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Safe Image Searching for Teachers & Pupils
RM Filter Policy - Information on how to Block and Unblock websites via the RM Filter.
Some of the information on this page has been taken from the former DfES, Superhighway Safety Website.
Images can be an excellent teaching tool. Effective use of images can make it easier to teach difficult concepts, can provide a stimulus for class discussion, or add visual appeal to a teacher's presentation or the individual work of pupils. The internet can provide a wonderful source of images, many of them copyright free, but finding appropriate images can be a challenge.
Many major search engines offer pre-set image searching from the homepage, often with safe searching options to filter results. However such searches and filters generally work on the basis of filename and description, and so can lead to misleading, unexpected or inappropriate results, sometimes of an adult nature. While teachers may find search engine image searches useful in lesson preparation, they should always be used with care and caution, and it is probably wise not to use them 'live' within a classroom setting.
An alternative to search engines is to use specialist web-based image collections - sites which deal specifically with key subjects such as the arts, animals, history or scientific concepts. These have the benefit of being closed collections, monitored and moderated by specialists within their field. Many now have an educational focus and provide copyright permissions specifically for educational use.
The Wirral Learning Grid has provided two safe search facilities:
The Picture Bank
A store of locally produced photographs and images provided by Wirral teachers and Educationalists. If you register with the Wirral Learning Grid site you can add your own images.
http://www.wirral-mbc.gov.uk/picturegallery/index.aspThe Safe Search Engine
List of websites in categories reccommended by Wirral teachers for their content and relevance to teaching, learning or homework. Many contain image libraries.
http://www.wirral-mbc.gov.uk/search/safesearch.aspThis page, while not comprehensive, lists some web-based image collections and search services which might be useful for educational use.
Disclaimer
Please note, this listing is not comprehensive, and is only intended to give an overview of some of the resources available. Reference to specific image banks and websites in this document does not imply endorsement by the Wirral Learning Grid, nor does exclusion imply the reverse. Teachers are encouraged to check the relevance, child-friendliness and copyright restrictions of any web-based image banks before using them in the classroom. Further information on copyright is available in the document Intellectual property and copyright on this site.>> Safe sites with education copyright permission
>> Image sites which should be used with caution
>> Search engines for children with image resources
>> Sources of further information and adviceUseful websites for parents to view with their children
These sites have been selected as quality assured websites of educational content. They have been identified as safe at time of viewing for children of Key Stages 3 and 4. More Details...
Safe sites with educational copyright permission
The following sites are child-friendly and have copyright permissions for educational use.
AHDS (Arts and Humanities Data Service) Visual Arts
Although primarily aimed at further and higher education, the AHDS Visual Arts offers a searchable archive of visual arts images which may be of interest to older pupils. Covering subjects such as art and design, photography and fashion, materials can be used for personal educational and research purposes only in accordance with the terms of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act (1988). You will need to register to use this resource.
http://vads.ahds.ac.uk/ArtMagick
ArtMagick is a non-profit virtual art gallery displaying paintings from art movements of the 19th and early 20th centuries. It contains over 3,000 paintings by more than 100 artists.
http://www.artmagick.com/British Pathe
The British Pathe Film Archive covers news, sport, social history and entertainment from 1896 to 1970. The site offers free preview facilities for all users, and English schools can download all content free of charge for use in the classroom.
http://www.britishpathe.com/CHILDE (Children's historical literature disseminated throughout Europe)
This project, funded by the European Commission's Culture 2000 program, promotes wider and more open access to images of early children's books in Europe. The site contains 1,000 digitised images from books published up to 1890.
http://www.bookchilde.org/Kids Domain
Kids Domain is a family resource aimed at children (aged 3-12), their families and carers, and teachers. It provides a range of downloadable resources including clipart and icons organised by category such as holidays, sport, animals and seasons.
http://www.kidsdomain.com/Living Library
Provided by RM, the Living Library provides access to collections of clipart, sound and video, categorised by primary or secondary education. This is a subscription service.
http://www.livinglibrary.co.uk/Math and Reading Help for Kids Link
Description: Math and Reading Help for Kids is a growing directory of original articles and resources centered on the topic of children's education.
http://math-and-reading-help-for-kids.orgNational Geographic
The website of the National Geographic Society provides access to an online photo gallery, organised by topic.
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/NASA Earth Observatory
The main purpose of this site is to provide free access to new satellite imagery and scientific information about Earth. Images are generally free to use, unless copyright statements indicate otherwise.
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/North Chadderton School
The North Chadderton School Global Community Zone provides a gallery of images, organised by topic such as fossils, science, and butterflies. There are 21 albums in total, containing almost 1,400 images which can be used freely for non-profit, educational purposes.
http://www.mywebschool.org/postnuke/PastPix
The PastPix website provides access to approximately 20,000 original photographic subjects from the 1850s onwards.
http://www.pastpix.com/Pics4Learning
Pics4Learning is a copyright-friendly image library for teachers and students, consisting of thousands of images that have been donated by teachers, students and amateur photographers.
http://www.pics4learning.com/Image sites which should be used with caution
The following sites provide a good source of images for use in the classroom but should be used with caution - these sites may provide access to full web search facilities, or may contain links to advertising or age-inappropriate content.
ARKive
The ARKive website provides excellent pictures of animals but the search page has a Google search box which will allow a full web search. The main site also provides access to ARKive education with resources for teachers, and Planet ARKive for children aged 7-11.
http://www.arkive.org/Awesome Clipart for Kids
This website provides a school clipart collection, and links to two other favourite school clipart sites with a clear warning to 'watch your kids while surfing'. Some of the sub categories have links to sites which may provide full web searches.
http://www.awesomeclipartforkids.com/schoolzone.cfmClip Art Warehouse
The Clip Art Warehouse contains thousands of clip art images, which are mostly free to use. However the site does contain commercial advertising and links to commercial search engines.
http://www.clipart.co.uk/index.shtmlThe Graphics Gallery
This is very useful resource, with a range of free resources. However, some content and links from the site may be inappropriate for children and young people, and so might be best used as a teacher resource only.
http://jsmagic.net/free/Search engines for children with image resources
The following search engines are provided specifically for children and young people, and provide a source of images for use in the classroom. As with other websites, they should be used with caution - they may provide access to full web search facilities, or link to sites which may contain advertising or age-inappropriate content.
Ask Jeeves for Kids
Ask Jeeves for Kids is primarily a fast, easy and safe way for kids to find answers to their questions online, and each website included in the service is selected by an editor. The site provides access to clip art through a link to Kids Domain (see above). However, the 'fun and games' section provides links to many materials for older children which are not particularly appropriate for a younger audience.
http://www.ajkids.com/KidsClick
KidsClick is a web search service for children, developed by librarians. The kid's image search page searches various image sites including Pics4Learning (as mentioned above). Some of the other searched sites, such as Alta Vista image search and Ditto.com, are aimed at a more general audience and so may contain some age-inappropriate content, and so should always be used with caution. KidsClick also lists special image databases, which although not produced specifically for children, may contain some useful resources.
http://www.kidsclick.org/Sources of further information and advice
TASI: Technical Advisory Services for Images
The TASI website provides advice, training and resources on using digital images in education. Although primarily aimed at the further and higher education communities, the site also provides lots of information which might be useful for primary and secondary level teachers. The site offers an image site search, and the resources section provides a comprehensive guide to searching the internet for images with tips and advice on how and where to find images, and links to numerous relevant resources.
http://www.tasi.ac.uk/
© Copyright 2008, Children & Young People's Department, Wirral Council. |
This page was last updated on Monday, 17 December, 2007