Have you ever tried to search for something on the Internet, only to have the search results not match what you wanted? With the Internet being such a vital source of information, it is crucial that our students learn how to use Internet search in a way that will add to their learning and help them use their intrinsic curiosity in a constructive way. Google Search Education is a free-to-use resource that can help your students learn how to be effective Internet searchers. This web-based learning platform contains lessons that can be used in the classroom and other resources your students can use outside of class.

The materials on the site are divided into four categories. Let’s explore them now!

Lesson Plans & Activities

In this section of Google Search Education you can find lessons that are scaffolded by difficulty and divided into units. The first lesson begins with the basics of choosing the best search terms and ends with a lesson on evaluating the credibility of sources. Students can explore how to narrow their search terms to yield better results, as well as ways to find evidence for research-based projects. There is also a lesson overview that addresses which standards are covered in each lesson and some helpful differentiation advice.

Power Searching

The Power Searching section of Google Search Education is where you or your students would go to have a guided learning experience. There are two scaffolded paths, Power Searching and Advanced Power Searching. According to the course description, students will “hone [their] searching skills by solving complex search challenges alongside peers from around the world in this online class.” The courses begin with an assessment that gauges students’ prior knowledge and evaluates what students will learn during the course. Each unit is then broken down into a series of instructor videos and corresponding activities. This is a great resource that even the most skilled searcher will learn something from!

A Google a Day Challenge

Are you or your students up for a challenge? Head to this section for engaging challenges that can test your students’ relational reasoning abilities and also serve as fun icebreakers to get your students thinking about future lesson and topics. There are challenges based on culture, geography, and history or science. “I can grow my body back in about two days if cut in half. Many scientists believe I do not undergo senescence. What am I?” “You are in the United States, but you are closer to China than your friend in Wellington, NZ. How is that possible?” These are just a couple of the thought-provoking challenges Google has to offer!

Live Trainings

Finally, the Live Trainings section of the site offers webinars that go more in depth into certain areas of search. We can learn how to navigate Google Scholar to find sources for research projects or become better at assessing the authority of certain sources. There is also a Sensemaking course that provides strategies to “collect, organize, and restructure information to come to some deeper understanding.”

Explore the great resource of Google Search Education to see if it is something that could benefit your students!

If you would like extra training or resources on using Google’s suite of online applications, be sure to check out our OTIS for educators platform that has a series of videos designed to make you proficient in Google’s G-Suite for Education. There are also hundreds of hours of other courses on how to best use technology in the classroom.