Presentation at Fall CUE 2013 on Teaching Web Research

Teaching Ten Steps to

Better Web Research

Fall CUE

October 25, 2013

By Mark E. Moran

Dulcinea Media

Links to studies & articles discussed are at the end of this presentation and at

http://bit.ly/FallCUE

Dulcinea Media provides free content & tools that help educators teach students how to use the Internet effectively.http://www.DulcineaMedia.com

SweetSearch, A Search Engine for Studentswww.SweetSearch.com

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Educator Reviews of Dulcinea Media

Educator Reviews

Educator Reviews

Our generation

Their generation

“Digital natives are extraordinarily

sophisticated and strangely narro

w.” 1

In 2010 Dulcinea Media Surveyed 300 middle andhigh school students in New York. 2

In 2010 Dulcinea Media Surveyed 300 middle andhigh school students in New York. 2

Conclusions….

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.

“Students’ high level of browsing… at the expense of thinking about information need, planning for strategies and evaluating obtained information.”3

-- Shu Hsien L. Chen (2003)

“[S]tudents’ level of faith in their search engine of choice is so high that they do not feel the need to verify for themselves who authored the pages they view or what their qualifications might be.”4

-- Eszter Hargittai, et al

Northwestern UniversityInt’l J. of Communications 4 (2010)

College Students in 2010

• Not one of the 600 college students surveyed “could give an adequate conceptual definition of how Google returns results….the word ‘magic’ came up a lot.”5 --ERIAL study (Illinois)

• “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.6

-- Berkman Center for Internet & Society,

March 2010

Students’ Primary “Strategy”

... wildly firing randomterms into a search box, and hoping they’ll get lucky.

Why Teach Web Research?

“[T]he [b]illions spent to wire schools is of little use unless students know how to retrieve useful information from the oceans of sludge on the Web.”7

-- Geoffrey Nunberg

UC Berkeley School of Information

“Participation Gap”

Students with support are finding ways to thrive in complex digital information environment.8

• Students without access to librarians teaching Web research skills show up at college “beyond hope”….”they have learned to ‘get by’ with Google.“9

-- University College London

A “New Divide”

Students with access to librarians teaching Web research skills “take prize of better grades” in college.9

An Informed Internet Citizenry

“Initiatives that help educate people in this domain…could play an important role in achieving an informed Internet citizenry.” 4

-- Eszter Hargittai, et al

Improving Search Skills Starts With Educators

Emerging research indicates that many teachers do not have the necessary skills to navigate the Internet.

-- Barbara Combes, Professor, Edith Cowan University, Australia

“Students see educators modeling an effective research process and learn from it.”

-Colette Cassinelli librarian/ technology teacher Portland, OR

There is No Quick Fix

Effective web research skills cannot be learned in a week, a semester, or a year.

Must Be Integrated into Curriculum

“[L]leaving information literacy to librarians alone suggests a failure to understand the scope of the problem.” 7

-- Geoffrey Nunberg

Web research skills must be taught throughout primary school years to break the “culture of use” currently seen in this generation of users.

-- Barbara Combes

A New Approach?

Educators must teach broad concepts and strategies, not how to use specific tools.

-- Authors of ERIAL study

“Use better interfaces and more sophisticated indexing methods to nudge students, incrementally, toward competence.”5

- Casper Grathwohl Oxford University Press

“Unless we can demonstrate some measurable payoff to searching, students aren’t going to do it.”5

- Lisa Rose-Wiles, Librarian

Seton Hall University

A New Approach?

“We have shown the importance of looking at the whole process of information seeking and content evaluation…

from the first decision about which search engine or Web site to consult initially…

to the final stage of settling on a page with the sought-after content.” 4

---Eszter Hargittai, et al

How Do Effective Researchers Behave?

• Start general with several keywords

• Try new combinations in a systemic manner

• Use more precise, or even natural language.

• Look well beyond the first few results, and return often to favorite, reliable sites.

Habitudes

• Curiosity

• Perseverance

• Adaptability

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.

Step 1: Where to Search

• Students should not count on search engines exclusively.

•Educators should recommend individual sites.

• Use student-friendly tools for aggregating your own favorite sites. e.g. Symbaloo or Diigo.

Step 1: Where to Search

• Give students a list of 10 sites.

• Students must defend their sources before they start writing.

-Michelle Baldwin-Anastasis Academy

Step 1: Where to Search – Learn from Others

Step 2: Try Several Search Engines

Step 2: Use 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

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.

Step 3: Think Before You Search

“If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll probably end up somewhere else.”

- Yogi Berra

Students should rewrite assignments in their own words.

