I'm older than the internet. It blows my daughter's mind, but it's true. In fact, I attended the first technology class for teachers at the University of Kansas in 1995. Our final exam consisted of making an overhead, loading a film strip into the projector, laminating a picture, and............... sending an email! So, most of what I have learned about the internet, search engines, and how to research and find materials and information, I did NOT learn in school! I have had to figure things out on my own, ask younger colleagues, and ask my students.
However, this week, in SCHOOL, I learned more about how to more quickly access information and how to more effectively use Google. Of course I have used Google for years, but there have been a lot of gaps in my understanding of how to use Google and there are more ways to use this powerful search engine than I was aware. For example, I didn't realize how adding a few characters to your search could give you more specific results. Using quotes helps you find the exact words or you can find sets of words. I also didn't realize that you can ask Google to search only within a specific site.
What I found even more helpful, however, was finding out that I could add a zip code to my search to get results for my part of the world. I have my students do projects that involve making travel brochures, writing newspaper ads, and trying to sell products. For each of these, students need to have information about specific countries. Google searches can help students to figure out the currency and exchange rates in a few clicks as well as what the weather is like currently, what movies are being shown, and prices for products sold in that area. While I am sure my students know more about Google than I do, I still think that it would be a good idea for me to demonstrate some of these quick tips to my students and not assume that they are familiar with them.
Check out the video below for more ideas about how to search Google effectively:
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