Ed Tech Ideas

When searching the internet, students generally go straight to Google, type in a query and use the first hit that comes up. Often times, this may be adequate, depending on what they are trying to discover. However, when researching information for a project they are working on, more advanced searching techniques need to be applied, and most students (particularly at the elementary level) are limited in this ability. Enter (of all things) Google. Google has created what they’re calling the “Search Education Evangelism Site“.

Lesson Plans

	Start out (Basic lessons)	Step up (Intermediate lessons)	On top (Advanced lessons)
Understanding search engines	What is the Web?	Google landing	The keys to search city
Search technique and strategies	Which links should I follow?	Mixed media	Believe it or not
Features and operators	Hello operator	Quick finds	Slicing & dicing

The site contains 9 different lesson plans (as shown above)  for teachers that focus on the basics (what is the web) to refining search techniques, to more advanced features of inquiry.  Below is an example of one of the presentations that are included within each lesson plan:

For more ideas on teaching children to become better online researchers, read Web Searching – Don’t Believe Everything you Read Online, an article I wrote for ISTE’s Leading and Learning with Technology magazine.