How to Teach a Student to Search the Internet

Students can benefit from the information available on the Internet when taught how to properly search it.

The Internet is a great resource for many students because it contains information about almost any topic and is easily accessible. Search engines make it possible for students to quickly type in a few key words and find websites full of information they need. However, these websites can also be irrelevant and inappropriate, especially for young students. That's why it's important to teach students how to properly search the Internet.

Instructions

1. Turn on parental controls. Prior to teaching students how to search the Internet, make sure parental controls on the computer are set up and turned on. Visit the Control Panel on your computer and double-click on the security icon or folder. Choose the option to manage the security settings for the Internet. Under the Content tab, enable the Content Advisor. This brings up a box that allows you to select categories of Internet sites that you can block on your computer, as well as a tab that allows you to enter specific website addresses to block.

2. Discuss with students the major search engines they can use to search the Internet. These include Google, Bing and Yahoo. Teach students how to key in the addresses to these search engines, as well as how to use search engine toolbars at the top of their web browser. These toolbars make it easy to type in a phrase and have the search engine search without going directly to the homepage of the search engine website.

3. Practice searching basic terms. Give students different words or topics to type into a search engine to see what search engine results they get. Encourage students to read the description provided under each search result to evaluate whether they think the link to the result is the right webpage for them. For example, typing the word "bear" into Google produces a link for the Chicago Bears. Students wanting information on animals will quickly know that the Chicago Bears website isn't the right site for them.

4. Demonstrate how to access the advanced search engine website of each of the major search engines. For example, in Google the Advanced Search link is located right next to the Search box on its homepage. Show students how to use the advanced search to search for exact phrases or how to search for a specific word while excluding another word. For example, students can search for the word "bear" while excluding the word "Chicago," which will prevent links to Chicago Bears from showing up in their search results.

5. Teach shortcuts. As students become more proficient at searching the Internet, teach them how to complete advanced searches using shortcut keys. Teach students to place quotation marks around words if they're searching for exact phrases. Instruct them to use site:gov at the end of the search term if they only want government websites in their search results. Let them know that they can exclude words by placing a minus in front of them, such as --Chicago from the earlier "bears" example.

References

• CVC Internet: How to Set "Parental Controls" Using Windows

Resources

• South Dakota Library Association: Surf Tips
• NetSmartz