Another Web Search Blog Post

Web searches are an overlooked skill that need to be taught to students.  The following video resources were retrieved from GoogleHelp YouTube channel.  If you have a YouTube account, I suggest following this channel as they come out with a lot helpful videos related to Google Products. These resources were compiled here in order to provide help with Google Searches and can be good tips to share with students.  The first video shared above all of the rest is a basic set of tips that can provide help for any search.

Basic Search Tips

Specific Search Tips

The next set of videos are more specific search tips.  They are extremely short and straightforward, which is exactly what I like to see in a YouTube video.  I'm not a big fan of watching videos that are over ten minutes on YouTube.  For me YouTube is my quick and dirty way to learn something.  I say dirty because sometimes multiple videos have to be used and sped up to find exactly what you need sometimes.  Even though you might have to weed through a few bad videos from time to time, YouTube is still one of the fastest ways to learn a difficult skill that couldn't be learned through tinkering.

Ideas and Techniques

Although this document, which I believe was created by +Richard Byrne, provides a list of search techniques to try that will make a "Google Search Star," there aren't many examples displayed here.  The second tip has a video associated with it, but the other techniques do not.  That's where I challenge you to locate someone demonstrating these techniques on YouTube.  Use YouTubes search bar and locate the reading level filter.  Or if you are like me, try it first and then seek help from YouTube.  

3 Topics to Promote Digital Literacy

Searching Google is a skill and I would claim it is as important as many reading skills being taught today.  Many teachers are engaging students in a more project-based approach to learning.  As a result, students have to locate information on topics they are studying.  

Finding "Just Right" Sites: 

If students are researching a topic, it is crucial that they are locating age-appropriate sites.  It's like a Goldilock test.  Students need to be able to tell when a website is...

1. Too difficult, 
2. Too easy, or
3. Just right 

I might provide students with a rule similar to discarding difficult books.  For instance, if the first paragraph has 3 or more unknown words, this website is might be too difficult.  Of course, I wouldn't want you to say, "Get out of this website immediately!"  But, it at least gives students the thought that if this site is too difficult to understand; I shouldn't use it.

To help guide students to kid-related sites,  have students use the phrase "for kids" within their search.  Additionally, Google has a search filter that allows you to search for "easier" reading levels for students.  No, you cannot search websites for their associated Fountas & Pinnell reading levels, but it gives you the choice of easy, moderate, or advanced reading materials.  Refer to the image for accessing the Reading Levels search filter (Disclaimer: Google likes to move things around; so, this is where the reading level search filter was the day this post was published.)

Search Suggestions: 

First, teach your students basic searching tips.  Engage students in digital literacy skills by providing practice with searching.  It really is a skill to effectively search for specific topics and using keywords will usually eliminate unwanted websites.  Google's Search Education lessons will help even the most novice searcher, but there are advanced search tips for the Google Ninjas.

Take the Google-A-Day challenge...

Reliable or Not:

Next, I would focus on teaching students how to spot reliable/unreliable websites.  Check out the these Edcanvas resources and see if you or your students can spot unreliable websites: 

1. Spot the Unreliable Website 1
2. Spot the Unreliable Website 2

Have students use a checklist to evaluate a site's reliability.  NetSmartz has a decent evaluation tool on their site.  Their evaluation tool looks carefully at the website, the author, and the information.

These are lessons that should be iterative and not a one time process.  Instead, whenever you, as a teacher, see the need for lessons on finding just-right sites, searching the web, or determining a site's reliability, just intertwine these topics within one of the projects you are completing within your classroom.  

Web Searching

I created this slideshow to introduce fifth grade students to effective web search tips.  At the end of the brief presentation, I had students practice what they learned with a few Google-A-Day challenges.  I gave students a specified time-limit and a post-it-note.  They were asked to search and show (not tell) me the answer they wrote on the post-it-note.  After the time limit was up, students answers were collected and posted on the board to discuss.  We then reviewed what students did to get the fastest and most accurate search results.  The students practiced searching two more Google-A-Day challenges and  again we reflected on their techniques and search results.  Last, the students applied the search tips and techniques with their individualized research projects.

Google search from Dan Gibson