According to today's statistics, Google processes an average of 40,000 search queries EVERY SECOND! That comes to around 3.5 billion searches EVERY DAY and 1.2 trillion searches EVERY YEAR worldwide! As unbelievable as this seems, one thing is certain - we MUST train students to effectively sift through all of the information they encounter when they search the web to "find quality sources appropriate to their tasks" and learning. This evening, I ran across a blog post from Richard Byrne of Free Tech for Teachers. Even thought it dated back to 2012, the tips still hold true today. In his post, Byrne highlights ten techniques for conducting more effective internet searches. These tips have also been included in a colorful infographic created by the talented designers at Canva, which Richard Byrne has also made available for download (see PDF version or image featured at the left). As I reviewed these search techniques, the final one piqued my interest, and I had to learn more. As a result, I discovered a new Google resource I had never heard of before. The aim of Google Search Education is to help teachers and students become better internet searchers. Teachers have a variety of search literacy lesson plans and activities readily available for the classroom. Planning is easy with the help of the Lesson Overview documentation, Lesson Plan Map, and detailed plans. Furthermore, teachers can differentiate based on student needs using the leveled approach built into the lessons. For each main topic, there are three leveled lessons - Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced - which include 4-5 relevant activities. When your students are ready to put their search skills to the test, there's A Google A Day Challenges that focus on culture, geography, history, and science. These challenges, complete with ready-made presentation files, are perfect for getting your students "engaged and excited about using technology to discover the world around them!" There are also online courses and webinars for any user wanting to learn more! I encourage you to check out these resources and try some of the lessons in your classrooms. And, when you exhaust the list of Google daily challenges, try out additional ones at "A Google A Day!" |
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