Send kids to the sites you want them to see with Google Custom Search

If you have a particular topic that your students will be researching on the web, consider creating a Google Custom Search to guide them. This fantastic tool allows you to hand pick the sites that you want returned or emphasized in Google search results. To create a custom search, simply choose the sites you want to include in search results and give your custom search a name and description.

One of the best features is that you can choose to only search the sites you've listed, or allow it to include other sites, but ranked lower than the ones you've selected in the results. Here's an example of a search I just created for research on American presidents. The students I'll be working with are comparing the Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon administrations. I have included several sites such as the Library of Congress, the official White House web site, and PBS. Since I want students to also be able to find sites that focus on a specific president, I've selected "Search the entire web but emphasize included sites."

I would be concerned about overuse of Google Custom Searches, especially if it interferes with teaching students how to conduct good searches and evaluate sites. However, as training wheels for younger researchers, it's an incredible tool.