NetTrekker Provides Safe Searches for Kids

A look at my daughter's elementary school web site finds eight search engines for kids to research school projects and get homework help without inappropriate web content and images popping up. There's Yahoo! Kids, CyberSleuth Kids, and Google for Kids and Teens.

I wish NetTrekker were on the list, too. The search engine for K-12 students now reaches 10 million kids in 19,000 schools through all 50 states. Pennsylvania, Kansas, and Tennessee subscribe to it for all of the states' schools.

Browser filters have done a good job for my kids in their home searches, but I can see the appeal of a walled-off search engine that provides tons of content without worry that kids will see inappropriate images or words. Kids who have access to NetTrekker at school can use it at home for free. If not, home subscriptions are $5 a month or $50 for the year.

NetTrekker employs 400 teachers throughout the summer to vet web sites that the search engine links to, which now number about 180,000. Christine Willig, president of Thinkronize, which runs NetTrekker, says the site aims to cut out fruitless searches by helping kids hone in on pertinent material. The site is organized by elementary, middle, and high school, so kids can search information that fits their grade levels. There's also content from public broadcast stations and educational institutions.

Some nice features:

• A dictionary hot key—click on a word and get its meaning. 

• A text-to-speech option for auditory learners.

•  A timeline maker that allows kids to put in dates of events and biographical info of historical figures and make a timeline.

•  Saved Searches—kids can save research and links they've found while working on several projects.

If anyone's kids are working with NetTrekker at school or at home, let us know what you think about it. And add links to search engines you like your kids to use.