Learning and Applying Effective Search Strategies

I think one of the best ways to guide students in developing and practicing effective internet search skills is by teaching them strategies to do this.  Having a lesson  showing them an unreliable website such as the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus website would be a good tool to show them that not everything on the internet is true (Gasp!).  You could then use a website credibility check-list to show them how some of the websites, like the above website, may look legitimate, but are indeed not.  Another way to help students with these skills is by showing them how to do advanced searches, and using the Boolean search tools.  According to Frey, Fisher, and Gonzalez (2010) “one of the ways to limit their searches is to place quotation marks around the search terms so that the pages found include the words in the exact string as written” (p. 39).  This is so important to show students that as it can dramatically reduce the amount of websites in their searches.  Having a quick lesson on not only using quotations but any of the Boolean search tools will help show students how to narrow down things to topics that will relate to what they are researching and will help keep them from siphoning through tons and tons of webpages in the hopes they may find something relevant to their research. 
Frey, N., Fisher, D., & Gonzalez, A. (2010). Literacy 2.0: reading and writing in 21st century classrooms. Moorabbin, Vic.: Hawker Brownlow Education.