Next, students should write out the questions they want their research to answer.

-Angela Maiers, - Digital Literacy expert

Step 3: Think Before You Search

Step 3: Think Before You Search

Writing questions helps students explore the topic from different angles.

Step 3: Think Before You Search

Writing questions helps students focus in on the area of interest to them.

Step 3: Think Before You Search

Thorough questions let students know when their research is complete–when their questions have been answered.

Good Questions --> Good Search Terms

Extract keywords from your questions.

Pair main keywords serially with lesser keywords.

Choose nouns instead of verbs.

Take a bottoms up approachTake a bottoms up approach. .

Cover the Whole Field

Use 2 or 3 keywords;

in many combinations;

important words first;

adjust incrementally;

cover the “whole field.”

Search Engines, Not Answer Machines

The goal:

Provide keywords in the search box

that help you find documents

that are helpful to your research.

Match Words in Search Box to Words on the Page

“Imagine your dream document.

What words would the author of that document definitely include?”

-Joyce Valenza Never Ending Search

School Library Journal

Teach students not to expect magic “answers.”

Instead, they want to find relevant and authoritative sources from which they can extract their own answers.

Step 4: Dig deep for the best results

• Many websites rank high for reasons unrelated to the quality of their content.

• Professionals and academics don’t “optimize” their content for search engines, so it usually does not appear at the top.

• Don’t stop at the first page!!

Step 4: Dig deep….

• Google and other search engines optimize their results for adults, who want to know “what happened today.”

•Google continually strives to deliver “fresher” results.

• For school research, “fresher” is not usually better.

Step 4: Dig deep….

• With Yolink users can browse search results in context without opening them.

• Integrated into SweetSearch, Yolink can be used on other sites through a browser add-on.

•SweetSearch = “better indexing,” Yolink = “better interface” suggested by Oxford University Press.

Step 5: Make Search Engines Work for You

• 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.

Step 5: Make Search Engines Work for You

• Learn the AROUND function.

• Search “Kennedy" AROUND(10) “moon” and the top results will be ones in which Kennedy appears within ten words of moon.

•NOTE: both search terms must be in quotes, AROUND must be capitalized, and the number must be in parentheses.

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.

Step 6: Don’t Believe Everything You Read

Students should think like a detective.

•A dose of healthy skepticism is required.

•Information is only as good as its source.

• No single element determines credibility.

•ALWAYS verify critical information with several sources.

Step 7: Find Primary Sources

•Think of primary sources such as photos, diaries and newspapers as “eyewitness accounts” – which are generally more reliable than second-hand information.

More: http://bit.ly/6CnTrq

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

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.

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.”

Step 8: Who Published the Article?

• See 10 Reasons Why Students Can’t Cite Wikipedia.

More: http://bit.ly/dlxX6i

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.

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.

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

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

The End?

Yes, but it’s only the beginning of our efforts to help educators teach students how to use the Web effectively.

In Fall 2013, Mark Moran and Angela Maier will release their co-authored book, “Digital Literacy: Lessons for Leaders and Learners.”

Works Cited:

1. Born Digital, John Palfrey and Urs Gasser

2. Mark E. Moran and Shannon Firth, “A Study of Students Online Behavior,” March 2010.

http://blog.findingdulcinea.com/2011/06/a-study-of-students-online-research-behavior.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. Eszter Hargittai etal, “Trust Online: Young Adults’ Evaluation of Web Content,” International Journal of Communications 4 (2010), 468-494, 1932-8036/20100468

5. Steve Kolowich, Searching for Better Research Habits, Inside Higher Ed, September 29, 2010http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/09/29/search

6. 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

(cont’d)

Works Cited:

7. Geoffrey Nunberg, “Teaching Students to Swim in the Online Sea,” The New York Times, February 13, 2005.

8.Project Information Literacy Smart Talk, no. 3, John Palfrey, "Rethinking Plagiarism in the Digital Age?" September 1, 2010. http://projectinfolit.org/st/palfrey.asp

9. . 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

10. Media Post: Google Research Focuses on Search Failures, September 21, 2010 http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=136114&nid=118854

Dulcinea Media Links:

Survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/82BM99Z

SweetSearch 10 Steps: http://www.SweetSearch.com/TenSteps

Yolink: http://www.yolinkeducation.com/education/

Primary Sources: http://bit.ly/6CnTrq

Original Source? http://bit.ly/9k6a2v

Can’t Cite Wikipedia: http://bit.ly/dlxX6i

Who? http://bit.ly/9dzELE

Why? http://bit.ly/aTfAPo

When? http://bit.ly/cZDEig