FYI: Index reveals what kids are searching for online

What are students searching the web for most frequently while at school? Turns out, it's math games, animals, and historic figures and events, according to an unscientific index of the 15 most popular in-school search terms released by Thinkronize Inc. The index is taken from Thinkronize's netTrekker d.i., a child-safe educational search engine reportedly used in some 20,000 schools worldwide.

Here's the full list:

1. Games
2. Dogs
3. Animals
4. Civil War
5. George Washington
6. Holocaust
7. Abraham Lincoln
8. Multiplication
9. Math Games
10. Weather
11. Frogs
12. Fractions
13. Planets
14. Sharks
15. Plants

As time passes, the index might reveal a pattern reflecting what is taught in schools at certain points during the year. The search terms also might help educators learn what topics prompt students to search for additional information online, perhaps owing to outdated textbooks.


***Adapted from From eSchool News staff and wire service reports dated on Friday, May 16, 2008