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F R E E T E C H 4 T E A C H E R S . C O M
Beyond Google
Fifteen tools and strategies for helping students (and your colleagues) to
explore the web beyond the first two pages of Google results.
Freetech4teachers.com Freetech4teachers.com
Teaching Tools Secrets of Google Firefox Add-ons Kid-safe Search Real-time Search About the Author
Resources for Google has some These handy little Parents and Check out these Did you enjoy this
teaching students built-in features Firefox (and IE) teachers worried search engines resource? Want to
how to use operator that many people add-ons can speed- about their children designed to bring know more?
words and how to never utilize. up and improve stumbling upon you the most Contact the author,
alter their search Discover these your Internet inappropriate current and Richard Byrne.
terms. features to improve searches. materials will want popular links. Page 7
your search Page 4 to try these search Page 6
Page 2
experience. environments.
Page 3 Page 5
Freetech4teachers.com
When given a research assignment
the place where most students start
their research is on Google.
Unfortunately, many students will
never look beyond the first page or
two of results. They may try to alter
their search terms, but if a student
hasn’t been taught the proper
techniques, they will often end up
seeing the same links over and over
again. The tools and techniques
outlined in the following pages will
help you help your students
improve their Internet search
strategies.
Permission is granted for non-commercial reproduction. For questions about reproduction of this material please contact the author at richardbyrne@freetech4teachers.com
1
F R E E T E C H 4 T E A C H E R S . C O M
Teaching Internet Search Strategies
Resources teachers can use to teach internet search strategies.
The Boolify Project
The Boolify Project is a simple The Boolean Machine Common Craft Videos
jigsaw game that teaches students Rockwell-Schrock's Boolean Common Craft produces excellent
the effects of "and," "or," and "not" Machine is a simple way to show videos that take potentially
on Internet search results. students how the terms "and", confusing topics and breaks them
"or", "not" affect the outcome of a down into simple terms.
The game is simple enough for search.
elementary school students to Common Craft’s Web Search
benefit from, at the same time the The Boolean Machine is a simple Strategies in Plain English is an
game provides valuable lessons for program to use. To use the excellent video for introducing
high school students. To see the Boolean Machine simply hold your students to a variety of Internet
effects of operator words on a mouse pointer over each word and search strategies.
search, students drag and drop you will see an explanation of how
operator words into the jigsaw each operator word affects the Web Search Strategies in Plain
puzzle. search. English explains how search
engines work, how to pick search
In addition to the Boolify game, The Boolean Machine was created words, how to use quotation marks
the Boolify Project has links to in part by noted technology in a search, and how to combine
teaching resources and videos integration expert Kathy Schrock. search methods.
explaining the effects of operator
words on Internet search results. You can find the Boolean Machine You can find the video at http://
at http://kathyschrock.net/rbs3K/ commoncraft.com/search
You can find The Boolify Project at boolean/
http://www.boolify.org
Permission is granted for non-commercial reproduction. For questions about reproduction of this material please contact the author at richardbyrne@freetech4teachers.com
F R E E T E C H 4 T E A C H E R S . C O M
Refinement Tools Within Google
Google offers some excellent search refinement tools that a lot of teachers
and students don’t take advantage of. These are three of the best.
Related Search Timeline
Related search is probably the Wonder Wheel Google’s Timeline option allows
most obvious search altering users to refine their searches by
Wonder Wheel is not as easy to
option offered by Google, but the dates referenced in the online
find as the “related search” option
because the related search terms materials. Timeline displays a
on Google. To locate Wonder
are usually buried at the bottom of chart on which users can click to
Wheel, click the “more options”
the page, students often don’t click find materials referencing a
link that appears at the top of any
on the options. particular date or range of dates.
list of Google results. Wonder
A lot of students when given an Wheel is then found in the list on
open-ended research assignment the left side of the page.
struggle to pick the right terms to Wonder Wheel takes the concept
enter into a search. Often once of web and applies it to search Timeline is particularly useful for
they’ve entered a set of terms, refinement. Enter any search term history students.
