Google Wonder Wheel

The geniuses at Google (or evil overlords, depending upon your viewpoint) have done it again.  The Wonder Wheel is a fabulous search tool.  It graphically illustrates synonymous or tangential search terms.  I use it with students to help them clarify search terms when they are trying to narrow topics for research projects.  Type in your search topic, then select “show options” on the blue bar under the search window.  From there, select “Wonder Wheel” and watch the magic begin.  I just ran a search for “banned books” and got the following results:

You can get more specific search results by clicking on any of the hotlinked spokes on the wheel.  A new wheel appears, with even more search terms.  On the right side of the page you see the articles and sites related to the terms.  Try “Georgia habitats” or “figurative language” or any terms you need.  Your students will love this.

I have already put the wheel to good use in my graduate studies.  I ran a search for “self-directed learning theory” and important theorists and topics appeared.  On the right hand side, I found articles from Google Scholar and references to standard texts in the field.  It gives you a starting point in developing your search strategies.  Happy hunting!

Linda Martin

School Librarian – Sugar Hill Elementary

Gainesville, GA

Doctoral Student – College of Educaion, Department of Lifelong Education, Administration and Policy

University of Georgia

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