S x 3: Search!

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Table of Contents

S x 3: Search! Google More About Google Using Boolean Search Techniques Advanced Google Access U of T's Library (& Databases) Through Google Scholar Beyond Google Be Social, Find a Community and Make Friends

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Teachers face a world where more and more students (and more and more businesses) make use of the online world, especially Web 2.0. In order to support teaching and learning, teachers can use any number of easy and free web applications, but we need to know what's available to us and to our students. Because the web is overwhelming huge, this can often be intimidating. I call the strategy I have used and continue to use "S x 3":

1. Search
2. Select
3. Save

 

Google

 

Google, right? That's easy!

Google is definitely a part of it, but definitely not all of it. We'll start there.

 

More About Google

Check out the "manuals"!

• http://www.google.com/support/bin/static.py?page=searchguides.html&ctx=basics
• http://www.google.com/intl/en/help/features.html

 

Using Boolean Search Techniques

Learn how using this fun visual tool! Fun for and with students, too!

• http://www.boolify.org/

 

Advanced Google

Take 12 minutes and learn how to research, not just search, on Google:

http://www.ikebarberlearningcentre.ubc.ca/health/tutorials/Google/Google%20Tutorial%20for%20Health_fs.htm

Although this UBC tutorial is focused on health queries, the techniques are useful in any discipline.

 

Access U of T's Library (& Databases) Through Google Scholar

 Google and the U of T Library.pdf

 

Beyond Google

Sometimes the best way to keep up with Web 2.0 teaching possibilities is not by searching, but by following. There are thousands of edublogs available. You have to find the one(s) that you find relevant and helpful.

• Google has a blog search engine - http://blogsearch.google.com/blogsearch?hl=en but ...
• Technorati is the most respected place to search for blogs - http://technorati.com/blogs/tag/education+ESL

 

Be Social, Find a Community and Make Friends

There are a number of edublogger communities; try out some of the following and if you find yourself enjoying someone's posts, "friend" them and follow their blog posts.

 

My favorite is the one I started with, originally called Elgg; renamed Eduspaces

• Check out some of the members' blogs - http://eduspaces.net/

Here's an Ontario group, Commun-IT, using the same structure as Eduspaces -

• Again, check out some of the blogs - http://www.commun-it.org/community/

I was very impressed with the MERLOT Conference I attended in Minneapolis, and they have a social network which includes some ESL distance educators. You can also access learning objects and lesson plans there -

• http://taste.merlot.org/MERLOTVoices.html

 

To find out more about selecting web sites, and how to follow them, go to

• Select
• Save