3. Links to all studies & articles discussed
may be found on the last 3 pages of
this presentation and in a blog post at
http://bit.ly/teachtensteps
This presentation is also available as a
YouTube video that will play after the
last slide, and is available at
www.YouTube.com/findingdulcinea
4. Dulcinea Media provides free content &
tools that help educators teach students
how to use the Internet effectively.
More about us and our products:
http://www.DulcineaMedia.com
Sign-up for our free daily newsletter:
http://www.findingdulcinea.com/info/newsletter.html
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@findingDulcinea & @findingEdu
5. “It is very likely that our students’ brains
have physically changed– and are
different from ours – as a result of how
they grew up.” 1
-- Marc Prensky
9. • After a year long information literacy program,
most fifth grade students continued to rely
entirely on Google and “never questioned the
reliability of the websites they accessed.” 2
-- Vrije University Netherlands
10. • Even when high school students found a good
source they did not recognize it and instead
launched a new search. A high level of browsing
is carried on at the expense of thinking and
planning. 3
-- Shu Hsien L. Chen
11. • “Electronic media can “overwhelm youth with
information that they may not have the skills or
experience to evaluate.” And literacy skills
overlap with safety skills. 4
• -- Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet &
Society, March 2010
12. • Students without Web research training show up
at college “beyond hope”….”they have learned
to ‘get by’ with Google.” 5
-- University College London
13. • Not one of the 600 college students surveyed
"could give an adequate conceptual definition of how
Google returns results.” 6
--ERIAL study (Illinois)
14. Dulcinea Media’s 2010 Survey
We asked students 27 multiple-choice and
open-ended questions.
15. We Surveyed
We Surveyed
300 middle
300 middle
school and
school and
high school
high school
students in New
students in New
York.
York.
16. How do you begin your search?
• Almost half of middle school students chose “I
type a question.”
18. ... what do you do next?
• I try another search engine.
• I try different keywords but if I still can't find
an answer, I just think real hard for an
answer.
• I focus on the encyclopedia.
29. In Conclusion….
A majority of students:
don’t know how to form a sound search query;
don’t have a strategy for dealing with poor
results;
can’t articulate how they know content is
credible;
don’t check the author or date of an article.
33. “Librarians must be
able to retool and
stay ahead of
teachers and students
-Joyce Valenza
media specialist
Springfield Township, PA
34. Recognizing reliable sources
+
consider infinite options
+
Understanding intellectual property rights
+
Engaging modern audiences with conclusions
= EFFECTIVE USE OF THE WEB
35. “Students see educators
modeling an effective
research process and
learn from it.”
-Colette Cassinelli
librarian/ technology teacher
Portland, OR
36. Models & Resources for Web Research
• Review the Big6 model.7
• Share the Ergo search model with students. 8
• Teach Ten Steps for Better Web Research.
http://www.SweetSearch.com/TenSteps
37. No Quick Fix
• Effective web research skills cannot be
learned in a week, a semester, or a year.
• They must be taught year-round, throughout
primary school years, and can be mastered
only as students mature and gain experience.
38. A New Approach?
• Authors of ERIAL study: teach broad concepts
and strategies, not use of specific tools.
39. "Unless we can demonstrate some measurable
payoff to searching, students aren’t going to do it.”
- Lisa Rose-Wiles
librarian
Seton Hall University
40. How Do Effective Researchers Behave?
• Start general with several keywords
• Try new combinations in a systemic manner
• Use more precise, or even natural language. 9
• Look well beyond the first few results, and return
often to favorite, reliable sites.
41. “Use better interfaces and more sophisticated
indexing methods to nudge students, incrementally,
toward competence.”
- Casper Grathwohl
Oxford University Press
42. Step 1: Where to Search
• The Internet may not be the best place to
start; databases may help you find what you’re
seeking far faster.
43. Step 1: Where to Search
• Don’t count on search engines to do all the
work for you. Ask a librarian or teacher to
recommend individual sites.
• Use student-friendly tools for aggregating
your own favorite sites. e.g. Symbaloo or Diigo.
44. Step 1: Where to Search
• Give students
a list of 10 sites; include
two poor sources.
• Students must defend
their sources and point out
weak links.
- Michelle Baldwin
Vocal Music Teacher
Omaha, NE
45. Step 2: Try Several Search Engines
• Suggest a two-week “Google Holiday” to
lessen dependency.
• Introduce meta-search engines (eg. Zuula).
More about search engines: http://bit.ly/bO7FbB
46. Step 2: Try Several Search Engines…..
• SweetSearch searches
35,000 websites that research
experts have evaluated and
approved.
• SweetSearch4Me features
sites for emerging learners.
•We created these, yet don’t
use them exclusively– we use
the full range of resources.
47. Step 3: Dig deep for the best results
• Many websites rank high for reasons
unrelated to the quality of their content.
• Professionals and academics don’t practice
Search Engine Optimization.
• Don’t stop at the first page!!
