EDU221InternetSearching

toc =Searching the Internet= __Class Activity Part 1__
 * 1) Find a search engine or meta search engine that you've never used before. Make sure you are the only one in class using that search engine.
 * 2) In the search window type two words with a space inbetween but no other punctuation: Theresa Overall
 * 3) //(I know it looks conceited to have you search for my name, but you'll see why I did it in a minute . . . I just happen to have a last name that makes this exercise interesting.)//
 * 4) Report to the class the name of your search engine and how many hits you got.
 * 5) Look through the list. How many of those hits are really about me? How did the other pages make it into your search?
 * 6) Now, in the search window, type the same two words but with quotation marks around them: "Theresa Overall"
 * 7) Report to the class the name of your search engine and how many hits you got this time.
 * 8) Are the results better? worse? more? less? What's different? Why?

=Finding Info on the Internet= __Class Activity Part 2__
 * 1) Now imagine that you are researching cowboys in the Wild West of America in the late 1800's. Using the same search engine, type this one word with no punctuation: cowboys
 * 2) Report to the class the name of your search engine and how many hits you got.
 * 3) What is the most common "bad hit" that you are getting?
 * 4) Type in your search window the following two words with a minus sign in front of the second word: cowboys -football
 * 5) How many hits did you get? Is it less? Are there fewer bad hits?
 * 6) Now try typing in the search window: cowboys -football -dallas
 * 7) Are the results better? worse? more? less? What's different? Why?

__Class Activity__ __Part 3__ Go to google.com and click on "advanced search" on the right side of the search window.
 * What are all those features good for and when would you use them?
 * Be sure to check out the ability to [|sort by readability]--that could prove really helpful when looking for sites for your students with lower reading levels (whether you're teaching lower grades or your students aren't reading on grade level).
 * Check out these [|Google search tricks from TIME Magazine].
 * [|There are other search engines besides Google.]

__Class Activity Part 4__ Watch this 9 minute[| video about "filter bubbles."] What are the implications for our classroom, our students, our teaching?

=Evaluating What You Find on the Internet= __Part 5__

Different types of Web pages have to be evaluated differently. You wouldn't evaluate a simulation game the same way you would an encyclopedia page or a "how-to" page on building a ship in a bottle. You also evaluate videos differently than Web apps. This exercise focuses on evaluating articles and reports that are on the Web.

Search for a page that your students could use to research information for your unit in Dr. Grace's class. It could be a page that contains information about your unit topic that your students could use as a reference or that you might use to learn more about the topic. Find a page that is not a Wikipedia page (though you could've found your site by starting at Wikipedia and checking the references). //NOTE to English and Math concentrations: This particular set of evaluation criteria do not apply to Web sites that explain how to do a math problem or teach the definitions of various figures of speech. Look for Web sites that are more like an encyclopedia article, perhaps an article about a famous mathematician related to your unit or the author of a book you might use for your unit.//

This exercise is about learning criteria for evaluating a website, so it's okay if you use a page that does not have good quality. (It might make the exercise more interesting if you use a bad page.) Here's the document that you will fill out to evaluate your website. Be sure to convert your final version to a .pdf file with your name in the filename before you upload it to the artifacts wiki:



Now that you know how to do it well, here's [|a video with a quick way to remember most of the components] you need to evaluate.

=Teaching Others How to Search/Find/Evaluate= __Part 6__ [|DON'T ASSUME YOUR STUDENTS KNOW HOW TO SEARCH!] Just because they're digital natives doesn't mean they know how.

Eeeeeek!! how on earth can you help your students be successful in searching the Web and finding "good stuff" (Internet sites that won't get you fired). [|Common Sense Media has resources used by many schools]in the country (as well as parents and community organizations) for "hands-on instruction in safe, responsible, and meaningful ways to use the Internet."

[|This website by the WebQuest folks] has a good mnemonic and additional techniques you can use to have more successful Internet searches. It also gives a good approach for teaching your students about finding good information on the Internet.

__Additional Resources on the Topic of Finding and Evaluating Internet Sources:__ http://del.icio.us/texastheresa/internet.evaluation

=Standards=
 * Standard 4 Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility: Teachers understand local and global societal issues and responsibilities in an evolving digital culture and exhibit legal and ethical behavior in their professional practices.
 * Indicator a. Advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources