GOOGLE and Noodletools

Better Than MOM!

You guys are probably just like me in that when you want to know something, you ask your parents. It has been a standard comment by people everywhere.  "Go ask you mother" or "go ask your father" was said many, many times in my childhood. Even today, as things come up in life, my parents are a source of information and advice for me.  However, when I REALLY need quick, and accurate information without the long conversation that comes with talking to my parents, GOOGLE is my go-to choice.  

We are all accustomed to using keywords to search for the information that we need.  KEYWORDS are the most important words or phrases you want a search engine to hunt for.  

Did you know that if you include quotations around your keyword that the search is then limited to the exact way that you keyed it in.  For example:

• A search on Honey Bees will produce results of all pages that contain the word Honey or the word Bees. I received about 1,820,000 results .
• A search on "Honey Bees" will produce results of all pages that contain both the words Honey Bees separated by a space. I received about 1,150,000 results.

Boolean (boo-li-an) Searching is also an option.  Boolean search allows you to seek out information in the form of a question.  For example:

• If you type the keyword Tobacco you will get a list of all websites that contain the word Tobacco. I received about 50,600,000 results.
• If you type the question "What are the adverse affects of tobacco"? I received about 997,000 results.

A problem that I often encounter with students is that when a search is conducted, the students assume that they can only look within the first results page.  This is not always the truth.  I think that it is important to teach our students how to read a search page.

A SPONSORED LINK is a link you can click on to see an advertisement for a product.  The words SPONSORED LINKS are there to tell you that what you are about to click on will be biased and is not meant to inform but rather to persuade.  GOOGLE offers many additional features that I have discovered many people are not utilizing.

The greatest little-known tool is GOOGLE Advanced Search.  If you go to the GOOGLE homepage and click on the ADVANCED SEARCH tab found to the right of the search box, you will be amazed by what you see.

The advanced Search Feature is on the right hand side.

Once you click to enter, you will be able to expand your search results.

You should be very specific with your search keywords  It will produce a narrow look into your topic.

GOOGLE SCHOLAR is another feature that is really, really great.  It is found by clicking on the MORE tab on the top left of the screen.

According to GOOGLE, the scholar search feature allows your results to produce "only scholarly literature from many sources such as books, journals, and articles."  I have found this feature to be pretty good for up-to-date academic information.  Let me show you an example:

1.  Access GOOGLE SCHOLAR 

2. Type in video games in education (without quotation marks.)  You will receive 405,000 results.

3. Type in "video games in education" (with quotation marks).  You will receive 445 results.  BIG DIFFERENCE!

4. Click on the Advanced Scholar Searchto the right on the search bar.

5. In the DATE field, type "2007-2009". 

6. In the SUBJECT AREAS field, click on SOCIAL SCIENCES, ARTS, and HUMANITIES.  You will now have 108 results.  AMAZING!!

GOOGLE BOOKS is also found under the MORE tab.  It has access to literally millions of libraries and publishers and their books worldwide.  Just like GOOGLE SCHOLAR, an Advanced Search feature is available.  Yes, I know.  This just keeps getting better and better.

GOOGLE has many other cool features to offer as well.  Below is a video provided by PCWIZKIDS that will explain how to use GOOGLE to do all of the following:

• Define words
• As a calculator
• Figure conversions such as USD to PESOS, kg to lb, and seconds in a year
• Determine time
• Look up movie show times
• Look up airline flight status
• Search by site type
• Finding music fast

NOODLETOOLS

Outside of GOOGLE, I have found http://www.noodletools.com/ to be an invaluable resource.  After navigating to the site, you will see a list of available features. My personal favorites are the ones highlighted in YELLOW.

 By clicking on CHOOSING THE BEST SEARCH you will see a list of categorized search engines by task.  This is a very lengthy list but your students can find what they are looking for on based off of questions listed on the left hand side and then they are provided with the best search engines to get the results that they desire.  As much as I love GOOGLE, it is not the only place to find what you are looking for.

 By clicking on NOODLEBIB EXPRESS, you can quickly create MLA, APA, or CHICAGO style citations that can be copied and pasted into a document.  Isn't that convenient.

Please use the above information to save yourself time and to inform your students about the options available to them when conducting research.