| Lesson 10 Search Introduction to search engines, their potential and use. 1) Feedback and discussion from prep (5–10 mins): Google Reader. What feeds did you each subscribe to? Did you add any to the 'good feeds' page? (If not, you could add some now.) How did you use the overall settings and did you use the folder settings? (Your teacher will show you something of what these settings allow you to do.) What was it like reading an aggregator for a week? Did you prefer expanded or list view? Did anyone use the 'share' (public) facility? Or the starred option? Or trends? ... 2) Search engines. Wikipedia:
Wikipedia has a list of search engines here. For web-based searches, most people are familair with Google, but you should consider others such as Yahoo! and Microsoft's Live. You could also add search engines to your Google homepage, of course. Some of you have already done this and now's a good time to demo how you did this to the rest of the set. 4) Google and search. Start by watching Google Search Privacy: Plain and Simple. You'll learn about IP addresses and cookies — and their role in Google search. (This video will also raise questions about privacy and search which we'll discuss later in this course.) So, that's the basic stuff. Now then, what exactly can Google do for you? Google is a lot more powerful than most people realise. Your teacher will talk with you about the following:
Google also offers you the possibility of personalised search. Did you know this? And about the option to turn on your search history? You probably won't have time for this in the lesson, so for prep you'll be asked to watch this video: Google Search Privacy: Personalized Search. Prep: watch (if not already done in class) the video above (Google Search Privacy: Personalized Search). Copy what it shows you on your own, home machine: explore your search history; search within your search history (tip: do a Google search and then choose 'Web History' from the top right of the screen; you'll be asked to sign in again — to ensure it's really you and not someone prying into your search history); practise pausing and resuming personal search. Look at the setting Google provides for your personal search — here. (There's a help page about the service here. You may find this useful.) What do you think of the usefulness of personal search history? Can you see any problems or dangers? (This BBC news item might help you think about this.) If time, take a look at Google Alerts — another way of … searching. Be ready to discuss your experiences and thoughts next time. |