Unit 9: Teach Students Online Skills

In today’s classrooms, online skills are essential and important to the education of our students. When students have the ability to search for answers, they are using crucial critical thinking skills. Many times though, finding reliable sources is a challenging task. This unit maps out how to evaluate sources and how to filter search results through the use of Google Search in Google Chrome.

Search Smart

The Internet is full of available information and the way we use the information is much different than how it was 10 years again. “Searching smarter” saves valuable times and is a valuable skill in the modern workplace. There are three “search smart” basics:

1. Choosing the right search terms
2. Understanding search results
3. Narrowing a search to get the best results

We want to empower our students to help their search and make sure it is from a reliable source. Four teacher interviews were presented and each teacher had a key takeaway bullet. These bullets included:

• Every word counts in a search and we should work with students to identify keywords in questions or prompts to use the in search.  
• When searching smarter, students are much more likely to find the right sites.
• One search may lead to another and broaden the understanding of the topic.
• Search results can be filtered by reading level.

When we first search for something, multiple sources of information appears and can be a bit daunting for a student to sort through. There are a few components we should teach our students to avoid any uneasiness of a search. Some topics to review are the search bar, ads, natural results, filters, and a knowledge graph. The concept that stood out to me the most was the knowledge graph. When searching in Google for a person, a place, or a thing, this graph may be presented in the right-hand side of the screen in an information box. In order to narrow a search to get the best results, three major aspects are outlined. These include modifiers, filters, and search tools. A great modifier tip is using a hyphen before a word in a search will exclude this word from results.

Boost Student Research Skills

When a search is complete, we must assess the validity and reliability of the information. We can pose questions to our students to help them determine the validity of what they are reading online. Example questions can be:

• Who is the author(s) of the content? Do they have any special skills that qualify them to write on this topic?
• Is the content trying to make you believe a particular point of view? Are there ideas or opinions that are missing?

An easy rule that can be applied to online searches is, “Encourage all students to compare three sources of information before coming to a conclusion or any given topic.” This avoids the common misconception that the first search result that appears is the best one to use. When evaluating the validity of a search, some essential points to consider are:

• Ask yourself what opinions or ideas are missing.
• Consider who published the information.
• Look at the domain extension for the site (.com, .org, .gov, ect).

Use Chrome to Explore the Web with your Class

A new vocabulary word was introduced to me; “omnibox.” This is the address bar of Google Chrome. This “omnibox” replaces many apps and tools that are already used in the classroom such as a calculator, measurement conversions, give definitions of words, act as a timer for students, ect. Google Chrome’s capabilities can be extended even further by using a vast number of educational websites, apps, activities, and educational play.