Discussion Forum Module 3.1 – Student-friendly Search Engine: Kidtopia vs. Kiddle

Kidtopia’s top four results were ads, which did take up the entirety of the screen; therefore, scrolling was required to get to the first non-ad hit. The ads were outlined in a box, however, so were the regular hit results and the box displays were bit ambiguous and unremarkable in their differentiation. A decent length list of results were provided, however, there were many ‘double-ups’. For example, six results from Rhyme Zone, three from The Weather Channel and five from IPL (which is an American-based website for useful diverse content for essay writing). Overall, results were a bit dense for primary-aged students. 

Kiddle also returned top results which were ads, however they were quite obvious, being located altogether within a grey shaded box. The first two non-ad hits were Kiddle encyclopedia facts, followed by four other results – two from World Wildlife Fund and two from the Environmental Protection Agency. Each of these results were accompanied by a visual. The fewer options, and also the visual accompaniment gave it a less cluttered feel which was less overwhelming than Kidtopia.

Winner: Kiddle