Harness the Power of the Internet

The internet is a vast world of information. It's all at our fingertips, but it can be overwhelming if you don't know how to find what you're looking for. Here are some tools to help you navigate this web universe.

Power up Google Searches: We've all been there. You want to search for something on Google but can't think of how to refine your search so that you don't end up with too many unrelated results. How do you achieve the perfect Google search? Here are 10 tips to get you started:

There are even more Google search tips here. In my class, I am introducing a new Google search tool each week, and letting the students practice. I also plan to make a poster of some of the most useful search tools that they can reference throughout the year - one of my projects for the summer.

Wolfram|Alpha: This site is crazy!

Taken from the Wolfram|Alpha Site

Check out what this engine can do...

I mean, why do any actual thinking on your own anymore? Just kidding. 😉 I can see this as being most useful in secondary education, especially in higher-level math and science.

Searching for Copyright-free images: The internet is FULL of images, but most of these images are protected by copyright, so you can't just go copying and pasting all willy nilly. Then, how do you know which images you can use, and which you can't? Watch this video that I made for my students for help finding ok-to-use images on Google.

Searching for Images in a Google Doc: To save you even MORE of your precious time, Google has made finding safe images even easier within Google Docs, Slides, and Drawings. When you are creating a new Doc, Slide or Drawing, first...

Then,

From there, you can choose the image type and main color (if you’re looking for clipart of a red house, for example), and insert your image. All of the images provided are already labeled for personal or commercial use, so you don’t have to worry about copyright issues.  It’s super easy and quick. Enjoy!

Wasn't that easy? I love that students can do this and not have to worry about usage rights. That's a time saver in my book. 

I hope this post made you feel more powerful, or at the very least, a little more knowledgeable about how to search the sea of information. Happy searching!