Friday, September 30, 2011

Visual Searching with Spezify

 If you are looking for a new way to have your students search for information, check out Spezify.  This search tool keeps is simple and the results are presented in a non linear way with boxes that you can click on for more information. Spezify does not differentiate between types of media so your search will include images, blogs, webpages, tweets, video, etc.
You can modify your search preferences on the "tools" page and they include a safe search option.

This is a portion of results for "columbus day."  As you can see, there are a number of relevant choices for me to check out and others that are not relevant.  The visual presentation makes it easy to decide how you want to extend your learning.  This is a lesson that I believe all students need to learn. 


Another way to use this tool is to search for your name in Spezify to see your digital footprint.  I believe everyone should know what is out there about you.  This is another important skill for students and teachers and Spezify is a good visual search tool to help you do your search.

To help you use this keeping it simple tool, here is brief tutorial on Spezify.
I hope you enjoy learning a new search tool and as always, leave a comment if you use this tool with your students.