's only real drawback is that the content doesn't appear to be updated on a daily, or fairly frequent, basis. The home page features an item on a daily historical event, but many appear to be recycled from 2011 or 2012. Also, the site has no interactivity.
Learning Rating
Community Rating
FindingDulcinea for finding and curating credible sites
I like that teachers students can jump on and use the free search engine. What the sites offers does seems a little limited. There are other sites out there that hold resources and allow for students to interact with the materials. FindingDulcinea is for consumption use only.
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