Better Google Results You Can Do

Last week I shared "Better Google Searching You Can Do". I focused on the conversation I had with a teacher about using a kid-safe browser vs teaching better search skills. I recommend we teach better search skills since I firmly believe they will serve our students long after they leave our classrooms.

This week, I'm back with a follow up. Let's say your students use the tips I shared and do a better Google Search.

Now what? 

Using better search terms will help get better initial results. Can we help our students at this point go through the results and narrow down to find the better results? 

Of course!

These tips will definitely take practice, but once you & your students get into a routine of using them, you will hopefully find they pay off in the quality of your results. Post this in your Google Classroom (or other LMS or website) so your students can refer to them anytime they do a search. I choose to focus on "tropical rainforest animals" - feel free to use this as the example and have your students do a search on their own topics. 

The link to this presentation is "Better Google Search Results". 

Feel free to use it in your class "as is" OR make your own copy of it.

And rounding this series out, the 3rd part will focus on helping students to cite their work once they've found the sources they are wanting to use.

I've also gathered several resources in my Google Chrome Wakelet collection. 

Have a question or comment? Feel free to comment below, reach out to me on Twitter @kiefersj, or email me at sarah@techyoucando.com.

Better Google Searching You Can Do

A big part of my job is having conversations with teachers about ideas they have for their classrooms. I recently had a conversation with a teacher who wanted to know what would be a safe search engine for her students. This teacher was asking with the best of intentions - wanting to do what she can to protect her students. I completely understand her thinking, but I challenged her idea of using a "kid safe engine". Instead, I proposed this ... we spend the same time teaching her students how to perform "better" searches on the search engine we all know they will use tomorrow and for years in the future. She agreed, and I agreed to join this conversation with her students.

Research is an important skill that is taught in some way at each grade level. At younger grades, it could be using books and other print material to find information about Presidents or animals. At older grades it could involve researching hybrid cars or causes of the Civil War. I've seen my 7th/8th grade students only doing basic searches. I've seen my own daughters coming home with projects and would have very little direct instruction on how to research.

Teaching students how to do better internet searches can be a very valuable lesson ... and one well worth the time. Imagine if we can teach our students how to limit the millions of results? Imagine if we can teach them how to filter out some of the 'noise'? Imagine if we can teach them how to use the built in tools to narrow their results even further? Imagine if we teach our students how to search so that it doesn't matter if they are researching an animal or historical person or event or even a disease?

How about we take 30 minutes and give students - of all ages - some direct instruction and practice? Practicing good searching skills can pay off just like practicing math facts or collaboration or reading. And if we, the teachers, provide time to learn some solid search strategies, it tells our students we value good search skills and we want our students to find better information. 

There are 6 basic search tips, along with 4 advanced tips. 

The link to this presentation is "Better Google Searching ... for kids!". 

Feel free to use it in your class "as is" OR make your own copy of it.

Next time, I'll be back with how to filter out even more once you've done your search. This is the next step in researching online. Your search terms are important, but once you've done this, we'll look at how to find better results from this point. And rounding it out, the 3rd part will focus on helping students to cite their work once they've found the sources they are wanting to use. 

I've also gathered several resources in my Google Chrome Wakelet collection. 

Have a question or comment? Feel free to comment below, reach out to me on Twitter @kiefersj, or email me at sarah@techyoucando.com.

Thankful Thoughts You Can Do

I can not hide my love for working with students. I was a classroom teacher for 14 years, after all! As a technology integration specialist, I don't work with students as much as I used to, but I am lucky enough to work with students at two elementary buildings. I'm even luckier that I am able to work with all their teachers, too! You could say these are two somethings that I am thankful for!

With November's arrival - my FAVORITE month - I was talking with a 4th grade teacher I collaborate with often. She was throwing out numerous wonderful ideas and we finally settled on a "short" activity I could do with her students. 

It's November, and the whole month is all about fall and Thanksgiving (at least here in America). I was inspired by this TWEET I saw by Tara Martin & Tisha Richmond. Loved it! But our students are only 4th graders, so rather than using social media, I created a Google Slide students can make a copy of and learn some Slides skills while creating a similar image. 

I'll have them share it with me & we can display them in the hallway. I could also opt to make a published Slidedeck that can be shared with the parents, too! So many options!

Are you interested? Here's what I created ... feel free to make your own copy & use it with your students. Click ↬ LINK.

Interested in other Thanksgiving related activities? Check out my Thanksgiving Wakelet collection (there might even be a Thanksgiving related song or two!)

Have a question or comment? Feel free to comment below, reach out to me on the socials (linked above right) or email me.

4 Google MyMaps Activities You Can Do

Last week I shared an intro to MyMaps - one of the unsung hero's of the Google Apps. You can read that here, "Google MyMaps You Can Do". This tool is fantastic for students of all ages. This week is all about activities you can do with MyMaps.