48. Step 3: Dig deep….
• Google and other search engines optimize
their results for adults, who want to know “what
happened today.” Google recently promised to
deliver “50% fresher” results.
• For school research, “fresher” is not usually
better.
49. Step 3: Dig deep….
• Yolink enables users to browse search
results in context without opening them.
• Integrated into SweetSearch, Yolink can be
used on other sites through a browser add-on.
50. Step 4: Think Before You Search
“If you don’t know
where you’re going,
you’ll probably end
up somewhere else.”
- Yogi Berra
51. Step 4: Think Before You Search
• Define your task.
• Have students rewrite
assignments in their
own words.
- Angela Maiers
education consultant
Maiers Education Services
52. Step 5: Make Search Engines Work for You
• Connectors AND and OR can be moderately
effective.
• Quotation marks are a critical tool students
should know when to use.
• But advanced search options are the best way
to mandate or exclude certain words.
53. Step 5: Make Search Engines Work for You
• As you search, add new keywords.
• Avoid “looping” by documenting your search
with a bookmarking tool, or keep a written
record.
54. Step 6: Don’t Believe Everything You Read
• No single element determines a website’s
credibility.
•ALWAYS verify critical information with
several sources.
55. Step 7: Find Primary Sources
•Think of primary sources such as photos,
diaries and newspapers as “eyewitness
accounts” – which are generally considered
more reliable than second-hand information.
More: http://bit.ly/6CnTrq
56. Step 7: Looking at the Original Source?
• If you suspect a site may not be the original
source of information, google a key phrase.
• If the phrase appears on another site,
evaluate the credibility of that site.
More: http://bit.ly/9k6a2v
57. Step 8: Who Published the Article?
• Do editors or experts review the information?
Is it thorough?
• Do the author and publisher have a well-
established reputation? Search their names in a
search engine.
58. Step 8: Who Published the Article?
• If the site does not provide the name of the
publisher and its editors you cannot rely
on it.
• Even if it “looks good or sounds good.”
59. Step 8: Who Published the Article?
• See 10 Reasons Why
Students Can’t Cite
Wikipedia.
More: http://bit.ly/dlxX6i
60. Step 8: Who Published the Article?
• Assessing the top level domain (.com. .gov,
.org, .edu) is not as useful as commonly
believed.
• Be wary of sites containing words like
"free/discount/best/your/Web.”
• Be critical of sites where advertisements blend
with content.
61. Step 9: Why Was the Article Written?
• Always ask, “why did the writer write this?”
• Is the site trying to sell you something?
• Does the site have any social or political
biases? Eg. WhiteHouse.gov is not a neutral
source for information on U.S. Presidents.
62. Step 9: Why Was the Article Written?
• Many websites that appear to offer valid
information but were created for another
purpose.
•More: http://bit.ly/9dzELE
63. Step 10: When was information written
or last revised?
• Determine when an article was published or
last updated.
• If you can’t, then confirm the currency of the
information elsewhere.
• Use a news search engine, add the current
year as a search term, or Advanced Search
Options to restrict dates (imperfect).
More: http://bit.ly/9dzELE
64. The End?
Yes, but it’s only the beginning of our efforts to help
educators teach students how to use the Web
effectively.
We will offer versions of the Ten Steps for
emerging learners, and lesson plans and videos.
Sign-up for our newsletter to be kept updated on
our progress.
http://www.findingdulcinea.com/info/newsletter.html
65. Works Cited:
1. Prensky, Marc. “Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants” : On the Horizon. NCB University Press, Vol.
9 No. 5, October 2001
2. Els Kuiper, Monique Volman and Jan Terwel. “Students' use of Web literacy skills and strategies:
searching, reading and evaluating Web information.” Information Research: Vol. 13, No.3,
(September, 2008.http://www.informationr.net/ir/13-3/paper351.html
3. Shu-Hsien L. Chen. “Searching the Online Catalog and the World Wide Web.” Journal of
Educational Media & Library Sciences, 41 1 (September 2003) 29-43
4. On “Empowering Parents and Protecting Children in an Evolving Media landscape” Berkman
Center for Internet & Society. February 24, 2010. http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/node/5951
5. UCL. “Information behavior of the researcher of the future”: 11 January 2008.
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/programmes/reppres/gg_final_keynote_11012008.pdf
6. Steve Kolowich, Searching for Better Research Habits, Inside Higher Ed, September 29, 2010
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/09/29/search
(cont’d)
66. Works Cited:
7. Eisenberg, Mike. “What is the Big 6.” The Big 6: Information & Technology Skills for Student
Achievement, (1997)
http://www.big6.com/what-is-the-big6/
8. “Research Skills.” State Library of Victoria. Ergo. (2010)
http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/ergo/research_skills
9. Media Post: Google Research Focuses on Search Failures, September 21, 2010
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=136114&nid=118854
10. Kasman Valenza, Joyce. “PowerSearching 501”: Springfield Township High School Library
http://www.sdst.org/shs/library/jvles.html
