WolframAlpha is a great search engine. I wish I knew about it when I was in high school! You can search any school subject or topic and see illustrations, definitions, and related topics. For example, I searched "long division." I saw five different examples of long division problems worked out for me, a brief definition, and links to related terms such as "dividend" or "divisor." It's not only for math though. I also searched WWII. My results included, countries involved (with links), people involved (with links), a simple timeline, and a brief summary of the events of this war. I would recommend this search engine as a starting point for students' research, but it is probably not enough to stand alone as your only source.
education.iseek.com
This search engine is targeted towards students, teachers, administrators, and caregivers. You can choose to search either over education or the web. I chose education. I did another square root search. I am much more pleased with my results on this search engine. There is a column to the left that breaks down the findings into sub-groups, one of them being "Students will understand." I love that. You can also narrow your search by subject, source, resource type, grade level, subject, even standards by state. This is a search engine that I will definitely use again.
kayak.com
Kayak.com allows you to "compare hundreds of travel sites at once." It allows you to search hotels, flights, rental cars, and combination packages in one convenient place. You simply enter your starting location, ending location, and travel dates. You can then browse among your options to find the cheapest rate or best value.
Care.com
Care.com is a search engine that helps you to find affordable babysitters in your area. This is especially useful for families who are new to a city or region, and have not made many contacts yet. Parents and babysitters each create a profile or resume stating thier needs and what they have to offer respectively. Parents can include the rate they are willing to pay and babysitters can include the rate they are willing to work for.
AngiesList.com
This is a website dedicated to helping you find affordable, reliable services locally. These services range from plumbers to babysitters and the ratings are done by actual customers, so you know you can trust them. The only drawback is that it is not free. There is a $4 monthly fee or $10 yearly fee for the basic package. I just don't know how often a person is in need of a repairman. It seems like getting recommendations from friends or coworkers would be just as easy and a lot more free.
Craigslist.com
Craigslist is a very popular search engine. I know I use it all the time. It is essentially one big, local yard sale. Anyone is able to post items they are wishing to sell from old toys to cars. Even rental homes and apartments can post on this site. I have used it when looking for a house to rent, looking for a car to buy, and even looking for a used washing machine to get me by. I would definitely recommend it, but exercise caution.
Ask.com
This is a general internet search engine much like Google. It does differ from Google in one way though. It does not only search what you type word for word. For example, I searched "How many days until Christmas?" My top results were for a Christmas countdown clock. In a way, ask.com can think for itself. It still gave me useful information even though I couldn't think of the exact thing to search for. This can be both a positive and a negative attribute. Sometimes, I want to search for something specifically, word for word.
Refseek.com
Refseek is unique in that it allows you to narrow your search. My search was narrowed via the directory to Health and Medical. Then I was able to search Type 2 Diabetes with no problem. My results came from medical journals and reputable websites such as the Center for Disease Control and the American Cancer Society. This search engine would be very useful for students needing valid research.
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