Our students do not seem to be very good searchers. I am not sure if it is because they haven’t learned to think in key word terms, think about synonyms, or if they are simply in a hurry. Our school is offering its first technology course in about 6 or maybe 7 years and our tech department has split up the instructing duties. While it is fun to be able to teach to personal strengths and interests, I find myself with a unit now that investigates the many aspects of Google. As our school “made the switch to Google” last spring, it is important for our students to understand the tools at their disposal, so the unit will explore Google docs, Picasa, Sites, Labs, and more, but we are starting with learning about the company of Google and then will move into searching.
I made this little activity for students to explore Google’s company history as an introduction and we will watch parts of CNBC’s Inside the Mind of Google today, but tomorrow I need to find a way to make searching and Google’s cool search features like site: searches and how to  exclude key words engaging and memorable. I have found several lesson plans from Google’s resources, but am not yet comfortable with a plan. Any ideas?
No Time to Sleep 
This is so cool, Wendy. I am truly amazed at the level with which our students know (not) how to search for information. Thanks for posting.