Power Searching with Google

The idea for this post came from Linda Lindsay’s blog MauiLibrarian2 in Olinda:

For the past week and a half, I have been participating in Power Searching with Google.  In the FREE 6 on-line courses you learn how to better search in Google.  I have taught children and adults how to refine their searches to get what they want.  Besides reinforceing the tips that I knew, some of my favorite “take-away” tips are:

• You can view KML (Google Earth) files in Google Maps.  You do not need have Google Earth installed on your computer.  Why would you want to Preview in Google Maps?  While it is not the same as viewing in Google Earth, by doing so, you get a quick view of the KML file so you can decide if you want to downloaded it.
• You can search Google Scholar to find legal documents, including patents.

• If you want to search within a certain website use the term site:webaddress and then search term.
  For example:  This would look for the term torch within olympic.org website.
• Most people are aware of the Google Translate feature, but did you know you can search within a foreign language website?  Google will translate the website into English for you read.
  Example: You want to read about the Olympics from an Italian prospective
• 

1: In the search box type olympics. On the left side of the results screen, click Show Search Tools

2: Under All Results click Translated Foreign Pages

3: Choose the results for the language you would like.  If you do not see the language in the Results List choose Add Language.

• “Ranking is not the same as credibility.”  When I teach searching, I always stress this to students.  The best results might not be on the first page.

Besides these tip take-aways, I really liked the format – short tutorials and assignments that reinforced the learning.  (In a time where teachers are responsible for so many “new” things, this is a great model to follow.)

To continue to stay updated, it was recommend to follow these blogs: Official Google Blog, Inside Search — The Official Google Search Blog, and SearchReSearch.

What are your favorite Google Search tips?

I am a Technologist

I recently had the opportunity to present at Golden Apple CORE 2012.

CORE, the Center for Ongoing Renewal and Enrichment, provides professional  development and personal mentoring for Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois, which is the largest pre-service teacher-support program in the nation.”
Golden Apple Foundation Website.

During the day I met many people who all had a passion for teaching.  These men and women did not have to be there.  They did not have to be spending a beautiful, sunny, albeit hot, day inside learning.  They chose to!

I had many great conversations that day.  When I arrived, and took my laptop out to set up, one participant said, “Oh you are Mac.”  As I stood there setting up my items, her comment resonated.  ”Am I a Mac?”  Yes, I do have a Mac.  (Mostly because the schools I have been fortunate enough to work in have provided Mac laptops for their teachers.)  I grew up, like many others around my age, with a PC in the house. In college, it was a PC.  Post college, a PC.  A few years ago when I was in between jobs and found myself without a computer.  What was I going to get?  I ended up getting a PC laptop.  After using it for a week I remember calling my husband all frustrated, telling him I was going to return it.  I just couldn’t use it.  It was hard to navigate.  It didn’t have the software on it I was use to using.  The short cuts I knew (form the Mac) didn’t work.  He told me to stick with it and I did.  I found I could use shortcuts, they were just different.  Things were located in different places and called different things then I was use to.  I adapted.

Now I am back to having a Mac in my current employment.  I can’t lie, I am happy to have one again.  But does it matter?  I have found that I am using more “software” that is web-based.  They are not platform specific.

Back to the conversation, “Am I a Mac?”.  I told her I used it a Mac.  I found them easier to use than PC, but it is all a matter of preference.  I am a Technologist!  I am using “software” that can be used anywhere by anyone; Mac, PC, Linux, etc.

What are you?  A Mac?  A PC?  Why one over the other?

First Post

Thank you for visiting my blog.  My goal for this summer is to post at least one time per week.  I have been contemplating starting an Ed Tech Coaching blog for a while.

Back in May of 2007 I started a blog called I’m a Tech Teacher.  This blog served as a way for me to share some things I was doing while teaching computers.  In the first post, I wrote:

“I have decided to start blogging. I don’t know why people would read what I have to say, but I will give it a try. There have been other blogs which I read, and I have thought, “yeah, I know about that website. I saw that website a couple of months ago.” Yes, I have learned a lot from others. I am am excited to share my knowledge with others. (I hope others will read what I have to say.) Feel free to share my blog with other people you think might be interested.”

I still am not sure if what I share will be of importance to others, however I will give it a try.