they’re unhappy with the results. in Wonder Wheel and that term
Direct them to try the related will appear in the center of the
search terms that are web. Each branch of the web Related to Timeline is a new
automatically generated by contains a related search term. option for refining search results
Google. Click one of those terms and a new by the date on which something
A small tweak in the choice of web will be generated and linked was posted online. Users can
search terms, particularly a tweet to the original web. It’s a good way specify that they want results only
of operator words, can yield for student to learn about from the last day, week, month,
significantly different results. Each connections between terms. year, or they can specify a
time students tweaks their search You can see a video of Wonder particular date or range of dates.
terms, new related search terms Click the “show options” link after
Wheel in action by clicking here. entering your search terms, to find
appear. Or visit http://freetech4teachers.com/ this option.
2009/05/google-wonder-wheel-in-
action.html
Permission is granted for non-commercial reproduction. For questions about reproduction of this material please contact the author at richardbyrne@freetech4teachers.com
F R E E T E C H 4 T E A C H E R S . C O M
Firefox Add-ons to Improve Your
Search Experience
These Firefox add-ons and bookmarklets can improve your Internet search
experience.
Googlepedia Ambiently Cloudlet
Increasingly, I’m seeing students Do you remember the old days of Cloudlet is a free Firefox extension
start their Internet research on doing academic research? You that helps users refine Google
Wikipedia before going to Google. know, back when to find content search results through the use of a
There’s nothing inherently wrong related to what you were reading tag cloud. Cloudlet takes just a
with that, but often that process you looked in the book's minute to install. Cloudlet doesn't
yields duplicated information. bibliography. Ambiently takes that clutter your browser’s toolbar
That’s where Googlepedia can be concept and applies it to web because it only appears when you
useful. research. use Google.
Googlepedia is a Firefox add-on Ambiently is a browser Cloudlet produces a tag cloud
that allows users to see Google bookmarklet that allows you to related to your search terms. Once
search results side by side with quickly find websites related to the you have installed Cloudlet simply
Wikipedia entries. To use one you're currently viewing. For enter search terms in Google as
Googlepedia simply enter a search example, if I'm viewing a website you normally would. To refine
term in Google and if there are about fly fishing in Maine I can your search simply click on any of
matching Wikipedia entries they click the Ambient Page the tags in the cloud generated by
will appear on the right hand side bookmarklet and I will be shown a Cloudlet.
of your browser window. list of websites that are also about
fly fishing in Maine. Installing You can see a video demonstration
You can find Googlepedia by Ambiently is a simple matter of of Cloudlet here. http://
clicking here or by searching in the dragging and dropping the www.getcloudlet.com/swm.php?
Firefox adds-on directory. This is Ambient Page bookmarklet to your page=video
the url for Googlepedia: https:// browser's toolbar. To get Cloudlet click here or enter
addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/
Find Ambiently at http:// this url into your browser: http://
addon/2517
www.ambiently.com www.getcloudlet.com/
Permission is granted for non-commercial reproduction. For questions about reproduction of this material please contact the author at richardbyrne@freetech4teachers.com
F R E E T E C H 4 T E A C H E R S . C O M
Kid-Friendly Search Environments
Three places designed to provide children and families with a safe and
appropriate Internet searching environment.
Kido’z KidRex Quintura for Kids
The user interface of Kido'z is KidRex is a kid-safe search engine Quintura for Kids is a visual search
designed to be used by children as powered by Google custom search. engine designed for kids. Quintura
young as three. Children can KidRex uses a combination of uses a combination of icons and
navigate Kido'z using kid-friendly Google's safe search mode and text to provide students with an
icons. Kido'z tries to make content their own database of filtered easy way to search for information
easy to find by dividing it into keywords, phrases, and websites to on the Internet. By placing their
three categories games, videos, provide a family friendly search mouse pointer on a word or
and websites. environment. picture, students will see
subcategories from which to select
Kido'z gives parents the power to In the event that a questionable
information.
select the websites that their website does get past the filters,
children can view. After installing KidRex has a site removal request With a minimum of direct
Kido'z, parents set an form. instruction, young students can
administrative password and begin begin searching the web. Quintura
You can find KidRex at http://
specifying the websites that their provides a good platform for
www.kidrex.org/
children see. introducing students to searching
for information on the Internet.
