Safe and Successful Searching Literacy Through Technology

Welcome! While folks arrive, please go to ed1stop.net and log in as my student. Username: TheresaNierlich_stu Password: nierlich Check out the links in the bookmarks under Literacy Through Technology

Agenda: Safe & Successful Searching Discuss benefits and pitfalls of online searches. Learn safer and effective searching strategies Develop a hotlist for your topic

Review Students need to develop deep questions: –more than a one word or sentence answer; –require multiple sources; –Motivating or interesting to the students

Model Big Question: What led to the similarities and differences between Native American tribes? Create smaller, researchable questions -> What resources were available in different areas? What landforms surrounded the tribes? What was the climate in different areas?

Identify Key Search Terms What resources were available in different areas? (NA food, NA resources) What landforms surrounded the tribes? (geography, landforms) What was the climate in different areas? (climate, weather)

Identify Problem Words What words might throw off the search? -What resources were available in different areas? (American, links) -What landforms surrounded the tribes? (maps) - What was the climate in different areas? (today’s weather report)

What can go right? More information than we can provide in class or at school More interactive and interesting Requires thinking and analysis (when done well)

What can go wrong? End up at “bad sites.” Can’t find any information Believe everything they find- no evaluation of material Can’t read what they find

What are the options? Hotlists Indexes and Directories Search Engines

Hotlists: A list of websites selected by the teacher and linked to the Internet Advantages –Safe (usually- Van Gogh example) –No problem with typing errors –Free –Saves time for students Disadvantages –Takes time to develop –Limits what’s available –Need to keep updated to avoid broken links

Places to Create Hotlists Filamentality- Ed1stop.com- student page under bookmarksEd1stop.com Scholastic Teacher Homepage BuilderScholastic Word Document with linksWord Document

Indexes and Directories Screened and organized sites Focused Advantages- someone else did the searching; likely to be appropriate Disadvantage- limited scope

Indexes and Directories KidsClick!- screened by librarians; search by reading level; info about picturesKidsClick!- Yahooligans- kid-friendly, organized Librarians’ Index to the Internet- screened by librarians, organizedLibrarians’ Index to the Internet

Library Databases Most libraries have an online, searchable database you can access using your library card Ed1stop.com has a link to the Contra Costa County Library system

Activity Using the indexes and directories listed, search for websites that pertain to your Big Question. Find the sites at the ed1stop.com site. When you find a site, copy and paste the address into a Word document. 10 minutes

Search Engines: Google & Yahoo & Altavista, oh my! Advantages –Access to a wide range of information –Can be refined to find what you actually need Disadvantages –Not screened –Not organized –Will find ANYTHING even remotely related if not defined well –Anyone can post anything they want on the Web

Searching Strategies Four NETS for Better Searching –Start Narrow –Find Exact Phrases –Trim back the URL –Look for Similar Pages

Good Google Searching Go to google.comgoogle.com Click on Advanced Search Search using Boolean logic –“with ALL of the words” –“with the exact phrase” –“with at least one of the words” –“without the words”

Good Google Searching Search by language Search by date Search by domain type Find similar sites Find sites that link to the original

Evaluating Websites: Can you trust this site? Check the ending –.gov- from the government, usually safe –.edu- from an educational institution, usually safe, but there are some odd professors out there! –.org- from a non-profit organization, think about the motives of the group –.net and.com- anyone can have one

Evaluating Websites: Can you trust this site? Guidelines for evaluating a site Site to use with your students

Activity: Create a Hotlist Use the tips and sites we discussed to create a hotlist for the topic of your choice. Filamentality directions are in your handout. Scholastic.com Ed1stop.com- add bookmarks to student page

Next Time Empowering Readers –Making text accessible to readers at many levels –Making sense of the text