OK, so I am going to be honest to tell you I am still trying to wrap my head around the idea of the semantic web. I have viewed a number of videos and read a lot of articles about this newfangled web, but I am still mulling it all over until my understanding of the concept is more clear. I expect that eventually I will feel more confident in my understanding of the semantic web, but today I am more interested in sharing some great search tools I came across that happened to be identified as semantic search tools. If you want to learn more about the concept of the semantic web try searching for the term using the search tools I am sharing in this post…I promise you will get some great results and useful information!

“Hakia is a general purpose ’semantic’ search engine, dedicated to quality search experience.” The search interface of Hakia is similar to Google, but in addition to entering keywords you can ask a question, enter a phrase, or type in a sentence. To truly recognize the value of this search tool, click on the Compare to Google link. You will see a side by side comparison of the two search tools and can start to appreciate the Hakia interface. Hakia highlights key words that will help you scan your search results. You will also see tabs at the top of the page that allow you to learn more. The Credible Site link includes information that has been reviewed by librarians. Currently, this section only covers health and environment topics. You can also view news headlines, go to images about your topic, and meet other people who share your interest. You will appreciate the clean interface of the results and will be able to easily identify credible sites.

The Galleries link found on the Hakia site is another great place to explore, especially if your query is a popular or short one, like Michael Phelps . The strange thing about the people search was the fact that names were listed alphabetically by first name, not last name. I could go on and on, but truthfully you will learn more about this search tool if you take time to test some of your own search queries and and read through the Hakia Blog and About links found at the bottom of the site homepage.

When you first link to Kosmix you might think you are looking at a news or entertainment page. The homepage is engaging and interesting to explore, but rest assured Kosmix is also an interesting search tool. Search results are presented in a dashboard/magazine-style format that includes relevant videos, photos, news, commentary, opinion, communities and links to related topics. You can also sort your results by categories that include reference, media, conversations, news & blogs, etc.

I enjoyed the way these search tools aggregated information, but I can’t picture myself going cold turkey from Google. Still… I do think these types of search tools compliment the big “G.” Your thoughts?

I did not expect to share additional photo-oriented resources again this week, but this site was so much fun I could not resist sharing it with you and it does utilize photographs in a very different manner compared to the sites I reviewed in my Photo Fun post. This site also includes a few apps that are not photo related.

Use the apps found on BigHugeLabs.com to make your Flickr, Photobucket, or computer-housed photographs more interesting than ever. Don’t you love their logo? There are dozens of interesting little apps, games, and utilities that you can play with. The tools aren’t restricted to your photos alone—you can also use any Flickr photo that you have access to, though I suggest that you stick to Creative Commons-licensed content (you can use the advanced search feature in Flickr to find tons of photographs that are CC-licensed). Feel free to explore the 40+ apps found at this site and please take time to share your thoughts regarding the tools using the comments link at the bottom of this post. Here is a short list of the tools that I especially enjoyed playing with, along with a few of my ideas for integration…

• Motivator – Make your own inspirational, funny, motivational poster for any occasion. (great for a poetry unit or for use in foreign language classes)
• Map Maker – Make a map of where you’ve been or where you’re going. Or, trace the route of an explorer in history or set a goal for a weekly walk/run in gym.
• Sunset – Get sunset and sunrise times and the phase of the moon for any location on Earth. Science teachers, what do you think?
• Badge Maker – Make your own ID card, press pass, name tag, unofficial Flickr badge, or any other kind of identification. What a nice touch for parent night or Grandparent’s day in your classroom. Use student photographs to make ID badges for their visitors.
• Bead Art – Turn your photo into super-cool bead art. Choose photographs with strong colors and funky patterns for the most striking results. You could actually use this tool to create a pattern for a photo cross stitch or art project.
• Captioner – Add comic book style captions to your photos! I have posted a sample photo using the captioning tool. I bet students would love to use this tool to create photo cartoons that were fun and curriculum related.

Sometimes when I review a new application or discover something neat online I wish I could boldly go forward and and recommend it in the belief that all students could be trusted to use that application without abusing it. Wallwisher is one such site. It is a neat application that holds so much promise for integration and communication if used responsibly. A teacher can easily post a board (which is essentially a simple webpage) that includes links to articles, audio, or video…no mail registration is required. The neat thing about this application is the ease with which students and users can post and respond to information or questions poised by the creator. Postings appear instantly, which makes real-time collaboration a snap.

Wallwisher couldn’t be any simpler to set up or use. You can create a new board in a matter of minutes that includes a logo/picture, title, subtitle, and colorful background. When you set up a new board you have the option of assigning a wall URL, you can select to keep the board private or make it public, and you can allow people to post to the board or set it up so that you are the only person who can post a comment/note. I would suggest that you register for an account so that you can more easily keep track of your boards. Currently, you can register using your Google account or sign up using your email address. I also like the easy share and embed feature (see samples below) users can take advantage of once a board is created. An RSS feed can also be created for any of your boards.

So how could this application be used for integration? Private boards could be created and used by students to post notes and citations for research and private board could be used as a virtual place to post reminders, etc. As a teacher, you could also project a board to the front of the room as part of a brainstorming or note-taking activity. Teacher’s could also post a board seeking opinions regarding a topic. The possibilities are endless.

While this application certainly shines already in terms of simplicity and usability, I do wish there were a few features that would make the site more applicable to teachers. So…here is my wish list for an already promising product:

As it stands now…I have some reservations about using this site with students, but I highly recommend it for collaboration between teachers and for personal use. Please feel free to explore and post to a couple of boards I created for this post as you learn more about the application and develop your own opinions regarding student use.