Where and How do I Search?

Travel Guide

Objectives - ISTE NETS for Students #3: Research and Information Fluency

"plan strategies to guide inquiry"

• understanding different tools to use for searching online and how to choose the best tool

Materials

• 1 computer and Internet connection
• table top map (may be as simple or elaborate as desired), large enough for students to view)
• For examples of village maps, search IMAGES using the query village map

Directions

Ahead of time, or with the help of the children, lay out a village map (may be drawn, built from blocks or LEGOs or projected).

Use the Travel Guide as one example or the main activity. Explain that when you want to get to a destination, you usually want to get there as quickly and safely as possible. As time allows, invite them to share stories about times they traveled by car, plane, walking, etc.

Pick out two locations on the map and ask: what are the ways we could travel from here to there? Talk about which would be the fastest, safest and easiest to use.

Compare different ways to travel to tools for searching the Internet (a search engine is like a jet, except it takes you exactly where you want to be, a directory is like a city bus that makes stops only at certain places; browsing is like walking).

here are some additional points that may be made:

If you want to get information fast and safe, search a safe database (your school may subscribe to one. You can compare these to Google, which is not safe because robotic programs add anything they find to the database)

If you want to take a tour and get ideas along the way--like a sightseeing cruise or train, etc.) use a subject directory (because someone at the company had to create the directory from selections in the database, these are usually safe places to search).

If you want to get out and explore something closely, you'll have to browse. Almost all searches end by browsing--usually to make sure you found what you were looking for.

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