If parents are looking for new web
content that their children can If you would like to try creating You can find Quintura at http://
safely enjoy, Kido'z will offer your own kid-safe search engine, quinturakids.com
suggestions based on the age, you can do so by using the Google
gender, and native language of the Custom Search creator. It’s free
child. and available to anyone that has a
Google account. You can find the
You can find Kido’z by pointing
Google Custom Search Engine
your browser to http://kidoz.net
creator at http://
www.google.com/cse/
Permission is granted for non-commercial reproduction. For questions about reproduction of this material please contact the author at richardbyrne@freetech4teachers.com
F R E E T E C H 4 T E A C H E R S . C O M
Real-time Search Engines
Real-time search is the newest category of Internet search. Real-time search
engines draw results from traditional sources as well as social networks like
Twitter and social bookmarking sites like Delicious. These search engines
provide you with the most up-to-date and most discussed items on the web.
Scoopler One Riot
Scoopler is a search engine that OneRiot is a search engine that Collecta
allows you to simultaneously pulls its search results from Collecta is a real-time search
search Delicious, Digg, Twitter, Twitter, Digg, and other social engine that draws its results from
and Flickr in one place. sharing services. Twitter, YouTube, and various
Using Scoopler is quite simple, OneRiot lists search results based blogs and news websites.
enter a search term and you'll find their current popularity. This Like Scoopler and OneRiot,
results from all four of those means that search results are Collecta is useful for those times
services. Results are sorted into based on what are currently the when having the most current
two columns, "live" which provides most shared and discussed links information on a topic is
the most recently shared links and rather than all-time rankings. This important.
"popular" which is based on the is particularly useful if having
number of times a link has been current research or current news is
shared. more important to your Internet
search than having possibly dated
Scoopler and other real-time material.
search engines are good for finding Twitter Search
new and popular teaching OneRiot can be a good place for A lot of Web 2.0 and social media
resources. For teachers I liken students to find and track experts claim that Twitter is the
shared bookmarks on the web to developments in current news first place they go to when they’re
shared lesson plans within a stories. OneRiot is also useful for looking for information. Even if
school building. students that are searching for the you don’t have a Twitter account,
latest news to include in a report you can still search Twitter to see
You can find Scoopler at http:// about a niche topic in science or
scoopler.com what people are talking about and
economics. to see the links they’re sharing. To
Check out OneRiot at http:// do this visit http://
oneriot.com search.twitter.com
Permission is granted for non-commercial reproduction. For questions about reproduction of this material please contact the author at richardbyrne@freetech4teachers.com
F R E E T E C H 4 T E A C H E R S . C O M
Explanations and Disclaimers
This guide is by no means a comprehensive list of every Internet search strategy. Nor does
it list every search engine. Most notably Microsoft’s Bing and Yahoo’s search engine were
left out of the discussion. This decision was based on data from Compete and TechCrunch
indicating that Google’s market share of searches was near 65% at the end of 2008 and has
since increased. Also of note, this guide did not include Wolfram Alpha which is a very
promising alternative to Google, but is yet to grab significant market share.
The decisions to include these tools were entirely my own. I do not have any affiliations,
financial or otherwise, with any of the companies whose services are mentioned in this
document.
About the Author Contact the Author
Richard Byrne is a high school social studies Email: richardbyrne (at) freetech4teachers.com
teacher in a Maine public high school.
Phone: 1-207-890-6922
Richard is the author of Free Technology for
Teachers a blog that has a daily readership of Twitter: twitter.com/rmbyrne
13,000+ subscribers. In 2008, Free
Technology for Teachers was awarded an FriendFeed: friendfeed.com/rmbyrne
EduBlogs award for the best resource sharing blog.
Richard is available to facilitate professional development
workshops for your school or organization. In the past he has
facilitated workshops for public schools and presented at state
and national conferences.
To learn more about Richard, please visit:
http://www.visualcv.com/richardmbyrne
Permission is granted for non-commercial reproduction. For questions about reproduction of this material please contact the author at richardbyrne@freetech4teachers.com