You might think MyMaps is only for the Social Studies classroom, but you'd be mistaken. MyMaps can be a great tool to use across the curriculum. I know I was blown away the first time I saw MyMaps being used for something other than a map.

I've created a Slidedeck with 4 possible activities you could do with your students. You can always "level them up or down" depending on the skill level. In my opinion, one of the best parts, is MyMaps can be individual work OR a collaborative activity. And, just like the other Google Apps, MyMaps are created and live in Drive. The only limitations are the ones we place on its use.

Feel free to share the Slidedeck as is, or make your own copy and modify as it fits you & your students. I've included a link on each activity with an example MyMap. These are only examples - students can do so much more with it than what I've done.

If you like what you see, feel free to make your own copy. TEMPLATE LINK

I also want to give a little shoutout to SlidesMania for the design template I used for the Slidedeck. 💖LOVE, love, love this website 💛. So many awesome Slides templates - check them out!

MyMaps Wakelet Collection

I've also started a Wakelet collection with MyMaps resources, links, and other activities.


Have a question or comment? Feel free to comment below, reach out to me on Twitter @kiefersj, or email me at sarah@techyoucando.com.

Google MyMaps You Can Do

Google MyMaps is one of the apps that doesn't get the love and recognition it deserves. If you've never given it a go, I encourage you to. Today is all about an introduction ... an exploration ... a discovery. Next week, I'll share more specific ideas and lessons you can use MyMaps with.

From a young age, maps, globes, and anything to do with geography has fascinated me. On the rare occasions my family went on road trips, my parents would get a TripTik from AAA. The path would be highlighted and we'd follow it. I loved opening the map and looking at all the connections and cities and roads and landmarks. (Folding them up was an adventure in itself!) This goes right along with the nerdy history buff in me.

I've had the opportunity to share MyMaps with both 3rd & 4th graders over the past year. This is an amazing age to share this tool - they are super inquisitive and have had enough exposure to Google tools that it allows for guided exploration. It also allowed me to share the tool with their teachers so they'd feel more comfortable with it.

Each time I introduced MyMaps, I follow the same lesson plan. (Feel free to use this in your own class.)

• Prepare a completely empty MyMaps, with the share setting edit-able by anyone with the link. 
• You can create & house MyMaps directly in Google Drive
• Use a URL shortener to make an easy link to type in (I prefer bit.ly)
• BEFORE sharing the MyMap, have a short discussion with the class. I strive to build on prior knowledge, so I ask if anyone had ever used MyMaps before (usually no one) and then ask about using maps or GPS (usually everyone had some interaction). 
• Next, tell them we are going to use a Google App called MyMaps and that it would be collaborative. 
• Insert short discussion about what it means to work collaboratively ... never a bad conversation to have
• Then, write the shortened URL on the board and have them type it in. This gives them a little exposure to typing in URL's, but in a meaningful way.
• As students pop into the map, I give them time to explore as I ensure all students are able to get to the link.

At this point, the students are having their own conversations with those around them. I encourage a discovery period and love that they naturally share their discoveries. Since we are only in the intro stage, even if they "do" something, it'l just add to the learning experience. It can't hurt anything.

After a few minutes, I call out to have them put their hands on their heads. This allows us to move to a whole class discussion. I ask them to share what they've found out about MyMaps in the last few minutes. I also encourage them to look at their screen and identify similar tools they have seen in other Google applications, too. Depending on how much they point out, I might need to focus their attention on the share settings, the zoom in/out, or the toolbar. It's pretty impressive to see how much they can learn in a few minutes. 

Here comes the fun part ...

We get really active inside the map. As I circulate the room, I encourage students to help their neighbors, but not to do it for them. I ask them to locate a place on the map they might like to visit on a vacation. We locate the "pin" and we drop it onto our vacation spot. I walk them through changing the name of the pin to their name and then saving it. I remind them we are working collaboratively and ask them to refresh the page. The sounds of surprise as their classmates pins show up is awesome! [You see, MyMaps isn't "live" as the other Google Apps are, you need to refresh to see others work.] They are now locating their classmates vacation spots!

To wrap up this first lesson, we find our own pin again, and when we click on it, we talk about all the tools available. We can change the pin color, change the icon (who wants to stay a boring blue pin when you can be a tornado in lime green???); we also add a description - a 1 sentence reason why you selected this location as vacation spot; and we can even add pictures. Once again, refresh your page, and now you can explore everyone's vacation spot with reasons, updated pins, and possibly a photo or two.

You might be reading this and thinking, ok, but this isn't really doing anything more than playing with a new tool. And I'd agree. Let's discover and play with the tools while teaching students the basics. Next week, I'll be back and I'll share some - what I think are - cool ways to incorporate the use of MyMaps in your classroom. You might be surprised ... they aren't all for the social studies class!

Have a question or comment? Feel free to comment below, reach out to me on Twitter @kiefersj, or email me at sarah@techyoucando.com.