Ask.com launch Ask Kids site

Ask.com have now launched their popular Ask Kids site, Ask have also released the results of a survey that are shocking to us. It seems that 43% of US parents have admitted that they have done their children’s homework for them. Read the full detailed survey below.

Ask.com Launches All-New Ask Kids Search Engine
The safest, most engaging way for kids to search the internet

43% of parents surveyed admit they do their children’s homework for them;
Ask Kids gives students the tools they need to do it themselves

OAKLAND, Calif., August 27, 2008 – With school back in session and families gearing up for the nightly homework grind, parents and kids now have a helpful, new tool to lighten the load: Ask Kids. Today, Ask.com announces the upgrade and expansion of its popular children’s and tweens’ search engine, Ask Kids (www.askkids.com).

For busy families, trying to fit homework into a schedule already packed with extra-curricular activities can really take a toll. In fact, 43% of 778 surveyed parents admit that they actually do their children’s homework for them in order to ease the strain (Kelton Research, August 2008). Ask Kids was designed exclusively as a homework resource for kids and their parents – to help kids quickly and easily research school topics like science, math, geography, language arts, and history in a search environment that’s safer and more age-appropriate than traditional, adult search engines.

“About 90 percent of school age kids are using computers in their classroom and over 80 percent have computers at home, which means that on-line resources and know-how are essential,” says Armin Brott, best-selling author of Fathering Your School-Age Child: A Dad’s Guide to the Wonder Years, 3-9 (Abbeville Press, 2008). “But with hundreds of millions of websites out there, parents need some assurance that their children are finding safe, kid-friendly content. Ask Kids increases the confidence factor by giving students the online tools they need to do their homework on their own – without as much involvement from mom and dad. In the process, it can help students improve their study habits and increase their confidence in their own abilities.”

Studies prove that visual learning improves children’s comprehension, retention, critical thinking, and organization.* Additionally, children are better at “mousing” than typing. Ask Kids was built with this in mind, and organizes search results in a graphically vivid three-panel display that includes SmartAnswers and related images, current events, videos and encyclopedia results. For example, a child who enters the query “George Washington” will see options to narrow their results with “Facts on George Washington,” along with options to expand their results to learn about the “Declaration of Independence,” “American Revolution,” and “Mount Vernon.”

“Ask Kids is a big part of our company’s heritage — since launching in 1999 it has been wildly popular with kids, parents and schools. With nearly 10 years of learnings from customer input and feedback, we’ve created a search engine that’s by far the best out there for kids. Powered by Ask.com’s proprietary search technology, Ask Kids captures kids’ imaginations while offering real answers to what kids and parents are searching for every day,” said Scott Garell, President of Ask.com. “By creating a fun, helpful and vibrant search experience that was made just for kids, we’re building early relationships with future Ask.com consumers.”

Ask Kids features:

Customizable Homepage – the new Ask Kids homepage is interactive to inspire artistic expression and fun with the tools in the Draw It! Pen box including pens and virtual stickers.

Schoolhouse – Find easy-to-access homework help and search tools for popular school subjects including Science, Math, History, Language Arts and Geography. Narrow by subject, check out learning resources, or filter tools by age.

Conversion Tool Kit – Kids can convert world currency, temperature, weight, length, area and even cooking/volume conversions.

Reference Tools – Dictionary Search provides word definitions, pronunciations, and origins; Thesaurus Search offers a full-range of synonym options.

Movies – Kids can easily search for all the latest film information – from their current favorite blockbusters to the next PG -13, PG- and G-rated flicks.

Games – Featuring free games and the unique ability to filter by age, this is sure to please those in need of a quick brainteaser.

Video Search – Kids can search dozens of safe video content providers who offer useful research, including Animal Planet, BBC, Discovery and PBS.

Image Search – Kids can find celebrity headshots, vacation destinations, space explorations, landscapes and more.

Favorite Ask.com Proprietary Features and Tools Integrated into Ask Kids:

Binoculars – With one click the Binoculars Site Preview icon saves kids time with an easy-to-read search preview.

Smart Answers – Fast, straightforward information is provided right at the top of the search results, with extra context and information related to the main query.

Zoom Related Search – Kids can easily narrow or broaden searches with possible alternative terms through Zoom Related Search, which appears on the left side of the search results page

AskEraser – Ask.com’s famous privacy tool is on 100% of the time in the Ask Kids site, so kids and parents can search knowing their privacy is protected.

Each web site in the Ask Kids core search index was selected by the Ask.com editorial team as child-appropriate or as a relevant and practical site for reference and learning. Ask’s proprietary search algorithm then identified communities and collections of web sites linked to the core list, and filtered those to remove adult content.

(The Institute for the Advancement of Research in Education (IARE) at AEL research study entitled Graphic Organizers: A Review of Scientifically Based Research) 2003

Source – Press Release