Another Google Search Tip

When you search using Google, have you ever noticed the option “more search tools”?

I suggest that you click on this option and look at some of them.

For example, I have searched for “Ned Kelly” and then selected Reading Level. Google sorts the results into one of three reading levels. Here is the result:

Select the Basic level and Google filters forward the Basic level articles.

How does Google do it? Well they actually asked teachers! Teachers were asked to rate a wide range of texts from which Google developed a statistical model which is applied to text scanned on the internet. This may still not produce results which are fully reliable but it will help produce results better suited to, say, lower end readers.

Why don’t you try one of the other search options – for example – try Location and filter results using this method – gets rid of all those annoying American sites!

Enjoy!

Better Internet Search Techniques

Google Time Line

Google Time Line is a great way to refine searches.

It is really simple to use and very powerful.

Here is how it works:

1. Search for something – e.g. "Ned Kelly" – a search of Ned Kelly produces over 3 million results.

2. Now scroll down on the left hand side and look for “Timeline” – if you can’t see it select the option “more search tools”. It should always be there though.

3. Selecting "Timeline" places a time line at the top of your search results. Google is filtering the results and grouping them into dates.

4. Select a decade and Google will “zoom” in on that decade.

5. Select another period on the timeline and Google will zoom further. It will keep filtering as you zoom.

6. How could you use this?

Well it could be a really effective way of:

· discovering detail about an event in a person’s life

· breaking students up to look at:

o the life of a person

o a war, social or political campaign

o developments in science such as Astronomy

o volcanic activity

· The list is really only limited by your imagination.

7. Enjoy.